Fork in the road

 

The princess asked him not to worry, she would arrange and get him connected. And in the meantime, she expects him to be on his best behavior and not get into trouble during this period. A few weeks pass by, but still no word from the princess. The weeks turn to months and finally after few years, she returns with an opportunity for Duncan. He becomes very excited and an elated Duncan  starts singing praises to the princess, he signs the contract infront of him without hesitation.  I mean, this is an opportunity of a lifetime that has happened to knock a second time at his doorstep. There's no way he's passing up that chance. Besides, "This is the princess", "I trust her", "she's the only one who has taken the initiative to get me back on my feet". These are the thoughts going through his mind.

True to her word, the Princess has really gotten him a legit gig as a researcher. He advances and becomes the lead researcher and even becomes somewhat, a consultant for different research groups. Life is good! He gets himself mingling with the rich; climbing the social ladder, forming alliances and getting funds for his project, he gets to rub shoulders and sit at the table of the rich. He has managed to make a name for himself and become one of the elites by being a good researcher. He is very grateful to the Princess and starts to think of how he can show his gratitude. After a while, he thinks to himself, "What better way to show how grateful I am other than giving myself to the woman who made all these possible?" In his mind, he sees marriage as the most selfless show of gratitude: what is his is also hers, type of union; everything belongs to the both of them. So he starts trying to make subtle advances by trying to show the Princess how much he has done, talking to her about the future plans he has and how his plans could get a much bigger fortune. Impressed, the princess asks for proof and to see a detailed plan of how all that could be achieved. And truly if you are to look at the numbers presented, it isn't just big talk. He has analyzed everything down to the last minutiae details. The Princess is very excited. She has hit a Jackpot by choosing to get Duncan into the research programme.

Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Duncan starts to plan for the engagement party knowing at the back of his mind, that the Princess is never going to say no. I mean the Princess loves Duncan and he is favored highly among the many who have been "helped" by the Princess. Honestly, if there was a ranking list, he would probably be at the top of it.

While Duncan is planning this party, the Princess starts to notice the secret meetings and how out of character he was being. He has started hiding information from her and so she does some investigation of her own and starts putting up a contingency plan. In her mind, she knows Duncan has never hidden anything from her. Even when he is in a bind, he goes to her for advice. So why is he, all of a sudden, calling secret meetings with some of her contacts without even as much as a courtesy call to her? She calls for a meeting with Duncan, a few lawyers and a few accountants. She explains to Duncan, a new saving opportunity where he gets to deposit a percentage of his earnings for a certain period of time and once the period is over, he gets to either walk away with his money plus interest or he can choose to leave a percentage behind so it can keep earning him profits. He was skeptical but didn't ask important questions such as how this money was earning him profit. Again, he signs another contract without looking at the details. I mean, it is the "Princess"! 

Duncan goes back to Engagement-party preparations. Meaning he is back to the secret meetings  and what not with some of the Princess' associates. The princess stops being too worried and suspicious since she already has a contingency plan in place. As the day of the engagement party is closing in, the Princess receives a package that says, "wear me!" and a card accompanying it reads an invitation to a ball from Duncan. Excited, she marks her calendar and calls a stylist who helps her put up a look that would best go with the gown gifted by Duncan.

On arrival, she notices the decorations, the guests dressed elegantly and she senses that this party isn't a regular dinner party. Meanwhile, Duncan comes to greet her in a brilliant white Tuxedo and takes her to a quiet place to keep her in the loop. Calmly, Duncan explains to her what he has been thinking. Quickly and strongly, she forbids it, then proceeds to explain to him that she isn't considering marriage as an option yet. She still has a lot to accomplish before she can be tied down by marriage and encourages him to not hold back and find someone to marry if he feels he is at that point in his life. To prove that she has and never will have ill intentions, she offers to pay for the wedding and poses as the "Best-Man" to Duncan.