A Royal Engagement

Backfired

(QING)

I watch the video with my whole family. Grandmother, Father, Mother, my younger sister, who is two years younger than me, and her fiance. Even Mr.Shouwei and Lao was there as witnesses.

The video shows me and my Grandpa, the late King Wang Dao, together in the Royal garden playing with the dogs. Grandpa and the dogs on the videos are gone now but what's important about this video is the moment my Grandfather took off his wedding ring to give it to his eight year old grandson, me.

"Promise you will give this to the person you will marry," my smiling grandfather put the ring on the middle of my palm.

Eight year old me nodded, "I will Grandpapa!" and I excitedly jump up and down while clutching the ring.

"Qing ah," my grandfather stopped me from jumping and held my shoulders. "Whoever you gave this ring will be a part of our family. You have to present that person to your parents and to the public so there will be no doubt that that person will be one of us. Like what I did for your Grandmother. That's an order, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir! I will Grandpapa!" And the eight year old me run happily. Grandpa laughed at me.

I paused the video.

My Grandmother cried. My Father was stunned while my Mother held my Grandmother's hand.

My Grandmother look at me with tears in her eyes, "Qing ah, where is the ring?"

"I gave it to someone," I said.

They look stunned again. Father stood hastily from his seat. "Who? Where is she?" He looked around the room like he will see the one holding my grandfather's ring inside with us.

I turned to Lao who nodded at me. "That person is not a she," I said carefully.

"What?" My mother exclaimed while my father sat down again in shock.

"You gave the ring to a boy?" My sister, Princess Wang BaoZang, arched an eyebrow.

I nodded, "To my other playmate beside Lao,"

My mother paled, "To the grandson of the Royal driver?!"

I nodded.

My grandmother cried harder. My father held a hand on his forehead while my mother shook her head to me.

"So what is your purpose for showing us this video?" My father asked.

"You all want me engaged? Well I am engaged. To the person holding that ring." I point at the TV screen.

Protests erupted. I let them all air out their objections.

"Don't be ridiculous Qing ah!" My father stood again.

"This is unprecedented my son," my mother is stressed.

"But you gave it to a boy!" My sister laughed like she told a funny joke.

We all stared at her. My mother nodded, "There's never been a Crown Prince engaged to another male. There has been no prince in history engaged that way!"

I shrugged, "Then let's all forget about that ring then,"

I smiled secretly. My plan is to blackmail my family using the video and my grandfather's legacy for them to stop pressuring me to find a fiancee.

I will insist on being engaged ONLY to the one holding the ring because I want to uphold my grandfather's wishes because I love him and his memory.