Duh!

After Happily Ever After

Prince Philip was the one who saved your life. Everything was going fine. You got married, your father passed on his throne to him, and he was ruling the country professionally. Everything seemed serene - until your family's cohesion broke down just because both of you doesn't have time for each other. Everything seemed okay then but your little fights turned into big arguments, straining your relationship. Then maybe it was because he can't stand underlying pressure given by your demanding parents who wants grandchildren or maybe it was because he wasn't happy with your marriage anymore - that gave an end to your love story. And as cliché as it may sound, you found another man who completed you, who became your 'everything' after your first happily ever after.

It's close to midnight when you finally get your daughter, Sora, to fall asleep. You expected your husband to already be in his second dream but to your surprise, the light to his office is on.

Sighing, you were already aware of what was happening and it pained you to see it happen all over again. With him aging, he's given the hope of becoming the most responsible and now settled on becoming the most looked-up king. He spent days cooped up in his office, bright lamp hovering over him as his hand cramps up from gripping the pencil too hard.

You softly tip toe towards the office, taking a peek inside. Your husband is seated on the golden chair, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose slightly as he furrowed his brows. He doesn't write, instead closes his eyes and presses the tips of his fingers against the stack of papers. He mimics the movement, resonates the words in his head and sighs.

You nibble on your lip before softly knocking on the wooden door. He slowly turns to look at you, eyes dropped and hair disheveled. He forces a small sheepish smile and you make your way over to his side.

You ask him "how's it going?" then you take a seat in his lap and he holds you close. Pressing his head against your chest, you gently stroke his blonde hair and you can feel his breathing become easy.

"I'm missing something," he mumbles. "I can't help but feel like there's something missing from this law."

"When do they want it?"

"In a month." You frown. "There's only less than three weeks left."

"So soon?" You look down at him. "Last time they never demanded."

"Lots of crimes are happening." he closed his eyes. "We need to regulate it now."

You can feel his body slumping against you, clear exhaustion and stress releasing as you kiss his head. "Let's call it a night. You can continue this tomorrow."

"I can't. I have to... finish." His eyes fail to open and you smile softly before lifting his head and pecking nose. His eyes slowly open and they stay droopy as he forces himself awake. For the nine-hundred ninety-ninth time, he's overworking himself again and as those went by, you did nothing. But now, you want to do something. You want to stop this now. Because if you don't, you don't know what's going to happen anymore. "Speare, please, do not do this." You whisper.

"But I have to Aurora." Every words he spat makes you sadder. He frowns. "This is my duty. To serve and to protect the people."

"I can work too. You don't have to do this alone." Speare straightens up and gently pushes you back. You scowl, well aware of his sudden change of mood.

You knew he was struggling. You knew he worked late in the night to make laws. Despite most of them are approved by the Parliament, he still fails to see how considerate he is of his people. He thinks his creations are not good enough. He's intelligent yet he's blind to his own talent.

You quitted your job after you've given birth to Sora. He doesn't want you to work anymore for he knows that 'To provide for his family, to not have his wife lift a finger anymore - that's what he's here for as a father.' You know it will lessen his burden if you work too because you've always worked as a team, But he insists on just letting you stay at the Royal Palace to raise your child. Speare worked from home and it was nice to spend time with each other. Sora got the attention she could ever need and your family was happy.

And all you could ever do is sigh when he says: "This discussion is over. I need to get back to work. It's late, go to bed." Deciding to stop yourself from pushing the matter more, you jump down from his lap. Speare removes his glasses and rubs his eyes, forcing himself to wake up. And you slowly make your exit, faintly mumbling: "Goodnight."

He huffs out a breath as the door closes and you head to your room. He furrows his brows, vision becoming blurry as he stares at the letters on the paper. It was becoming difficult, writing a law that he could proudly say he made. He couldn't indicate his point, couldn't find the right words to explain the matter he was trying to resolve.

Glancing at the clock, he groans and concludes that he should sleep. He puts down his pen, gently arranges the heap of papers and places it in his folder. And his glasses, it's settled in his desk.

Exiting the room, he instantly notices a small mug sitting outside of his door. He smiles softly before bending down and grabbing the mug filled with freshly brewed coffee. His nostrils flare as he takes a sip before heading to kitchen.

He stops in his tracks when he sees your body curled in the couch, pillow tucked under your head as you lay in a small ball. His shirt hangs loosely from your body and Speare heaves before walking over. He places the mug down on the table and crouches down in front of you. He smiles before smoothly brushing strands of your hair away from your face and you stir softly.

"Finished?" You speak hoarsely and he nods. He invites you to sleep with him. He leans over and presses a soft kiss to your forehead. And you grin. Your eyes droop and you're unable to stay awake. Speare pulls you before tucking his hands under your body and easily lifting you into his arms. You snuggle into his arms, relieved with his warmth and instantly feeling eased.

Speare softly lays you down, wrapping you in and smiling down at your sleeping figure. He quietly stands, stripping away his jacket before climbing into bed. His arms wrap around you and you smile as you cuddle into his chest.

"I love you," you talk, half asleep. "Please stop overdoing yourself. I'm worried." He pulls you in closer, assuring you to be not and to believe in him too. You always believed in him. He achieved so much in such a little time and you're proud of him. His heart skips a beat at that. He wraps his arms around you tighter and rests his head on the pillow.

"I won't let my family down." He whispers. "I swear, I won't fail you or Sora."

"Even if you did, we both still love you. No matter what."

This time you fall asleep and Speare gently kisses your forehead before closing his eyes. This time, he lets your words to soothe him and he beams softly before allowing sleep to capture his soul.

"I'm so lucky to have found you."

Little did he know - it's the other way around.