Ms. Viscomi glanced tentatively at Luke who by then had gotten to his feet and was ready to leave the suite. Having heard the princess elect’s request though, he shrugged and watched Rhiane herd the maid servants and Ms. Viscomi out of her rooms. Herding, he thought with an amused brow, a necessary skill for a farmer.

Luke sat back on his wingback chair and gestured for her to take a seat as well after noticing the slight limp, but Rhiane came down on him with a tirade of words that would rival his mother’s. In a few seconds, the princess elect managed to accuse the crown prince, a person who she just met, of being judgmental and apathetic. Luke was very much tempted to walk out of the room and damn the consequences, not because he was angered by the accusations, but because she was imposing her will onto his. It was usually the other way around. He was the crown prince, the future king, and he always get things done his way (except when his mother uses her authority over him). 

Mustering all the patience in his blood, Luke unclenched his jaw, sighed and looked her directly in the eyes. “Take a seat before you hurt yourself again,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “I wonder what made you think that you know so much about me enough to conclude how I see the common people. No, I don’t agree that common people are stupid. Delusional, easily manipulated, and ungrateful maybe, but not at all stupid. The people who will believe this farce are stupid.” 

It was a common misconception that the royal family lived a life of luxury using their subject’s hard-earned money, while they themselves did not work a day in their lives. On the contrary, he and other crown prince and princesses before him were raised to strict protocols and rigorous education to ensure that the future leader of the country would be fit for the role. He was exposed to the duties of a monarch at the age 18, when the queen started involving him in state affairs. At present, he was involved in defense and foreign policy, among other things. Did the common people think the kingdom thrives on its own? “I know what the protesters are saying and the cause that the rebellion is fighting for. Do you know how, Ms. Black?” He paused gauging the look on her face. “It’s because I am the crown prince. No information is hidden from me, because it’s my duty to know. So stop lecturing me about my kingdom.”

Arranged marriage and fake romance would not fix the problems of the kingdom. It may derail the momentum of the rebellion, but it would not be enough to stop its popularity. After a few months or years Ms. Black would be identified as a part of the nobility no matter her roots. She would be part of the upper class, the tyrant, those who people call cancer to the society. Their fairy tale love story would no longer matter once the common people woke up from the euphoria following the rags to riches tale of Ms. Black and realized that they were as poor and helpless as when Ms. Black was just a farmer. It was among the reasons he was opposed to the marriage and the tradition of the royal family.

“But if you insist on the topics we should not bring up, for me it will be the subject about Ms. Rhiane Black, my betrothed,” he snapped. Luke was trying to be polite by not voicing his thoughts out loud, but she demanded, and he obliged. More and more the idea of a date was feeling like a bad idea. He was such in a bad mood that morning after the brief meeting with his mother, the link that now bound him to Rhiane, and the distinct possibility that his relationship with the actress Sophia Keller would be on the line. The princess elect, on the other hand, was not so happy with him as well. She was not like the other contestants who were fawning over him.  

Luke traced a pattern on the screen of his communication band, which turned the surface back to sleep mode, then snapped it on his wrist. He rose to his full height and slung the jacked over his shoulder. Despite of everything he thought or said, the crown prince was positive that he did not want to further limit his freedom to 5 meters. Therefore, he was firm in his decision to take Rhiane out to brunch and start faking their relationship form there until the time the queen was satisfied with the result. He turned his back on her and headed for the door. Looking over his shoulder as he cracked the door open, he said, “If you have nothing more to say, let’s be on our way.”