The doctor tilted his head ever so slightly. Out of respect for the future queen, no matter how short her reign would be, he stopped himself from frowning or even voicing out the thoughts running in his head. After years of practicing his profession, he understood that some people, especially the proud ones like the crown prince, consoled themselves with the thought that everything was fine if only to prevent themselves from hearing from a medical professional that it was not the case. The princess elect and her future husband seemed to be the same in this regard. 

To break the silence that followed Rhiane’s response, or her lack of a helpful response, the doctor dragged the wooden chair from the desk to about a meter from where his patient sat. He deliberately took a seat so that they were speaking at eye level, and by doing so, felt as if he was a detective interrogating a suspect instead of a doctor trying to help his patient. “With all due respect, Ms. Black,” Dr. Isaac started in a rehearsed pleasant voice which failed to match the stern expression on his face. “It will immensely hasten the process once you start to cooperate and narrate for me how you felt after your extended exposure to low temperature.”

“Let me answer for her, doctor,” the prince butted in, impatient as ever. If he did read her correctly then she would not be upfront with the man in white suit. The Rhiane who appeared to be calmly sitting on the bed was not the Rhiane who boldly took his dare to jump off the cliff and did so with very little to no remorse. For a while, he thought her a fearless woman, but then again there was no human being who was born without fear. It just happened that hers was something that Luke felt was nonsensical.

The doctor then turned his attention to Luke. “Certainly, your highness. Although, might I point out how I wish you are this diligent when we are talking about your personal health issues.”

“If I have any.” He turned away for a moment, seemingly distracted by the notification alert tone sounding from his band.

“I am sure you are in perfect health, my prince,” the doctor humored him. “Let me ask you then why you thought Ms. Black had mild hypothermia this afternoon? Was it not just the case of her feeling the cold weather?” He intentionally did not ask questions about what they were doing or where they were that afternoon not because it was irrelevant, but because he knew Luke would not like the line of questioning.

As a response, Luke returned his attention to the older gentleman. “Again, I am not an expert, doctor. We were both drenched and exposed to the cold for perhaps longer than an hour. Ms. Black had difficulty in coordinating her limbs, in finding her balance, and also in speaking coherently. She was shivering and was conscious at least. Her skin was very cold, colder than my own even though I was shivering myself.”

“If you were drenched in cold water at this weather and also exposed to low temperatures, as his highness says, then yes the symptoms sounds like hypothermia.” He nodded to Luke then turned to Rhiane. The doctor typed the observations on the tablet he was holding, swiped and touched the screen several times before raising it vertically so that it was parallel to Rhiane. “Don’t move, Ms. Black. This won’t take long.” 

And it didn’t. It was as quick as taking a photo, but the photo was a thermal scan of the doctor’s subject which showed her core temperature. Satisfied, he put the nodded to himself and put the tablet down. Next, he reached for her hand and checked the skin for any tender spots, redness, or injuries caused by the exposure to the cold. Finding nothing of consequence other than the roughness that was uncharacteristic of a noble lady, he quietly thanked Rhiane for her cooperation. “There’s no cause for worry, your highness,” the doctor reassured Luke, because Ms. Black didn’t appear like she needed any reassurances. She had believed from the beginning that there was nothing to worry about. “Whatever first aid you had administered seemed to have worked well enough. Your princess’ core temperature is normal and there seems to be no injuries.”

The crown prince was on his mobile device though, holding it in both hands and typing furiously. He only acknowledged the doctor for a second then went back to what he was doing. 

“Then again, fatigue is not an uncommon after effect of hypothermia, Ms. Black. To help you through the interview, I will ask my staff to bring you something that can help push back the fatigue and boost your physical and mental faculties. It should wear-off gradually, but it should not hinder you from falling asleep. I suggest that you take as much time to rest as you can from tonight until tomorrow. And to that point, I will personally request her majesty to allow you two to be separated for a day.”

That last sentence attracted Luke’s interest. His thumb froze in mid-air and his eyes snapped up in attention. “Come again?”

“You heard me right, Lucius.” Dr. Isaac got to his feet, but not before winking at the prince. “I will recommend to turn-off the device for a day, so you don’t have to drag poor Ms. Black with you as you run errands around the capital.” 

It was the only good news he heard all day and it showed on the smile slowly creeping up his face. “Of course, she has to rest after what she had gone through today,” he agreed with the doctor. It all turned out well for him in the end. And perhaps she felt the same. Tomorrow was a promise of freedom. Even though it was just for a day, he would surely cherish it. 

“Right, but before that, I would like to remind our future queen that she needs to take her medicine tonight. To ease the pain and also reduce swelling, even though I think your ankle has been healing quite well.”