Rhiane did not actually disagree with Dr. Gulsvig on his sentiment that marriage was not easy. Even as blissfully content as her parents had been with one another they were not immune from conflict. On more than one occasion she had heard them in disagreement about the rules established for herself and her brothers, their punishment for their children's transgressions, what crops would flourish the most in the next season, or what necessities they should purchase with their small profit from the proceeding year. Communication and compromise had been the pillars of their success, something they often stated outright, and yet she doubted that Luke was open to either of those things. Royals and the upper echelons of the nobility had earned themselves a reputation as thinking themselves so far elevated above commoners that they would not speak with them at all if it could be helped. The farmer could only imagine that the heir to the throne felt similarly; he was on the precipice of true power and conceding an inch in an argument with his peasant future wife was unfathomable.

And yet as the older gentleman left the room she had to admit to herself she was acting no better. Rhiane could not very well blame Luke for being stubborn, unyielding, and uncooperative when she was shutting down and giving him the silent treatment. If her parents' theory that communication was essential was correct then she had to put forth effort as well. Sebastian had warned her before she left that retreating into herself when she became emotional would to be to her detriment. At the time she had thought this was only because she could implode, harming herself in ways that her unofficial brother-in-law feared, but that may not have been his only worry. This method of self-preservation was an avoidance tactic, a behavior that may not burn bridges but certainly did not build them, and did her no favors.

"Wait," she called out as she rose to her seat. Belatedly she realized when he had offered his hand to her he had actually apologized for the 'maybe' unnecessary consultation with Dr. Gulsvig. "Please wait," she requested as she took a few steps that kept her at the edge of the implant's range. Because she still found it difficult to predict her fiance's reaction to her words or actions she did not draw closer; it was better to maintain some distance if what she was about to say drew his ire rather than understanding.

"I don't like or trust doctors," she confessed honestly, "so it's not that I don't appreciate that you tried to answer Dr. Gulsvig's questions on my behalf to expedite matters. It's that you both spoke about me, and presumed what I would do, almost as if I was a child or a puppet with no thoughts, feelings, or agency of my own. I do not mean to malign the queen's reputation, but has she ever done anything like that to you? She's made decisions on your behalf in front of you without your input?" The princess elect hoped that drawing a parallel might grant him more insight into why she was having such a reaction. While they both knew that she faced a lifetime of limited choices overseen by the current reigning monarch, she was not seeking a solution. Rhiane only wanted him to have understanding why it could sour her disposition temporarily towards the offender in particular.

After a few moments she sighed and shook her head. "After my shower I will have to convince an entire world that we're madly in love. I'm not sure what strategy will scroll on those teleprompters but I assure you that I'm aware this isn't an easy task. If it were there would be no need for a contest because the empire would be both peaceful and content. I am incredibly uneasy about the prospect of giving this interview under medication I'm sure I've never heard of or taken before, under the care of a doctor I do not trust, and whom I do not know. And you... you are obviously beside yourself with joy that you will not be attached to me tomorrow through the nanotechnology. I do not ask for your affections, not now nor ever, but the challenge of this interview grows knowing the man beside me, that I am to praise and speak of adoringly, wants nothing more than to be rid of me as quickly as possible."

"If you could, please pretend, just until the interview is over, that the best part of your day wasn't the promise that you won't see me tomorrow," she said, pausing before she continued, "and that you limit any public displays of affection regardless of whether or not our circumstances require you to be on broadcast tonight. It's not something I'm used to so I find it... distracting," she concluded. Not that she thought Luke hadn't noticed how during their lunch date she had been slightly uncomfortable with both the kiss and hand holding. Just as she could easily spot a novice at deception, she wagered he could spot a novice at romantic entanglements from a mile away. The crown prince had a reputation as a heart breaker and she doubted that the nervous awkward undertone she had during those brief exchanges were beyond his perception.