The five-year-old Crown 56 was a well-maintained car owned by a lieutenant, who happened to be in the right place at the right time when Luke stepped out of the building. To say that Lieutenant Corning was bullied into loaning his automobile to the higher-ranking officer was a lie. First of all, it was Nolan who approached the lieutenant and not Luke. Second, and more important, it was a temporary trade in favor of the other officer. The aged, but well-maintained Crown 56 for one of the super cars that the prince’s bodyguards had the privilege of driving. Corning didn’t even bat an eyelash.

The ride was pleasant enough, though not at all comparable to what Luke was used to. He can manage to read from the screen of his computer, and with enough care, even type an email or annotate a document. It was not the ideal working environment, but he could manage. He had to, because time was of the essence. Luke had not yet told Rhiane, but their hours in the capital was already numbered. The queen confirmed that the couple was set to depart the following day. There were no details of their itinerary yet, but he anticipated days spent convincing peasants that the crown was on their side, which meant that he was expected to be at least courteous if not supportive of their pleas. Then the nights would be reserved for lavish parties meant for socializing with the nobility. Two different worlds whose loyalty he was supposed to secure. Just the thought made him tired. 

Just then, the communicator notified a message. It was from Lavanchy, and it was bad news. As expected, his princess refused his request. Stubborn woman. If only she knew how quickly she was climbing up the ranks of the most frustrating people in his world. She was actually a close second to the queen.

[i]Tobias,

Kindly do so. I leave her in your capable hands.

Also inform Ms. Black that she may dine in the common dining room next time she plans to have lunch with the maids. 

Luke[/i]

He was unsure how his sudden invitation was interpreted by Rhiane Black. If he was in her shoes, he would have taken it as a follow through for the flirtatious attempts from the night before, or perhaps a testimony that he was sincere when he told her that his temporary freedom was not the best thing that happened to him since the day they met. But at that point, there was little chance that she could guess why he was asking her to join him. It was neither for political reasons, nor for business reasons. He could have appeared by himself, which was his original plan, but then the Sophia incident happened. Unfortunately for him, she would be in attendance together with that American COO, therefore the need for ammunition, which was his fiancée. He was not expecting her to conduct business or to converse intelligently with the investors and other important guests, she just needed to be both present and presentable. Luke believed that she would have no problem with the latter.

A few more minutes and they were switching cars. Nolan was just too relieved that their little excursion encountered no incident that endangered his passenger’s life. Luke personally thanked the happy lieutenant before they drove away.  The venue was not too far away. With their pace, the navigation system estimated that they would be arriving in fifteen minutes. Luke hadn’t heard from Tobias yet, but he hoped that his second cousin was able to convince the farmer that there were merits in conforming to the crown prince’s whims. 

There was no message from Rhiane’s new bodyguard even as the car stopped in front of the main entrance to the mid-rise building. Before he left the car, he keyed in a simple message that read:

[i]Report.[/i]

There was no shortage of the word "PRESS" or "MEDIA" – from the gate to the paved walkway leading to the main entrance. Cameras flashed in the late afternoon sun as the future ruler stepped out of the car, still clad in his perfectly pressed uniform (minus the hat) and aviator sunglasses. He did not bother to smile for the cameras, unlike the advise he gave Rhiane the night of their engagement party, as his long strides conquered the distance to the interior of the building.