Tobias Lavanchy was in quite the predicament. As Queen Camilla had almost certainly deduced, the palace staff was compromised. Since the death of her first husband, who was commoner by birth, the rebellion had gained momentum steadily. He knew for a fact he was not the only individual within the castle's walls that had joined its ranks as discontent among the lower and middle classes grew. Knowledge was compartmentalized by the leaders of the coup so he unfortunately did not know who was a loyalist and who was a passionate believer in the revolution's agenda. Perhaps servants of the royal family and courts had been frustrated by their proximity to titles and affluence just outside their reach. The bodyguard speculated that the more intimately someone new the nobility- their avarice, their condescension, their greed, their egos- the more it convinced that a change in power was absolutely needed. Very few saw the ugly side of the aristocracy bearing down upon them and were persuaded that there were no problems with the status quo.

But the rebellion was deeply divided on how to handle the issue of Rhiane Black.

Before she had been selected as the princess elect there had been no one to represent the general public so close to the crown. It had been easier to spread effective propaganda painting Queen Camilla, her prince consort, and her children as villains that would trample all over their rights and livelihoods. Since Rhiane's arrival, however, they had gained a figure to whom many could relate, who had struggled herself through loss and poverty, who was compassionate, who was charming, who seemed both honest and earnest. If anyone was capable of freezing their recruitment it was the bold and confident farmer who flashed bright smiles and walked among the elites as if she had always belonged.

The majority of the rebellion believed that someone as empathetic and intelligent as Rhiane could be brought to their side. If successful they would have someone who could spill all the secrets of the monarchy, who could give compelling speeches borne of personal experience, who could dispel the illusions the general public held onto that the queen only thought of their best interests. Right now all of their spokespersons were of low status and were only experts on the conditions that directly affected them. A vocal minority of the rebellion, however, thought the best way to capitalize on Rhiane's position was to make her into a martyr. Were she to tragically die now it would be a crushing blow to the crown; they would look incompetent, they would have to have a new contest for Luke's hand in marriage, and Rhiane would be forever remembered as an almost perfect princess elect. The common man and woman would be enraged. Their anger would galvanize resentment, would make them more likely to suspect Queen Camilla had her executed no matter the truth, and would remind everyone just how replaceable they were to the top of the social pyramid.

All of this led to Tobias's current problem. He did not know who among the palace staff was secretly a member of the rebellion or at least a sympathizer, he did not know who wanted to convert Rhiane and who might be plotting to kill her, and he could not even trust his cousin with his fears without outing his treason. The queen had appointed him in part, he thought, because she knew there were traitors in her midst and the family of her late husband was less likely to betray her than the heirs of less prestigious bloodlines that would benefit greatly from her downfall. He wanted Rhiane to defect to the revolutions' cause and leave Luke's sisde (who he saw as undeserving of her). If he did not act quickly, however, it was possible if not probable an assassination would happen right under his nose.

"You are a very kind person, Tobias," Rhiane said, cutting through his thoughts and momentarily distracting him from the life-or-death situation that threatened her without her knowledge. "But we must both admit there is more I could do besides a vaccination program... assuming, of course, that the promises made today are honored."

Her male counterpart was silent. Although he had to concede she was correct, if he was to help motivate her to help New Rome's citizens while still as fiancee to Prince Luke, heir to the throne, then it would be counter to his interests. Never had he imagined that he would be compelled not to help the suffering destitute for the perceived greater good.

"I'm not sure what the schedule includes for the national tour, but perhaps between the bouts of sight-seeing we could visit a hospital, or a shelter, or a food bank, or some other charitable center for the indigent and ill," she wondered aloud. Before she could continue that train of thought a waiter had come to their table with a large platter artfully decorated with several varieties of gourmet appetizers.

"Oh, thank you," she said as she selected three different types to sample. "Would you like any, Tobias."

"It would not be proper, Ms. Black," he said with a nod to the waiter who departed once it was clear that they were finished with the tray. "Does the wine not suit you? I am happy to request a glass of water instead," he offered politely.

"No, I'm just not familiar with the etiquette regarding this sort of drink," she confessed easily. "One sip should be all right, shouldn't it?" she queried rhetorically as she took the tiniest of sips. It was more sweet than she had anticipated- as she was used to the bitter taste of liquor with its high alcohol concentration- but not unpleasant. Once her mouth was washed with the liquid she  delicately bit into a cracker garnished with a topping completely foreign to her.

Suddenly Tobias was anxious. If he were a member of the rebellion fixated on making Rhiane into a martyr this would be the perfect setting to impute culpability onto a corporate conglomerate, as well as create conspiracies that the royal family and the nobility were involved given their attendance and Rhiane's relative isolation at the event. Hopefully he was just being paranoid. The odds of any single attendant being a compatriot was improbably low. As the princess elect continued to eat with impeccable manners, however, he had to admit it wasn't impossible.