Rhiane had been relieved when the ceremony finally commenced. While she did not harbor a grudge towards Luke for disappearing into the crowd of wealthy attendees, she was only present at this function by his request, and there was little for her to do while he socialized. If it had not been painfully clear at the engagement ball, there was no doubt now that she was passively shunned. The crown prince was the man of true prestige and power while she had an unspoken expiration date. Not a single soul approached her at the table save the waiters and that was only because they lacked station and were obligated to treat her with proper respect. The princess elect knew this would be every formal celebration from here until her untimely death yet she had not quite anticipated doing a favor for her fiance only to have him abandon her yet again without a single thought as to her feelings on the matter. There would be discussions in the future about repayment and expectations. If she was going to be summoned either to invoke jealousy, create a political statement, or unsettle his business partners she wanted some consideration for her sacrifice.

Fortunately stoic Tobias provided her companionship. Though they spent almost the entire twenty minutes preceding the presentation in silence, his very presence was a constant reminder that all of New Rome would not snub her like Evolab's investors. The rich, famous, and titled were not the summation of the kingdom. Rebellion against Queen Camilla was proof that appeasing the elites alone would not keep a country stable and peaceful. It was his kindness of quiet support that bolstered her waning patience. Rhiane did not constant praise, she just needed someone to see her, and she needed relief from the derisive stares thinly veiled behind polite smiles.

It was when Tobias vacated his seat for Luke, who was already hyper-focused on his notes, that she started to idly wonder when she might be able to make a tactful exit. Alec Wescott would not need to converse with her further, she could only assume that whatever odd situation had arisen between Sophia and Luke was something she truly didn't want to be more involved in, and her betrothed didn't need his poorly educated arm candy any longer. Just as she was beginning to formulate a few excuses for departure two things happened consecutively: the heir to the throne took her hand and entwined their fingers and she felt a strange lurching sensation in her stomach.

At first she assumed (wrongly) that the former had compelled the latter. Heartthrob Prince Alessandro was no stranger to public displays of affection but she was. The sudden affection she doubted had anything to do with a sincere need to touch because of romantic interest, but she felt something inside her flutter regardless, and could not conceive of a way to retreat without exposing their charade. Perhaps he was trying to belatedly express gratitude for her attendance at the event. Sofia's proximity suggested this may have something to do with showing her that their 'love story' would not abate anytime soon in public. Discreetly she squirmed under the gesture and pretended her palm wasn't starting to sweat like a lovesick teenager. Rationally she ought not to be attracted to Luke beyond the physical and her dalliances with the other gender hardly made her shy in those pursuits. It was when he defaulted to a soft approach, and she was uncertain of his intentions, that she faltered and struggled.

It was when Luke rose from his seat, strode to the front of the room, and began his speech that she realized that her presumed indigestion had absolutely nothing to do with her emotional state. She did her best to be attentive, not only because he was brilliant despite his atrocious disposition, but because any inattention would negatively interpreted as a lack of support and mar their conjoined images. Rhiane had to stay planted in her chair and show devotion to his statement. Through sheer will power alone she succeeded despite feeling spasms in her throat.

The princess elect motioned under the table to Tobias. The bodyguard stiffly glided over just as Alec and Luke had finished shaking hands and bent at the waist so as to hear his charge over the applause and music. "Where is the ladies room?" she asked.

He furrowed his brow. His instincts told him there was something wrong but he did not have the latitude to ask her any sort of invasive questions; the query itself was innocent enough. "I'll escort you," he replied.

"You were wonderful," Rhiane told Luke as he moved back to his seat beside her. "I'll just be a moment. I didn't want to step away while you were still speaking," she explained but her voice sounded more strained to the ear than it had before. The former farmer painted on a pleasant expression as she bowed her head and followed Tobias in the direction of the restrooms. No one found it curious. Even the upper echelons of the court had to heed the call of nature and, to her credit, she had elected to only excuse herself when it was appropriate.

Tobias did not panic when she stepped into the lavish room and closed the door behind her. His paranoia of earlier had all but been forgotten; he had been eased into complacency when nothing happened immediately after the appetizers were consumed. What confidence he had that this was a routine emptying of the bladder or bowels- with perhaps a little cramping or digestive issues- evaporated when he heard the sound of something falling to the floor less than ten seconds after he had posted himself outside the door to the women's bathroom. To the best of his knowledge the only person inside was the princess elect and, even if she wasn't, the timing suggested it was Rhiane that had just fallen. Habitually he knocked and when there was no reflexive answer he stepped inside without a thought to appearances. The breathtaking winner of the national contest, future wife of their future king, had collapsed but was not unconscious. Beside her was vomit stained with blood.

[i]Luke- Something is wrong with Rhiane. I think she's been poisoned,[/i] he typed out hastily before crouching down. Royalty might balk at the bodily fluids and sickly specimen he had vowed to protect but his only concern was getting her out of Evolab's headquarters as quickly as possible. Hopefully his terse message to Luke would relay the urgency of the crisis and they could formulate a plan to avoid as many spectators as possible. Not only would it be a disservice to Rhiane to let her be seen like this, psychologically she could be damaged, and that would worsen her condition.

And, if Evolab wanted to survive through the next week, they'd do everything in their power to conceal this event. The reporters' story of how Violet Black and Edwin Black had been victims of the avarice and callous indifference of both Evolab the crown had been suppressed thus far, but if Rhiane Black were to be crippled or killed here and now, the implications that the same two parties were destroying an entire family would be impossible to hide. Tobias suspected that they had been framed but there were enough skeletons in the proverbial closet that the truth of an investigation would be moot. No one would ever not believe the three deaths were linked. For everyone's sake they needed the weakened brunette laying on the floor to be whisked away and healed as discreetly as possible.