A part of him wanted to stay at the patient’s bedside if only to spite the queen. Then again, the crown prince had an argument to win and a situation to discuss with his mother and stepfather. The relationship he had with his parents might not be the at its best, but the reigning queen and her prince consort were a figure of authority that he could not ignore.

 The tall gentleman slung the uniform over his shoulder and turned away without any promise that he will be returning. It could be that his mind was preoccupied with how to re-open the argument about the itinerary of their tour, or that he had no intentions of honoring his words to a commoner. She was “feeling much better” anyway. Besides, they could all rely on Tobias to update them should anything go wrong. 

The glass sliding door glided to one side upon sensing the presence of the royal. He was almost at the threshold when one of the apparatus beeped and then the patient was on her side, emptying the contents of her stomach. The princess gasped. Luke turned in time to witness his future wife’s beautiful face contorted in pain. He took a step towards her, but a nurse, in her hurry, brushed against his arm and almost bumped into him. Thinking that he would be more of a burden and less of a help to the situation, he stepped aside to give more room to the medical staff.

“This is not what ‘well enough’ looks like, Elena,” said Queen Camilla. The beeping and the running of the nurses delayed their departure. She stood with a stoic face behind the sliding glass door that was held open only by the presence of his son at the other side. Gone was the pretense of sweet concern that had brought her to the infirmary. She had assumed her position of power, questioning a subject who had promised one thing only to be proven wrong by the consequent events. Disappointment and accusation laced her voice as she regarded the physician, whom she trusted would immediately cure the pawn.

Cally moved to step into the room, but her mother effectively prevented her by grabbing her wrist. “It’s my fault, mum. I gave her the grapes to eat.”

The older woman just shook her head. Her eyes were still on the medical staff tending to the peasant. A few minutes ago, everything seemed to be in order and things were falling according to plan. The logistics were set, the lords were already informed, the itinerary broadcasted. Different media organizations would already have deployed their staff and crew, as coordinated with the palace, to cover the first province that the couple would visit. If either of the two failed to make an appearance, it would surely raise questions and fuel the speculations that the early retreat of the princess elect had nothing to do with wardrobe malfunction, but rather something more urgent. “There is no need for either my son or I to stay,” she started in an even tone. “I am appointing you the authority to do whatever it takes to restore Ms. Black’s good health. The status of her health is not acceptable, Elena. I am following a strict timetable and I need Ms. Black to perform her function well.”

“I agree with the queen that it is unnecessary for either of us to stay behind,” the prince seconded to the physician’s dismay. His eyes were fixed on the woman, who minutes ago was smiling as if she had not stared death in the eye. It was his fault that this was happening. If he had not asked her to leave his room, none of it would have had occurred. “But I am staying, mother. Tobias, you may take the rest of the night off.” 

“You will only be a nuisance, my dear,” his mother offered. Her voice was controlled and so was the forced smile on her face. But guilt was more compelling than the queen’s masked disagreement to her son’s insistence to stay. 

“Excuse us, Elena.” An argument with the monarch would be both improper and distracting inside the room where a patient was being treated. Therefore, the prince walked up to his mother, letting the glass door close behind him. “Mother, if you want her to be in working condition tomorrow, then do not interfere and let me stay to make sure the doctors are doing their job.”

To the spectators inside the room, if any, it would look like the two royals talking calmly to each other, and they were. At least to an observer, they seemed to be. The even tones and neutral expressions suggested that it was a casual discussion between a mother and his son. To Callista, who had known the two all her life, knew that both were on edge. They had been testing each other’s patience since they saw each other that night. Had they not been in a relatively public place, one of the two would have already raised his/her voice. The back-and-forth rebuttal went on for a few moments more until the princess couldn’t help but interfere. She placed her hand on the queen’s forearm to catch her attention. “Mum, just let Luke stay. He says he will write a report for you, and I know he will make sure that Rhiane will be well enough to leave the capital tomorrow. Did he ever fail you?”

Queen Camilla paused, then a few moments later left with her daughter, while Luke re-entered the room. “Your highness, I appreciate that you have decided to remain with the patient. Now, we will need to administer a medication to help ease Ms. Black’s stomach’s agitation whenever food is introduced, it will also help with her nausea. The patient feels strongly against such treatment, and we can actually safely wait until her immune system calms down, but it may take days.”

“I understand. Let me speak to her.” The nurse and the doctor, after helping the woman lean back on the bed. A couple of cleaning crew had arrived to fix the mess on the floor. Thankfully the sheets were not stained. “Rhiane, do you remember the desserts you ordered?” There was a hint of mischief in his voice even though his face was as solemn as an angel’s. He reached for her hand that was without an IV and closed his fingers around it as if for support. “I will end up eating all of it if you refuse the medication. And you shall be forced to watch while I devour one after the other.”