The morning brought the medical team who, after much debate about waking their sleeping patient and royal fiance, reluctantly came into the room to run a battery of tests. Although Rhiane had been cleared last night they did not want to rest on the figurative laurels of victory. Before discharging their patient they drew more blood, swabbed her throat, checked her nasal passageway, and performed a comprehensive exam. They all knew that the queen would come down on them so hard they would wish for their own deaths if they sent the princess elect into the world only to have her collapse due to poor health that could have been conceivably prevented. Losing a patient was always a tragedy for a physician. Losing a patient on worldwide broadcast, and thereby obliterating the reputation of their kingdom and country, would be catastrophic.

Their worry was for naught. Despite having an intense dislike for medicine in general, Rhiane was relatively healthy. Sebastian's instructions to heed the doctors kept her compliant enough for the process to be expedient. Elena Villani, who was not an individual to be intimidated, gave thorough instructions for a modified diet for Rhiane. Not trusting that the former farmer would be completely faithful to it- she was not ignorant to the brunette's love of food- she copied it to Luke, Queen Camilla, Tobias, and the head of the attache that would be seeing to the newly engaged couple's accommodations over the next several weeks. The latter was not given an explanation for the dietary concerns that Rhiane suddenly developed for the next several days, nor why she was under a doctor's care (Elena knew he did not have the clearance), but she knew he would not question the implied authority she held. 

In addition to some oral steroids to expedite the healing process she was to gradually re-introduce strong acids to her digestive system. This displeased the princess elect. She'd have to temper her love of spices, of citrus, and of vinegar-based salad dressing until mid-week. Elena was not concerned about having heartburn or acid reflux, but rather preserving the more raw lining of Rhiane's esophagus. Very fortunately the muscle should heal quickly. It was a minor inconvenience given the life-and-death battle that had waged the night prior but Rhiane was a touch grumpy. The sheer thought of missing out on a local delicacy during their trip was a travesty.

As to the rebellion's intentions towards her, and the part they did or did not play in her poisoning, Rhiane remained oblivious. Anyone that might treat her differently she attributed to other events: they were legitimately charmed by her demeanor, they felt compassion towards her struggles, they pitied her, or in the event of servants they felt camaraderie for her as a peer who grew up under less than ideal circumstances. The palace had heirs of lesser known aristocrats sworn to the crown, but that did not free them from the disillusionment that could come from being socially immobile in their caste, and sympathetic to someone of a similar plight.

The only visible impact Luke's discovery had on anyone besides himself was that their retinue underwent another furtive security check and additional loyalists were added to ensure that no revolutionaries would be able to 'access' Rhiane on the tour. If there were infiltrators in the castle itself it stood to reason that they had more presence, more cunning, and more resources than previously calculated. The possibility of a kidnapping occurring had been laughable. Now that an assassination attempt had happened at an elite, private event meant they had to prepare for both avenues of attack: abduction or murder. Rhiane's security detail were still largely under Tobias's direction, as her personal bodyguard, but they now rivaled the number of men that would accompany Luke to an official public event.

The first day of their tour catered to Rhiane's interests although not by design; they visited the studios and independent galleries of artisans and artists outside the capital. None of the citizens had works eligible for consideration in the castle proper but their craft was held in high regard by the local populace. Undoubtedly this 'stop' had been planned in an attempt to appeal not only to commoners but also to suggest they had upward mobility into the higher rungs of society. The harsh reality was that very few, if any, truly did, but the fantasy had to endure to keep the status quo. Rhiane engaged with their guides and hosts with uninhibited enthusiasm and passion. She asked specific questions, praised every piece of pottery and oil painting of landscape, and let almost everyone solicit her for photographs. Tobias at first tried to keep her from involving herself quite so much but once it became apparent she wouldn't cede to his control and it was garnering extremely positive PR, she was allowed to exchange stories, ask them for advice, and even purchase a few smaller items that she had intentions of sending home to her family. One reporter following at their heels was so enamored with this choice they could overhear her describing Rhiane as having a "heart of gold." 

The focus was so fixated on Rhiane that any polite disinterest by Luke was easily overlooked. What was also very easily missed (or dismissed) was that there was little to no physical affection between the pair. Unless Luke went out of his way to hold her hand, kiss her cheek, or wrap an arm around her shoulders, she did not initiate any such gestures herself. No one expected this of her necessarily, but its absence would become more odd in a few weeks, especially if they were supposed to be infatuated with one another. In private she maintained this same sort of respectful distance. Rhiane was friendly and went out of her way to make it clear to the press she thought of Luke fondly, but he knew perhaps better than anyone else she was not an intimate companion, and she seemed to hold her feelings out of reach of them both. As tempestuous as she was the farmer was not without discipline in certain avenues of her life. The masses would have been appalled to know she could be bribed more easily by a slice of cake than a sweet kiss from her future husband.

Day two of the tour was much like the first. Instead of touring artisans they went to see members of the oft-mentioned 'middle class' who worked in large buildings, in impersonal cubicles, and were viewed as 'worker bees' by their superiors. This was a stark departure from organizing an event with the CEOs and presidents of such businesses. Breakfast took place at a hotel that emptied their banquet halls to accommodate the the crowed of programmers, engineers, accountants, salesman, secretaries, and the like. Lunch was at a park- which troubled Tobias greatly because such an open space seemed more dangerous- and their audience was much the same. Some smaller business owners were randomly selected from a pool to have the honor of an official visit. Rhiane continued to be her charming self. Each woman that shook her hand was also bestowed a compliment about her complexion, hair, dress, or eyes, and similarly gentlemen were gifted the same, though she took care not to make the flattery seem inappropriate. In conversation she asked about their careers, their schooling, their spouses, their children, and, most importantly, cared about their answers. If someone cut off the answer of a colleague she would gently scold them and allow the first person to continue.

The reporters' coverage of Rhiane continued to be flattering. She was seen as humble and engaged rather than haughty or distant. The largest scandal was that a few male admirers were caught on camera confessing that they were jealous of her arrangement with the prince. Luke had his love-stricken fanbase as well, which were swooning over his chiseled features and sharp attire, but it had been quite some time since there was a young introduction to the royalty. That Rhiane was wanted, perhaps even coveted, was a novelty that sold airtime and publications. Becoming a national object of desire felt silly to the subject in question herself, even if the had cultivated a sultry image during the contest, and she laughed uncomfortably during the footage of the would-be suitors.

Day three was to be their last day in an urban area before they moved to industrial sectors and rural towns. Thematically it was a day focused on education. They toured schools with awards for excellence with a trail of cameras following behind. In the elementary school that had been selected Rhiane absolutely insisted on reading a children's book personally. The principal summoned some of the other classes and the soon-to-be princess had a crowd of five-year-olds crowded around on carpet. She was more at ease than the teachers, half of which were awestruck and red-faced, and used silly voices during her reading to help earn the approval of her audience. A few girls and a couple boys boldly raised their hand for an informal Q&A with mundane questions like what color she was wearing to the wedding ("It's a surprise!"), how old she was ("Just a little older than you are!"), and what kind of cookies were her favorite ("Chocolate with chocolate chips and chocolate chunks!"). The schools for older children were just as awkwardly stunned with teenagers trying to discreetly ogle the royal of the opposite sex. Rhiane was gracious with the administrators, telling them anecdotes of her adolescence, about how she tried to find loopholes in the rules, how she wanted to be a on boys' sports team, how they sometimes called her older brothers down to her classroom if she was unruly. These innocuous little stories helped to make people forget, albeit temporarily, that she'd become co-ruler someday and was not just a woman they met for lunch. When they all laughed at her argument about what color to paint the sky when she was eight there was no pretense of formality.

But Rhiane didn't have quite the stamina that Luke possessed. While she was the darling of the nation during the day, at night she barely made it through dinner without yawning. Each evening she would drape herself on the most convenient piece of furniture and pass out given the chance. Fortunately she was so exhausted that her regular nightmares did not plague her. Unfortunately, this meant either Tobias or Luke had to cart her to an appropriate place for sleep since rousing her was next to impossible. Given time she would adjust to this new schedule, but until her body stopped waking her before dawn for the fields she no longer tended, she dead weight once her eyelids drifted close.