There was no use wasting her breath trying to deny the blushing; anyone with two functional eyes would be able to tell she was. If anything the shade of pink that had bloomed across her features only seemed to intensify despite her rich bronze tan. Rhiane was humiliated even before he pointed out her childish response to his teasing, but the jab at her principles was mortifying. She was not royalty yet but she felt a certain level of responsibility for the often-overlooked citizens of their county, and to have him verbalize she was prioritizing her feelings over their need for recognition struck her deeply. Had she been able to melt into a pile of goo and disappear from the plane entirely she would have seized the chance immediately.

"I never said I thought it was counterproductive and unnecessary," she retorted hotly, both irritated and offended. Luke had made no honest effort to woo her nor had she decided that the situation merited her dipping her toes into the pool of romance. Their first dance together had forged an agreement that they would keep their relationship as a business partnership at best- which was what nearly every arranged marriage among the nobility was. Rhiane had always conceded the fairy tale illusion that the queen wanted to craft of the engaged couple was 'productive' and 'necessary'; it was the execution of the plan that she struggled with.

The princess elect was grumbling internally with annoyance when Luke turned her chair, leaned over her, and tilted her head upwards. The glow of her countenance was now scarlet and she squirmed in her chair as if passively seeking a way to escape. Despite the discomfort she did not dare move; she knew he was both faster and stronger than she was. Rhiane stared up at him with wide eyes and parted lips in shock and confusion as he dared her to come up with a time he had pushed her away. Her words failed her. It was not that she lacked an answer, but rather than his presence, his intimate posture, and his breath on her made it impossible to find her voice.

She had heart palpitations and was on the edge of a heart attack or panic attack when Luke suggested practicing- only to be interrupted by the co-pilot. Something about seeing his expression out of the corner of the eye pulled her back down from where she had been thrown into mental orbit. Until that moment she had been worried about what a kiss would reveal. Things were not so easily hid in a kiss as they were otherwise. She'd be able to feel his revulsion and contempt, his disgust for her heritage, his detachment as he tried to imagine she was someone else. More than that, however, she was worried about emotions might be conveyed unintentionally as she entangled herself. Rhiane knew better than anyone that part of her distance to preserve the integrity of a very vulnerable inner self. What she could deny, suppress, and ignore could surface in an instant where control was lost in embrace.

"All my acting," she said once they were awkwardly alone again, "has always had some truth in it. I've never dated, I've never been in love, and I've always intended to keep things professional," she explained quietly with mustered confidence. Rhiane had slept with men but they had been physical affairs only. There hadn't been long talks, sharing dreams of the future, exchanging secrets, or stealing glances at one another. After one or two fulfillment of one another's needs they had gone their separate ways without expectation or attachment. That's what she expected of Luke, for him to want to keep things impersonal, but he seemed to enjoy pushing her for his own amusement.

"Even us lowly peasants have our pride," she said, a slight tremble still in her words, and her intentions transparent. Instead of avoiding invoking his ire as she had been doing recently, she was now purposefully provoking him in order to to push him away verbally. If she belittled and rejected herself he couldn't do it to her; if she made him so angry he didn't want to even touch her then she wouldn't have to find excuses as to why she was impossibly attracted to such a difficult, devilishly handsome individual. She had discovered by accident he loathed her self-depreciation. "You don't have to lower yourself by pretending to like me we're by ourselves." There was a flash of vulnerability despite objectively daring him to say he disliked her intensely.

If she had spoken less impulsively she might have realized someone as intelligent as Luke would read between the lines. Once his head cooled he could make several conclusions about her behavior, but most importantly that she was was not the robot she feigned. No matter how pragmatic her approach, she wouldn't put this much effort into forcing distance unless there was danger otherwise. Luke's stoic cousin showed no interest in most women but he did not flee them. He ignored them and turned them down, but Tobias had never been compelled to avoid anyone.

There was a hard assertive rap on the door as Tobias unapologetically pushed past Carver. "Prince Luke, Miss Black. I apologize for the interruption," he said in a monotone that belied his lack of remorse, "but unless Miss Black has been cleared to occupy the co-pilot seat, I need to escort her back to her quarters per safety regulations."