Luke shook his head. “Lying on my back will make it more difficult to breathe,” he admitted. The painkiller helped make the pain more tolerable and breathing a little less torturous. Except for the way he walked, it would appear that he was fine, because that was how the crown prince would like everyone to perceive his state of health, but the truth was that he had been enduring the consequences of his rash decision since that morning. It was true what he told her on the first day they met, that there was no room for weakness in the world he lived in. Therefore, he and his family had to conceal from the world the side of them that was human and make it seem as if they did not get hurt or bleed.  

“Why do you say that?” Luke untangled his hand from hers. The curtains were drawn shut and the lighting inside the room was dim as if to inspire rest. Nothing had gone according to plan. Luce Viscomi’s schedule was as ruined as the schedule he planned out for himself that day. If there was anything good that came out of the morning, it was that he was too preoccupied in their survival to even think about the woman who was probably on her way across the continent to another country. But then again, there was this other woman who had made a surprise attack and unknowingly crawled her way into the dark recesses of his subconscious. A woman whose ideals did not match his but were oddly the same as his. Maybe because the two of them were alike in such an opposing way. In other words, if he was yin then she was yang - two opposing forces, but when together brought balance. “A doctor is a doctor no matter where he or she works. Or do you still judge the staff at the palace because they are not peasants?”

A knock sounded at the door before she could answer. As soon as Luke acknowledged it, Nolan entered the room with a slight frown on his brow and a straight set lips. “Nolan, could you call the maid? Ask about lunch and what kind of a vacation home does not have an entertainment system.”

“Certainly, your highness.” The guard bowed his head slightly as he stopped at the foot of the bed for a second before finding the pocked door hidden in one of the wall panels. It led to a walk-in closet where the couple’s clothes for that day’s event were temporarily stored. “But not before you get dressed. I simply cannot say no to your uncle anymore.”

“Which uncle? Why?” Luke got to his feet, but the guard had disappeared inside the small room.  

“The one who was appointed by your mother to be the Minister of Defense,” Nolan called back from inside the closet. “You have a meeting with the heads of states of the Treaty in five minutes and unless you are a cold corpse, then there is no reason not to be present.” He emerged with an off-white coat, staring straight into the wide blue eyes before they blinked off the surprise. Well, he shouldn’t have been surprised if he was more focused on being the crown prince rather than playing a broken-hearted puppy. “His words, not mine.”

The prince would have wanted to move faster, but his human limbs prevented him. Even Nolan’s irritation seemed to decline at the sight of his boss limp. “Take off the back brace.” The guard helped Luke detach the bulky brace then carefully assisted him into the coat. Normally, the royal would just shrug it on, but it was clear that Nolan’s stubborn charge was taking caution more seriously that day. The resulting ensemble was odd, because the neatly pressed coat did not match the mismatched length of his pants and the stained shirt he wore. His hair was mussed and not in a fashionable way. “Your computer is right there.” Nolan pointed at the desk, then gave his earpiece to Luke.
The younger man, on the other hand, raked his hand on his hair, sweeping it on one side to a more formal style. “How do I look?” Luke turned to Rhiane to ask her a question that he knew Nolan would not honestly give response to. “This will not take long, I’ll join you when we’re done. Nolan, the maid so she can setup the movie for Rhiane.” He limped his way to the desk. It was positioned in such a way that he was facing the bed and a wall was behind him. The computer was turned on after verification of his fingerprint, retina, and passcode. 

Nolan left the room and soon after a maid entered together with the appetizing aroma of lunch. Luke’s stomach rumbled despite himself and despite being questioned by other heads of states about New Rome’s show of forces along its borders and its commitment to the impoverished nations it flattened to the ground during the last great war. By the time he was done stating the stand of his nation, the maid had already setup a television that was apparently concealed inside a panel. It seemed to descend from the ceiling after she tapped a few buttons. She was standing in front of the desk with a tablet in hand, waiting for her prince to ask her to step forward. When he did, she showed the list of movies that were available. Unfortunately, streaming service was not reliable on the mountains. Luke picked something lighthearted for Rhiane then pressed mute. “Help her with her food, please. She only has one useful hand at the moment.”

Even after the meeting had ended, he stayed behind the desk contrary to what he told his fiancee. They had wasted a lot of time and there was work to be done. His lunch was barely touched, though he stabbed a piece of meat one after the other while he studied reports and affixed his electronic signature on others. 

Time flew by without him noticing. The next knock at the door was a doctor he knew all his life. His aged face softened when he spotted his patients. “Must you deprive yourself rest, Luke? I was briefed about the situation on our way here.”

Luke smiled sheepishly though he did not lift his head from the report of the palace intelligence about any abnormal communication pattern from that morning. “Doctor Gulsvig, five more page and I’m done. Could you start with Rhiane?”