It did not make sense no matter which angle he tried to view it – the dress that the stylist picked for Rhiane was too revealing, too tempting, too much for him that he had to avert his eyes like a shy teenager. The door was a safe subject. Whatever comment he had for Luce Viscomi was overshadowed by the image of his fiancee’s kind smile, and of course the dress which was begging to be taken off her. Now that he knew what awaited him beneath the layer of clothing, it was not easy to look at her the same way he did the night they first met.

Luke leaned against the desk considering Rhiane’s position. It was better to study the engraved lines on the door than look at her face if he was going to make a rational argument about the situation. Because of this, he missed the look of concern that Luce Viscomi shot his way while the princess elect finished her piece. But before anybody could add or rebut anybody’s opinion, Tobias broke the building momentum by bringing with him the replacement device and a new one for Rhiane. Luke received both boxes, but not before noticing the slight frown on his cousin’s brow upon laying his eyes on the farmer. Tobias’ opinion, though he did not voice it out, was not warranted. Besides, Luke did not appreciate that his cousin might be having the same thoughts as Luke about that dress.

After dismissing the guard, right about when the door clicked shut, the tension escalated. Luce’s smile beamed at Rhiane’s mutinous speech. “On the contrary, Ms. Black, we prefer if you will not sound like an expert on the subject matter,” the noblewoman corrected. The tone insinuated more than the words would have told her. Rhiane might have won the title of princess and she might one day rule as queen, no matter how short her reign might be, but her title was meaningless to those who were born to noble houses. She was an outsider no matter what. It did not matter that the crown prince shared his bed with her or that he consented to be physically intimate. Rhiane Black was and will always be an uneducated farmer in the eyes of the nobility. 

“It is more believable if his highness will talk about the details. He is, after all, the most well-informed of the subject than any of us in this room.” A coy smile played on her painted ruby lips. It was not meant as an insult. It could be a subtle warning, but not at all an insult to the farmer’s intellectual capacities. As if Luce Viscomi was telling Rhiane that having an intimate relationship with the crown prince did not change anything. “You may speak based on how you feel, or how it felt when you suspected that the car was sabotaged by people who seek to harm the peace that you are campaigning for. You do want peace for our nation, don’t you? Both you and I want to stop the uprisings, ambush, and terrorism.”

While the noblewoman was talking, Luke had started to configure the device for Rhiane. It was the same model as his, probably with the same features as well. His and Tobias’ were the only contacts pre-installed on the device’s contacts list. He made sure his was configured as the contact to be notified in case of any emergencies. Satisfied with his work, he changed all the generic preset passwords to “myfianceisawesome.”

“Your testimony is critical to the success of this campaign, Ms. Black. I’m sure that Queen Camilla will greatly appreciate your cooperation.” 

“Don’t force her,” Luke finally lifted his eyes from the device. It was difficult to say if he was annoyed because of the unreadable expression on his face. “If it comes down questions about the incident yesterday, I can handle it better than her. To some, the intention of the people behind the failed assassination is clearly to destabilize the government for their own gain. But let’s face it, not everyone understands. Not everyone is willing to take the blinders off their eyes and turn their backs on false promises of prosperity, because it’s easier to blame the government for their living conditions rather than work harder for its improvement.” Luke pushed himself off the table, then snapped his device back to his wrist. He had not yet downloaded his data, and just like Rhiane’s its content was limited to a few contact numbers. 

He suspected, though, that the sudden resistance to the plan of action had something to do with how the palace used her personal data to support the campaign against the rebels without even asking for Rhiane’s consent. It was public knowledge as soon as she won the contest, therefore there was nothing wrong with broadcasting it again. “We are wasting our time debating. If there’s anything else you would like to raise, Rhiane, say it. Otherwise, let’s be on our way.”