If the crown prince expected his future bride to flinch at the mention of her established premature demise, an event that would take place after she had lived out her purpose of producing heirs, he would find she did no such thing. Rhiane was only disappointed he could speak of it so casually and without detachment. While she did not expect him to break with tradition, she did hope he would have an emotional response to the prospect of a life absent her presence, if only to affirm she was not a walking womb to him as she was the queen. She wanted to [i]matter[/i]. Violet Black had been deceased for years but had not been forgotten. Her father maintained that the beautiful matriarch of the family had been his one true love, and there was not a day that went by that either of her surviving children did not miss her. That was the best that anyone could wish for, the former farmer believed, to be loved both in life and death.

"How can you possibly tell me she's not the sort of person you'd trust to raise our future children and then ask me to give her a chance?" Rhiane guffawed with an expression that made it clear she wasn't willing to reconsider her judgment of Anelle. "I thought Luce was fine but, let's not kid ourselves, there is no reason for me to trust them nor be their friends. Both of those would require me to believe them capable of thinking of me for a moment- my feelings, my wants, my needs, my health- but they would never. Anyone who is appointed into such a position position is someone your mother deems qualified to force me into the mold without unflinchingly."

"Besides," she continued as she crossed her arms with a grumpy frown, "you know very well she [i]is[/i] a witch. Waltzing into here and trying to entice you with her womanly wiles while I'm only a few feet away. I'm surprised she didn't pee on you to mark her territory," the princess elect rambled with her overflowing rampant jealousy. "Unless you're suggesting being nice to her to wage psychological warfare, she'll be lucky if I even listen to her, though I suspect she won't let that dissuade her from batting her eyelashes and proposing more dates. I wonder if she melts in the rain," she seethed, quoting an old myth from a story in which water was used to kill a wicked spellcaster who had plagued an innocent maiden.

Rhiane fell silent temporarily as she contemplated the various ways she could exact revenge. Most of them were not plausible. Much as she wanted to toss the aristocrat under a moving vehicle, or arrange for her to ingest a diarrhetic, such petty plots would not give her the satisfaction she desired. Even worse, they could backfire on her spectacularly. Exposing the image manager would be the most damaging action she could take and also the most drastic. Anelle could deny charges that she lusted after her ex-lover, but it could not be understated how much more the public trusted the commoner who had won them over with her charms, warmth, and humility, and it was unlikely that an allegation uttered by the peasant-turned-royal would go ignored.

"Sebastian?" She was jerked back into the reality of the present when Luke began to explain his motivations in visiting. Each word that dripped off his lips made it more clear that the crown prince was wading into waters without knowing the depth of the see he was entering. The complete lack of surprise on her visage was evidence that she knew slightly more about the rebellion than she had disclosed. There were members that had approached her back when she was a nobody, before the contest had been announced, when the Black family farm was crawling out of financial ruin. None of them were the violent war-mongers that had nearly caused her death. The palace painted a picture of citizens involved with the revolution as being sinister, malevolent, and misguided, but the truth was that they were people who were frustrated by their circumstances and felt powerless to exact change without joining a political movement.

"Have you thought about how you might persuade him?" Rhiane inquired softly. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you're not wanting to arrest him, but I'd caution you against getting your hopes up too high. If he knew the people responsible for threatening my life he would have not hesitated to give their names. That you think he withheld information from you means he might be reluctant to disclose anything that might put him, my brother, or father in danger, or he might doubt what you'd do when you share secrets. Luke, you have to understand that life on the farm is... difficult. We're so far from the palace, and every day is such a struggle, that people in my hometown don't have a connection with you or your sister, who I like the most out of everyone I've met." She doubted this would get through to him. He was a man who was very convinced that he was perfectly playing the role of a stern father- giving everyone the opportunity to better themselves, while not enabling laziness, and their respective success or failure could be attributed to their work ethic. If the country operated as well in practice as it did in theory there would be no resistance to quash.

"If you want my advice, which you probably don't, but I compulsively give it anyway, talk to him as one man to another. Don't invoke your title as prince. Voice your concerns and your worries, and appeal to his compassion. He's a stubborn mule like Gerard, and his past trauma will make him shut down if you're too aggressive, but he's full of principles and empathy. Seb's heart guides him," she smiled with a touch of admiration in her tone. It was fortunate for Luke that Sebastian was a gay man or else he might have been serious competition for the sultry brunette's affections. She flopped over and sprawled on the sofa to stare at the ceiling. Something about being around Sebastian was like being nestled in a warm blanket. His unrestrained acceptance, patience, and comforting aura had been able to soothe her family when they were at their worst. Perhaps that was what she needed most- an uncomplicated supporter.