Luke was wondering what Rhiane’s house looked like, if it was anything like the farm houses from the last village or did she keep a household that was homier and more cozy than those he had seen so far, when she offered to finish the tour’s itinerary on her own. His lips fell into a flat line and his eyes slightly narrowed at her. The woman was either thirsty for adventures outside her hometown or she was taunting trouble to find her. With everything that had happened to her since she earned the title princess elect – the attempts at her life, the trauma of witnessing somebody shot dead – it  was amazing that she would propose to continue traveling the kingdom instead of retreating into the safety of the palace.    

Most of the passengers were already strapped into their seats, except for Octavia, who remained lingering near the door and Tobias, who stood on the aisle a few steps from the female guard. Both stepped aside to give room for the couple to move. 

“Yes, it is important,” Luke was telling Rhiane as he ushered her to the window seat. He spoke in an equally hushed tone, careful not to let the incredulity be heard in his voice. “Especially when I fly out of the country next week. Keep this so you can call me whenever you miss me. It will also tell the security team where you’re at in case of any emergency or whenever you raise a signal for help.” After what happened at the mountains, they would not take any chances. Her whereabouts had to be monitored and her perimeter secured. It was clear that the enemy conspired to harm the future mother of the next generation of royals, and fortunately they failed twice. There was no assurance that there would be no more third. The more she endeared herself to the public, the more the rebellion saw her as a threat to their propaganda. Which was why Luke could not believe how she could ask him to let her attend the rest of the stops without him. 

She was an insightful human being, most of the time a little too insightful for his comfort. “But even with this device, I don’t like the idea of you being alone on this tour. Whether you like it or not, you have already made enemies. I trust my cousin to protect you, but… No, we’ll let the PR team handle the cancellations. You should go back to the palace.” 

The queen would want her to proceed regardless. She was correct that they were supposed to honor their commitments. It was Luke’s personal rule and sticking to it earned him credibility to those who he had a chance of working with. However, allowing Rhiane to be on her own was too risky. There was a spy inside the palace who could very well pinpoint her location, identify her activities, and arrange for another assassination attempt. It would be easier for the rebels to get to her with only half of the security force present. Besides, he doubted she would be receiving the same special treatment from the palace if he was not with her.  

Luke leaned so he was whispering to her, “Or would you rather try your hand at flirting with Anelle while I’m out of the country?”

Leaving the capital to roam around the kingdom, presenting themselves as star-crossed lovers from different social classes, was the consequence of an unfortunate event during their engagement ball. If it had not been for it, the two of them could have stayed the amenities of the palace much longer. Rhiane could have been in attendance of a private tutor who would teach her how to conduct proper etiquette in both a local an international function, public speaking, how to dress herself like a princess, poise, and all the other things that the royal advisors believed the princess elect lacked. The urgency to fix a broken reputation preceded all these. Yet, when Luke left for the summit in the far east, she would have time to finally catch up on her training as a proper princess.