"You delight in contradictions, don't you?" she sighed as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You want me to wear this thing for my safety, in case there is an emergency, but then want to have me sequestered at the palace? I should also point out that you've explicitly stated there are enemies at the very same castle where you're insisting I remain. Either I should wear it because I will be traveling and it will help my security detail ensure I can be located at all times or I will not need to wear it because I'll be confined to a singular building. It'd be silly to do both," she protested. To him it was an accessory that he could not live without. The former farmer had no such attachment to the technological marvel. Additionally, Rhiane expected to be shuttled between tutors or ordered to her rooms when the staff was done with her for the day. What recreational time she would have would be minimal, privacy would be nearly non-existent, and she didn't imagine that she'd feel compelled to interrupt her fiance's business meetings with trivial conversation.

Luke continued to confuse her. To the kingdom her importance was inextricably linked to how many events she attended, how many people she charmed with her overflowing charisma, how many broken fences she mended with her presence and fairy tale romance. To stop performing felt like an invitation to a premature death. Doubt could seep into their queen's mind as she contemplated whether or not the commoner was worth the continued investment. In a cage she would be protected but worthless to the throne. It almost seemed as if her betrothed had a personal stake in her health, yet he had avoided any amorous confession or baubles to prove his affections. This would haunt him in the approaching introduction to her family.

The brunette leaned her head against the window and stared out at the rolling hills below. It was late in the season but the familiar scenery was captivating regardless. She had never had an aerial view of her home town, or been near the landing strip that the royal aircraft was using, but she could still spot landmarks that evoked feelings she had hoped to bury when she left. It was strange to be gazing at a place that felt simultaneously like the beloved home she had known all her life and a place foreign to her now that she had become a princess elect. Fields ripe for harvest littered the landscape as laborers too busy to greet their returning hero toiled in an effort to make the most of the time they had before winter had fully arrived. All of it was beautiful to her, but she was reluctant to find spots for the public relations crew, reporters, and broadcasters to visit, as she was apprehensive about whether or not they could appreciate it as she did, and if Luke would grit his teeth at the pervasive reminder of her past.

"Let's wait to see what Sebastian has to say," Rhiane suggested as a compromise. "We're adding this to the schedule to seek out his insight anyway, so we might as well have his opinion before you tell the witch about your intentions to cut my trip short. He's always been honest with me even when he knows the truth is not what I want to hear. If he tells me that, based on what he knows, I ought to stay hidden away in the castle while you're abroad, I won't fight his advice." She hated the very prospect every growing second. It would be excessively boring and lonely to spend her waking hours being educated into how to be a proper lady- when this very assimilation would erode how warmly the public received her. Theoretically it was possible to be palatable to the upper class while maintaining the appeal she had as a woman with humble roots. Unfortunately, she did not trust the monarchy to know how to tread this line, as historically the popularity of prince and princess elects went into free fall once they were viewed as having abandoned their origins in favor of wealth and prestige. It was possible to be too aristocrat for peasants, and too peasant for aristocrats. 

"Don't you dare doubt I'd flirt with her while you're out of the country in desperation to continue the tour. I would wager Anelle is more palatable when she doesn't have you in sight," she commented in a tone that made it clear it was a strategy she'd seriously consider. "I do worry for when you're gone," the princess elect lamented with a mischievous voice. Thus far they had been conversing in hushed tones and whispers to keep their discussions private, but she leaned in far enough that the guards- who could not hear them but certainly weren't blind to the gesture- found it impossible to ignore. "I have certain needs I won't be having met," Rhiane playfully bemoaned. "Doesn't that worry you?" she teased. Lia and Octavia were trying to abstain from gawking, but Tobias looked over with a quietly disapproving expression. He didn't need to hear to know that there was flirting taking place.