“That is precisely how I see any man pining for Callie’s attention – not one of them is worthy.” Luke said it with an arrogant smirk. Nobody alive was man enough for the crown prince’s little sister. The princess shall remain unattached if it was up to him to decide who she would be allowed to date. Unfortunately, that was not the case. 

His half-smile and the mischief in his eyes as he quietly recalled how much fun it was to intimidate his sister’s suitors concealed the realization of truths she almost accused him of. He wondered how much of it was her family’s opinion and how much of it was hers. Regrettably, a lie to reassure her that he was not that man was a lie he would not tell her. Luke just stared at her out of the corner of his eyes as he quietly worked on the sleeve of his other arm, as even the half-smile faltered. No words of comfort could be said. Not even after they had recently taken to each other, because what she said was true. He was expected to be unable to love her as well as have her replaced with somebody who would not be a humiliation to the generations who had worn the crown before her. The silence of the prince stretched as she reminisced the history that the four posts of the two-story house witnessed. 

As he watched the bittersweet memories brighten her face, he started to doubt if he can indeed save her from the fate which she chose for herself. How much was he willing to sacrifice, how far was he willing to take his promise.

Proving himself to the rest of the Black family, trying to gain Sebastian’s trust, and keeping her as an ally – all these were all about gaining information. He kept telling Rhiane and Sebastian that it was for the sake of the former, yet it was but the half of the truth. The other half was propelled by the crown prince’s competitive nature pushing his desires to score a win against the rebellion. Maybe he was unaware which weighed more to him – her safety or his responsibilities to the dynasty and its allies. Maybe he was not yet ready to answer that question.

He watched her abruptly turn her back then almost collide with her brother. Luke’s defenses were immediately on alert. He stood taller and his face harder as the three farmers joined the couple. “Would you like Lia and Octavia to accompany you?” He asked after she hurled her threats at her brother. Being idle most of the day was a sure way to be dragged to the land of dreams. Hers were not pleasant recently, therefore somebody had to watch over her even as she slept. Even though it was relatively safe inside their home.

[hr]

Nolan and his straight face was standing beside Tobias when the rest of the household stepped out into the sun. The perimeter security awaited his command as the prince stepped out of the shade and into the sun. Maybe he had changed his mind. Most were anxious to leave the unfamiliar territory littered with possible sniping spots and other hazards. Although protocols were strictly followed and a periodic sweep was done by drones, everybody was aware that it would take but one carefully aimed bullet to compromise their mission. Nobody wanted to be part of the troops that failed their duty to protect the future king. 

Thus, the team was disappointed when Luke followed the three tall gentlemen. Nolan wondered what was it that caught the interest of the prince that he cancelled his attendance to his meetings for the day, including one that his uncle requested on behalf of the Defense Ministry. The guard itched to ask Luke personally why was they wasting their time at a farm, but as one of the men handed a plastic container and a pair of work gloves, Nolan could not help but lift a brow. The crown prince he knew would not even consider stooping so low as to crouch on the damp earth to engage in manual labor. He had much better things to do than pretend that he knew what he was doing. 

The weather was cool, but the sun was merciless. Nolan immediately strode beside the royal. He leaned close and spoke close to Luke’s ear. “We have enough men to do the manual labor, sir. Say the word and I will pull-out people to do the hard work.” It was short of saying that a man of his stature was not fit for such work. “It will be faster too,” he added. 

Luke, on the other hand was only half listening to his personal bodyguard’s recommendation. He had just finished listening to his fiancee’s voice as recorded by her brother-in-law and was reading the forwarded missive. “Secure the perimeter,” was his only response. Kidnapping was the lesser evil of the two evil acts threatening Rhiane, but to hear that the rebellion had not given up on their quest to get their hands on his betrothed was not in the slightest good news. He was tempted to forward the message to somebody he trusted in order to try and trace the source, but it may raise questions which he did not want to answer.

Sebastian stopped a few steps behind the two other farmers. He looked over his shoulder at the prince who appeared to have concluded a conversation with on of the sharply dressed royal guards. He loaned the heir grape shears then promptly oriented him on how to use it, when to use it, and to which bunch to use it for. “Not all grapes were equals,” Sebastian reminded Luke. Then continued to a short lecture about what a ripe bunch of grapes looked like. The prince was about to raise a question entirely unrelated to the harvest, when Gerard summoned Sebastian for help. 

Working for hours under the sun was rather unpleasant. Beads of sweat lined his brow, his cheeks were flushed and so was the exposed skin of his forearms. He crouched and bent his back in order to capture the produce into the bucket-like plastic container given to him. After one was filled, he had to carry it over his shoulder to its temporary storage in a room dedicated for it. The work was not too tiring, it was the sun and the heat that was uncommon during fall that sapped his strength. Add to it the ceaseless calls from his staff, his associates, and officers whose concerns were always tagged as “urgent” that perhaps nobody understood the meaning of the word. Before he knew it, he was simultaneously working for the farm while attending to his responsibilities as a crown prince. Charts and drafts were projected from his wrist, which he read and interpreted as the tomatoes and grapes fell into the bin.

Gerard and Hubert were never satisfied with Luke. They always had something to say about the quality of the produce he was gathering, the manner at which he picked the crops, or his sluggish movement. He gritted his teeth and said nothing. For the sake of Rhiane, he thought, he would not talk back no matter how much he wanted to. Not even when Gerard told Luke to do the composting of horse manure.
 
But even a hard day had to end. Sometime after lunch, the sun yielded to the horizon, slowly drowning New Rome with beautiful hues of orange and blue and red.