The mention of the queen made him thankful that he did not get himself blindingly drunk that night. The liquor was brewed especially strong, but he had not yet had enough so as to knock him out. Their highly competitive rounds helped sober him up a little. And though his cheeks were flushed, his mind was working well enough to hold an intelligent discussion with the reigning monarch. That was what he believed.

“I will try to make our conversation brief.” Because he cannot promise that the meeting with his mother would be quick. While working on the farm, he admittedly dismissed a few calls which he thought were not of importance, skipped meetings and even neglected some of his duties for the day. It was during the night that he planned on catching up so that the kingdom, especially his noble subjects, would be placated and not think about raising the question about his intentions and Rhiane’s effect on him. Such rumors made him appear weak and he did not like it. 

Cold blue gaze watched Tobias helping Rhiane step down from the vehicle. He eyed his cousin meaningfully and the royal guard nodded ever so subtly. An unspoken understanding passed between the boys. Though he would have wanted to accompany the princess elect to her room instead, he believed that the sooner they started the meeting the sooner it was over. Tobias and Rhiane were blocked by the impatient noble lady, who still managed to get in the vehicle with poise. Her nose crinkled as soon as she settled beside Luke. 

“Have you been drinking?” was the first order of business for Anelle as soon as Tobias pushed the rear door shut. She deliberately occupied the seat that was Rhiane’s a few minutes ago, angling her body so she partially faced him. The prince ignored her. It was obvious that he had. Instead, he gave instructions to Nolan to park the vehicle in front of Anelle’s sedan and retrieve his tablet computer. Nolan obliged without question. He was in a hurry to leave the former lovers in the backseat. 

Anelle waited until they were alone before bursting out, “Oh, Luke. She has no class! What was she thinking bringing you to a provincial bar?” Without even asking his permission, the palms of her hands were on both side of his cheek. Luke tried to back away, but the alcohol made his reflexes a bit slow. She caught his face in between her hands and forced him to look at her. “Don’t worry. When all of this is over, I shall persuade her majesty to not allow you to accompany her outside the cities again. I know and I understand how you --”

“Anelle. Stop.” Gently, he pried her paws off his face. “Call the queen. Nolan!” Luke opened his door and called out his bodyguard again, asking what was taking too long. When he returned inside the car, his computer was turned on and he was browsing the communications he missed during the day. Anelle was obliged to call the queen. 

If Queen Camilla was irritated with the way her son ignored her calls and messages the whole day, it did not show. The monarch’s face was businesslike the whole time. No how-are-you’s just plain business. They mostly discussed the summit that heir was about to attend and how the tour was derailing the preparations. Due to the cramped schedule and the recent attempt at his life, the heir had not finished examining the proposals for trade agreements, defense treaties, among other concerns that would surely be raised during the summit. The queen worried that he would come prepared at the same time, she was not willing to cut the tour short. It was working, according to her. The masses were convinced that it was possible for the royal to love a lowly farmer. She said it with a laugh Luke knew was without humor. His mother had an inkling of what was happening and was perhaps afraid to confront the truth in front of somebody outside the family. The only consolation was that the sooner an heir was produced, the quicker the charade would end. It would save both her and her son years of humiliation.

The discussions, the adjustments to the planned itinerary, including side discussions about the summit, and finally an update on the investigation of the incident at Evolab and the mountains, which the queen said was sent in an email, took more than just a few minutes. The succeeding groundwork that Luke and Anelle had to prepare took longer. They had to consider not only time and logistics, but also the significance of each territory that the couple would visit. Was the rebellion popular in those area? How popular was the crown in those areas? Would it be too dangerous for the couple to venture that far? Would there be accommodations? Those were a few questions they tackled and by the end of it, or at least when Luke told Anelle to take care of the rest, because it was just logistics, hours had passed. The SUV with Rhiane’s father and brothers had long deposited the male members of the family into their home.

By the time Luke let himself in Rhiane’s room, with his computer brightly showing bid documents for a vaccination project his fiancee proposed early on, he wasn’t sure if Rhiane was still awake. He hadn’t told Rhiane about the progress yet. Maybe he would before he left so that she may have a project to keep her occupied. Inside her room, the main light was off, but soft yellowish light glowed at the bedside. He gently closed the door behind him, placed the computer on a desk and headed for a quick shower.


“We will have a discussion about you and Ms. Black later,” said the queen’s message. Luke took off his communication band and stepped into the shower.