Well, actions speak more truthfully than words. The fact that she held his cousin’s opinion higher than his own was, to Luke, a blatant declaration of how she trusted Luke way less than she trusted Tobias. Never mind that he was the crown prince, that he received a higher level of education than the royal guard, that he had the treasury of the royal household at his disposal. Unlike those born with noble blood, title, education, and gold were of least importance to a person of humble birth. Didn’t she say something similar that morning as she shoved him out of his room and went on praising his cousin for being more of a man than Luke?

“I changed my mind.” The prince leaned against the door, his blue gaze wandering out the window as the words tumbled out his lips. There were several people she could ask for opinion on the matter. In fact, there were four of them seated inside the moving vehicle. She could have asked Nolan too if she wanted to hear what other people thought. That would have been the logical thing to do. Gathering data from two different sources was better than taking the first information collected at face value, because in that case, there would be a third-party to validate the second party’s claim. However, she didn’t. Tobias’ opinion was enough. If the royal guard said no, would she have closed her mind to the idea as well? 

“Anelle said that we shall be meeting with the appointed leaders of the town. There are no noble lords present, just common people. And afterwards, the marketplace.” He had never been to a total marketplace, but she needn’t know that detail. “I believe we can find a souvenir that we can send my sister from there.”

He was of course annoyed that she had to lean on Tobias’ opinion even if it was just for the paintings. He was also aware that he was acting like a child. She made it clear that morning that if not for Luke’s title, Tobias would have been the better man. It might have hurt his ego, but it did more than that. He was the type who didn’t care for what people like Rhiane thought of him and his actions. That was the Luke he understood. Yet the truth remained that he was affected by her words, that she made him angry and frustrated and jealous. “I will write a note for her.” As if saying something entirely unrelated would redirect his thoughts. He wanted to talk to his sister about Tobias and Rhiane without painting the latter in a bad light. Callista was his only ally in the palace then. It seemed that it remained true to that day. 

“Enough talks about the presents for my sister. Let me brief you about today’s itinerary.” Luke took on a business-like tone with the princess elect as he described how the tour would move forward after they stepped out of the car. Her homecoming was designed to showcase her life in the rural agricultural town, emphasizing her humble roots, and how she grew up to be the intelligent, beautiful woman that captured the crown prince’s heart. They would begin at the town square, then head to the marketplace where she did her trading. They would visit the bar they visited the night before as well as some local restaurants she frequented. The only school in town was also part of the itinerary. A few of her former teachers, trading partners, and drinking buddies would also be interviewed. Finally, before the day ended, they would come visit her mother’s and brother’s grave.

The original plan was to visit the cemetery before heading to town, but there was the matter of her dress and the marketplace, which inspired the team to switch the timeslots. “We should have enough time to look around and browse the crafts and produces.”