Although the tour highlighted sights in the kingdom which the camera often neglected, it was a well-curated, well-thought of, scenery that the queen was willing to showcase. The provinces they had been to were deliberately not as rich as the capital, but then again, every society that had been formed since the beginning of time had a gap between the peasant and the nobles. And because of such knowledge, even Queen Camilla approved of the couple’s itinerary. Visiting this school, however, was not originally part of the itinerary. Luke asked if it was the sole academy in the village, because the state of the building was so unbelievably neglected. It wouldn’t surprise him if it was cut from the coverage, because even he would be embarrassed to show this side of the kingdom.

“Vitacco,” Luke called the lady’s name as a lord would call on his subordinate. “How long have you been the principal of the school?”

The lady straightened, aware of the cameras pointed at their faces. It was clear from the tone of the crown prince that there was something that displeased him, and she was quite sure what it was. But could she tell him the truth about the lack of funding? About the baron who never once set foot on the village, more so listen to their plea? She cleared her throat then and answered with a small smile that it had been about a couple of decades since she was appointed the principal of the school. “Rhiane was one of my students,” she added. She had to teach as well as manage the school, because they lacked manpower to do so.

A cool brow was raised. It was not his intention to look into the impoverished school’s case, but he had knowledge of the amount of money that was allocated to the region as much as he had knowledge how much it contributed to the entirety of the kingdom. The improvement of the quality of education for the youth was among the projects he spearheaded when he was younger. Therefore, this case about the status of the school just became personal. He walked side by side the principal, quietly questioning her about the school’s future outlook, its finances, its population, even as Rhiane led them around the campus.

Pio noticed Luke’s indifference, of course. He was given a once in a lifetime chance to walk with, and speak casually with the future crown princess, and he had not planned on squandering it. There were rumors that the relationship between the two was not as it seemed, that the couple were mere actors in front of the camera, that Luke treated Rhiane as if she was his princess only when the cameras were watching. Well, it did seem like the rumors were not entirely baseless. The prince just made Pio’s job a lot easier.

He smiled knowingly at Rhiane. “Princess, huh? Who would have known?” They were walking across a narrow corridor on the inside of the building. It was constructed such that a courtyard was enclosed by the classrooms forming a rectangle. The trees, those which were lucky to still have leaves attached to its stems, were fiery in the morning light. During spring, flowers bloomed in the courtyard. The students tended to the blooms among other plants that the soil permitted to grow. Pio spared a sideways glance at the prince who was still conversing with the principal. He dared to step up closer to Rhiane to whisper, “How was it being engaged to that man?” It was not a secret that most of the town did not believe in the ruling house and the government that it created. As students, they used to voice out their frustrations through criticisms sharply aimed at the lavish lifestyle of the Queen, her daughter, and her heir. Especially the heir, who at the time of his youth, was painted by the media as a player who lived for parties, booze, and women. He was even rumored to have been involved in illegal substances. Of course, the latter was not substantiated. 

“Anyway, I have something for you.” He pulled a velvet box from his pocket then handed it to Rhiane. His back was on the cameras that focused on Luke and the principal at the moment. One index finger touched his grinning lips. “Remember when we saw each other after graduation and you told me that you think you’d look pretty in pearls, but we were both too poor to buy a pair? Well, it’s not as expensive as the jewelries he can give you, but I--” Pio scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I thought this might be the last time we’d spend some time together, so think of it as something to remember an ‘old friend’ by.”