[IC] The Betrothed

[Hashih]

No, she would not understand. A peasant worried about where to build his home with his wife, what to feed his family, how to dress his children, how to educate them. A royal, on the other hand, worried about how to balance the contradiction of a nation, managed trade-offs in order to gain the upper hand in every trade agreement and treaties, maintained the satisfaction of his subjects and allies, and most of all protected the interest of his people. A peasant may settle with the approval of his family or his neighbor, but the crown prince had more people to please or appease than that.

It was tempting to start reasoning against her beliefs, but Luke did not take the bait. The freedom that their little charade made him feel was more precious than a battle of wits he otherwise craved. It was a price he was not willing to pay. Therefore, the prince kept slowly threading the water while wondering if the spa had a cellar somewhere or if the staff would tell him that they had only tea for their guests.

As he braced himself for the cold before he was about to rise to a shallow part of the pool, Luke felt arms pulling him back, stopping his brave advance. Startled and confused, it took him a moment to realize who it was. Her voice was soft, almost hesitating, but whatever spell the late hour had cast upon her pushed her to continue. “I am,” he admitted with a sigh.

And just like that the illusion that he was a different man and she was his equal shattered. Standing in the middle of the pool were the betrothed couple, both sober, but Luke would rather not be. At least if he was a little drunk he would have something else to blame for the sudden fluttering in his chest, for the thoughts that swam in his head, and for turning around to face her instead of walking away. “You’re making it difficult for me to make the right choices.” Her body pressed against his was the last straw. His possessiveness brought him to the women’s bath despite all the warning lights going off in his head. He undid his robe knowing that if he took a dip in the warm water with her, he would not get out with with his sanity intact. Rhiane was a temptation he was not supposed to give in to, but the more time they spent together, the more they learned about each other, the more he felt himself being drawn closer and closer into the flame.

Just like his lips as he leaned in. It was his turn to snake an arm around her. He pulled her against him as he touched her lips with his urgently. The kiss was unlike the one they shared in the morning. The night brought firmness that the tentativeness of that morning lacked. As if he was already sure that it was what he wanted as well, not because his mother told him so, or that he did not want to hurt her feelings. He wanted her even when he should not.

“I don’t know what to do with you.” His breathing was labored when he briefly pulled away.

Because she would not be his queen. Like the others before her, she would die before her children were old enough to remember her face.

Luke pressed a kiss on her forehead wondering how he ended being caught up in a mess of emotions with a farmer girl right in the middle of it. “You make me so mad right at the same time I want to just pull you aside and kiss you. Don’t ever wear those clothes again and stop fighting my battles for me, because you don’t need to prove anything.” It was not that he did not see the wisdom in what she did, but she was looking at it only from the point of view of a commoner. Politics and the world stage were shoved to the backseat as the common people rejoiced the face and the voice, they hoped they would finally have in the palace – a hope that finally the people in power would see and hear their pleas. But politics and the global community were as important as the hope of the people. Power was maintained by the kings and queens by striking a careful balance between their people’s happiness and the happiness of those whose support kept the crown on their heads.

But before she could rebut, he leaned in again for another kiss. She was correct right from the very start – he had ill intentions when he entered the pool for the women.

[Syrenrei]

When he admitted that he was still angry with her she deflated inwardly, her embrace slackening slightly, uncertain how he might further react. That morning she had revealed her feelings to him. It had not been a proclamation of love, but she had voiced aloud that she wanted him, had all but confessed that despite all their philosophical differences that she cared for him beyond the obligation of their engagement. Luke had accepted her. They had slept together yet he had not put a voice or name to his thoughts. Because he had chosen to withhold it made her apprehensive for she did not quite know where she stood; sometimes he acted as if they were truly in a romantic relationship while other times he seemed to barely tolerate her presence. Limbo put her ill at ease. Rhiane was acutely aware that rejection could at any moment be coldly flung at her.

What he said next perplexed her. As the crown prince spun around she tried to make sense of how she might make it difficult for him to make 'the right choices.' The former farmer stared at him, blinking and uncomprehending, wondering if it was a criticism or compliment. He did not elaborate. It was he had that had come into the women's bath nude, who had dismissed Tobias, who had wanted to play a game in which they pretended to be other people. Perhaps he was referring to the tour event earlier, yet that had been a success, and it hardly seemed she had hindered him. She was fairly confident the evening news was singing its praises of the princess elect and her ability to charm everyone she met with her dazzling smile and astute observations. The sultry brunette was still pondering his odd declaration when he pulled her closer.

Eyes opened wide as he leaned and kissed her. She melted into his arms. It was said that actions spoke louder than words, and while she still yearned for the sweetness most couples vocalized, she was thrilled at his eagerness, and how he did not hesitate in pursuing her. The gesture pushed them back a step into the warmth of the water as she ardently returned the kiss. On the best of days they might be able to hide their growing attraction to one another. Today, however, the clear liquid in which they bathed did not obscure their nude figures. It would have been impossible to hide their desires. This was one of the many justifications she gave herself for indulging in the allure of the handsome blonde that had captivated her.

Luke pulled away and she stared. At first she thought he might be trying to find an excuse to leave, but the kiss to her forehead and subsequent sentences made it evident he had no such intention. Their arrangement was odd. Among all the engagements the crown had over the decades, she doubted that any had a magnetic push and pull dynamic quite like theirs. Rhiane had thought it was only she that was more enamored with him, despite their fights, but as he spoke she realized that she was not alone. To hear him say he wanted to kiss her even when he was furious, that he didn't want her to fight his battles for him, that she had nothing to prove was profoundly moving. He was for those precious seconds not a prince.

None of her dalliances had broached an emotional attachment. It was the first time anyone had told her they didn't need or want her to 'fight their battles for them.' Both her father and brother had been dependent on her. They relied on her to confront, to negotiate, to represent them in all but the most personal matters. The entire Black family had tempers but it was always up to her to reign in the figurative beast and assume control- regardless of whether or not she wanted a reprieve. More monumental was the assertion that she had nothing to prove. The queen had contracted her to elevate them in the public image, which inherently required her to prove her worth every hour in front of a camera, every day she was attached to the monarchy, every month she was allowed to live. A few errant tears formed at the edges of her eyes as she met his gaze. He had very casually provided her with a glimpse of approval she had spent over half her life seeking.

"Luke, I..." she began, but he had seized the opportunity to kiss her again. The force of their collision sent ripples through the pool. Rhiane abandoned all her thoughts as she let herself be swept into passion. They were alone, not even a bodyguard to eavesdrop, and there was no reason to stop. Everyone expected them to fall prey to these temptations; it was even encouraged. Candidates for the contest were told they'd be lucky to have the touch of a royal, and the royals were similarly told the candidates would be aesthetically pleasing and warm their beds if nothing else. Surely Queen Camilla herself knew that binding her eldest son to his fiancee could very well lead them into trysts, something she likely preferred over the scandalous headlines the playboy made regularly if for no other reason a proper heir must be produced.

Any chance they had of leaving the spring had been dashed. She was a fire whose flames had been stoked, her vigor returned, her skin increasingly hot, and its cause having nothing to do with their surroundings. They drifted back towards the edge of the pool, towards one of the steps that offered more support than the depths alone could. Now that he had incited the tempestuous woman he'd have to satisfy her before she'd even think to leave, much less retire, because the burst of energy demanded immediate use, and she saw only him.

[Hashih]

The fragrant aroma of freshly brewed coffee was reminiscent of mornings back at the capital as well as sleepless nights staring at several monitors hoping to find the least evil of all the options. Coffee had been his faithful ally ever since he was old enough to dip his toes into the world of politics. Its fragrance filled the luxurious cabin of the private plane where Luke had locked himself in right after boarding. Ceramic quietly clinked against the surface of the built-in desk as an attendant brought in a third cup of coffee.

“I have no time to hear out excuses.” He did not even notice the woman in her neatly pressed uniform taking away the cup he recently emptied. If the night allowed him and Rhiane to pretend to be someone else, the morning woke the couple up from the fantasy. For Luke, it was back to making sure that his little projects were running as it should. What annoyed him was the reality that it some of it were not. Weeks away from the capital on his engagement tour and there still was no clear or helpful development about the identities of the resistance members employed in the palace. A few of the employees were interrogated, some were even apprehended, but none was clearly linked to the resistance. It strengthened his desire to speak with the only person he personally knew who claimed to have access to the rebels.

Unconsciously, his eyes slid to the person who shared the cabin with him. She had told him that she was not in good terms with her family, even claimed that none of the remaining members would come to the palace even if he invited them in to visit her when she was sick. It may anger her to know where they were headed to next, which meant he had to make sure that the meals were loaded with tasty sweets.

Luke’s phone conversation ended with a firm decision that he was going to bring in the Royal Agency of Special Intelligence into the investigation. Much as the palace would like to contain the information that it had been infiltrated, he needed people who had previous dealings with the resistance to read into the data that the Cyber Intelligence group collected. He took a sip from the cup and then switched the screen of his computer. Interactive charts floated into view – more data to interpret before he could submit a recommendation to his mother. It was what he did most of the night while Rhiane slept beside him on the bed.

After their romantic rendezvous at the pool and a brief encore after he helped her shower and get into fresh robes, the farmer had fallen into deep sleep. Tobias’ observation that Rhiane was fighting against fatigue in order to stay on her feet was correct, yet she stayed with him when he asked her to. Perhaps the only good her exhaustion brought was that she slept more soundly than the previous night. Nightmares could not haunt her when her brain was too tired to bring up the memories. And when Luke curled beside her to catch even an hour of sleep, she did not wake him up.

“May I come in, your highness?” A feminine-sounding voice drifted from behind the door. When Luke chose to ignore her in favor of the correspondence he was writing for the queen, the woman added, “My name is Anelle Toscano, I will be taking over Luce Viscomi’s responsibilities. May I come in?”

His fingers hovered over the keys, wondering why the name sounded familiar then what Luce’s immediate replacement could mean. The door slid open after he expressed permission for her to enter. A tall slim woman entered into the cabin. Her hair was dyed red, her skin was luminous, and her face beautiful. If it was enhanced, it must have been done by a prestigious clinic, because it was difficult to tell. Luke’s eyes went wide in recognition. He almost choked on his coffee.
“Good morning, your highness and Ms. Black. My name is Anelle and I will be your Image Manager starting today. I am here to brief you about our next destination.”

“Where’s Luce?” The prince, who coughed the liquid into getting to the correct route down his stomach, asked. Anelle’s thin lips stretched into a smile. She had the confidence of a highborn lady, somebody who was too high up in the food chain to belong to the palace workforce. There was familiarity in her green eyes when she turned to look at the prince.

“She has been relieved, your highness.” The smile turned cocky. “Are you not going to ask how I’ve been since we last spoke to each other?” Her eyes glossed over the other occupant of the room before turning back to Luke to meaningfully add, “Perhaps another time? I am here to discuss our plans for the next leg of the tour. In about thirty minutes we will be arriving at Ms. Black’s hometown.”

[Syrenrei]

After a lifetime of waking at dawn to tend to the needs of the farm, when Rhiane finally opened her eyes that morning she was almost ashamed of the hours that exhaustion had claimed, as it felt sinful to have 'overslept.' Fortunately, she had nothing on the schedule until closer to the afternoon. The princess elect dressed herself in a cozy knit sweater, a pair of slacks, and thick wool sockets as she curled up on the chair and poured over all the press coverage of their preceding day. She had become an overnight media sensation. Glowing reviews praised her humility, her robust knowledge about the day-to-day struggles of commoners, her wit when discussing complex matters of agriculture, the warmth with which she received everyone, the manner in which she had an endless stream of compliments regardless of the social stature of her audience.

There was no doubt as to her value to the crown. She might have gloated had she not known that Luke would be disapproving of her making a larger target of herself for the resistance. His apprehensions aside, she had elevated the entire royal family by the display of her charisma and charm, and while the nobility might turn their noses up at her choice of work clothes when designer fashion was at her disposal, there was no denying she had endeared herself to a broad international audience that vastly outnumbered the pretentious aristocracy. An anonymous foreign diplomat was quoted as saying that, "Miss Black showcases all the best that New Rome has to offer and sets a precedent for what other country leaders must aim for if they wish to stand on center stage." Rhiane smiled to herself at the implication she was someone that other kingdoms would envy. There was a heavy responsibility in becoming a role model, but it was nice to have the admiration, to be looked up to rather than down upon.

The medical staff had insisted upon a physical exam once she had been roused from slumber. They first inspected her throat, which they concluded was healed sufficiently that her dietary restrictions were lifted, removed the brace from her arm but cautioned her to not do anything too stressful or taxing, and did an overall wellness check. What no one said aloud was that they knew the betrothed couple were having relations. This put everyone on high alert, especially the royal physicians, that the health of their princess elect was even more important. It was unlikely a single day would result in conception, but they couldn't discount the possibility of a pregnancy in the near future, and their record had to reflect every measure was taken to safeguard the mother and future heir.

All Rhiane cared about was that this meant she could eat her sweet breakfast pastries in peace. It would have been peaceful, that was, had it not been for the intrusion of an unfamiliar female voice. She lifted her gaze from the article she was reading when Luce was mentioned. To hear that she was 'relieved,' a more kind way of saying she was fired, was not the sort of news she had hoped for. The queen must have taken issue with the beginning leg of their tour to have taken such drastic action. The princess elect did not know what specifically had galvanized the decision, but she already disliked the smooth-talking replacement.

In the span of a mere few seconds the good mood brewing in the cabin had been dispelled as Rhiane's disposition soured considerably. Not only was she a reminder that Luke was a playboy that had bedded half of the eligible bachelorettes he crossed paths with, she brought news that would have enraged the former peasant in any situation. "Visiting my home town was not on the itinerary for today," she stated with a cold edge that made her feelings known.

"Please, do not let me interrupt your discussion," she continued, "since it seems it was Luke that you came to see." Rhiane had been quite clear about her genuine affection for the crown prince. While he had reciprocated her attraction, he had not made any grand confessions of actual infatuation, and the appearance of Anelle made her assume the worst. Instead of thinking that he might be coming to care for her as a person, now she doubted all his intentions and motivations, as she was admittedly the only woman available to him with which he could indulge certain urges. Luke knew her better than anyone else on the plane save Tobias, so it was within his capabilities to surmise what internal dialogue might be fueling her cool reception.

If Anelle thought that she might be able to make Rhiane more compliant than Luce, she had quite the uphill battle ahead of her.

[Hashih]

Anelle’s winged eyes slid to Rhiane. Her red wavy hair cascaded past one shoulder, covering the corner of one eye, but not its intensity as Anelle sized up her rival. Back straight, chin held high, and eyes that judged every imperfection on the subject’s face and manners – the quintessence of a noblewoman’s stare was aimed at the farmer. In Anelle’s point of view, Rhiane was not even worthy to be in the same room as the crown prince. She was an impurity in their midst that they had to bear with until the tradition of their ancestors was satisfied.

The contempt in her features, if it ever showed, vanished like a passing breeze. The pale-skinned noble’s face broke into a kind smile though she did step towards where Luke had built his workstation, then placed a hand casually on his shoulder. “Prince Alessandro arranged to squeeze in a few days visit to your hometown, Ms. Black. Did he forget to tell you?” Her fingertips ran the length of his arm, teasing, testing for any reaction.

“Anelle --”

The woman ignored him. “He does that sometimes,” she added as if implying that the prince was hers first, that she knew more about him that Rhiane.

“Some other time,” Luke suggested, pulling his arm away from her touch while giving Rhiane a pointed look. The queen would have it otherwise, but it was not a secret how the crown prince ruthlessly toyed with women sometimes without regard as to how they felt. Anelle was one of those who he was rumored to date in the past. Those rumors were true. Luke and the Count’s daughter were together for a summer or was it fall, but just like every other dalliance he had in the past, it ended bitterly for the woman.

Anelle straightened herself. If she was insulted by the coldness of Luke’s reaction, it did not show on her face. She even leaned her hip against the edge of his desk, watching her former lover shrug his broad shoulders when she suggested, “Perhaps over a bottle of wine?” A shrug was more than what she expected from Luke. His arrogance was on point and he often did not tolerate people wasting his time. That he did not blatantly ask her to quickly speak what had to be spoken and then leave kindled hope that she had a chance to get to his head and pants once again. Nevertheless, the woman did not push her luck at flirting. Before the prince lost his cool, she detailed the itinerary after they land. As always, there was no time to rest.

The day was Rhiane’s as it was her hometown that would be featured. Anelle asked the farmer to write down highlights of her life and then pin it to a location they would visit – her childhood hiding place, where she used to play, her school, the best restaurant in town, the best bar in town, where she first fell in love, the farm, etc. Following the success of the previous day’s broadcast, the general public would be treated to get to know more about their princess elect. It was a chance to glimpse at her life before the title, the designer clothes, and her fiance. Of course, Anelle told the couple that they would film the first meeting of Luke and Rhiane’s family. When asked if he was even slightly nervous, he answered with a simple, “No” before returning to his work.

As soon as she was done, though, Anelle wished the couple good luck, then left the room, but not without a meaningful look at the crown prince.

Luke took advantage of the privacy and picked up a box on the desk. It was Rhiane’s communication device. The technology was similar to his and it should adjust its fit on her wrist. Because of the argument they had the day before, he forgot that the device existed until Tobias reminded him that morning before leaving the spa.

He sat beside her, guessing what was on her mind after her pointed statement at Anelle’s flirting. “You will not let me hear the end of it if I told you that I plan to visit your family.” She had implied that they were not in good terms, maybe not even in speaking terms, but paying them a visit was better than ordering the arrest of Sebastian and forcing him to speak. In his mind, keeping a little secret from her was a lesser evil than flexing his military authority right in front of her eyes.

“Here.” Luke presented the black box to her, hoping it would distract her from Anelle and the sudden change of plans. “In case we get separated. It’s the same model as mine. It can connect to a lot of home and vehicle systems, except maybe the security override.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, unsure with what he said about the security override. “I’m on your top contact list. Call me if you find yourself in any kind of trouble.”

[Syrenrei]

Rhiane wholly and completely ignored the interloper- or at least convincingly acted as if she were. She was quite aware that Anelle was provoking her through her flirtations with Luke. The other woman was staking her claim, proving that they had a history, and veritably taunting the former farmer with the past, present, and implied future. It was up to the crown prince to rebuke the so-called Image Manager. When he failed to do so to the princess elect's satisfaction, she tried to drown them out with intense focus on the article displayed on her screen. Words of adulation swam in front of her eyes but so did certain questions buried in paragraphs of praise. Sentences calling attention to the fact the betrothed couple failed to show any genuine affection in public struck her like daggers to the heart.

It was growing harder and harder to ignore the comparisons. She had known when she joined the contest that had bedded all the most attractive and eligible female aristocrats. What she had failed to anticipate was developing sincere feelings for him. Now that she had, she could have easily put aside his sordid affairs, had one not reappeared in their shared cabin and arranged for a date. What was even more humiliating was that she knew whatever time she had spent with him eclipsed the days she had enjoyed Luke's attentions. There were undoubtedly more pictures circulated by the media of her fiance and any of his prior conquests embracing than the two of them. Anelle was not herself the problem. Rhiane could blame no one but herself for forming an attachment with someone who treated her entire gender like disposable toys.

The brunette continued to fixate on her perusing of the news even when she was directly addressed. She gave no indication she heard Anelle when she prattled on about making a list. Rhiane had no intention of complying with such a request. Her hometown was an unexpected and unwelcome stop, she already loathed the person who was trying to give her directions for their itinerary, and she balked at the notion of disclosing such personal secrets to anyone. There was no motivation for her to be obedient. No reward awaited her at the end of this adventure, and it would inevitably open painful wounds as they retraced the steps of her childhood.

Only after the intruder left and Luke wandered over did she rip her gaze from her reading. Rhiane was seething. She had been silently fuming and trying to contain her ire for several long minutes by the time he tried to initiate conversation. The heir to the throne produced the box with the personal device she recognized as having purposefully left behind in the villa in the wake of another another argument. Luke tried to succinctly explain himself and, she guessed, appeal to her through this expensive present. Under other circumstances it would have worked. Lingering post-coital bliss would have made her twice as delighted that he was delivering a gift that nearly matched something he already owned himself.

"Going to my hometown is a horrible mistake, outmatched only by the idea of having our first meeting with my family broadcast," she told him with a bitter edge to her voice. "They won't care that it's being recorded and will be brutally honest. Every detail of this arrangement that the courts and reporters are too polite to discuss, perhaps out of fear of your mother, they will unabashedly discuss. Luke, I have the best temper between myself, my brother, and my father. They will call the stipend blood money, they will quiz you on what happened to my predecessors, the other prince and princesses elect, they will try to find any avenue to criticize a relationship they are already convinced is fake. Perhaps with some privacy I could defend this engagement, but how will I do that with your other future wife in our entourage? How do you expect me to possibly visit my mother's grave when I..."

She stood up restlessly and paced as she chewed the inside of her check anxiously. The more she dwelt on it the more certain she was that the meeting would be explosive. Ideally she would scream at the other two surviving members of the Black lineage, they would yell back, and afterwards they would be calm enough to find a way to endure the situation with their strong bonds of love. "When I left home to come to the capital we had a fight before I walked out the front door that would make ours look like friendly banter," she sighed, running a hand through her damp hair.

"No, no, absolutely not, I am not going to do a tour of my hometown. If you and that red-haired witch want to frolic through the fields you can be my guest," she declared as she almost vibrated with overt jealousy. "You can decide on what specific locations to visit over some wine, coordinate your performances, maybe even see if she can fit in that absolutely ridiculous dress that I was given to wear around the village." The green-eyed monster envy had started to consume the princess elect and make her even more rebellious than previously. Her threats were not entirely idle. Queen Camilla's leverage had lessened once the rebellion had made it apparent that they had the funds to provide financial security to the Black family members. That, and a recent infatuation with Luke, had been the two figurative carrots they could dangle to keep her loyal to the cause.

[Hashih]

Maybe if it was Tobias who presented the device to Rhiane, it would be greatly appreciated and not carelessly ignored as if she hadn’t heard a word that was said about it. Truth be told, it was not Luke's idea. It did not even cross his mind that he needed to find a way to communicate with the princes elect, because really the royal was be better off on his own, playing the game of politics while basking in the attention that lovely women endowed him. Not for anything else, the device was for her security, so that the palace could track her whenever they needed to.

If he was even a bit provoked by her very commoner-like attitude of brushing-off the good graces of the crown, he didn’t say a word about it. Whatever form of frustration her initial reaction inspired in him was lost the moment she started listing the reasons why it was a bad idea to visit her hometown. Not that her arguments could change what was going to happen in the next few hours, but he could have listened to her more thoughtfully if not for the bitterness in her voice and jealousy reeking from her words.

“My other future wife?” Luke barked a laugh in the middle of her concerns. He leaned his back against the backrest and put the unopened box down on the couch. When she referred to Anelle as a red-haired witch, he just lost it. What happened to the farmer girl who used to run away from him because he threatened her with a very innocent kiss?

“I haven’t heard anybody call her a witch in such a long time.” His smile was one of those that reached his blue eyes, it was full of amusement. “I can fix your concerns, except that --” In one fluid motion, Luke pushed himself off the leather couch. He met her where she paced, and while other fiance would hold and reassure his jealous fiancee, Luke pinched her cheek playfully then added, “You are so irrationally cute when you’re jealous.”

The plans surrounding the tour of her hometown might not have gone through her, but it did not mean that there was no planning that happened. Reasons why it had been left off the original itinerary was floated and discussed in the background, thus informing Luke of all the risks. Unpublished media coverage of the Black family spoke ill of their daughter’s decision as much as it did the royal family and its constituents. When the PR team reached out to the family’s patriarch, the response did not even pretend to be polite. Rhiane was telling the truth when she said that she had the best temper among her living family members. Luke knew what he was getting himself into and despite the risks, he had to meet her family and find time to speak to Sebastian.

He let go of her cheek only to plant a quick teasing kiss on the same spot. “I appreciate your concern, ma’am. We will suspend the filming when we meet with your family, if you’re so afraid that it will not go well. However, we are not cancelling. I believe I have been in more difficult situations than meeting my fiancee’s foul-mouthed, skeptical family. Our arguments only look like friendly banter because we learn to take control of our emotions even in the most frustrating situations.” It was true though, that he believed to had been in a more complicated situation than meeting the parents of his future bride. His position exposed him to people of standing from different cultures, and with different levels of pride. Negotiation was a skill he was taught at an early age, because a good leader was one who could talk himself out of a tight situation. The difference, which was the greatest hurdle he must face, was that he would be negotiating with commoners, who could have ties with the rebellion, commoners who hated him and his mother for being born into the royal bloodline, commoners who blamed their poverty on people like himself.

“Whatever Anelle and I had was in the past,” the prince added. He hoped to sound as sincere as he could telling his fiancee without actually saying the words that she was his present, that she need not worry about him looking at the woman other than as an employee appointed to make sure the public adored the couple. “There will be no frolicking through the fields or discussions over a glass of wine. Instead, let me see the places and meet the people who meant something to you – where you grew up, who your best friend was, the farm that you managed, Sebastian.” Especially Sebastian.

[Syrenrei]

"You could have rejected her more firmly," she pointed out when he laughed, pinched her cheek, and called her jealous. What she said was factually true. His reception of Anelle had been cold but not as brutal as the former farmer would have liked- it had clearly been ambiguous enough that the other woman clung to the hope of reigniting the relationship she held prior. Nothing short of devastating the Image Manner with an explicit denial of any potential romance would have placated the princess elect completely. Hearing the redhead be told Luke would discuss their history 'some other time' had been frustrating. That he did not utter the word 'No' when she suggested a bottle of wine had made Rhiane absolutely furious. The fiance she knew could be callous when he elected to be; he did not withhold his verbal punches when they were alone. The more she dwelt upon it the more convinced she was that the highborn lady had been the subject of more special treatment than she, the very woman chosen to bear his children, the commoner who was responsible for elevating his reputation.

If the kiss did not melt away her anger, his acquiescence to her request did. She still believed he was ill prepared for what a sit down with her father and brother would be like. The courts were a dangerous place where being stabbed in the proverbial back was more commonplace than sincerity, but there were harsh truths that Luke was perhaps not ready to face head on, and she would not be able to reign in her family until they had delivered at least a few initial blows. It had not escaped her attention how he avoided discussing certain topics. Luke did not appear to want to carry on a conversation about the untimely death that awaited her, his father, peasant's rights, or the more acute impact the plague had on the peasantry than the nobility, but these were subjects they'd inevitability broach. They'd also demand to know the feelings he had danced around admitting or denying existed. Disaster awaited them.

But Rhiane found it increasingly harder to hold fast to her ire when he was affectionate. The simple gesture had caused a palpable shift in her demeanor. Luke could still ply her compliance with sweets, as she was just as easily bribed as before, but little acts of kindness or fondness were even more effective. The brunette did not have the typical defenses of women her age: she was adept at navigating business matters or avoiding the manipulations of the aristocracy, but when emotions tangled with intimacy she was helpless, and genuine actions proved to more compelling than words. Little did her prince know that with additional investment he could persuade her to greater concessions and compromises than he had yet managed. She would crumble if he approached her with honest romantic overtures.

"Why are you suddenly interested in my life before the castle?" she asked suspiciously. "You hated that farm tour. We'll both be miserable visiting my home town," she added with a sigh as she moved back towards the sofa with a resigned expression. Much as she would love to make the plane turn around, she realized that they were too close to cancel, and the arrangements could not be voided on a whim. "My father and brother will be hostile, my home will not meet any of your standards, agriculture on a smaller scale is not something you enjoy, and I can't imagine you'll want to visit my favorite bar or meet my neighbors. This flies in the face of what your mother wants, doesn't it? To abandon my background and assimilate myself into the castle? To defer to what you prefer?"

She didn't need his acknowledgment to know that it did. It made Rhiane uncomfortable to be exposing these vulnerable bits about herself even for him. They had arguments aplenty spurred on by the unspoken truth that she did not fit the mold cast by her predecessors, how she did not have the qualities of his prior lovers, how her childhood in poverty was a blemish upon her person in his eyes. "If this is really what you want," she conceded, "as long as you know that given the choice between being trapped in that SUV on the side of the mountain or going home, I'm not sure I'd pick the latter. Just keep that wretched woman away from me." None of his platitudes would warm her to the interloper's appearance. "And promise me when I'm gone you won't marry her. Practically draping herself all over you while pretending she gives a damn about portraying us as an adoring couple. I hope she trips and falls and impales herself on her stupid shoes," she grumbled discontentedly.

He wasn't wrong when he called her jealous. Rhiane remained perturbed, not in the least because she knew that she would be dead within a decade, give or take a few years, when her best reproductive years were behind her and her 'services' had been concluded. Any sons or daughters she bore would be raised by another woman. Luke's bed would be occupied by someone other than herself. There were parts of the future over which she had no control, but an assurance that the second bride would not be someone she loathed, who taunted her with coy games, and made what time she had left slightly more miserable, was the best she could ask for with her circumstances.

[Hashih]

His answer was plain and simple, “Politics,” as if that single word was enough to explain his actions. Placating Anelle was an unnecessary evil he had to pick if only because he did not want to deal with the logistics of the tour himself. No matter how infuriating the silhouette of the Count’s daughter was to Rhianne, they needed her to finish the campaign, but more importantly they needed her because the queen said so. Other than the publicity stunts, scripts, and media screening, Anelle’s team looked after their transport, accommodations, food, and other personal needs. She practically monopolized the couple’s living standards while they were away from the capital so that the couple could focus on improving their popularity.

Luke retreated to the empty seat by his desk instead of following her to the couch. He glanced at the display on the screen, flicked few notifications out of the way until he found something that interested him. The budget for the reparations and Barron Ferullo’s remittance to the national government compared to his territory’s budget allocation, including other financial data about the territory. Could they really not afford a decent hospital and more than one doctor? He scanned the summary sheet, mentally noting glaring inconsistencies between the data and the Barron’s last audited report. “Not too long ago, I hated the idea of you. Can’t a prince change his mind?” Luke responded absently. The numbers demanded his attention yet again. Maybe the Barron still has enough in his treasury to build a second healthcare center, fill it with necessary medicine and employ decent professionals to man the building somebody just had to pressure the right people. But finding gaps in the reports demanded time and concentration. He left the data alone for now, it could be a useful distraction after he faced the farmers.

“Demanding a promise is not necessary.” He looked her in the eye and if she’ll study his face, she’ll find anxiety hiding behind those bright blue eyes. “Not a single cell in my body wishes to marry Anelle Tuscano. Not now, not after you’re gone.” The last sentence was said with a straight face, no pretense, nothing soft and fluffy to soften the blow. Luke wasn’t sure what she expected him to tell her -- did she want him to lie and make her believe that she was different from the others that came before her, that he would protect her and not murder her like the queen did Luke’s father. He paused, searching her face for any sign of fear or weakness. Keeping her safe from the resistance was one thing, keeping her from the ruthless House was near impossible. If he would not do the job of eliminating her, somebody else will. “She’s not the kind of person I can trust to properly raise our children,” he added.

“I was not informed about what happened to Luce, but you disliked her too, didn’t you? Why don’t you give Anelle and yourself some time, maybe you’ll find that she’s not that much of a witch.” An impossible task, he thought. Anelle was not exactly friendly, she just knew when to be charming and when to bite – a skill Rhiane ought to learn if she was going to survive the court long enough to produce an heir.

If he told her the real reason why he wanted to visit her hometown, maybe she would be less critical about the idea. Luke opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it. He leaned against the soft seat and reached for his not-so-warm coffee. Confessing his plans might instead increase her disapproval. Besides, he was going to push through with the plan with or without her consent. But the chance that she might be a little less hostile was tempting.

“I need to arrange a meeting with your brother’s partner, Sebastian.” That was what all the fuss was about. “When you were sick, I had a short conversation with him. He knows more than he told me that night, Rhianne, but he is not willing to talk. The resistance has spies in the palace. It makes their attacks much more precise and effective. Our spies are unable to penetrate deep enough to root out the ones in the palace. My sister’s, my family’s, yourself, all of your safety can no longer be guaranteed. Look at what happened to the SUV and the clinic. I could have lost you.” He could have lost a battle against the resistance. “I need to persuade Sebastian to help me and I thought visiting him is easier than ordering his arrest.”

[Syrenrei]

If the crown prince expected his future bride to flinch at the mention of her established premature demise, an event that would take place after she had lived out her purpose of producing heirs, he would find she did no such thing. Rhiane was only disappointed he could speak of it so casually and without detachment. While she did not expect him to break with tradition, she did hope he would have an emotional response to the prospect of a life absent her presence, if only to affirm she was not a walking womb to him as she was the queen. She wanted to matter. Violet Black had been deceased for years but had not been forgotten. Her father maintained that the beautiful matriarch of the family had been his one true love, and there was not a day that went by that either of her surviving children did not miss her. That was the best that anyone could wish for, the former farmer believed, to be loved both in life and death.

"How can you possibly tell me she's not the sort of person you'd trust to raise our future children and then ask me to give her a chance?" Rhiane guffawed with an expression that made it clear she wasn't willing to reconsider her judgment of Anelle. "I thought Luce was fine but, let's not kid ourselves, there is no reason for me to trust them nor be their friends. Both of those would require me to believe them capable of thinking of me for a moment- my feelings, my wants, my needs, my health- but they would never. Anyone who is appointed into such a position position is someone your mother deems qualified to force me into the mold without unflinchingly."

"Besides," she continued as she crossed her arms with a grumpy frown, "you know very well she is a witch. Waltzing into here and trying to entice you with her womanly wiles while I'm only a few feet away. I'm surprised she didn't pee on you to mark her territory," the princess elect rambled with her overflowing rampant jealousy. "Unless you're suggesting being nice to her to wage psychological warfare, she'll be lucky if I even listen to her, though I suspect she won't let that dissuade her from batting her eyelashes and proposing more dates. I wonder if she melts in the rain," she seethed, quoting an old myth from a story in which water was used to kill a wicked spellcaster who had plagued an innocent maiden.

Rhiane fell silent temporarily as she contemplated the various ways she could exact revenge. Most of them were not plausible. Much as she wanted to toss the aristocrat under a moving vehicle, or arrange for her to ingest a diarrhetic, such petty plots would not give her the satisfaction she desired. Even worse, they could backfire on her spectacularly. Exposing the image manager would be the most damaging action she could take and also the most drastic. Anelle could deny charges that she lusted after her ex-lover, but it could not be understated how much more the public trusted the commoner who had won them over with her charms, warmth, and humility, and it was unlikely that an allegation uttered by the peasant-turned-royal would go ignored.

"Sebastian?" She was jerked back into the reality of the present when Luke began to explain his motivations in visiting. Each word that dripped off his lips made it more clear that the crown prince was wading into waters without knowing the depth of the see he was entering. The complete lack of surprise on her visage was evidence that she knew slightly more about the rebellion than she had disclosed. There were members that had approached her back when she was a nobody, before the contest had been announced, when the Black family farm was crawling out of financial ruin. None of them were the violent war-mongers that had nearly caused her death. The palace painted a picture of citizens involved with the revolution as being sinister, malevolent, and misguided, but the truth was that they were people who were frustrated by their circumstances and felt powerless to exact change without joining a political movement.

"Have you thought about how you might persuade him?" Rhiane inquired softly. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you're not wanting to arrest him, but I'd caution you against getting your hopes up too high. If he knew the people responsible for threatening my life he would have not hesitated to give their names. That you think he withheld information from you means he might be reluctant to disclose anything that might put him, my brother, or father in danger, or he might doubt what you'd do when you share secrets. Luke, you have to understand that life on the farm is... difficult. We're so far from the palace, and every day is such a struggle, that people in my hometown don't have a connection with you or your sister, who I like the most out of everyone I've met." She doubted this would get through to him. He was a man who was very convinced that he was perfectly playing the role of a stern father- giving everyone the opportunity to better themselves, while not enabling laziness, and their respective success or failure could be attributed to their work ethic. If the country operated as well in practice as it did in theory there would be no resistance to quash.

"If you want my advice, which you probably don't, but I compulsively give it anyway, talk to him as one man to another. Don't invoke your title as prince. Voice your concerns and your worries, and appeal to his compassion. He's a stubborn mule like Gerard, and his past trauma will make him shut down if you're too aggressive, but he's full of principles and empathy. Seb's heart guides him," she smiled with a touch of admiration in her tone. It was fortunate for Luke that Sebastian was a gay man or else he might have been serious competition for the sultry brunette's affections. She flopped over and sprawled on the sofa to stare at the ceiling. Something about being around Sebastian was like being nestled in a warm blanket. His unrestrained acceptance, patience, and comforting aura had been able to soothe her family when they were at their worst. Perhaps that was what she needed most- an uncomplicated supporter.

[Hashih]

Luke nodded when she said Sebastian’s name like a charm that pulled her back from the recesses of her thoughts and into the present. The low hanging fruit. The only other link the prince could think of that he could use to penetrate the enemy territory. If his intelligence network had produced results within the timeframe that was given them, then there was no need to enlist the help of another unwilling peasant. The fact that there was no solid lead bothered him, because every minute that the resistance was operating within the walls of his home posed an increasingly greater risk for his family. If Sebastian was protecting his family and the family of his beloved by withholding information, then Luke too would do whatever it would take to preserve the health and lives of the ones he held dear.

“He doesn’t have to say anything if he is afraid of retribution. I will not pay him a visit only to endanger his and your family’s lives. My people will take care of all the digging, I just need directions – who to talk to, how to reach the person or persons, and be present where it matters.” His eyes wandered into the unopened box beside Rhiane. If she would open it and tap the screen of the device, Luke’s handwriting telling her the password would show. “He will be given direct communication access to both you and I using the encrypted line that we use. My mother need not know about this little project.” She would be against the outrageous idea of her son and would instead intensify the campaign about the upcoming wedding between the crown prince and the princess elect. Her present tactic was one that involved public distraction. She would entertain the general public with a fantastical love story so that they might forget the issues they were whining about.

“Principles can bend when applied with the right amount of pressure,” he added, moving his sober gaze to her. “Besides, I have someone that he loves. I can find a way for her to get out of this mess alive so she can watch her children grow into that kind of person she will be proud of.” Sebastian said that he loved Rhiane. It was obvious with the way she spoke about the former that he was dear to her heart as well. If Luke had not known that Sebastian preferred men, then the two of them would have a problem, but the fact remained that Sebastian loved Rhiane. And if he did love her the way Luke loved Callista, then Sebastian would exhaust all means possible to make sure that Rhiane lived a long, healthy, and happy life.

It was a promise that he thought he might use to encourage the cooperative spirit of Sebastian, but there was no guarantee that it would work. He might still insist on keeping the secrets of the rebellion. If he did so, though, he would be left with no other choice but to use force and pick-up information from people with weaker will than Sebastian.

“So you can live to witness how I am a man of my word, how I will keep my promise by not marrying Anelle Tuscano.” The slight crinkling of his eyes and the little tug at the edge of one side of his lips broke away from the grim expression on his face. It was brought about by the recollection of her reaction to Anelle. “I did not ask you to raise a kid with her or to be her friend, but to just give her a chance to prove her worth. She probably knows what she is doing, else she would not be in that position. Displaying hostility when you don’t even know how to use her weakness against her will get you nowhere. And you’re right the flirting will not stop.” In the world that she was living in at the moment, she may have a title that said ‘princess’ but she was still born a commoner. Anelle, on the other hand, was a true lady. “She has a closer relation to my mother than Luce Viscomi though. Her words may influence the queen. Let me voice out my unsolicited advice as well – hold off on the evil plans. There’s nothing to be jealous about.”

Just then, the pilot announced that they will arrive at the destination shortly. He consequently advised all passengers to return to their seats and prepare for landing.

[Syrenrei]

Truthfully, Rhiane didn't know what to make of Luke's promise to not endanger the Black family, nor by his comment that the queen did not need to know about this 'project.' He was being strangely considerate and accommodating. Of course she knew he could be, as she had glimpsed his compassion and wit on more than one occasion, but he was more invested in convincing Sebastian than she had expected. Perhaps one could attribute this to his stubborn determination to win every battle, and thus he was willing to make sacrifices to gain an advantage against the rebellion, but that did not necessitate creating a private encrypted line for her and Sebastian, nor keeping this secret from his mother. The crown prince had struck her as a man who stood alone and apart, creating allies but not friends, who preferred to use threats over bribes. When she had suggested he be careful with Sebastian she didn't think he'd heed her advice and would try to coerce him regardless; that he did not, that he would do so much to ensure good relations, made her wonder.

"A way for me to get out of this alive?" the princess elect repeated bewildered. The very concept left her stunned into silence for a few long moments. She had never contemplated trying to surpass her unspoken expiration date. Another woman might have quietly hoped and dreamed that Luke would fall in love with them and save them from a terrible fate, that romance would persuade the sovereign to spare them, that they would be the first commoner wed into royalty to see old age. Rhiane did not cling to such naive delusions. It was the prospect of being killed, as well as the stipend for her family, that had drawn her to entering the contest. Seeing her mother and brother slowly and painfully die due to their illness had been deeply traumatizing. Standing before their graves she had vowed to not fall prey to chance.

That was the source of one of her many arguments with her father and Gerard. Years together after the funerals had granted them the opportunity to discover Rhiane's morbid fantasies of retaining agency over her fate. At first they had not understood why she wanted to be a candidate for the contests. They had protested that eventually they could turn enough profit from the farm to retire comfortably, or hire workers to replace them when their bodies failed them. Gerard realized it first. By choosing to be a candidate, by entering into an agreement that would culminate in her death, she would guarantee some control over how she departed the world. She would not be able to anticipate exactly the means or the timing, but she'd die for a reason she accepted, by people she allowed. Her fatalistic jokes had always bothered them, but now they knew it was the honesty that hid behind each jest that set them ill at ease, the soft yearning to set the plan in motion that would end it all.

"As much as I would want to bear witness to you not marrying Anelle, you don't have to promise me impossible things. It's better for all them, Sebastian included, to accept my mortality. Your mother would be rid of me, you could find a woman you have a deep emotional connection with, our children would be raised by your standards, and my family would be able to prepare for my death rather than be blindsided," she pointed out. Pragmatically it made sense when she voiced these thoughts aloud. What it failed to take into account was that Luke might want her presence more than a noble lady, that he would prefer her as his co-parent rather than a stand in aristocrat, that he might want for their sons and daughters what he and his sister did not have, or that he might be negatively impacted by losing her. In the absence of his reassurances she could do nothing but assume nothing had changed.

"I'm not saying I'm jealous," Rhiane began, not wanting him to comment on her theory of her required premature demise, "but if I was, it's only because she's a piss poor Image Manger for provoking me. She ought to have been professional and acted in a way that would further her goals. Trying to seduce the very man she wants to convince the nation is madly infatuated with another she is purposefully slighting," she snorted through her nose. "When she shows me she can do her job properly then I will give her my respect, not before. I don't care if she's the mistress of a higher being, I'm not going to hold it all in and be cooperative with that worm," she vented. The problem with the throne was that it assumed it had all the power. It did not. That it was compelled to rely on a publicity stunt in the form of a peasant, one who was more popular than it was, and who had viable alternatives to being their puppet, meant they were on more equal footing then a couple weeks prior.

"Are you also advising that I'm not allowed to try to make her jealous?" she asked abruptly.

[Hashih]

They should be listening to the captain of the flight for the sake of their safety and the general interest of the kingdom, but Luke ignored the announcement. He stared at his intended, waiting for a sarcastic laughter or a sneer or a pronouncement that he was lying. It was well within her rights to doubt him. Nobody, not even his father, who was not born as low in the social hierarchy as she was, was spared from the expiration date. It had nothing to do with how much the heir loved or hated his/her betrothed, the high society just would not tolerate power to be given freely to a commoner hailing from nowhere. As he kept telling himself over and over again – if he would refuse to commission her death, then somebody else will. Therefore, he would not invest his emotions on a relationship that had an ultimatum. They both know that every day they spent together was another day closer to that inevitable finish line.

“Making the ‘impossible things’ possible is part of the gig.” The breeding tradition had hurt him once when he was powerless to do anything about it, but things were different now. The queen was perfectly fine to run the show beside her son to teach the prince what it was like to be a king. “I am not making a promise that you will reign by my side for as long as you live – that is impossible. The kind of impossible that I could do nothing about.” Because in the game that he was playing, keeping the general public placated was as important as keeping his allies happy. She could be the other half of the puzzle that would have completed the picture, but she just would not fit in the picture.

“The rifles from the clinic yesterday had a close resemblance with the standard issued rifles of the Royal Army. If the rebellion is all but a bunch of peasants voicing their discontent about the government, then how would they afford those firearms?” They wouldn’t. Otherwise, the money should have been spent for food or the betterment of the individual lives of the members and the community they belonged to. Not that he was discounting the fact that the rebellion rooted from an alleged discontent with the way the nobles were running the kingdom, what bothered him the most was that although the foot soldiers were commoners, there was a great possibility that the people’s grievances were being used by powers greater than the collective minds of the public. A kind of power that owned resources, that had influence to bring in his people inside the palace. “I need Sebastian to protect my family more than I need him to bring down the organization.”

A soft knock sounded from the door followed by the voice probably one of the female bodyguards of Rhiane requesting the couple to get into their respective seats. It was what prompted Luke to finally get on his feet and approach the princess elect. “You’re acting like a child, Rhiane.” He reached out his hand for her to take if she wanted to. “Suck it up and work with her. At the capital, we were taught how we don’t always get to choose who we work with. It’s a cruel world, I know.” She may say that she was not jealous, but it looked to him that she was. Her emotions were too close to the surface, allowing it to rule her instead of the other way around. When she was upset, she would stage a mutiny against him or anybody she was upset with, but when she was happy, she would become very cooperative. “I was taught that how we feel doesn’t matter. The world doesn’t care as long as we serve the purpose we are here for.” It was a subtle jab about her upbringing softened perhaps by the somberness in the way he delivered the blow.

“I’ve said too much, but the short answer is no, you are not allowed to make her jealous. Besides, how do you propose to do so?”

The captain repeated the request for the passengers to strap in. Luke sighed. “Come now, before we run out of fuel while circling above the airstrip.”

[Syrenrei]

His offer was generous yet still missed its mark on Rhiane. The former farmer remained unconvinced that she wanted to elude the grim fate of her predecessors. Gerard, Sebastian, and her father would be all too eager to secure a future wherein she might live to see old age, but the prospect had little appeal to her personally. She wanted to die. It sounded selfish and morbid, but she did not have the hopes of others, and everything before her seemed too bleak to contemplate enduring. What Luke proposed was a world in which she buried her father, watched her brother and his one true love spend an eternity in bliss, while she herself knew she could never have such a blessing, and perhaps buried them as well since they were older. Any children she bore would be raised in a palace beyond her reach, by a team of nannies, groomed and taught to be proper aristocrats that disparaged commoners, ignoring and denying the origins of one of their parents. She would be alone without a purpose. The crown would not suffer itself to let her ambitions reflect on its negatively no matter who sat on the throne. It was be an agony of decades waiting for a crippling, debilitating illness to make her suffer as it had her mother.

"I'm not questioning your ability to make it possible," Rhiane said as she glanced towards the small black box abandoned nearby. She was not reflecting upon its contents so much as fixating on something other than his face. The princess elect had clung to and fought for her life when she was poisoned, had been terrified and deeply traumatized when a weapon was aimed at her heart, but only because she was not ready yet for death. More had to be done to secure the financial assistance for her family. Luke needed a successful boost to his image, a marriage, and heirs. "I'm asking you not to make that sort of promise," she added more softly, "because I don't want live past my usefulness." Although she tried to hide the pain in her eyes, the damaged soul that willingly embraced her own murder, it was plain enough to see if he looked hard enough.

Surprisingly she had no comment about the resistance's rifles. There was, however, a distinct lack of surprise on her features that was somewhat telling. She had gleamed that the commoners were not alone in their frustrations. When sympathizers and members of the movement had struck up a conversation with her in a bar, or knocked on her door to entreat her to join them, there had been vague allusions to support beyond the lower class. At the time she had not cared if this was fact or fiction. She simply did not have the time, energy, nor conviction to do anything except keep her business intact and food on the table. It did not surprise her that there was spies inside the capitol. The royalty was not as far removed from seeds of discontent as they imagined. Not every noble had a lineage and web of friends, allies, and relatives completely estranged from those who tried without success to scale the class ladder. A maid might be bitter she'd never gain the title of duchess. A bodyguard might be furious his cousins were laid off by a company who made a CEO in title only wealthier by the day. A steward might lament he'd never have the station to gain the favor of the upper echelons.

"I'm not acting like a child," she protested while not accepting the proffered hand. "I think I've proven that, despite any misgivings I have or the obstacles in my path, I continued to meet expectations and perform my duties," Rhiane argued, referencing the events that would have made a weaker-willed individual abandon his side or refuse to be seen in public, much less speak so eloquently. She had confidence she had remained charming. Even when she refused to attend the luncheon she had been reaping positive attention in visiting village shops. "A child would throw a tantrum and refuse to keep doing this publicity stunt- I'm not doing that. Anelle or Luce, it makes no difference, I'll be the charismatic fiancee everyone needs me to be. As an adult I'm saying this is where I draw the line. Don't patronize me by telling me to 'suck it up.' You're all but saying you've no intention to chastise her, or ask her to change in any way, you just want me to what- stand by idly like an idiot? Let her petty little jab be indulged, while I am not allowed to even be angry, and instead have to bend and yield to the very hand that slaps me? Absolutely not. Let her complain to your mother that I became petulant that she was trying to bed you right in front of my eyes."

Stepping to the side she rose to her feet. "How you feel does matter, Luke, it always has. Don't you realize that is what this entire tour is about? The people- your people- are clamoring for any sign of how you feel, how the future leader of their nation feels, if he feels empathy and understands them. What does he love? What hobbies, what colors, what people, what things? Does he get angry or sad like they do? The world cares more about how you feel than it cares about how I feel. They love me only because I am the next best thing when you refuse them admittance," she added a little more solemnly. What was also tragic was that she was not convinced that everyone played by the same rules he did. All around him people shirked responsibility and obligation because of feelings of greed, avarice, fear, arrogance, and used their power to fulfill whims based on anger, lust, or bias.

"It's clear to me that what Anelle wants is you," she raised a brow. "I'm sure you can work out what might make her jealous. No one likes being confronted with a person they disdain reaping their 'reward.' If we make her jealous, or she stops trying to seduce you under my nose, then I give you my word I'll work with her." With a turn she moved towards the door and placed her hand on the handle. Rhiane paused briefly.

"And for the record, I'll always care much more about your feelings than what purpose you serve. Always." Without wanting to appear weak she whisked out the door, embarrassed by her own admission, and how foolish it would seem to someone as lofty and distant as the man who would be king.

[Hashih]

“I have three siblings who are much younger than me, Rhiane. Trust me, you are acting like a child. A two-year-old kid who misbehaves whenever another kid shows up eyeing her toys.”

So far, walking out of an argument had worked for their short-lived relationship. It was exasperating how they seem to never agree on anything other than arguing until one of them gave up. Such was the vicious cycle the couple was trapped in – one would state a fact, they argue about it until one of them threw his/her hands in the air and stepped out of the space, then one or both would find a way to make it up to the other. But he was not about to let the argument die just yet. It may be true what he implied about the aircraft wasting fuel because its VIP guests were biding their sweet time, yet it was important to Luke that he made himself clear before they landed. The next few hours would be his fiancee’s game, anyway. Just like he trusted Anelle to take care of logistics, his plan to convince Sebastian was hinged on Rhiane's emotional state of mind concerning him.

“Rhiane,” he sighed her name, ignoring her blatant refusal to take his hand. She was on her way out the door, but the cabin was not too big for him to cross. In the brief moment where she seemed to contemplate what to say next, he was in a space close enough to grab her. Her words that followed though, made him hesitate for a heartbeat. She had confessed once that she liked him without the title – it was not easy for him to believe that. Right before she swung the door open, she admitted something more on the same page.

Luke was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of hydraulics pealing the door apart. He grabbed Rhiane by her wrist, not really caring whether it was the recently injured arm or not. Time did not allow him the luxury of choice. Octavia was at the other side of the opened portal and so was Tobias, who appeared to be ready to storm inside the room and whisk the princess away in his arms again. Anelle was already strapped in, but the redhead looked over her shoulder at the sound.

“Tell him to circle the airstrip until further notice.” The prince half-dragged his future bride by her wrist back into the room. Without waiting for affirmations from the stunned passengers, the cabin door slid close and a red light at the side panel signified that it had been locked.

Her wrist was set free as soon as they had the privacy of their room. He watched her with the same guarded expression on his face as when he was speaking to his peers. Would she hit him? She could try. “We are not landing this plane until we settle our discussion. I will not have you two ladies using me to make the other jealous. You will not even try, Rhiane. It’s childish. It’s foolish. It’s pointless.” It was not even a guarantee that Anelle would stop flirting with him. "I don't ask you to make Tobias jealous, even if I hate that he makes you laugh and you will most likely pick him over me, because it doesn't matter. You are chosen to play a part in this PR campaign as much the queen chose Anelle for the job. Both of you need to focus on what should be done, provoking each other is an utter waste of time. Do your part, is all I’m saying. Work with her. Give her an idea where to shoot, which places to visit, because it’s part of your job. Besides, if you have not placed matters into your own hands yesterday, we could still have Luce Viscomi working with us right now.”

He paused after the last word escaped his mouth. It wasn’t what he would like her to hear from him, not when he wanted her to be more cooperative and not antagonized by his arrogance. “Let me handle Anelle,” Luke added quickly. “I’m not asking you to be like me, but for this campaign, set aside your personal emotions and do what needs to be done.”

His face softened a little maybe because he suddenly realized how he was the very person he was telling her not to become. A crack in his mask. His emotions ruled his logic, affected his words, consequently failing in negotiations. He took a step closer, tentatively touched his hands to her upper arm, as if he wanted to hold her and apologize, but he wasn’t sure if she would lean in. “She was a part of my past, Rhiane. We haven’t talked in years, because I don't feel like reaching out to her. Her flirting will not change anything. I never intended to catch-up with her. Between my duties and this tour, I have you to fill-in my schedule.”

[Syrenrei]

In the past they had argued and then gone their separate ways without resolution for a variety of reasons, the most prominent of which was their incompatible world views. Because they could not agree on the facts of reality- such as whether or not Tobias held affections for the princess elect or if the working class was plagued by ignorance and laziness- that it made coming to an understanding impossible. Culminating frustrations, stubbornness, and pride kept them apart. Rhiane felt that she made too many concessions already to consider more compromises. Luke, who was a crown prince and future king, likely felt he ought not to have to bicker incessantly with a woman who held no real power. It was surprising to the former farmer, then, that he chose this moment to force more discussion than simmer in discontentment.

Had the door not been locked, Tobias might have stepped through and pull his charge to the safety of her seat. Instead she was pulled by her wrist back into the suite. Once her arm was released from Luke's grasp she stepped backwards and rubbed the spot absently as she glared resolutely at the heir to the throne. Each utterance earned him only more contempt. The chastisement did nothing to convince her that she ought to heed her advice; the insults only fanned the flames of her anger. Rhiane still had doubts about his feelings. Her fear that her growing attachment was one-sided made her hyper-defensive on the subject of Anelle. Anything short of a complete and direct condemnation of her actions made the brunette paranoid he was protecting the redhead, that he was not as finished with her has he claimed, that the Image Manger held his favor instead of her. Never had she been more insecure and jealous. For someone new to romantic relationships and unconcerned about material wealth, this was entirely new.

"I refuse to accept sole responsibility for what happened with Luce," she countered. "Your mother probably replaced her for multiple missteps, not just one. You weren't especially cooperative with her either," Rhiane recalled, alluding to the many times Luke had been dismissive of her guidance, or balked at a suggestion. Regardless of her words, it still weighed on her conscience to know that she might have ruined someone with her actions. The princess elect did not regret. No one instance stood out to her as unjustified behavior, but she disliked that it had come to this, that there was no one that could be appointed to oversee them that would treat her with the respect she deserved. An advisor that didn't look upon her like a ill-bred child was as high as her hopes dared to be.

"And I don't know what you mean by picking Tobias over you. He's just a friend, Luke, the only one I have besides your sister, whom I rarely get to see. The reason I spent so much time talking to him is... he doesn't look down upon me, like I'm stupid or dirty because I wasn't born to rich parents. He listens to me, asks my opinion, makes an occasional joke when everyone else would rather ignore me or stick to their own social stratosphere. The public might love me but I know that not a tear would be shed by any of the staff if I was dropped out of the plane right now," she remarked in a somber, thoughtful tone. It was purely platonic. Her voice didn't betray any hidden affections, but sounded as if she were talking fondly of a close confident, a brother, or someone like Sebastian in whom she could speak freely without risk of rejection.

The true tragedy was that in another situation the passive presence of Tobias would have gone wholly unnoticed. He did not seek Rhiane out openly. It was the quiet shunning within the castle and aristocracy, the insincere flattery, the polite conversation only when required, and the guarding without caring that created a void. A prince elect or princess elect was left standing on the figurative dance floor while clusters of people networked around them, never interacting of their own volition, never accepting. This is what made Luke's cousin so significant. He alone dared to be in close proximity to the lonely figure. Had she garnered honest admirers during the engagement ball then Tobias would have been lost in the crowd. The queen and her faithful, entitled loyalists unknowingly had pressed their precious pawn closer and closer to the open arms of a rebel with ulterior motives.

"Do you promise?" she asked as she let his hands grace her shoulders. Apprehension danced in her eyes. "If it's important to you then I'll make the list, but I want you to review the locations before it's handed over to the witch. If you promise me there isn't anything between you, I'll believe you, but I'm not going to hold myself back if she interrupts us at the wrong moment," she sulked somewhat petulantly. He'd have a harder time persuading her otherwise given the previous morning he had let Tobias see them in a compromising position on purpose.

"A tour of my hometown wasn't part of the plan. This is hard for me," she elaborated, "because some places were my secret sanctuaries, like your island, and some are sites of painful memories. Going on tours and luncheons was what I anticipated when I took the job, not something this personal, and if the same were asked of you while Tobias stroked my arm and invited me on a date, I think you'd have reacted negatively as well. I meant what I said... feelings matter. If you want me to do something, I'll look at it differently than if it comes from your mother, or Anelle, or a request from our security detail."

[Hashih]

Maybe it mattered to her, but to the kingdom and the world what he felt, if it had nothing to do with politics, economics, or defense, was insignificant. But Luke smiled at his fiancee. They were almost there, almost at the point where he wanted them to be. He could point out her prejudice against the upper class, most especially him, yet it was pointless. It was time to pull back, retreat, and enjoy the possible peace between them no matter how short it may be.

“If he did that, I’ll relieve him from his duties on the spot then have him assigned in the farthest reaches of the kingdom. Someplace neither you nor I will ever visit so that he will never ever have the chance to touch you again.” His cocky grin might have given away how certain he was that he had the authority and will to do just that. Once upon a time, Luke and Tobias were the best of friends, brothers even. Then somehow, somewhere, as the boys charted the path destiny had sketched for them, the bond weakened until they were no more than a character in each other’s far flung memory. But the fact that the guard was a part of his past and somehow shared the same bloodline as Luke made the crown confident that the former would never betray his sworn duty. It was precisely the reason why Luke kept Tobias close to Rhiane.

“Then your security retinue will employ only women.” A slight frown touched his brows the same time his arms fell to his side. “Or gay men. That should be safe enough.”

Those sentences could be interpreted as possessiveness. If she would read between the lines, it would seem that he had broken the promise he made them make the night of their engagement ball – that they would live separate lives unconcerned of the other. He was staking his claim, telling her, though jokingly, that he was not about to let any other man lay their lustful eyes on her. Despite his independence, Luke was a spoiled kid who always got what he wanted in life. He was the two-year-old he was describing who would not let any other kid touch his toys, much less his fiancee no matter how wrong it was in the eyes of those who mattered.

“I have not even a slight interest in her. She is just an employee assigned by my mother to look after us, like Luce. I will not let her unfortunate intrusion hold you back in any way.” But there was no way of telling why the queen planted her in their midst. Although, rumors travel at lightspeed, thanks to the advancements in technology. He wouldn’t be surprised if his mother knew about her son’s growing interest in the farmer and Anelle, a stark contrast of Rhiane, was a reminder of what he ought to aspire. Queen Camilla’s logic was simple -- Rhiane was a tool for succession, and Luke ought to not feel any attachment towards said tool.

Luke walked to the couch to pick up the box. “I have ‘secret sanctuaries’ other than the island. I understand that you don’t want the world to see yours as well. Leave it out, nobody will notice anyway. Just give the cameras something beautiful to shoot and the people something to talk about.” He carried the box with him and proceeded to unlock the door. “Let’s meet your family today and plan the places we will visit. That’s all. The rest will be time you may spend however it pleases you. I’ll talk to Anelle to maybe convince her to shave a few cities and towns off the tour.”

He glanced down at the package in his hand as the door slid open. “I can show you the basic controls, if you like,” Luke invited. He could show her as the pilot prepared to land the aircraft, if only to distract both of them from finding other issues to fight about.

[Syrenrei]

"I'm glad to know we don't have different standards of behavior for our staff," Rhiane remarked dryly. While on some level she did appreciate the possessive jealousy that Luke exhibited, as it was the most compelling evidence she had he might be developing feelings for her, his hypocrisy was frustrating. He expected her to act with professional detachment even when another woman showed intimate interest in her betrothed, yet he could not or would not do the same, and was even more extreme in his selfishness. Idly she pondered what the crown prince might do if there was another adversary he might contend with. Their visit to her home town might bring quite the revelation. She had been approached by many suitors prior to entering the contest and while she did not expect them to extend proposals of engagement, she doubted that the perceptive royal would fail to notice the way some of them looked upon her.

"I've never been with a woman," she remarked airily. The princess elect had no actual interest in her own sex. All indulgences of her more vulgar desires had proved that the male form was intoxicating to her, but there was nothing about her own body or another female that was enticing. Luke need not know that. Tobias was obviously a sore subject. Instead of revisiting the paranoia he had about his cousin she instead wondered if the heir to the throne was opposed to her having any dalliance whatsoever. He had implied any male guard that looked at her with ill intentions was en enemy in his eyes. Perhaps this was only because he perceived heterosexual men as the only threat. "You did say I should give Anelle a chance. I could flirt with her as she does with you," she suggested.

The brunette was well aware that the noblewoman was as disgusted as the rest of her peers by the farmer's presence. What she was less convinced of, however, was whether or not the Image Manager would set aside her prejudices to manipulate Luke. Anelle might be willing to retaliate against the man who spurned her by trying to steal his 'prize' if the opportunity arose. She may also be determined enough to try to make him feel the same indignant anger she felt when a peasant was chosen over someone of higher stature. More importantly, Rhiane was keen to know if the very notion would make her lover vibrate with envious fury. No one had seriously risked replacing the handsome and arrogant royal in his fiancee's eyes- not yet anyway.

"I really hope you're prepared for my father and Gerard. I doubt that Sebastian will say anything offensive, but the two of them..." she sighed. Time with Luke had proved to her that he was not incredibly sheltered. Despite his reassurances, and his stubborn insistence that a visit was necessary, they were an unusually formidable force. They would not be moved to obeyed social norms and etiquette. Words would not be polite, accusations would be lobbed like grenades, and false platitudes would be mocked openly. Both were ill-tempered, but while her father had a soft heart, her brother was a shrewd and critical judge of character that seldom accepted any into his good graces. When her mother had died there was a mutual understanding that to allow Gerard to negotiate contracts would result in the utter destruction of all their business arrangements.

"I appreciate the offer," she added sincerely, dropping her voice when the door opened, "but I don't want to shave off any stops on the tour. It's important that we prove ourselves to be people who adhere to all our responsibilities and obligations, isn't it? If you have work to handle then I can attend the events that are less crucial so you can attend necessary meetings," Rhiane offered generously. "Besides, I've never traveled before. This is my first trip outside of my town and the palace," she reminded him, "and might be the only one I'll have besides the honeymoon. Whether or not your mother endorses me taking more hinges on my performance in the coming weeks." The only way she could imagine herself wanting to reduce their grand tour is if their lives were in constant, imminent danger. Queen Camilla might demand they return to the castle if the recent infatuation between the couple resulted in an unplanned and unexpected pregnancy, as that might compel them to accelerate the wedding date accordingly.

"Is it really that important to you?" she asked with a slight frown at the device. The older model she had on the farm was used sparingly. There weren't many people she had a need to speak with that weren't nearby and, when she did want to hold a conversation, she preferred to hold it over a pint of beer or while watching the sun dip over the horizon. More than once she had lost hers on the field, or in the kitchen while cooking, or even in a pile of clothes that needed to be washed. She was less reliant on it than the average person by her own admission. If it wasn't time to reconcile their profit and expenditures, or send a missive to a merchant, then she found a reason to set it down somewhere and leave it behind.

[Hashih]

Luke was wondering what Rhiane’s house looked like, if it was anything like the farm houses from the last village or did she keep a household that was homier and more cozy than those he had seen so far, when she offered to finish the tour’s itinerary on her own. His lips fell into a flat line and his eyes slightly narrowed at her. The woman was either thirsty for adventures outside her hometown or she was taunting trouble to find her. With everything that had happened to her since she earned the title princess elect – the attempts at her life, the trauma of witnessing somebody shot dead – it was amazing that she would propose to continue traveling the kingdom instead of retreating into the safety of the palace.

Most of the passengers were already strapped into their seats, except for Octavia, who remained lingering near the door and Tobias, who stood on the aisle a few steps from the female guard. Both stepped aside to give room for the couple to move.

“Yes, it is important,” Luke was telling Rhiane as he ushered her to the window seat. He spoke in an equally hushed tone, careful not to let the incredulity be heard in his voice. “Especially when I fly out of the country next week. Keep this so you can call me whenever you miss me. It will also tell the security team where you’re at in case of any emergency or whenever you raise a signal for help.” After what happened at the mountains, they would not take any chances. Her whereabouts had to be monitored and her perimeter secured. It was clear that the enemy conspired to harm the future mother of the next generation of royals, and fortunately they failed twice. There was no assurance that there would be no more third. The more she endeared herself to the public, the more the rebellion saw her as a threat to their propaganda. Which was why Luke could not believe how she could ask him to let her attend the rest of the stops without him.

She was an insightful human being, most of the time a little too insightful for his comfort. “But even with this device, I don’t like the idea of you being alone on this tour. Whether you like it or not, you have already made enemies. I trust my cousin to protect you, but… No, we’ll let the PR team handle the cancellations. You should go back to the palace.”

The queen would want her to proceed regardless. She was correct that they were supposed to honor their commitments. It was Luke’s personal rule and sticking to it earned him credibility to those who he had a chance of working with. However, allowing Rhiane to be on her own was too risky. There was a spy inside the palace who could very well pinpoint her location, identify her activities, and arrange for another assassination attempt. It would be easier for the rebels to get to her with only half of the security force present. Besides, he doubted she would be receiving the same special treatment from the palace if he was not with her.

Luke leaned so he was whispering to her, “Or would you rather try your hand at flirting with Anelle while I’m out of the country?”

Leaving the capital to roam around the kingdom, presenting themselves as star-crossed lovers from different social classes, was the consequence of an unfortunate event during their engagement ball. If it had not been for it, the two of them could have stayed the amenities of the palace much longer. Rhiane could have been in attendance of a private tutor who would teach her how to conduct proper etiquette in both a local an international function, public speaking, how to dress herself like a princess, poise, and all the other things that the royal advisors believed the princess elect lacked. The urgency to fix a broken reputation preceded all these. Yet, when Luke left for the summit in the far east, she would have time to finally catch up on her training as a proper princess.

[Syrenrei]

"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.