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a thing.
    “Thalia would be happy with Uncle Graham if she thought he’d be the next king,” Michael said, burying his head in his hands.  “I won’t go back to her. I don’t care what you say about me.”
    “Then maybe getting out of the public eye would do you some good.  I know that it would do this family some good. Like I said, millions have already been spent.” Richard closed the drapes and turned to him.  “I can appreciate your situation, but can you understand ours?”
    “Yes, I can.  But the last time you all thought I needed some time to myself, I ended up in Afghanistan.” Michael rested his head back on the chair and looked up at the painted ceiling. 
    “Actually, I was thinking of something a little more livable.”
    Michael raised a brow.  “I’m listening.”
    “But you’d be used as an experiment…” Richard winced. 
    Michael sat up.  “Again with your experiments. You know my life is not one big petri dish.”
    “If you could go somewhere and live as a commoner, on a commoner’s salary and without being recognized as an heir to the crown for 6 months, then I think that you’d be more respected in the public eye.  Everyone thinks that you’re spoiled rotten…”
    Michael threw up a hand. “I already know what everyone thinks.”
    “Well, the point is, since we are waging a serious PR war against the public consensus, if you were to go off the grid for a while and do something noble, then when you returned it might be shocking enough for people to forget your breakup, and if not forget it, then forgive it.”  Richard crossed his arms across his chest.  “It would give us the opportunity to fight fire with fire.  And it would prove that you truly are trying to find yourself.”
    “Didn’t Eddie Murphy do this already in Coming to America ?” Michael asked playfully.
    “I’m sorry, going where ?”  Richard was not familiar with the American movie classic.
    “Never mind.  Continue.” Michael’s interest peaked.  “Where would I carry out this experiment?”
    Richard twisted his lip up and thought hard.  “You did mention America.  The US would be perfect.  We could still monitor you from a distance with our men and keep you safe.”
    “ Good ness, man.  They are royalty crazy there.” He said nearly dismissing the entire notion now.
    Richard could see that he was losing him.  He pitched harder.  “In the mainstream, metro areas, yes, they are royalty crazy .  However, I was thinking small town, sort of roll up your sleeves, working class people,” Richard added.  “The kind who would be less likely to be interested in the crown.”  He walked over to Michael and sat down.  “Somewhere Southern.”
    “Why Southern?  Don’t they even hate the Yanks down there?” Michael was not about to go to another country and be lynched. 
    “You’re an educated man.  Can you please act like it?  Yes, they have a problem historically with the Northerners there, but they are also less likely to know who you are.  Remember when we were boys.  You used to be able to pull off an impeccable American accent.  Can you still?”
    “I’ve actually gotten better at it,” Michael said with a grin.
    “We could pick out one of those small southern towns for you to go and work.  Somewhere where all they have is an Internet café, not even a Starbucks.”
    “Work how?” Michael asked, confused.  “What would I do?”
    Richard shook his head. “I don’t know.  You’ll have to figure that out. You’re good at collecting rare books…fine art…maybe something in western literature.”
    “Do they read in the south?”
    Richard chuckled. “You won’t last long cracking jokes like that.  They are very proud people.  They’re still waving a flag from a war that they clearly lost over 200 years ago. It’s all quite depressing, but so is your situation.”
    Suddenly, thinking of having to face more media about Thalia made Michael reconsider the