I vaguely remember the boiled seed story. While it's a good aesop, I wonder about its practicality in choosing someone with authority. Just because you're honest doesn't mean you're capable. I'm sure we'll get a nice development with this though.
Claire is a sweetheart and I can already see her becoming the BFF. I'm sure the prince would like to get along with her too. Just as importantly, she's going to be the ticket for both of them to find out the truth of what happened in their past lives.
What's fascinating to me is the fact that "Theo Howard" is the person who pledged to not sell the ring, not "Eugene Howard". Theo might be his son, grandson, or something else, but somehow, the sentimental value Eugene had for that ring was transferred over to the rest of the family, which...is curious.
The true story sounds like it's going to be very interesting.