𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗡, luke hemmings.

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵

The silence wasn't uncomfortable to any of them. To him, it didn't matter that her arms were still hanging loose, because she was there, so close to his chest that she could feel his heartbeat. This week had been a nightmare for him; Luke locked himself in his chambers and he didn't allow anyone inside, unless the person who requested to see him was Lucrezia herself. But she never came. He heard that her plane lands today and he knew he had to come get her from the airport. He had to see her and he didn't want to wait until she arrived to the palace.

"I'm sorry, Principessa," he whispered, hands gently caressing her back. "I'm so fucking sorry. I know I fucked up so badly and I know words can't make up for what I did, but this is eating me alive. I didn't take me long to get out of that damn club, but you weren't there and I—Why did you leave, Lucrezia?"

His apology was genuine, that much she could tell, but was it enough for her to forget what she saw and move on? Was this how her life would look from now on? "My cousin called, she needed my presence in Portugal." Lucrezia placed her hands on his chest, pulling back from his embrace. "I appreciate and accept your apologies, but you didn't need to say anything, Luke. You are free to do whatever you please, remember?"

Her words hit him hard. The warmth he felt only a few seconds ago was gone and it was replaced by the coldness he felt on the day they first met. Her eyes didn't say a thing, it was impossible for him to read her mind. But it hurt like hell.

"Baby, please—"

Lucrezia furrowed her brows and straightened her back before she corrected him. "Prince Lucas, we are expected back at the palace." That being said, she walked right past him and headed towards the black car that was waiting for them.

He couldn't move. Luke refused to believe that this was happening. It took him a few minutes until he felt ready to walk again, let alone join her in the car. The ride home had been long and silent. For him, it was too much to handle. He held his breath, absent-mindedly looking outside the window until one of his servants opened the door for him, announcing him that they have arrived home.

Glancing in her direction once more, he wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. His mistakes led to this and it was the first time he actually felt regret. There had to be something that could be done to fix this, but right now, the only thing that felt right was to give her some more space until she was ready to talk about this.

But why did it matter that much to him? Their marriage was arranged, it should mean nothing to both of them—but it did. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted her to trust him, he wanted to get to know her better and do his best to treat his fiancée right. He couldn't understand it, why did he feel like she was changing him? It wasn't even a slow process, it all happened so suddenly that he didn't even realize it until it was already too late. And now, he was sure he didn't want her to ever witness that again.

He found himself wondering how did he end up here, so caught up in her charms that he started to care in the first place. He should've been stupid, even blind not to realize that she was so different from the other women he met. Throughout his life, Luke came across many beautiful faces, wild females that knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it, but none of them had an impact over him. They tried to act innocent but it was crystal clear that they desired him. Or his money. And for the longest time, he didn't mind. Lucrezia, on the other hand, seemed ethereal. Dedicated to her country, to her people, she protected them like a lioness. She was selfless, she knew very well that she was nothing but a weapon for Italy, a pawn in a game that was bigger than them, so she played her cards right and used her title and power to do something that mattered. Maybe that's why he found her so enchanting; she was the exact opposite of him. He took advantage of what he had to enjoy life and its pleasures, without a care in the world. He didn't take himself seriously and he didn't expect anyone else to treat him like royalty.

Once again, Luke was in his apartments, thinking about her over and over again. The night went by quickly. Many scenarios played in his head and before he realized it, the morning came. He was eager to leave his room, his PR team scheduled a photoshoot with Lucrezia at noon and while he couldn't care less about being photographed, it was an opportunity to see her again.

It took longer than usual for his staff to get him ready, considering that he looked like a total mess, but after almost an hour, he resembled a fairy tale character. He used to hate this—all the styling, the clothes, the make-up—but the thought of this picture with him and Lucrezia being framed and hanged on the wall made it more bearable. Lately, she had been on his mind way too often, but as much as he tried to shake off the thoughts about her, he couldn't do it, so he might as well learn to accept it.

"Your Highness, I just need to fix your hair a little bit and—" Luke didn't let her finish and gestured for her to leave it like that, then left for the gazebo. They chose the gardens because of the lively, familiar atmosphere, but for him, that place had another meaning: it was where he touched her for the first time. Get your shit together, he said to himself, clearly bothered that he couldn't go five minutes without her popping in his head for one reason or another.

Lucrezia arrived only a few moments before he did and she was carefully listening to the photographer's advice, then posed for a few test pictures so he could work on her angles. Luke stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed her—she was wearing a gorgeous light blue dress and her hair was styled in her usual high ponytail, but it was curled today. However, what really caught his attention was the diamond necklace she was wearing, a piece of jewelry that has been in his family for centuries, passed by the queen to her most trusted daughter-in-law. He couldn't justify how proud he was that his fiancée had been chosen to receive this gift. He flashed a wide grin and leaned closer to her, then whispered in her ear. "Breathtakingly beautiful."

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sorry this feels more like a filler chapter but i promise u we're getting there. thank u for the votes n comments, i love waking up to ur thoughts about this story. i'm currently working on five more stories but i promise i'm doing the best i can to update at least once per week. lots of love ♡