𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗡, luke hemmings.

𝐯. 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳

"That makes two of us." she played with a strand of her hair, tugging it behind her ear at last. "I should better get going. I believe I will meet you at the airport?"

"At the airport? Why?" Luke shot her a confused look. "No, we are leaving together. I will see you downstairs whenever you're ready, alright?" He chuckled, lightly shaking his head. "Now go, Italy is waiting for their princess to return."

"Right."

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶

There was no explanation as for why she didn't let anyone know she was coming, let alone with her fiancé. They left Australia with one of Hemmings' family planes, surprising the ground controllers when they asked for permission to land on Italian soil. The airport staff started to panic and to ask questions about how will their princess arrive home safely without security waiting for her. It was unlikely of her to come unannounced. She would always let somebody know she was coming, even a last minute notice. Before she could set foot on the ground, they arranged three black cars for protection.

"Welcome home, Principessa," the head of the security greeted her, then noticed Prince Lucas coming right behind her. "Your Royal Highness, welcome to Italy. Please, follow me. I will escort you home safely today."

They got inside the middle car and left the airport in a hurry. The driver was polite, charming even. He made small talk with both of them. He tried to make them feel comfortable by asking them about the weather in Australia, comparing it to the weather in Italy, the culture and civilization, the food, the people and many, many other topics, even earning a chuckle or two from the foreign prince.

Once they arrived at the palace in Caserta, he understood how it felt to be far away from home. He felt slightly uneasy in a country that was not his own, with people that did not speak his language, surrounded by faces he did not know. But she was by his side and even though he knew he was not needed here, he came to support her. He would always have his fianceé's back.

"Lucrezia! Tesoro mio!" The words came from an older woman who greeted the princess with her arms wide open. She must be the Queen, Lucrezia's mother. They looked too much alike not to be relatives. When the woman noticed him in the background, she cleared her throat and started to talk in English. How polite. "Did anything happen? We didn't hear a word about your arrival to Italy and it's not like you to come unannounced."

"Mamma, it's delightful to see you again." The two females were wrapped in a tight embrace. "This is short-noticed, I know, but I had to come. I heard the news from last night. God, this was not the way I wanted to do this but... Mother, I would like you to meet Prince Lucas Robert Hemmings of Australia, my fiancé." Lucrezia took a step back and invited Luke to take a step forward. "Prince Lucas, Queen Chiara Maria Borgia d'Italia."

Luke was expecting her mother to extend her hand so he could kiss it but instead, she walked forward and hugged him.

"Welcome to Italy, darling. It's both a pleasure and an honor to finally meet you, Prince Lucas. No matter what Lucrezia says, I'm glad that our first meeting has been so informal. Please, make yourself at home here. All of our staff is at your service, so don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything." Queen Chiara was a warm woman, very different from how her daughter was on the day she arrived in Canberra. Their resemblance was undeniable, but their behavior was contrasting. "It makes me sad that you had to come during a time like this. Everything is chaotic since last night, but I hope you will enjoy your stay. Please, call me mother."

Watching them talk, Lucrezia had a strange feeling in her stomach—was she proud? Happy that her mother liked him? But that didn't make any sense. Why on earth would she feel that? It's not like she was bringing home her boyfriend, a man who she learned to love throughout the time they spent together, but a prince from the other side of the globe, a man she was about to marry but at the same time, a man she knew nothing about. Yet she was happy to bring him home. Strange.