the private plane landed smoothly. dante awoke with a jump, slightly upset that he had just fallen asleep right as the plane landed. he hated naps like that. the ones where right as you got relaxed, you had to wake up. he slowly stood out of his seat, stretching. the italian prince stilled when he heard voices coming from the private bedroom in the back. he grinned at his older sister, the look on his face telling her he was going to eavesdrop. so he went a few seats down, making himself comfortable right outside the door.
"lighten up, amore mio." the voice was deep, smooth, silky. like a gentle stream flowing in the night. his father. king marcello.
"i will not lighten up! who does that boy think he is? inviting us after years, expecting some form of alliance. he's a new king. he knows nothing. at least if his father-"
"ariana, his father is dead. the kid had no choice." now his words were harsh, clipped as if he'd tried to get this into the queen's head more than once. she was stubborn, though.
"it doesn't change the fact that he could have done something right away. instead he shut us out for two years! he stopped all trade with italy. he was willing to let our people fail!"
"he had to, ariana! irenica is crumbling. he is crumbling. he has to focus on his own country, and trade with italy was not his priority. it was not ours either. we have plenty of other partners."
"he should have found a queen sooner."
at that, marcello exploded. "i have known jaxon since he was a baby! i know the trials he has gone through. ones that a boy his age should not have gone through. his fiancées have all been murdered. when he was crowned, he was taking on the role of king and half of queen. he has more than enough on his shoulders. now, you can join our children and i in visiting irenica, become friends. or you can take this plane right on back to italy."
dante stiffened. his parents had been arguing for some time. he figured the only reason they were still together was for italy. the door flew open, and he quickly shut his eyes, as if he'd been asleep. unlike moments ago, his father's voice was now bright and cheery.
"buonosera, bambini!" good evening, children. dante opened his eyes and stretched. "we have finally landed in irenica. the king is expecting our arrival at any moment. let's not keep him waiting, yes?" there was a quiet chorus of yes's, everyone agreeing as they stood. though they hadn't heard the first part of the argument, unlike dante, they'd heard their father explode. no one wanted to get in the middle of that.
the adorno's stepped off the plane, into a limo. thankfully, no one had known about their arrival. they weren't crowded with citizens and paparazzi. it was just them and their quick escape before the got noticed.
upon arriving at the palace, however, there was a small crowd of people that had grown by the second. dante wasn't unused to this. back home, people were usually gathering outside the palace gates, hoping to get a chance to speak to his father. dante also knew the selection was going on. perhaps they were showing support. as soon as they stepped out of the limo, twenty guards surrounded them to safely bring them inside, where jaxon and irene waited.
the king approached jaxon, who shook his hand. "king marcello, welcome to irenica," he greeted.
"jaxon, you've known me your whole life. you know you're more than welcome to call me marcello. i think our families are close enough to forgo formalities."
jaxon's irenican accent was thicker than dante remembered. but it had been a handful of years since he'd heard his voice. he watched his mom lean over to chiara.
"nota come non cerca nemmeno di salutarci in italiano. un po' di rispetto, eh?" dante lifted his brows at his mother's bold, whispered words. words that did not go unnoticed by jaxon.
"princess chiara. dante, hello. and hello young emma. ah, queen ariana. benvenuto a irenica. solo perché non ti saluto in italiano non significa che non lo capisco. devo ricordarti che ti sto accogliendo a casa mia?" at that, dante snorted, and he had to cover his mouth with silent laughter after seeing his mother's flushed face. she opened her mouth to retort, but quickly snapped it shut.
"jaxon, be nice!" irene scolded. dante's eyes drifted to her, and he approached, taking her hand in his and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it.
"principessa irene. ciao bella." dante spoke quietly, like he was afraid of being overheard by their families. irene laughed and pulled her hand away.
"dante, ever the flirt. it's nice to see you again." he could have kept talking with irene for forever, but in the conversation just beside him, he heard his father talking about the long flight, asking about rooming.
"of course. you will all be staying on the fourth floor, as usual. please follow me and rest up. i believe my selected have something planned for you tomorrow night." at that, dante perked up. he hated to leave irene to go to his room, but he was excited to see what a bunch of girls would have planned for them. so, he followed along. it was a good thing, too, because once dante got to his room, once he had gotten ready for bed, he was out like a light.
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january 29, 7-11 pm
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i'm so excited for this event! it should be fun! thank you for all the effort put into planning it!
WHAT TO DO: • speak with at least one other selected • speak to an italian royal • princess chiara played by booklover311921 . everyone else is played by me!
