For Eternity II: Clandestine Preceding (Vampire! 2p! Italy x Reader)

Chapter Three - Feelings

        Luciano, after talking with Aurora and Oliver for a short time more and saying hello to James when he came home to the cottage, exited to retrieve Drusus from the meadow. He mounted his steed and spurred him on to go home. His entire ride he could only think of you. Your beauty, your poise, the way you smiled at him and waved like he was a normal person, everything about you made his unbeating heart have a fluttering sensation. It felt strange to him, this foreign feeling of desire. As he thought that, he felt an ache creep up into his chest. He didn't desire you. He lusted for you. No, that ache grew worse as he thought that next. He tried again to rid himself of the emotional pain that had settled over his heart.

        'I love her,' he thought to himself.

        That did the trick. He admitted it. He had fallen head over heals in love with you in the small time span of a few minutes that he had seen you in Aurora's home. He wanted your love and craved it. To him it sounded more enticing than the most pure, untainted blood in the world. He'd gladly pass up a taste of it if it meant that you would be his. If someone were to call him selfish for wanting you, he wouldn't put up a fight about it. He knew he was being selfish. After all, there were probably much more deserving men of you, but he couldn't help but feel like he deserved you more than any other person in the world. He was a prince. Other vampires were nobles and commoners below him. Being royalty didn't mean that he deserved you more though. He just felt like it did.

        Luciano shook his head, clearing his mind of all thoughts for a brief moment. Images of you flooded his head quickly afterward. He groaned as he jumped off of his horse, handing Drusus off to a stable hand in the royal stables before walking into the castle. The young prince went into a sitting room, one with a few book shelves, a low sitting table, a couch on either of its longer sides, art pieces, and a few large windows with curtains. He figured the one he went into would be empty considering it was one of the lesser utilized ones, but he was shocked to see his mother and grandmother inside, the two sipping on coffee laced blood.

        The two women looked at him in slight surprise from being barged in on without so much as a curt knock on the door first. Their features soon softened as they realized who it was. Florentina stood up and walked to her youngest son with open arms after setting down her coffee cup on the table. Luciano embraced her, the two exchanging a kiss on each of the other's cheeks, as was customary. The two walked back to the couches. The prince went to his grandmother's couch and gave her a kiss on each cheek, which she returned before he sat beside her. A maid knocked on the door and entered with another cup, something she had been telepathically asked to bring by Rema upon Luciano's arrival in the room.

       She was very young, about a thousand years Luciano's junior. Her hair was long, straight, and black in color, which was pulled up into a high ponytail. A few shorter strands hung at the sides of her face to frame it nicely while her bangs were cut straight across about a centimeter above her eyebrows. A pair of thin wire framed glasses rested on her nose just below the bridge of it. Her eyes were a medium shade of brown, and her skin was pale. This was Anna, a newly hired maid by Luciano when his grandfather had him pick out a few new servants as part of his training to be the future ruler of all vampires. She set the cup down and poured Luciano a cup of the coffee laced blood. He thanked her and dismissed her. She kept her gaze lowered as she exited the room quietly. Luciano picked up his cup and drank some of it, leaving a blood mustache above his upper lip. Rema let a small giggle slip past her lips before she picked up a red cloth napkin and wiped it away.

        "Nonna..." he whined as he tried to move away from her to keep her from babying him.

        "Hold still bambino," she commanded softly. "You don't want to look silly with all that blood on your upper lip if someone important walks in."