ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴅᴇᴍᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ❅ 𝕽𝖔𝖞𝖆𝖑 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖈𝖑𝖊𝖘

❝𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 6❞

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MASTERMIND

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K06 ‖ A Royal Vengeance: Famous Destinations

She was fury, she was wrath, she was vengeance.
― Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕲𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖊:
Italic words — the thoughts of a character / a foreign language is spoken
Bold and italic words — a lie, only when Princess Caitlyn's around
Bold, italic and underlined words — the timeline of memories, past, hallucinations etc.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Year 2039, A week ago
Rome, Italy

"You certainly know how to pick a good café."

Dressed in his usual luxurious suits of the finest cotton, Prince Gion of Italy approached his date with his aide, Livio, tailing behind him and followed by a small group of bodyguards clad in black uniforms. The men stood guard a few feet away from the table in the corner where Prince Gion's esteemed guest sat awaiting for his arrival.

Approaching her, he took the hand she offered and placed a kiss on her gloved knuckles. This was the hand of the most sought-after princess of their age.

Arrogant blue eyes met the eyes of the coldest winter sky, and his lips turned up into a knowing smirk.

"Prince Gion," she said, mirroring his smirk with a sweet smile. "How have you been?"

The Italian prince took his seat across hers before answering, "I have been well. How about you, your highness? Anything interesting to share?"

"Your highnesses," a waiter interrupted their conversation momentarily to set a cup of tea in front of the princess and a cup of coffee for the prince. Then, he took a bow and left.

Both took a sip from their cups before Prince Gion spoke again, "As I said before, you really know how to pick a good place. Antico Caffè Greco has over 250 years of history in the name of quality. Don't tell me you chose to come here to breathe the history and a collection of over 150 works of art."

The princess smiled and looked around her. "Maybe," she said.

Silence settled between them. Prince Gion carefully watched as his date admired the paintings hanging on the walls.

With long glossy pale-blonde hair and beautiful Nordic charm in her features, the Princess of Norway was known to be the people's delight. While beauty can be subjective to each person, the Italian prince believes that her attraction lies in her sharp wit and silvery voice.

"I find the historical origins rather fascinating," Caitlyn, the Crown Princess of Norway, smiled at the prince sitting across from her. Her cold blue eyes that held no warmth surveyed him. "Which is why I believe your highness will appreciate this place of meeting for intellectuals and goliards."

Attractive, indeed, Prince Gion mused to himself, looking away with a shadow of a smile.

A soft sigh from the princess made Prince Gion turn away from a nearby painting and rested his eyes on the Norwegian princess.

"As much as I wish to spend the day with idle chatter and perhaps indulge in a game of chess with you, there are some pressing matters that need to be addressed," she said. Her smile faded into a slight grimace. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Prince Gion's aide shifting his footing. Her own aide stood motionless behind her.