The Fall of Mangiatorvi

19: Your Royal Highness

The spacious pool in top tier hosted a water rock climbing wall and three water slides. A plethora of two story, arched windows bathed the room in sunlight. Luca found the white marble peaceful, opting to start his mornings with a few laps in order to clear his mind and prepare for the day. He surfaced to find Ian waiting for him on a side bench. Ian stood, handing Luca a fresh towel as he climbed out of the pool. Luca accepted the gesture with a skeptical frown. It was unlike his cousin to be up this early, or for him to be cordial.

"What do you want?"

"To take my favorite cousin to breakfast."

"Oh, is Tomme here?" Luca scoffed, heading to the locker rooms.

"Fine, I will skip the foreplay," Ian said. "Did you watch DJ's segment this weekend?"

Luca shook his head.

"They deprecated us on national television, both of us."

"I have never met them."

"It is a matter of pride now, we need to take the title back this season."

Luca scoffed again, changing into a tee shirt and a pair of shorts. "We do not need to do anything. Simulation matches are your fight, not mine." He would shower after his workout.

"You are going to allow them to taunt you?" Ian said, a scowl overtaking his face. "In front of all of Oasi?"

Luca rolled his eyes, pushing past his cousin. He had a long list of To-Dos this week, none of which included participating in Ian's petty vendetta. Still, curiosity got the better of him. He pulled out his holophone to watch the segment in question as he strolled down the hall. A frown settled upon his face, not for himself but for Gemma. His eyes narrowed.

Snapping shut the halophone with a growl, Luca slipped it into his back pocket. He wondered if the media was creating a firestorm from ashes. A sudden bout of publicity was not the kind of thing Gemma would enjoy. His thoughts were quickly answered as he passed the open door of a small practice room. His eyes immediately landed on his indignant mentee. The girl stood at the back of the enclosure, brutally beating a heavy bag again, and again, and again.

So fixated, she didn't notice when he took a seat on the bench behind her. His eyes flickered down her tense form and taut muscles. She was a force to be reckoned with. The rage in her eyes revealed itself with every shot she dealt into her punching bag. Despite the basic combat training every Oasi native received, Luca would not be so quick to get into a fistfight with her. Gemma gave the bag one last full effort blow with her knee before collapsing on the bench beside him.

"Feel better?" he asked, handing her a water bottle.

She took a huge gulp in between trying to catch her breath. "No."

A moment of silence passed. Luca turned toward Gemma. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest, which rose and fell rapidly with each breath she took. She put up a strong front, but it was difficult to hide a bruised ego. "He is an idiot," Luca offered. "He has no idea what he is talking about."

Gemma scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Sure."

"No, really. If I was not already interested in someone else, you would be the kind of girl I looked for."

It was not a complete lie, Luca thought to himself. He studied his brooding mentee. Gemma was attractive in her own way, and she made him laugh.

His father and the nobles expected him to be diplomatic and responsible. The media and the majority of the general public expected him to be charming and agreeable. Ian expected Luca to be more like him, ambitious and cunning. Luca was none of those things yet always managed to feel guilty when he did not meet their expectations. When he was with Gemma he didn't feel that burden of expectation. He didn't feel like a prince. The majority of the time, she just made him feel like an asshole, and he was okay with that.