Chapter Text
James sighed and turned around to face his girlfriend. “Suzy, I do not believe marriage is a good idea.”
“Why not? Don't you love me?” the very light blonde woman asked.
“It is not that I do not love you. If anything, I love you too much. But after a long internal debate, I have come to the conclusion that a life of duty is not for you, and I am not willing to consider leaving the monarchy.” the Prince of Wales told. “I cannot leave my family behind to be with you.”
“C’mon James, they don’t care about you.” Susan stated, throwing her hands in the air.
“They do, in their own way.”
The common woman shook her head. “Why do you not see it?”
“See what exactly?” the Alpha questioned. “The fact that my parents are busy leading the British Commonwealth and that I was raised by nannies and that that should prove that my parents don’t love me like they supposedly should? I’m sorry Susan, but that’s a whole lot of bullshit right there.”
“And that’s just it! You’re not getting what you need, but you’re unaware of that!”
The beach blonde let out a deep sigh. “Susan, I think it would be best if you leave.”
The Beta was absolutely furious. She yelled a couple insults before stomping out of the room.
The British Prince closed his eyes before seating himself down on one of the red velvet chairs. He knew that common people probably wouldn’t understand why things went the way they did in the Royal family and explaining it to them was not very easy.
Suzy had struggled quite a bit to understand certain elements of Royal protocol, which she found to be extremely outdated and no longer fitting for the era they found themselves in now.
The first-born son of the Queen knew that a few things had to change within the next 20 years, most of which weren’t things that were changed within minutes considering the steps a protocol-changing process had to go through, which could take decades if there was no political consensus on the matter. He placed his head in his hands and dragged his fingers down to his jaw.
“I need a break.”
A vacation it was…
James decided to go to the island of Sicily, to the city of Trapani.
The place was known for its beaches and beautiful Ladies, something that would most certainly distract the Prince from his broken relationship with Susan Miller whom he was likely to break up with once he returned to London to settle back in his Kensington apartments.
He booked a room at a hotel he’d never been to, deciding to make his vacation more cosy than luxurious.
He’d been to Sicily before, but he’d always spend it in luxurious hotels with large business meeting rooms.
But now, he wouldn’t be anywhere near that stuff.
The hotel he booked was close to a beach and a few bars, exactly what he needed to simply take that much needed break from his crappy relationship. Naturally, he didn’t book it under his real name, but a pseudonym he had used before when abroad and wishing to remain anonymous: James Gunthorpe-Hunt.
It was simple, British, and not overly obviously fake like John Smith or something alike would’ve been.
The Prince of Wales hired a Mini at the airport (Vincenzo Florio Civil Airport of Trapani) under the same name for the time he’d be staying on the island before driving down to the hotel where he almost immediately received the room keys. He’d drop off his stuff in that room before going on a stroll through the surrounding area.
He liked southern Italy in early May, as it wasn’t too hot outside, and the breeze was nice.
He watched people play beach volleyball, mothers and fathers chase after their children, teens and pre-teens play and swim in the water, and young children building sandcastles while leaning on a wall overlooking one portion of the beach.
The blonde then heard shouting in German.
“Agnes! Come back here!”
The 26-year-old turned his head to see a young girl running across the road being chased down by a brown-haired Omega male carrying another girl that was barely a year old. He decided to jump into action and snatch the girl off the asphalt road before she’d be run over by a non-attention-paying driver.
The fairly tall brunet let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for getting her off the road.”
“Not all drivers always pay attention. I wouldn’t want such a thing to happen to any child.” the Brit reached out his hand. “I’m James, by the way.”
“Niki. Are you perhaps British?”
The Prince nodded. “I am. My accent must make it very clear.”
Niki nodded. “It does. Are you here on vacation?”
“I am. Are you on vacation too?” James asked.
The Omega shook his head. “No. I’m visiting my brother and his wife, who live on the other side of the bay. I was just taking Agnes and Claudia to the beach here.”
“Is that a long trip from here?” the Brit asked.
“About a quarter of an hour.” the brunet replied.
The Prince smiled softly. “I must admit I’m usually not this… straightforward, but I think you look absolutely stunning in your summer dress, and I would love to take you to a bar during an evening.”
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Niki was used to watching his oldest brother’s children, as well as used to being mistaken for the girls’ mother instead of their aunt. Which in theory could’ve been true, considering Agnes and Claudia’s real mother was 3 months younger than he was.
But he hadn’t met his Prince Charming at a young age.
Back to the situation at hand, he was dealing with a pretty charming Alpha who’d just asked him out.
Naturally, he didn’t say no to the offer.
“How old are your girls actually?” the man asked.
For a moment, the Omega blinked. ‘So, he indeed thinks I’m their mother…’ “Agnes is almost four, Claudia will be two by August.”
“They’re very lovely.” the Brit said. “They seem very cherished.”
“They definitely are. All of my mother’s children take care of them.” the brunet said.
“Are you close with your siblings?” James asked.
“With most of them, just not really with the sons my father had from his first marriage.” the 25-year-old replied. “They’re quite a bit older than the rest of us. They were born in the Interbellum period, while my two older full brothers were born in the latter years of the war.”
The blonde nodded. “I suppose it’s the same in my family. I’m fairly close to my sister Anne, who’s three years younger than me. But it’s… difficult, I suppose, with my much younger brothers Andrew and Edward. Andrew is thirteen years my junior, and Edward seventeen.”
“My half-brothers are fifty-five and forty-nine. I just turned twenty-five.”
“That’s an even bigger age gap.”
The slim-built male nodded. “We do visit them, as they’re our family, but those visits aren’t frequent. No, I’m the closest to my oldest full brother, Victor, and my younger half-sister, Marlene. Though my contact with Amadeo and Florian aren’t bad either, they’re running my stepfather’s business with him.”
The Brit hummed. “Which place would you prefer? Torre Pali or Portici?”
“I have no preference.” Niki replied.
“Splendid. Today or tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow would be better. I’m spending this evening with my brother and sister-in-law.” the Omega told.
Ocean blue eyes shone bright. “Tomorrow at eight, at Via Ammiraglio Staiti, number seventy-one?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“You’re happier than usual.” Victor remarked as his only Omega brother returned from Trapani.
“I’m going on a date tomorrow night.” the younger von Habsburg stated.
“Mom’s going to be over the moon when she hears about that.” the Beta said before he picked up his youngest daughter Claudia. “Where did you meet him?”
“Near the beach.” Niki replied. “He’s here on vacation.”
The 32-year-old narrowed his eyes. “You sure he hasn’t got a wife?”
The younger sibling shrugged. “Even if he does, it’s just a first date. It’s not like we’re getting married tomorrow. I didn’t see a wedding ring, if you must know.”
“Did you say Agnes and Claudia were your nieces?”
“Didn’t get a chance too. He thinks I’m their mother.”
Agnes and Claudia’s actual father hummed. “Perhaps you attracted a man who’s impotent, then.”
The youngest born child of Archduke Maximilian Eugen of Austria shook his head. “I would’ve been able to smell that. No, James is potent. Impotent men don’t smell like sandalwood and petrol.”
“And it was not some sort of perfume?”
“An Omega knows when it’s natural and when it’s artificial. How did you pass the biology exam?”
Victor rolled his eyes. “As if I would remember something that is not relevant to myself.”
“Agnes and Claudia could turn out to be Omegas.” the younger sibling interjected.
“Considering you are the only Omega born to our mother, and my wife has few Alphas and Betas in her tree, I don’t think there’s a large chance.”
“There is always a chance, Victor.” and Niki strode away to the kitchen to start preparing a meal for 5.
His brother’s wife, Maria Claudia Sibylla, had become very sick after Claudia’s birth, and the doctors were now treating her for the tuberculosis infection. She was getting better, but things went slow. She couldn’t do the things a mother usually did with their children, and that’s why Niki had taken those tasks upon him.
While he was cooking the dinner, the 25-year-old thought about what outfit he’d put on tomorrow. It had been some time since he’d gone on a date, likely to be 3 years ago at the very least.
Maybe Sibylla had more of an idea.
James returned to his hotel a happy man, having asked out that beautiful fertile smelling Lady on the city streets of Trapani. He flopped down on his bed, rather unprincely like, and stared at the ceiling.
Though the world didn’t know about his massive fight with Susan, nor about his intentions to soon break up with her, he did not consider this date to be ‘cheating’ on her.
He knew he had no future with Susan, as she would not respect the monarchical institution.
And respect for the institution was a must if you married into the Royal family.
Now the Prince of Wales actively thought about it, he came to the conclusion that Susan would not make a good Queen. She wasn’t exactly elegant or graceful, something what would be expected of a Princess of Wales as the future Queen of the United Kingdom.
Both he and his younger brother Charles were under pressure to marry, preferably someone of sufficient status, yet neither their current girlfriends met that criterium.
Though their mother would not force them to marry someone of a foreign dynasty which had been the norm previously, their brides had to be from some form of nobility.
Considering nobility had been abolished in the German-speaking countries of Germany and Austria, as well as in Italy, after the conclusion of World War One, it was very much possible that a random stranger on the street was in fact a count or countess without you knowing that they were nobility.
The blonde was going to take a shot in the dark with this date tomorrow, considering he barely knew anything about them. But that was the thrill of dating, to figure out who someone truly was.
His only concern tomorrow would be what he’d wear to the date.
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As the hours of their date continued, James’s brain wandered off to future situations would he choose Niki as a partner.
He would gain 2 beautiful stepdaughters whom he could treat like his own before he would father a child by Niki which was actually his own, which, if Niki's scent was anything to go by, was very likely to happen in the first 6 months.
But that was a long time away.
Before that would happen, he’d have to ask his mother for marital permission. Oh, and Niki of course had to agree to his proposal.
Perhaps the Austrian wasn’t as beautiful as Suzy, or as typically British, but he was a hundred times, perhaps even a thousand times, more intelligent and just so grounded.
The girlfriend he’d still not officially broken up with had her head in the clouds sometimes, forgetting that she was not a blood Royal when certain things were meant for blood Royals only.
“James, are you alright?” the Omega questioned.
“A little lost in thought for a bit, my dear.” the blonde replied.
“What were you thinking about?” Niki asked.
The Prince of Wales smiled. “You.”
The brunet blushed heavily.
“I just love how grounded you are, and I sincerely appreciate your intelligence. The girls I’ve been with before turned out to be rather shallow in many ways.” the Brit told.
“I’m sorry you had to experience that.” the younger male said. “I’ve not dated a lot, especially since my sister-in-law fell ill. She needs a lot of care right now.”
“I can’t imagine how her husband must feel.” the blonde said before sipping from his beer.
“We’re sticking together as a family, he knows he has the support of his siblings.” the Austrian picked up his Cosmo. “How long are you staying in Trapani?”
“Few weeks perhaps. Depends on when my mother needs me back in London.” James answered.
“Do your parents run a company?” the brunet asked.
“In essence, they do. I mean, there’s paperwork, overseas visits, touring within the Isles…” the Alpha motioned with his hands in the air. “My younger brother Charles and I are pretty much involved in everything that they do, as they do expect that one of us takes over.”
Niki nodded. “Sounds very much like a family company. My stepfather is actually expected to take over his father’s paper mill and printing company. My half-brother Florian will likely be dragged into it too.”
‘If only you knew…’ the Prince of Wales thought. He pulled out a package of Marlboro cigarettes. “Would you like one as well?”
“No, thank you. I do not smoke.” the Omega answered before taking another sip of his drink. “I’ll probably be staying here for as long as my brother needs me to. Then I’ll be heading back to Vienna where my mom and stepfather live. Marlene will probably be excited to see me again.”
“Your little sister?”
The Prince received a confirming nod from his date.
“My only sister. I’m expecting to be dragged to a mall of some kind.”
The blonde chuckled as he lit his cigarette. “My only sister loves horses, just as much as mom does. But she’s actually doing nation wide jumping events. I’m pretty proud of her for that achievement.”
“It’s always nice to hear when someone can make a hobby into a career.” the Austrian sighed. “I wish Omegas weren’t banned from motorsport.”
“You’re into motorsport?” James frowned. “I’ve met very few women and Omegas who’re into that sort of thing. How come you got interested? Did you go to a race?”
The brunet shook his head. “I’ve never gone to an event yet, but I suppose it’s the risk-reward after you’ve fine-tuned your machinery which excites me. I’ve always loved engineering too.”
“Perhaps you should go to a race one day.” the Brit remarked. “A friend from Eton once took me to a Mini race on a dirt track in the countryside for my eighteenth birthday. That was when I fell in love with racing.”
“I’ve never seen Minis race.” Niki admitted. “Did you have a fun birthday?”
“Most fun I’ve ever had, I think.” the Alpha answered. “My parents were always very busy. Me and my siblings usually were in the care of one of our nannies when we were pre-school age.”
“Did you ever feel abandoned?”
“Perhaps I did when I was younger. But you understand much more when you get older.”
“I suppose one does.” the younger man mused. “Anyway, would you like to order a snack?”
The Prince of Wales nodded. “I would most certainly not mind. What would you like to get?” a smirk then appeared on his face. “Anyway, would you like to go to the beach again tomorrow?”