Chigi Palace, Rome, 6:28 AM, 27th of January, 1640; Nine days later
The cold morning air of Rome contrasted greatly with the warmth of Giovanni's bedroom within the palace. He slept soundly in the chilly darkness of the winter morning, but alas the blaring sounds of his phone alarm called for him.
Giovanni groaned as the familiar, annoying alarm of his phone rang out through the bedroom. As tempting as it was to hit the snooze button, Giovanni knew better than to do so since he'd fall right back asleep. He sighed as he lets the alarm blare for a bit more before he reached for his phone and stopped the annoying noise.
Giovanni slipped out of the covers. He wore his old Metallica t-shirt from the 90s, not having the heart to throw it out. As he grabbed his phone, Giovanni rubbed his eyes before he started to read through the messages and emails he had. Just various reports as always, particularly from foreign affairs. And a reminder for today.
"Oh right..." Today was the opening of the first public magic school in Italy. While there were efforts to open private ones, they've since passed legislation to ensure that such practices would be done safely. And today was the first fruit for that effort.
Mustering the energy he could, Giovanni soon got out of bed to go make himself some breakfast.
...
Winter was becoming one of Giovanni's favourite seasons for an odd reason. It was an excuse to not wear a suit like he always has to when working. As he sat in the backseat of the car, Giovanni wore his favourite green coat, a sweater, scarf, some khakis, and loafers to cope with the more slippery streets of Rome.
He couldn't help but laugh a bit at Bianca's story of having to wear a dress straight out of a bad Netflix period drama. The thing must've been very uncomfortable for her. Giovanni looked out the window of the sedan. The streets of the city were now alive despite the chilly temperatures. Giovanni took notice of the new prevalent tourist crowds he's been seeing. Unlike the usual Earthling tourists, he was now seeing a fascinating mix of humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves in one place; all to take in the sights of Rome.
As the car continued on through, Giovanni mindlessly scrolled on his phone for the latest news. Of course, being Prime Minister meant he'd get the important news of the day firsthand. But it was a habit that he hasn't lost.
Italy's economic crisis was turning into a miracle, he read. The crisis of the transfer was slowly starting to become a hazy memory, and Giovanni recalled their plans to celebrate their first anniversary on Elysia. So much has happened in such a short time it was the reason Giovanni's wake up call was changed from 8:00 to 6:30 in the first place.
As the car stopped now, Giovanni reached Sapienza University. And there, he could see the newly built building for the first Magic and Elemental Studies course in Italy.
The concept of magic was unprecedented, and like any other resource the Italian government intends on trying to use it. He didn't know the intricate ins and outs, but with the help of Qua-Toynian and Lourian professors, it seemed like Italy was gonna get its first mages starting with the truly baby steps stuff. And with them now in collaboration with Mu, with them having much more experience in trying to blend magic despite their nonmagical heritage, Giovanni hoped that they'd be seeing something within the next few years.
It pained Giovanni for him to leave the warmth of the car as he was now back in the chilly air of the outside world. The prime minister huffed as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets and approached the front facade of the new building where a crowd was now gathering, and on stage were various mages from Rodenius along with what seemed to be the headmaster of Sapienza. With a huff, he then smiled.
...
As the cameras clicked and the crowd clapped, Giovanni stood from his seat and took his place at the podium after the headmaster gave his speech for the day. Why it took 30 minutes he didn't know. With him being an honorable guest, Giovanni was the last speaker for the day and much like everybody else, wanted to head back inside as quickly as possible.
He cleared his throat with a smile as he looked to the crowd, "Good morning to you all. First, I'd like to thank Headmaster Abato for those wonderful remarks. I'd also like to thank Grand Mage Fewith for her own words, and for her incoming service as Program Director for Magic and Elemental Studies."
He then cleared his throat. Giovanni looked to the papers he held of the speech he wrote personally; he hasn't done so in a while so this was a nice change of pace. He then spoke into the mic, "Back on Earth, the concept of magic schools were just a figment of fiction. It was a place of imagination for those who enjoy the creative writings of various authors both big and small. But with Italy's transfer to Elysia, we have seen fiction soon turn to reality. And with reality, comes innovation."
He inhaled a bit as he looked around the crowd, "The first public magic course proves as a testament to Italy's efforts to truly integrate the nation into Elysia's fabric. We've seen, and realised the potential of the magical abilities of our allies in Rodenius. While it will take some time for Italy to catch up to the skill of the mages of this world, knowing the spirit of Italians; we are innovators. The Renaissance started in Italy, and brought in scientific, artistic, and social development that change the history of Europe. Today, I hope to see that our first students of this magic course shall be the pioneers of Italy's second Renaissance in magical skills and technology. And the complicated question of how we can mix both science and magic will be the question our future students will ponder in these very classrooms and facilities. And as time shall pass, Italy will look back to the efforts of our students and youth, and we shall thank them in their endeavours to sacrifice their time and effort to continue their future for many years to come. Thank you."
The crowd clapped at Giovanni's speech as he retreated from the podium. With the event now coming to a close, the university staff were now ready to lead the tour of the new building. Since Giovanni was already toured around earlier, he was now ready to head ba-
"GOTCHA!"
Giovanni stumbled with a look of surprise as he immediately looked back to see someone grappling onto him. She was 14 years old, had black hair and the same brown eyes as he did. It was, "Bea, my pumpkin!" He said happily as he immediately hugged the young girl.
"Hi dad!" Bea said happily as she chuckled and hugged her father.
"My god it's been ages! I didn't know you were coming to visit?" The man said with a big smile only to realise something. "Wait, how did you...?"
"I drove us here. She owes me money for the snacks she keeps asking for," Another woman's voice said. At 23 years old, she had the same brunette hair as Giovanni along with his eyes too. She walked towards the father-daughter pair with a big smile as she immediately hugged Giovanni.
"Sofia! Oh it's so good to see you, the both of you," Giovanni said with a happy laugh as he held his two daughters as he ruffled their hairs. "This is a nice surprise from you two."
Sofia chuckled as she and Bea pulled away with a gleeful look, "We've been wanting to surprise you, you know? Cause we know if we stayed away you're gonna get more wrinkles than you already do." She said with a snicker.
Giovanni snorted at that, "I can already feel my hairs greying with you two with me," He said as he sighed and held Bea. "Bea, look at you, you're growing taller by the day, Jesus."
"Of course I am!" She said with a proud grin, "Sofia's gonna need high heels or else I'll totally become taller than her."
"You wish," Bea said as she playfully squeezed Sofia's nose who slapped her hand away just as teasingly.
The man chuckled before he perked up, "Say, why don't we head somewhere together? I think I saw a nice gelato place not too far from here."
...
Despite the cold outside, and Sofia's protest to have some warm drinks instead, the family was now enjoying their gelato inside. Giovanni was enjoying his chocolate flavoured gelato, with Sofia having hazelnut and Bea with tiramisu. And after he also paid for some gelato for his two security guards and his driver, the family sat at a free table as they talked together.
"Okay so," Sofia began as she swallowed another bite of her gelato. "After everything and you know, with Europe being gone, I've started to look for my first job, right? Get this, Jenny found BOTH of us an open position! The Santoro Law Firm, back in Naples."
Giovanni perked an eyebrow up as he ate his gelato, "Jenny is the girl from America right? Your classmate?"
"Mhm. I've been trying to support her after this whole transfer thing. She's doing much better now, she's a strong girl," Sofia said.
"She's nice," Bea said. "She likes to keep giving me gifts."
"Yeah with those puppy eyes you keep giving her," Sofia said as she rolled her eyes before Giovanni laughed.
"That's great, hun! So, when are you gonna meet them?"
"About next week, me and Jenny already contacted them and they said they'd be open for an interview. Nothing fancy but hey, stepping stones," Sofia said. "Besides, Jenny says she's been wanting to move out soon with her boyfriend. Once they can, they'll be able to find an apartment somewhere else."
"Good for them," Giovanni said. "Huh, speaking of, I hope ma is treating you both well?"
Bea nodded, "Mhm. Kinda annoyed with Jenny. She kept insisting on snapping the pasta for like... the first two weeks." She said with a snicker.
"Grandma was at her wits end that she forced Jenny to endure a cooking lesson with her. It was hilarious," Sofia added to the banter.
Giovanni chuckled. As he ate his gelato, he then had an idea as he perked up, "Hm, what do you guys think about visiting your mother? It's been so long since we saw her together."
Sofia and Bea looked to each other before the elder sister nodded, "I'd be up for that. Oh! We should buy her flowers maybe?"
"I'm sure she'd love that," Giovanni said with a smile.
"Perfect. I saw a flower shop on our way here. I'll go buy them while miss slow eater here finishes off?" Sofia said teasingly to Bea who simply stuck her tongue out to her sister.
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"Sounds good, thank you hun. We'll wait for you by the cars," Giovanni said as Sofia did thumbs up before she stood and walked out to buy a bouquet of flowers. With just Giovanni and Bea in the table, the girl seemed to be taking her time with her gelato. The man eyed her before he spoke. "So pumpkin... How's school?"
Bea looked to her father as she took another slow bite, "It's good. Grades are good."
"Good, that's good... Any new classmates, or friends?" Giovanni asked, knowing that kids stuck in Italy should be in school by now.
"Yeah a few. There's um, Petar from Serbia. Umm, Roxana from Romania, aaand... twins from Greece. Nikos and Kostas," She said.
"Wow, quite a lot of new classmates huh?" Giovanni said, "You know, you might be getting some new classmates from Qua-Toyne. I heard a couple of them decided to stay here."
"That'd be cool!" Bea said with a bright smile, "I wanna learn magic like in that new college you spoke for."
"In time, pumpkin," He said with a smile as he ruffled Bea's hair. "You finished yet? Your sister should be coming back by now."
"Mehhh she can stand in the cold," Bea said playfully before she finished the last bite. "There, all done."
"Good. Come on now, let's not keep your mother waiting," he said as he stood up with the girl.
...
After a bit of bickering with his security detail and driver, Giovanni found himself in the backseat of his car with his daughters, with a guard in the passenger seat. He didn't mind the cramped space as much if not for the bouquet brushing against his face. Following them was the other guard driving Sofia's car.
Bea looked between her sister and father, holding the bouquet on her lap before she grinned, "So dad, when was the last time you've driven?"
The man looked to his daughter and to the other, who had her own little teasing smile. Giovanni looked around, "Oh pfft, well it was... uhhh..."
"Ah hah! Told you dad was too fancy to drive on his own now," Bea said to Sofia.
"You got that right," Sofia said with a snicker.
"Hey now it hasn't been that long. I drive around still. Just not as much," Giovanni said with pretend offense in his voice.
"Suuure sure," Bea said teasingly.
Giovanni smiled before his eyes widened a bit as he remembered something, "Speaking of cars, how's Little Lucy?"
Little Lucy was Giovanni's personal car back in Naples. It was an old, bright red Iso Grifo muscle car inherited from his father. And since his death, Giovanni swore to take care of his late father's prized possession that he saved up for over the years. And he's been itching to at least do maintenance on it; being a mechanic was his original passion before getting into politics.
"Oh, Lucy's being taken care of by David. Uh, Jenny's boyfriend. And if he's not doing it, uncle Paolo is," Sofia explained.
"Good, good. I miss her, I haven't seen her in ages. What I'd do to spend an entire day back in the garage at least," Giovanni said with a melancholic sigh. He then looked out the window as the car stopped. "Speaking of haven't seen in ages."
Giovanni hopped out as he offered to carry the bouquet from Bea who gladly took the offer. With Sofia and Bea beside him, Giovanni walked along to their mother.
The man huffed as he smiled. It's been a while since he last visited, and he was glad that today was the perfect opportunity to do so. The sun was shining, the white blanket of snow gave a wonderland look, and the bright sky was the perfect place for a romantic day out.
It was a shame that Giovanni would never experience that again, "Hello my love."
Giovanni looked to the tombstone in front of him. Lucia A. Canessa, Born 15 June 1980, Died 11 May 2013, it read. The man gently groaned as he crouched and placed the bouquet of flowers onto the tombstone while he smiled.
"Hi ma, long time no see," Sofia said with a smile. Bea remained quiet, as she looked to the tombstone.
Giovanni looked back to the two girls before he stood up and wrapped his arms around the two of them, "Look here Lucia, your two girls have been growing a lot. Sofia's gonna be an attorney soon." He said with pride.
Sofia chuckled, "Mhm..."
The man smiled before he sighed, "Agh... I'm so sorry for missing your 10th year, love. It's just, been hectic. You have no idea."
"... I'm sure mom would understand," Bea said as an attempt to comfort her father who squeezed her shoulder lovingly.
"I'm sure," Giovanni said reassuringly to Bea before he looked back to the tombstone. "Your mother would be proud of you. Both of you."
"Ma would be proud of you too, dad," Sofia said as she rested her head against Giovanni's shoulder.
This was what kept Giovanni going despite the crises he'd face. Whether it's the picture in his wallet or being beside them, his family was what pushed Giovanni through all the hardship.
...
In the private kitchen of Chigi Palace, Giovanni was back in more casual wear being his pyjama pants and a new shirt. He was relieved to be out of the cold and back inside. The clock read 6:30 PM. Just in time. He whistled as he was boiling some pasta ziti while another pot contained sauce for Pasta alla Genovese. It had been such a long time since he last cooked and he was enjoying it.
With everything set, Giovanni started to finish the remaining touches, and as if on queue Sofia and Bea, both in their own comfortable clothing, peeked into the kitchen, "Is it ready yet?" Bea asked impatiently and excitedly.
"Almost, just about done really. Would you two mind setting the table?" Giovanni asked as he looked back to the two girls. They both started to grab what they needed. Plates, silverware, and some glasses for their drinks.
With the table set, Giovanni then grated some pecorino cheese onto the large platter. With a smile, he couldn't help but take a picture to send to his mother-in-law before he grabbed the platter and walked into the dining room, "Here it is!"
"Finally, smells great dad!" Sofia said as she rubbed her hands together in excitement. She watched as her father placed the platter onto the centre of the table as she started to grab her servings.
"Like seagulls to bread," Giovanni said with a chuckle as he sat down. In the mean time, he poured some water for himself to let the girls take their food. With them done, Giovanni grabbed his own portions and placed them onto his table. But before anyone could eat, he then spoke. "Ah, don't forget to pray."
"Right right, I'll lead!" Bea said as she did the sign of the cross. "Bless us oh Lord and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bountiful through Christ our Lord, AMEN-" she said in a rush before she started eating.
Giovanni snickered as he then did the sign of the cross to finish off the prayer. He wasn't religious, but with how insane everything is right now a prayer wouldn't hurt to do. With that, Giovanni started eating along with his daughters.
"Hey dad," Bea began as she looked to Giovanni. "Don't you have private chefs here?"
Giovanni perked an eyebrow up before he shook his head, "No, I don't. I prefer to cook for myself."
"But you said it's been ages since you cooked," she continued in confusion.
"Ah, well it has. But back then before this whole transfer business I did cook for myself. These days I'd ask Rita to maybe get something delivered," Giovanni said.
"Oh that's not fun," Sofia added. "So you just ask her to get like... McDonald's or something?"
"Regrettably, yes. Though it's been a while since I had that," the man said.
"They're called uh, Marco's now right? Not as catchy as McDonald's," Sofia said with a chuckle as she continued to eat.
The man smiled, "Indeed it isn't." He said as he continued to eat with the two.
...
The city of Rome was starting to settle in for the night. Much of the staff in Chigi Palace had gone home, and the same could be said for Giovanni as he was in his bedroom. Sat on his bed, Giovanni had his reading glasses on as he scrolled through the various end-of-day reports from the ministries.
Further medical research could suggest a link between electrical signals in neurones and the concept of souls. Wild wyverns have been an annoyance in the south due to warmer temperatures. The railways have plans to create new seats for various species. A few interesting tidbits, but the rest were rather boring.
Giovanni heard his door knock. He then called out as he continued to read, "Come in!"
Bea opened the door and slipped inside. Seeing this, Giovanni immediately sets his iPad aside as he removed his glasses with a smile, "Bea, pumpkin, what's up?"
The girl smiled as she crawled onto Giovanni's bed, "Ah not much... Umm..." she seemed hesitant to say something before she looked up in rush. "Can you do my hair?"
"Hm? Now?" Giovanni said in confusion, "I thought you don't like sleeping with your hair done?"
"Yeah but... It's been a while since you did my hair," Bea said innocently.
The man blinked before he chuckled, "Alright. Get your hair tie."
...
With Giovanni behind Bea, the man whistled as he was doing his daughter's hair into a braid. With how long her hair has gotten, Giovanni didn't mind taking his time as Bea spoke, "Sooo any super duper secret government secrets you can share?"
Giovanni snorted, "No, pumpkin. And even if there is, I can't share it with you."
"That's not fair, I'm just curious," Bea said with a pout as she tried to look back at Giovanni.
"Well sometimes we can't let the cat get killed by curiosity," Giovanni said as his hands continued to move down Bea's hair, gradually tying them more into a braid. "Hey, speaking of... I received a call from your school last week. Something about a fight?"
Bea squeaked as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "Yeah but... It was nothing."
"That's what your teacher said but I think she was just scared at the fact that your father's prime minister," Giovanni said. "Come on, tell me. I'm asking now since I'm sure you don't want your sister to hear."
"Oh she knows," Bea said.
"She knows? God I must've been gone longer than I expected," he said in surprise at the fact that Sofia knew this supposed secret first before he did.
Bea sighed, "It was nothing really. Just a buncha boys mocking my jacket of all things. I was just gonna ignore them but..."
"Buuut...?"
"Weeell I have this one friend. Her name is Bella. She kindaaa... pushed them around... for me..." The girl said sheepishly.
"She did?" Giovanni said before he smiled widely, "That's a good friend of yours, kiddo."
"She is, but agh... I umm..."
"Mhm?"
"... I'm kind of thinking... maybe... she's... umm... could be... more than a friend...?" Bea said sheepishly and nervously.
Giovanni went wide eyed. Was his daughter...? He then proceeded to speak in a gentler tone as he was nearly done with the braid, "Pumpkin, do you like her?"
Bea blushed now as her father finally finished the puzzle, "I- I think so... She's just super nice and cool and, and... I think I like like her..."
"Oh hun, that's great!" Giovanni said as he finished the braid before he quickly hugged Bea tightly, "Ah my little pumpkin's really growing!"
"Daaad," Bea protested lovingly as she smiled and settled into the hug. "S-so... you don't mind?"
Giovanni shook his head, "Of course I don't, Bea. You know nothing would change my love for you. Unless you were a serial killer or something."
Bea snorted, "Fair."
"Can I see a picture of her?" Giovanni asked curiously. Bea nodded as she grabbed her phone. After a bit of scrolling, she then showed a selfie of the two, with Bea grinning alongside Bella who had blonde hair and brown eyes. Giovanni gently took Bea's phone and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah... Yeah you two would fit so well together!"
Bea smiled widely, "Thanks... We've been hanging out some more and... I'm just kinda nervous about confessing."
"Well, the fact that she was willing to defend you against a group of boys tells me you at least got a chance. Besides, that's how your mother fell for me when-"
"Are you gonna tell me the protest story with mom for the billionth time?" Bea said with a snide smirk.
"Would you let me tell you it for a billion and first time?"
"Nnnnope,"
"Fair enough," Giovanni said with a laugh only to hear another knock. The two looked to the door to see Sofia at the door, leaning against the frame with a can of soda.
"Didn't know there was a party going on," Sofia said before she quickly joined the two on Giovanni's king size bed. "Whatcha guys talking about?"
Giovanni looked to Bea as he signalled to her with a smile. The young girl rolled her eyes playfully, "I finally told dad."
"Oh. Ohhh!" Sofia said before she whispered to Giovanni, "They fit so well together right?"
"Right right," Giovanni said in an intentional loud whisper.
"Guuuys," Bea said in embarrassment as she quickly hugged a pillow to hide her face in it.
Sofia laughed before she sighed, "I was looking for you, Bea. I wanted to ask if we could sleep together because this palace gives me the creeps."
"Oh, can't blame you there, hun. It took me like a week for me to settle into this place. I would have rented an apartment if it weren't such a hassle," Giovanni said with a sigh.
"Yeah, especially with how things are right now," Sofia complained along as she drank more of her soda.
A lightbulb then lit above the younger girl's head, "Hey, can we sleep here tonight, dad?" Bea asked with a hopeful look as Sofia did the same.
"Huh... Yeah, sure girls, why not? Maybe we can even watch a movie together there on the TV," he said with a smile.
"Awesome!" Bea said with a grin as she ran off to go get her pillow and blanket. Sofia chuckled as she did the same.
...
Time had passed and most of Rome was fast asleep. In the bedroom, the soft lights of the movie resonated through the room, but despite that, Bea and Sofia were fast asleep.
Giovanni remained awake as he yawned. The movie was on mute to not disturb the girls as he was finishing off with reading the last reports and memos of the day. And with one last scroll, he sighed in relief, "Finally..."
Giovanni placed his iPad onto the side table as he plugged it in for tomorrow. He grabbed the remote as he was just about to turn off the TV before he looked to Bea and Sofia beside him. The two were nestled into his blankets, soundly asleep. The man smiled softly as he reached over and gave the two of them gentle kisses on their foreheads.
The man sighed deeply as he shuts off the TV, the only light left being the lamp beside him. Giovanni slipped into the blankets as he was just about to reach for the lamp only for Ando to suddenly enter quietly, "Ando? What is it?"
Ando quickly approached Giovanni. He looked to the two girls before he leaned into Giovanni's ear and whispered.
Giovanni had his eyebrows furrowed but as Ando's words reached him, his heart dropped to the pits of his stomach and his eyes widened in horror.