Hello there, here is another chapter on my story. There is a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end because I didn't want to make this chapter too long but the next one will be up as soon as possible. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

I had convinced Ben to release me after lunch so that I could get ready for the trip. I went up to Maxon's room to see him gawking at a suitcase from a distance.

'What are you doing?' I asked.

He looked up at me, startled, 'I'm.. I'm packing?'

I managed not to laugh at his confusion, 'Well come one then, let's get some clothes, one set for the party, one set of sleepwear and one set of casual clothes.' He nodded taking everything in and went to his closet to get the clothes. I went over to my room where the girls were.

'Are you packing?' Paisley asked, eyes perking up.

'Yes, I'm packing now. Is there anything in particular I should bring?' I asked. Paisley practically ran into my closet.

She held a garment bag and passed it to me as I entered, 'We prepared this dress for you for a New Year party...'

'Oh! Thank you, I will bring this to wear at the party.' She smiled as I took the bag and left the closet. I picked out a flowy day dress and a night gown as well as a pair of silver shoes, taking two sets of undergarments just in case.

I went out of the closet and saw my maids sitting on the edge of the bed with a kind of gleam in their eyes. I thought nothing much of it was about to cross to Maxon's room when Mary cleared her throat.

'Miss, you need to have one of us go to Italy with you.' Lucy reminded.

'But it's only for one day!' I exclaimed.

'Sorry America, but it is protocol.' Mary confirmed.

I thought for a moment,'Lucy followed me home during the selection and Mary followed me to Germany for a reception with them. Well, I guess it was only fair for Paisley to join me this time.'

'Paisley, would you like to join me?'

She clapped her hands excitedly in reply,' Of course miss, thank you.'

I smiled and met Mary and Lucy's approving gazes before I left the room. As I closed the door, I could hear Mary and Lucy singing her praises.

Maxon had laid out all of his clothes onto the bed, a shit for the party, sleepwear and a cotton shirt jeans for casual wear. Everything I told him to get, only the things I told him to get.

'Maxon, don't you need to bring underwear? Go and get two sets in case.' I instructed. I placed my clothes on the bed and went to the bathroom to get our toiletries, our combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste and his hair gel. Paisley would be bringing her supplies for my makeup and hair so I did not need to worry on that. I searched the cabinets and found a box of ziplock bags to put in all our toiletries. Maxon was starting to put the clothes in the suitcase. I went over to take a look at how he was doing and was pleasantly surprised, the clothes were neatly stacked into piles, they were not folded very nicely but I had seen worst when Gerad first started helping out with laundry, putting clothes back into the wardrobes was not his favourite. We finished packing and passed the suitcase to one of the guards.

I entered my study to see Marlee hard at work. Once she caught sight of me, she sprung up from her chair, dropping everything she was doing and came up to hug me. We hadn't seen each other for about a week which was a great difference compared to seeing each other almost everyday. We went to the desk and started to do some work although it was mostly chatting instead of working.

'I thought I was only going to see you next year!'

'I managed to convince Ben to release me so that I could pack and finish everything up for the year. I was gone for quite a while, it must have been hard on you to do all of my work by yourself.'

'Well, I didn't do the work alone, Maxon helped out a little with signing signatures and things... Silvia! Oh, Silvia helped a lot. She came in everyday after she was done with preparing work. Apparently she prints out all the folders for us to work on, 'us' being the advisers, Maxon and you.'

'Oh, I'll have to thank Silvia later but thanks for covering for me. I missed you a lot.'

'Me too.' She sighed as she looked at the folder.

We actually managed to get some work done before Maxon came to the door, 'America, we have to get ready to leave.'

'Alright,' I replied, letting out an exasperated sigh as I finished the last statement and closed the folder.

We walked to our respective rooms and I took a quick shower and changed into some comfy clothes for the flight, a big sweater and some shorts. Just as I was done, a knock came from my door. 'Coming...' I shouted to Maxon.

We walked to the shiny, slick black car in front of the palace. A butler was putting in the suitcase at the back of the car. We drove to the airport with a car in front and behind us as usual.

We reached the airport and everyone came out from the car to escort us to the plane. Maxon and I walked on the red carpet where Illeans were to cheer us on. A few were holding up sign boards as the rest cheered. We had a flight to catch to we did a brief sweep and went on the plane. Everyone had gotten on the plane before us including Lucy and Ben. Everyone took a seat on the plane and it took off and soon enough, we were in the air. Packet food was being passed around for dinner since everyone didn't eat dinner at the palace to refrain from people having motion sickness on the journey to the airport.

We had speghetti and iced water for dinner. Later, Maxon and I went to the back of the plane, our private suite. The suitcase was already placed on the table for our convenience. We opened it and took out our sleepwear to change into. There was nothing much to do on the plane so we slept for most of the 11 hour flight. I woke up early the next day, about five in the morning since we slept at nine. I was surprised to see Maxon already up and looking into the suitcase for something using his only source of light, the dim lamp above the table.

'What are you looking for?' I said as I sat up.

'For our toothbrushes.' He replied in a frustrated tone.

I walked to the door to our suite where the main light switch was and switched on the lights. I stood there letting my eyes adjust to the sudden change before going to the table. Tucked away at a corner of our suitcase was a ziplock bag biking out. I stretched over to fish it out from the pool of clothes. Maxon noticed and beat me to it, taking it out swiftly. He fiddled with the bag and managed to get it open.

He took out the toothbrush and said,'I'm going to brush my teeth first.'

I nodded and decided to comb my hair out while waiting. He came back a few minutes later, all smiles like his usual self. He came over to me at the bed and kissed my temple before he walked over to the table to take out his comb and put back his toothbrush. I finished combing my hair and took my toothbrush to brush my teeth. As I went into the bathroom, Maxon came up behind me with his comb and gel. I stepped aside so that he had a place to put down his comb and gel beside the sink. I finished with my teeth but stayed at the toilet. I leaned against the wall watching Maxon do his hair. I had never really seen him do his hair since I woke up late when we went to the reception in Germany. First, he combed through his hair and parted it to match his usual formal hairstyle. Next, he carefully applied gel at certain parts of his hair that seemed crucial that it stayed the same for the hairstyle. As he put in the finishing touches he shared a smile with me through the mirror.

'Looking at me are you?' He asked in a seducing tone.

I tried hard not to blush but it didn't seem to work. In a few seconds, he clashed our lips together. I had missed this, we hadn't kissed in a while since we agreed not to do anything inappropriate while I was pregnant and somehow that stopped us from kissing. Well, until now. I could feel how intense his kisses were, how much he longed for this and his feeling towards me.

We managed to stop after a while but all I wanted after that was more. 'I love you,' I said as my fingers ran along his jaw line. He gave me a soft kiss on my forehead and left without a word.

I followed behind him and saw him take out our casual clothes as well as a set of underwear for each of us. 'Come on, let's change.' He said.

I eyed him as he locked the door to our suite. 'Are you going to change?' He asked as he tugged at his shirt to take it off. I walked to the bed cautiously. 'This isnt happening' I thought. I took off my night gown, thinking of what would happen once I stripped down but I was caught off guard. He spun me around and unbuckled my bra. It happened so fast, it all passed in a blur. He pushed me into the bed playfully and pulled the covers above us which was a good call. We would not want anyone to see what we were doing although we didn't go very far. We were tempted but other than kissing, we didn't do anything else since we still wanted to abide to what we had said even though we were close to crossing the thin line.

Eventually, we stopped and actually got dressed. Everyone was already up and ready.

'You know...' Maxon said as he poked at his waffles,'It's going to be 11 at night when we land.'

Everyone's attention turned to Maxon, all caught off guard, even me. How did I not know this?

'Are you serious?' One of the guards said, clearly already exhausted.

'I kid you not.' Maxon replied.

I slumped back down into the chair and ate the rest of my waffles.

Everyone sat in a circle on the chairs to play card games one of the guards brought along. Maxon and I paired up while the guards sorted themselves up. Lucy and Ben decided not to join in and watched in silence. I looked around at the people in the circle and realized how normal were in that moment. A bunch of young adults, seventeen too 23 playing card games. From an outsiders' eye it was probably unbelievable that a bunch of young adults could run a country but so far, nothing but good has been done although our ancestors probably aren't very happy with us removing the castes and so on but it's the people's happiness that we strive for.

'Passengers, please take your seats and prepare for landing.' The pilot announced through the public address system.

Everyone threw their cards on the table and passed them to the owner of the cards, Jerry.

The plane landed smoothly and since it was almost midnight in their time, the airport was quiet which was a nice change compared to the crowd at the airport back home where masses of people where crowded around us. We quickly filed into the palace cars they had sent to pick us up and we were on our way to the palace.

The cars had beige leather seats and had a polished dark wood interior. It was of a simple design, two rows of seats facing each other just like the ones back home. I took in the scenic views, at night, everything was beautifully lit up but I was a a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see Italy when the sun was up. It was a relatively short journey to the palace in Italy.

The car drove past the giant hates in the walls that surrounded the palace. We went along the roundabout around a fountain and came to a stop at the front of the palace. Guards came up to the car to open the doors, stiff as their starched uniforms. Another pair of guards opened the doors to the palace as Maxon and I walked up the steps. One of them led us into the main lobby. I took in all the fine details engraved in the columns along the walls. Large murals were painted on the walls, with extraordinary detail I dreamt to see some day. Around the corner was Nicolletta carrying a huge grin but the tiredness in her eyes could be seen by anyone.

'Hello Princess Nicolletta, heir to the Italy throne,' I greeted.

'It's a pleasure Queen America and King Maxon.' She replied, playing along.

Maxon chuckled at our act and bowed to Nicolletta.

'Let me bring you two to your room.' She said before she let out a yawn.

'Oh Nicolleta, you didn't need to welcome us personally, it is already late, you could have asked a guard or maid to bring us to our room.' I told her as she led us down the main hallway where a staircase was at as well as multiple doors.

'Well, I have to do something as a contribution to this party, Mom has been working so hard to set this party up. I have no idea how you do it America! Holding parties all the time, I guess I just took for granted that Illea would always be holding the parties...' She trailed on as we went up the stairs, something that needed more effort by the day.

'Breakfast would be sent to your room at seven and I could give you two a tour around the palace if you like, maybe around eight.' She suggested.

'Thanks for the offer,' Maxon replied.

Nicolletta waved goodbye and went down along the hallway. Maxon got the honor of opening the door and so he did. The room was like the guest rooms at home but bigger, better and overall, it looked absolutely amazing.

I have wanted to redo all the rooms in the palace ever since I went to see the palaces in Germany and Italy but with the constant rebel attacks which caused so much broken furniture and torn wallpaper, there was no way we could afford it, it would be too costly to replace everything. Not to mention, it is just a home and we want to focus our spendings on our people.

The room was absolutely spectacular, from the gold details on the ceiling to the lavishly carpeted floor. Everything looked new. There was a dark wooden headboard with red bedsheets and a white comforter. I flopped onto it and Maxon came and did the same beside me. I gave out a steady sigh, this was amazing. I got up before my eyes shut because I wanted to explore the rest of the room first. The toilet had a black and white tile pattern, polished. Everything was top of the line, pristine shower, tub and sink. I pushed open the glass door and stepped onto the balcony and took in the fresh air. There was a slight wind passing through, causing the leaves to tussle and my hair to rise and fall. Maxon was standing at the corner of the balcony, looking at the city in Italy.

'Should have taken my camera.' He muttered as he shifted his gaze to me.

'Yeah, this view is amazing.'

'Breathtaking.'

'Beg your pardon...'

'I said, you look breathtaking right now.'

I couldn't help but blush at his words. I walked back into the room and took out our sleepwear so that we had something to sleep in. Maxon closed the door and pulled down the blinds and with his cheeky smile, there was no denying what he was up to. We changed quickly and continued what we were up to on the plane.

I woke up from the sound of the chriping of birds. I looked up at Maxon, he was stretching but it didn't look like he was going to wake up. I poked my finger at his side but he wouldn't budge. I gave him a small kiss on the cheek, knowing it was the only thing that would get him to wake up and he did. He sat up and let me snuggle up next to me. We lay against the headboard for a few moments until we felt like it was time to get up. Sleeping was a great plan since it helped me with the jet lag I would usually face so that convenient since I felt great that morning. We took our casual clothes to change into and sat at the table to eat breakfast. A tray was already place on it with a short note:

Breakfast! I will be at your door at eight-thirty sharp for a quick tour so get ready!

- Nic

I glanced at the clock, eight. We had about half an hour before Nicolletta was going to come so we ate a little faster. There was bread and butter as well as fruit punch for breakfast. We stood at the looking at the city in the morning, there were more colors that could be seen and I preferred seeing the city in the daylight than at night. Houses were of a wide array of colors and the greenery was pleasing to the eyes. We heard a knock on the door so I left the balcony to open it.

'Come in.' Maxon said behind me as he closed the door to the balcony.

'Hey guys, you all ready?' She asked.

She was energized and bubbly again. We nodded and she led us down the stairs to the main lobby where we first were when we arrived. We walked to the hallway on the left where there were a few sets of double-doors open.

'This is the ball room where the party will be held at.' She said as we walked into the massive room that had a dance floor as well as tables and chairs set-up.

We went through the hallway on the right next where we entered a room as big as the one we were in previously however, there were art easels, musical instruments as well as a large television at one end of the room which was surrounded by a bookcase which had tons of books as well as a few disks.

'Woah.' Maxon whispered.

'This is our recreational room, there is a gym section over there,' she said as she pointed at the gym equipment lining the wall.

We exited the room and went up to the second floor when we crossed paths with Mrs Cavallo, Nicolletta's mother, the Queen of Italy. However, she looked worried, tired and stressed.

'Oh Queen America! I'm so glad I ran into you. I'm sorry to interrupt your tour but I need your help. Something is amiss.'