@lifetastessaudade

3 years ago

"You're all fools." The men in the room turned to her, shocked to see an intruder appear before the doors that should have been locked. The young woman welcomed herself in and studied each of them. Twelve older nobles - all having risen to their feet - and a young man who calmly watched her every move. Her eyes landed on him; the man who had disappeared from the ball that was going on in another part of the palace. A part of the palace he was supposed to be present in. "Hello, Your Highness." The Second Prince of the kingdom made no effort to reply or react. She couldn't decide whether to be disappointed in the lack of a fun reaction or even more intrigued. So her eyes remained on him as his did on her, a cold gaze that twinkled with the slightest bit of amusement. Still, his expression wasn't short of a twinge of panic to see her spoil their little party. "How did you get in here?!" one of the nobles demanded. "The lock's ridiculously easy to pick," she replied nonchalantly, seating herself across the table from the Prince and grabbing one of the cigars in the middle of it. "May I?" "Please," said the Prince, the corner of his lips twitching ever so slightly into a smirk. He laid back in his chair and continued studying her, clearly interested to know what she was planning - trying his best to figure her out. She wanted to figure him out too. What was the Second Prince doing in a secluded room away from his family? And with nobles who opposed the Royals, at that. "Be a dear and light this for me, will you?" she asked the Count, the noble seated closest to her right. Appalled, he stared at her in disgust. "What insolence! What house are you from?! What type of noble teaches their daughter to be so-" "Count, please," said the Prince. "Try to refrain from such outbursts. She may not be the only one lingering the palace." "But, Your High-" "And light the Lady's cigar." This shocked the nobles. For a while, they all simply gawked at the Prince. The young lady was slightly surprised, herself, to hear him welcome her into his clearly secret gathering. "Thank you, my Lord," beamed the girl before bringing the roll up to her delicate lips. The men watched her in awe, unable to fathom the idea of a proper young lady acting so improper on the presence of noble men. She gently blew smoke out and smirked down at the table, amused. "Do sit down, kind sirs. And don't act so horrified that I heard you. It isn't like any of you were saying anything worth listening to." The prideful men couldn't say a word back to her. At least, not anything one should say in the presence of a Prince. Or a Lady, for that matter. "And how would you know what's worth listening to?" "I know that have yet to speak, Your Highness," she replied, not even needing to glance at him to know he was the one who asked. Sstill, he gazed at him across the table. "You are, after all, the only one in here with any truly valuable insight." He tilted his head at her. "Valuable insight regarding what?" She grinned at him past the smoke that covered her view. So he's going to play innocent. "Your coup, of course." The nobles - who had been leaving the talking to the Prince - began to panic. Their reaction was completely wrong. Had they controlled their expressions and laughed at her, they could have made a fool of the little girl. "A coup?!" "How dare you!" "Are you suggesting that the Prince is trying to commit treason?!" "Mm. And you all included," she hummed. How very obvious of them to get all defensive. The Prince was the only one who reacted properly. He reacted the way the nobles should have. However - more than any of them - he should have been the one to feign offence, have a guard drag her out immediately. Wrong move. But he gave a smile that princes used to charm women, a smile to make them agree and listen to every word that came out of his mouth. Which was exactly how she knew all he was going to say from here on out was utter rubbish. "A coup? Is that some sort of fantasy of yours?" "I'm not the one who dreams of the throne," she replied, tapping her cigar against the edge of the ridiculously expensive diamond ashtray. "I think a fantasy like treason much better suits you." "You're accusing a Prince of treason, do you realize that?" She didn't answer. Not because he was right (even though she was, technically, accusing him if just that), but because she knew she had him right under her thumb. The Prince was beginning to sound irritated. "You called us fools earlier, but I believe there is only one dull-minded person in this room, my Lady." "Yes, I think so too." The girl smiled at him, "The biggest fool here is none other than you, Your Highness." Again, the nobles began the unrest. Shouting and defending the Prince they cared not about. This was their way of "proving" their loyalty to his cause when, in truth, putting the Prince on the throne was no more than an investment on their part. Still, the Prince was supported. What power did she have in a room full of his followers? And she had just offended the face of their campaign by calling him an idiot. Even the Prince's patience was beginning to wear thin. "I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave now-" "Why do you consort with people you know you are better off without?" Everyone in the room froze at the question. Even the Prince - who seemed nearly unmoved by anything - furrowed his brows at her and demanded, "What?" "Your Highness, with all due respect," she continued, dropping the cigar in the ashtray and sitting back to look directly at him, "These nobles will be of no help to you in the long run. Yes, in regards to manpower, they provide you support for a coup. A stronger military than the Royal Family's is needed, of course. And when you're King - if you manage to get on the throne - they can support your decisions." "Those are all good things," countered the Prince. "Why do you say they are useless?" "I didn't say they were useless. Though, coming from such double-minded thieves, I do think you are better off without the support of such people." She shrugged, "I'm simply pointing out the fact that these alone will not put or keep you on the throne. At least not with these people being your only allies." This returned the Second Prince's interest as he leaned forward against the table. As if he wanted to get closer to her, wanted to keep this conversation between them. But with the dozen half-witted nobles remaining silent, it were as if they were the only two in the room. "Who, then, do you suggest I ally with?" asked the curious conqueror. It was such an obvious question she almost wondered if he stood a chance at surviving as King. How easily she - or anyone else half as smart as her - could snatch the Kingdom from right under his nose. It was tempting. She might just try it. "What would she know? She's just a little girl," muttered a noble, making the men around him snicker. "She's better off running to her little tea parties and playing the harpsichord with her other playmates." As the nobles laughed, the young woman recognized him to be a lower status noble, a Baron. She gave him a toxic smile and replied, "I know your wife opted to leave you due to a gambling habit of yours, Baron. Is your family really that deep in debt? What will become of your estate, sir?" She had to fight back a snicker when she saw his face turn as red as it had when his wife had publically slapped him for coming him drunk in the morning. Hilarious. "Just answer the question," sighed the Prince. "The people, my Prince," she answered. "The support of the people is most paramount to keeping your position." "How?" scoffed a noble. "The commoners have no say in what happens outside their farms and little bakeries." The woman resisted the desperate urge to release a groan and simply rolled her eyes in silence instead. "Their little farms and bakeries put food on your plates. I'm certain not a single one of you has any idea about how a farm functions. Your money is brought in by the working class, you cretin. If they resist you and decide to stop working because of incompetent leaders, our Kingdom's economy will plummet and the entire nation will dive into depression - crime, war, hunger, death. They could very easily starve the aristocracy if they wanted to." - she picked up the cigar, in need of something to relieve the pain of brain cells being sacrificed to deal with these mindless mules - "Besides, the Prince stands no chance of remaining a King if the people do not want him. If he fails to prove that he is better than his father and brother, they will toss him off the throne and slaughter him and his Kingdom before he can wear the crown. Now, do you all understand how powerless you are against these 'commoners'?" That shut them all up. She arched a brow at the Prince. "Truly, Your Highness, these are the people you chose?" The young man let out a deep chuckle to himself that she was certain broke many hearts across the Kingdom before she heard it up close. He glanced at her. "Should I have chosen a different advisor?" "Clearly." "And that would be you?" She expected this. Though, she had originally planned to convince him that he needed her. Still, a direct offer such as this was far easier. "Why not?" She smirked, "I share the sentiments of the people. I know what they want - what type of ruler will please them." "And you will make me into that ruler?" The young noble woman studied the man before her. There was something about his hungry gaze that startled her in the best and worst ways. What a craving for power he had. It made him so easy to manipulate and use because of his desperation for the throne. But she knew he would be a power-hungry fool of a King. She was simply going to have to make this fool hers. "You will be King," she assured him. Hunger rose in her own soul as she vowed, "I will easily put you on that throne, Your Highness." And just as easily take it from you.

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