A Princess's Corruption (DeliciousLust & bookwyvern)

[bookwyvern]

It had been several years since Cordelia Sinclair had been hired as the governess of the princess. In that time, she had become a trusted member of the royal household, with the honored position of looking after the future queen as well as teaching her all she would need to know. Though the princess was already over 18, an adult but all measures, Cordelia was still employed there where in many other situations she might have been finished with her job. This was because the princess was legally blind, unable to see as other people did. Cordelia had become a sort of guide for her as well as her other duties, and made herself quite valuable in the process.

Cordelia, despite all appearances to the contrary, did have her secrets. She had many motivations for applying for the position as the princesses tutor, not the least of which was a hunger for power. She didn't come from a noble heritage, and had to work hard for everything she had achieved in life. By teaching the princess, it guaranteed that she would have some kind of influence on the future queen, and therefore leave her own kind of mark on the country. She had further goals, of course, goals that could only come to fruition when the princess had ascended the throne. Cordelia was a member of a very secret, very ambitious organization, and she had come the furthest of all of them infiltrating the palace.

Though she was something of a guide for the princess, she wasn't with her at all times. There were plenty of servants to take care of her, when Cordelia was busy with other things. At the moment, she was preparing her lesson plan, about propaganda and what the royal family had done to maintain it's position. It was a bit darker than what she usually taught, but the princess was old enough now to learn the more sordid history of her family, and it was information she would need to know as queen. And if Cordelia could instill a little doubt, a little distrust, and a little bit more reliance on herself as she taught, then it would be perfect. She had many plans for the princess, after all.

She looked up from her desk when she heard footsteps, and the door was opened.

 

[DeliciousLust]

Princess Imogen Fording was the eldest in the family and to be groomed at the Queen of Breann. While her younger siblings enjoyed their time being in the spotlight, getting their fair share of attention representing the royal family in public and reaping the benefits of their lineage, Princess Imogen had lived a rather sheltered life. At an early age, she had developed an incurable affliction that took her sight away from her. Despite the efforts by both the doctors and mystics, she was rendered to a point where she was nearly blind. She could still see, discerning shapes and colours but nothing beyond that. Light had become harsh to her sensitive eyes, often inflicting her with headaches if she were to look too long. It might have been a tragic tale if she wasn't the Princess of Breann, having a whole retinue of servants and guides. There were also Cordelia, who had been a long-time servant of the family and slowly became one of the closest persons to the throne not of royal blood. While her siblings had no real need to a governess, Cordelia was kept for Imogen's sake. Admittedly, the sheltered princess had still much to learn and needed a guiding hand in life.

There was the slight tale-tell tap of her cane with the clicking of her heeled boots as she walked down the hallway of her estate. In the past, she would merely have a servant hold her hand but as she had become of age, she set a personal goal to do things for herself. She was still royalty and wasn't going to do everything on her own but walking was basic enough function she thought she should be doing without help. The servants followed behind her quietly before she reached the door. Imogen stopped at the door and felt above until she found the doorknob, giving it a slow turn. Seeing as the princess made it to her destination without incident, they slowly disappeared like ghosts to leave her to her lesson. She was in good hands around Cordelia.

"Miss Cordelia, good morning," she said as she opened the door and gave a small nod toward the direction of Cordelia, fully assuming she was at her desk. Imogen wore a long dress with bell shoulders and a lace keyhole front that showed that the princess was most certainly more woman than girl. There was a silken blindfold around her eyes to keep light to a minimum and her naturally white hair was trimmed short to avoid tangling. She placed her cane by the doorway and brought her hands together as she walked forward. "How are you today?"

 

[bookwyvern]

With a smile, or perhaps a smirk, Cordelia watched Princess Imogen enter the room carefully, taking in everything about her. The princess had surely grown into a beautiful young woman, one that appealed to Cordelia's nature in many ways. She allowed her gaze to flick up and down, her hungry eyes devouring the sight of her. It was a little strange to almost lust over someone she had known since she had been young, but Cordelia didn't let it bother her. She had a goal, and petty morals would just get in the way of that.

"Good morning, your highness," she said politely, genuinely pleased to see her. "I'm doing quite well, thank you for asking. And yourself?" she replied, walking around to stand in front of her desk, telegraphing her movements clearly. "I trust you slept well?"

She leaned back against her desk, crossing her arms over her chest, mentally going over her plans for the day. Thus far, she had mostly followed the curriculum approved by the king and queen. Sure, she had let her bias show, here and there. Had lead the princess down trains of thought that might not be appreciated by her parents. But she had been subtle about it, and made sure she had done nothing that couldn't be explained away. Now, though, the princess was getting older, and it was time to show her the truth. Or at least, the truth as Cordelia perceived it.

"Have a seat, please," she said, turning and gathering a book from her desk. "Today, we'll be working on history."

The book she had was from her own personal collection, and borderline illegal to own. It was quite old, and held information from before the current royal dynasty. It was time for Imogen to know the history of how her family had come to possess the throne, however much her parents might wish her to remain ignorant on the subject. But Cordelia believed that the princess trusted her at this point, and would keep her lessons a secret, if she was asked. Or at least, she hoped o.

 

[DeliciousLust]

Imogen's face lit up with a smile at the question, seemingly having some news to share regarding her high spirits. "I'm doing splendid, actually, thank you. Catherine and Frederick just came back from their trip to Anneburg," she mentioned her younger sister and brother who just returned from the border town of the neighbouring kingdom of Dreibrunn. "They had so many stories to share from their stay and they even brought back a cute little dog! Very energetic and I think I was told that it had fur almost the colour of gold. Very pretty..."

She sighed happily before causing with a small smile. "Maybe too energic, it seemed to bark a lot around the palace that they had to move the little fellow downstairs to the servant's quarters. I might have lost a little sleep over it but it was probably worth it...but of course, I'm more than awake and alert for your lessons today, Miss Cordelia," she would say with a sure nod of her head to show that she was committed to whatever lesson she had in mind for her today.

Imogen was long familiar with this room ever since her first lessons and there were specific instructions to keep everything as is so that Imogen could move through the room with ease. She stepped foot forward gingerly on her heels until she found her desk and her chair in their expected place. The chair was made with white leather and gilded in gold. It wasn't quite a throne but easily exuberant for any classroom chair. Her desk was far simpler, only made of sturdy darken wood materials. She didn't often use the desk, considering she never wrote or read, merely giving her the experience of being in a classroom than anything else. She settled down at her chair easily with a soft rustling of the multiple layers of her black gown, crossing her ankles together elegantly and placing her hands on her lap.

"Oh, history?" She said curiously as she prepared herself for receiving the lesson, pursing her lip in thought. It seemed like there was going to be a story told. Perhaps that extra bit of sleep would have mattered today. Nevertheless, Imogen opened her eyes underneath her blindfold, keeping alert in case she was going to be tested later. Her sights were mostly forward on Cordelia's vague shape. "Is it going to be about the Four Rivers War or maybe the unification of Breann?"

 

[bookwyvern]

Cordelia listened to the princess attentively. She always did. As many plans as she might have, she was also genuinely fond of Imogen, in her own way. And if she also listened for any sign of discontent, anything she could use to further a divide between her and her family, that was her own business. The more Imogen depended on her and trusted her, the better it was for Cordelia and her plans. But it was true that she was also interested for more personal reasons. She wondered vaguely if Imogen was jealous of her siblings for being able to travel. She didn't seem it, but one would think so. And jealousy could be a powerful motivator.

She quirked a smile at the little anecdote about the dog. She had heard, of course. Cordelia liked to keep her ear to the ground, and had several friends among the palace servants. She had heard their complaints about the barking dog, and surmised that they had lost more sleep than anyone in the royal family. She knew better than to say anything about that, though.

Watching as the princess moved across the room, she mentally scoffed a little bit at the ostentatious chair. It was rather ridiculous, but then again, nothing but the best for the princess of Breann. The common folk could be starving in the street, and still they would be more concerned with their little creature comforts. For Cordelia, who had been born into a relatively poor family, it all seemed to be too much at times. Though she had to admit she had grown used to the luxury that came to being valued by the royal family, and had no intentions on giving it up. Ever.

"Yes, history," she said with a smile, leaning against the desk casually. "As the future queen, it's important that you be given as unbiased a view in the history of the country as possible. Where others might hear propaganda, you must know the truth. Even when others might prefer you remain ignorant. Do you understand?" she asked, slipping into her teaching persona easily. She had never diverged so much from her prescribed lesson plan as she was going to today. But would the princess listen, and keep quiet about it? That was the question.

"I believe that you are more than old enough to be exposed to, shall we say, the darker side of history. From the unification to the present, there are many secrets that have been kept from both you and the general public. Not only that, but you have been hidden from many of the realities of life for the average citizen of Breann."

Here, she paused for a moment. How did you tell a girl that their family was as hated and feared as they were venerated?

 

[DeliciousLust]

Imogen turned pensive as Cordelia explained the lesson she would be imparting today. She tilted her head curiously and pursed her lips in thought as she considered it. There wasn't exactly anything she could put her finger on the matter but she could tell that something was rather different from today, there was more weight to Cordelia's words. While it was peculiar, she couldn't suspect Cordelia of anything as she couldn't imagine of Cordelia of being capable of anything nefarious. However, she did understand that she was perhaps far older than most people would have their private schooling, her siblings included. It was likely that she had finally reached that point in her life where the harder lessons were going to be taught to her.

She rubbed her gloved hands together and bobbed her head once at the proposition. "Yes, I do understand, Miss Cordelia. I suppose that you've been rather kind to me for taking my lessons at a leisurely pace until now. For a while, I had sensed that you might have been holding back some of her lessons. Perhaps it was at my parents' request? Breann is glorious and majestic but perhaps it hasn't always been that way?" The questions were meant to be hypothetical than anything else. As to how she couldn't begin to imagine how with her limited imagination. However, she tried to mentally brace herself on potentially hearing something that might tarnish her mindset of a near-perfect Breann.

If the were truly secrets, she had wondered why they weren't shared directly from her parents at first. Perhaps her siblings knew of these secrets already, withheld them, and were taught in the same way. She swallowed before speaking once more. "What will you teach me, Miss Cordelia?"