Her Knowledge of the Court

"It's no secret that my father doesn't have much longer to live," Alice says casually, and her words pique Kurtis' interest. Few were willing to candidly discuss the nature of the king's illness, especially not the daughter in question. It's true that he had fought with king Cassian back in the day, but those were stories of long ago, and nowadays, their visions for how the kingdom should be run has diverged greatly. In fact, he hasn't spent much time in the king's court at all, preferring the company of booze and whores instead. As such, his knowledge of the inner workings of the court was severely lacking, and Alice knew that. "Our ministers have been picking sides, you know? Sending their errand boys out to solicit responses from fellow lords, while holding clandestine meetings to discuss who is right for the throne."

"Who else could it be except Jamis?! That man will lead us to a brighter tomorrow!" Kurtis shouts, incensed. The table creaks as if in pain, and sheets of paper go flying everywhere. "Do they think that moneygrubber Del could really lead a country? That man knows nothing of war or hardship!"

Neither do you, Alice wanted to say, but she kept her true thoughts hidden as she circled around the desk, closing in on the general's right. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she presses herself against him briefly before sitting down on her desk. Her feet dangled freely, unable to even touch the ground at that height, and she gives him a knowing smile.

"But despite all this secrecy... I know where everyone stands. Every. Single. One." Alice says, enunciating the last three words harshly to put a heavier emphasis on them. Kurtis looks at her with a frown, as though wondering how a girl like her could possibly be capable of that. "The lords may be tightlipped, but their wives didn't seem to get the memo, you see? A whisper here, a chat there, and I know which of my brothers have the most support..."

"Heh, figures. Women can never shut up when it matters," Kurtis replies with a snort. "So, how are we looking?"

"Well... if you want me to be honest..." Alice whispers coyly, kicking her legs playfully.

"Of course I do! Now tell me!" Kurtis scowls, not enjoying being on the back foot for once.

"Del has the overwhelming majority," Alice answers truthfully. "The minister of commerce, Lord Bell, leads the coalition looking to overthrow Jamis, and he's got quite the support from many notable nobles. Lord Arden of the mint, Lord Cecil of the inquisition, Arch-Bishop Currell of the church, Admiral York of the navies, and Ambassador Norton representing the kingdom of Sareth... Each and every one of these men make for a huge portion of the power within the kingdom, and they all want Del as king. On the flip side, who do we have? Jamis is marrying Princess Bianca of Darnaka, and he's got you and a few other generals, but that's all. Not a single minister on the civil side wishes to back him, and-"

"What the fuck do those paper pushers know? If we've got the army, then that's all we need! We don't need anymore fucking bureaucrats messing with our kingdom, and what the fuck does the lord of the mint even do? Shit out coins," Kurtis grumbles. "When Jamis is coronated, we'll execute the whole lot!"

"You could do that," Alice concedes, but she knows that there was no chance of that ever happening. If nothing changes, Jamis won't be around by coronation day. "But each of those lords have their own standing army. True, they're not as large, but you're going to easily besiege their manors. Plus, the admiral has an entire navy."

"...Fine, I see your point," Kurtis says with a sigh. "What's your point? It's not like we can make those fools see sense."

"You might not be able to, but I certainly can," Alice counters. "All it takes is a nudge here and there, a few words exchanged with their wives, and I can have them changing their tunes quickly."

It's never that easy, but Kurtis doesn't need to know that. All he needs to know is that she's the perfect spy, capable of infiltrating any meeting and official function and spreading her poison with honeyed words. That'll make her an indispensable ally, and while she has their support, she'll secretly turn those officials into her allies. By the time the jig is up, it'll be too late for them.

"Hm..." Kurtis grunts, scratching his chin while thinking. "Alright, I'm liking the sound of that. What do you need to make that happen?"

"Funds," Alice replies immediately. "Greasing palms is never cheap, and I can't be raiding the treasury for that. As you're aware, I've got no way of making my own, so..."

Kurtis tosses a pouch of coins at her, heavy and jingling. That was definitely quite the sum, and who knows where the man pilfered it from. Some rich corpse? A bit of embezzling? Alice was curious, but didn't question it.

"I'll get you results, I promise you," the princess says, and soon she was dismissed from Kurtis' room. Heading back downstairs, she sees Kathy dutifully sweeping the floor, and only she could make the filthiest places imaginable look almost tolerable, though it seems even her talents had limits. The three officers were playing cards again, as well as casting the occasional glance as the maid, but now that the job was done, there was no reason to stay.

"Ah, my lady," Katherine says, putting her tools away. "Is it time to go?"

"It is, and we should be quick. There's more on the agenda," Alice replies with a smile. With her friend behind her, the two of them made their way out of the tower, returning to the palace.