Ambition's Tide

This is a game. So I recommend playing it like a game, or else it'll be pretty weird. Also, this is a work in progress, so feedback of all kind is appreciated.

The tales of bards have not been kind to princesses of this era. From being kidnapped by dragons to being used as political tools to secure alliances in the more tame stories, to being raunchy nymphomaniacs and getting gangbanged by bandits in the more explicit ones, it seems the storytellers don't have high regards for the competence of princesses. And who could blame them? Stereotypes exist for a reason, and most princesses seem content to leave serious matters to their male counterparts.

But not Alice de Gardia, first born daughter of king Cassian, high king of Gardius. Once upon a time, her father single handedly forged the greatest empire the land has ever seen, with his unbreakable legions and loyal generals. However, these days, it appears he has been bested by the foe no great warrior has surpassed: time.

Seeing as Alice is both a girl and the youngest, the crown is far beyond her reach. Indeed, if nothing outrageous occurs before her father's , the title of king will surely fall upon her eldest brother, Jamis, despite the protests from her other brothers. Naturally, none of them would even consider Alice a potential contender, which would likely be her greatest asset in these coming days.

Blessed with both good looks and alarming intelligence, Alice knows that there is limited time if she wishes to steal the throne from under the noses of her brothers. Unfortunately, having just turned 18 recently, she currently lacks both resources and allies. If she wishes to become queen of Gardius, she was going to have to take drastic actions. All things have a price, even her dignity and modesty, but how far exactly is she willing to go?

The sun shines brightly in the sky, signaling the start of a new day. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Alice slowly gets out of bed, clad in her white silky underwear. A large, body-sized mirror in her room displays her reflection: long blonde hair which flows all the way down to her waist. framing a beautiful face that has smitten countless men. Her sparkling blue eyes inherited from her father shows her lineage, while her pert breasts and full ass hail from her mother, another world class beauty. While she was busy admiring herself and indulging in a bit of narcissism, the door to her room opens, signaling someone's arrival, though Alice doesn't bother turning her head to look. There was only one person bold enough to casually barge into her room without knocking: her maid, Katherine. One of her only accomplices and someone she trusted with her life.

"Good morning Alice," the olive skinned maid says with a bow, before moving over to the closet.

"Grab the yellow one Kathy," Alice replies, still admiring herself in the mirror. "Did you speak to everyone I told you to?"

Yellow dress in tow, Katherine begins helping princess Alice into the dress. It was complex work, and the dress was made with no fewer than ten separate knot near the back, making it borderline impossible to put on alone. Katherine knows that the princess wouldn't choose this one if she was simply spending the day leisurely. Today, there would be business. "Indeed, I did speak to them, though only a few showed interest."

The day before, Katherine had spoken to several powerful figures in the empire on the princess' behalf, asking for an audience to discuss king Cassian's poor health. Alice had been looking to find at least a few who were discontent with Jamis' imminent coronation, and stir the flames of controversy and turmoil, and hopefully make a temporary few allies along the way.

"The church was obviously interested, they despise Jamis and all that he stands for," Katherine says, reading off from her list, "but I'm not sure if they'd make good allies, considering how outdated some of their views are. If you told them you were aiming for the throne they'd brand you a witch and burn you at the stake."

"I'm well aware of their attitude," Alice responds as she combs her hair. "But they're also Jamis' biggest detractors. Enemy of my enemy and all, you know?"

"True. There's also the merchant's guild of Karn. Obviously, they're backing the second prince, Del," Katherine continues, finishing up with the dress.

"Makes sense. He's the only one of them that understands economics. And myself, of course," Alice replies smugly.

"But they will not commit to you. They always play multiple sides, ensuring that they always come out on top. Plus, you're sorely lacking in financial assets," the maid notes in her calm voice, causing Alice to grimace.

"Yes, yes, I'll find some funds somewhere," Alice huffs, gesturing for Katherine to move on.

"General Kurtis is also willing to meet, probably because he assumes you support Jamis. I'd only advise speaking to him if you wish to play the role of a sycophant," Katherine grins as she speaks, no doubt enjoying Alice's sneer when the name Kurtis showed up.

"That fat bastard is general of nothing. Coasting on past glories," Alice growls, aggressively pulling the comb through her hair, ignoring the pain. However, she did have to admit that siding with them and then sabotaging from within sounded quite appealing.

"Finally, there's your brother Blake," Katherine concludes as the grin faded from her lips. Ever the stalwart professional, she was.

"Oh, now that's a surprise. To think he would ever care enough about the succession," Alice replied with a raised eyebrow. With her dress now finally put on, she does a little twirl in front of the mirror. The dress was light yellow, with the skirt going to her knees, and the front showing just enough cleavage to be seductive, yet not enough to be scandalous. Perfect. "I wonder if he even knows father is sick?"

"Prince Blake may split his time in the palace evenly with his time in the brothels, but I suspect even he knows that much," Katherine answers the rhetorical question without hesitation. "Despite his habits, I believe he knows more about the current state of affairs than he lets on."

"If you say so Kathy," Alice responds skeptically. With her outfit and hair done, all that's left is to choose her destination for the day. If she gets lucky, there may even be time for more than one visit.

Dominance represents Alice's aggression and ruthlessness. A high dominance can lead to more direct forms of conflicts, making Alice bolder and more confident.
Submission represents Alice's willingness to bend the knee if she deems it necessary. A high submission means she's more willing to forgo her pride and modesty.
Gold is money Alice uses for under the table spending. All of her official expenses are covered by the royal treasury, but her plots require her to expend her own resources.
Corruption is a rarer stat. It represents how much Alice is willing to indulge in more base pleasures completely independent of her goal. The more corrupted she becomes, the she's willing to do depraved acts even if there's no direct benefit.
There will also be various reputation and loyalty you can earn with your actions, though they won't appear until you meet the person or faction it belongs to.
Finally, there's a hidden timer for king Cassian's . Act fast.

Likes will help me determine what people want to see, and which routes to prioritize. Any feedback is helpful, as well as bug reports if I fuck up the coding.