The Royal Coc

They stayed like that for what felt like hours. Jess had always fantasised about such a moment from her earliest memory of her parents cuddling. They always looked content, like nothing else was needed to make their lives complete. But Jess had never once thought that Kyodai would be the one with her, that she, a commoner, would be in the arms of the princess. She let herself relax into the embrace nonetheless, never realising that her face hadn't flushed with warmth the entire time. It was a perfect moment in her mind.

Time is an unforgiving mistress however. An announcement came on, declaring that the mall was closing for the day. Kyodai and Jess groaned in unison as they were forced to part and stand up. Even so, Jess felt her skin tingle from where the princess's arms had held her. They adjusted their clothes and went to leave the room, but Jess paused. Kyodai went to the door and held it open, waiting for Jess.

"What's wrong?" The princess asked when her friend, and very nearly lover, didn't respond.

"Huh, oh, uh... nothing," Jess shook her head, "Nothing at all," as she left the storage room, Jess silently added 'I hope'.

Monica sighed and walked into Kyodai's room, which was vacant of said princess. The school day had come to an end more than an hour ago with no sign of her. This, on its own, was far from unusual but the lack of contact was unnerving to Monica. Her key duty to the royal family was to take care of their daughter to the best of her ability, something that had become increasingly difficult as the princess grew. The attendant smiled to herself and sat on Kyodai's bed.

Monica had been in this position for as long as she could remember. Even as a young girl, she was around Kyodai almost every waking hour, unknowingly being moulded into someone who knew the princess well enough to look after her later in life. But Monica couldn't find it in herself to be mad at her parents or the king and queen for doing so. She enjoyed her time with Kyodai, even now that it was her job.

"Monica?" The attendant looked to the door and saw one of her co-workers, Suzette standing there. She was breathing heavily, as if she had been running. Monica stood after she met the new arrival's gaze, "Lady Kyodai didn't attend school today, she's at a mall. Her parents are furious... Monica, they're talking about keeping her here. For good."

Suzette moved to the side as Monica rushed from the room. Her feet slammed against the floor and echoed throughout the hallways. She came to a stop at the top of the staircase overlooking the foyer, the doors were open and the king and queen were heading out. Monica quickly made her way down the stairs.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment," she pleaded breathlessly. The ruling couple turned to regard her.

"Why is that?" Asked the king, her voice a steel blade running across Monica's skin. The attendant took a deep breath and met her gaze.

"Kyodai hasn't done anything a teenager wouldn't do, Your Majesty..."

"She is our daughter however," the queen interrupted, "Her age isn't an excuse to misbehave."

"But..."

"She begged us to let her go to a public school," the king interjected, "We gave her conditions that had to be met and she hasn't."

"Your Majesty, please," Monica could feel their combined stares boring into her, almost as though they were trying to peer into her soul before ripping it out, "Lady Kyodai isn't a weak little girl..."

"Precisely, she's a princess. Her actions have to reflect that through and through," the queen once again interrupted.

"She's a fucking teenage girl!" Monica shouted indignantly. The ruling couple stepped back at the outburst. Monica didn't let herself think about what she had done, "You fucking control freaks need to let her out on her own for once! She has friends and a life outside of being a goddamn princess, and..."

"Enough," the king stated flatly. She opened her mouth to continue, but a maid stepped up beside Monica.

"Your Majesty, please, you must see reason. Lady Kyodai has been miserable..."

"Enough!" The king snapped, but another maid took up the sentence.

"It wasn't until she started school that she seemed to come alive..."

"I said 'enough'."

"And you should've seen her this morning, your Majesty," Monica continued, "I haven't seen her so energetic in years..." the king stepped forward and looked directly into Monica's eyes.

"I said 'enough'," the baleful glare in the king's eyes would have cowed an enraged lion. Monica felt frozen where she stood, unable to so much as twitch under that gaze. She waited to hear the words 'you're fired'. The king inhaled audibly only to be silenced by her wife chuckling. All of those present looked to the queen and saw her blushing fiercely.

"Dear, perhaps you should see this," the queen beckoned her fellow ruler over to join her and a maid who held a box in her hands.

"Mira," the king groaned in frustration, but did as her wife beckoned. Almost immediately, her face turned beet red and her lips parted in shock.

"I think you've been a little hard on Lady Kyodai," the maid holding the box said sheepishly. The ruling couple looked at one another, blushes fresh on their faces.

"We'll talk to her. If she had a good reason for this, then we might let her off the hook," the king decided with a beleaguered sigh and massaged the temple of her head.

"What about her freedom?" Monica pressed. Her job was already on the line as it stood, possibly her own freedom even, but she couldn't bite back the words. This was her duty, both as Kyodai's attendant and friend.

"We can't just let her go without punishing her at all," Mira intoned, but her voice wavered.

"Please, Your Highness, give her a week to do as she wishes?" Monica set her jaw in place and once again met the king's gaze. Her employer and ruler stared back, eyes of steel and fire as though she couldn't decide whether she would chain up the attendant or set her ablaze.

"What about her etiquette classes?" The king questioned.

"If I may," said another maid, "She has been doing admirably well... and she's been doing them for most of her life, Your Majesty. I believe that having them once a week would be far more reasonable," she offered calmly, but a glance to Monica begged for her to continue instead.

"Her private tutelage though," Mira muttered before pausing and breaking into a small grin, "Very well, Monica," she said and faced the princess's attendant, "We'll allow Kyodai all the freedom she wishes. No curfew, no tutors, nothing but school, for one month. However, should she receive anything below a B+, engage in uncouth activities, or go anywhere without notifying us beforehand, then we will do as we see fit to our daughter. And to you. Is that understood?" The king nodded her agreement. Monica felt a chill run down her spine.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now then," Mira strode over to Monica and leaned down to gaze her in the eye, "Why don't you tell me just what made my darling Kyodai skip class today?" Monica inhaled deeply and gulped.

"Yes, ma'am."

Jess and Kyodai walked side by side down the deserted halls, where only a few stragglers hurriedly gathered their belongings. Jess glanced outside to see that the sky was turning dark as the sun set beyond the horizon, the moon hot on its tail. She pulled out her phone without breaking stride to check the time; 5:28PM. She came to a stop as her forehead creased.

"What is it?" Kyodai asked when she noticed her companion wasn't at her side.

"The mall doesn't close this early on weekdays. It's normally open until at least 7."

"Maybe something came up?" Kyodai shrugged and went to continue walking.

"Or maybe someone shut it down?" Jess mumbled but joined the princess. An uneasy feeling gnawed at the back of her mind, but it was silenced as Kyodai wordlessly reached out and took hold of her hand. Both gripped the other like they were on a rollercoaster as the doors came closer. The uneasy feeling continued to nibble at the back of Jess's mind, she almost felt like Kyodai was pushing it away. The princess's hand was warm and tight around hers. Jess never wanted to let it go.

Kyodai came to a sudden stop just beyond the doors' pressure sensors.

"Jess," she began, her voice quivering ever so slightly.

"Yeah?" Jess reciprocated the intonation as she met the princess's eyes.

"Whatever happens, it's not your fault," Kyodai leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Jess felt her knees go weak for a fleeting second, before they pulled apart once again. She opened her lips to speak, but Kyodai began striding to the doors. Her long legs carried her easily, forcing Jess to jog lightly to catch up. The automatic doors slid open and both froze in place.

Jess looked up to Kyodai, but didn't meet her gaze. No, the princess's eyes were welded to a pair of approaching figures. Jess cast her vision towards them. A car was behind the encroaching figures, headlights on and back doors open. In the driver's seat sat a woman, though Jess couldn't make out any features aside from her ample bust resting against the steering wheel. The lights obscured the oncoming pair's features as well, casting them in shadows. Jess felt her a shudder run down her spine as her imagination took hold. Then she felt Kyodai's hand clench comfortingly around hers.

Jess tore her eyes away to study the princess once again. Kyodai's shoulders rose and fell shakily, her biceps tense and her jaw set tight as her otherworldly blue eyes studied the newcomers.

"Oh, shit," Jess breathed as she realised just who it was that was approaching.

"Kyodai," an airy, but somehow powerful voice began. The pair stopped and the headlights switched off.

Despite herself, Jess muttered, "What? Are they supposed to be Bond villains or something?" To her surprise, she heard a faint chuckle from Kyodai.

"Something like that," despite the laugh, the princess's voice was as cold and hard as stone.

"I thought we had an arrangement," a second, equally powerful voice continued. It lacked the breathy tones of the other, but had a far huskier edge to it.

"Yeah, and I decided it wasn't fair," Kyodai replied, "So I altered it."

"You can't just do what you want, Kyodai," the first voice returned with a hint of venom in its tenor.

"What? Like you two don't."

"We're responsible adults, you're still just a teenager," the second voice answered.

"Yeah, if I recall correctly, you guys would ditch your own classes to fuck in the bathrooms. How old were you then, Dad? Mum? 18?"

"Watch your tone, little lady," the first one, Kyodai's mother, spat.

"Or what? You'll start acting like a parent?" Throughout this exchange, Jess was silent. She dared not speak for fear that she would become a target. Instead, she held onto Kyodai's hand as if for dear life. She was little more than a spectator of the scene, taking in every detail. Her eyes scoured over Kyodai's revealed parents.

The ruling queen was just as incredible a sight as her daughter. She sported flowing locks of hazelnut-brown hair all the way down to the small of her back, while her typically fashionable shirt clung tight to her like a second skin, showing off her large bust, trim waist and suitably large hips. Her face was heavily made up, but not to the point of coming off as a desperate attention seeker. Like Kyodai, her shorts clad legs were long and lightly toned. Her skin was a dark bronze. Despite this, she didn't come off nearly as beautiful as Kyodai. Though it was clear where Kyodai had inherited her figure from.

The king who stood beside her was the exact opposite but exactly the same. Her hair was similarly long but was an oily black. Her skin was alabaster white in contrast to the queen's overdone tan, and she was dressed in a loose t-shirt with a band logo on it, while her cobalt, blue skinny jeans were heavily distressed. Her face was also heavily made up, but with excessive eye-shadowing and black lipstick on her full lips. She was also lacking in regards to her chest, however she made up for it down below. More than enough.

Kyodai noticed Jess's staring eyes and whispered down to her without looking away, "Dad lost a bet a couple of months ago. She has to dress like that for a whole year," she explained. It could have been any number of factors: the hectic day, being around Kyodai for several hours on end, or maybe her mind was still slightly numb from the earlier kisses. No matter the cause, the effect was the same as Jess released a soft giggle. She instantly raised a hand to clamp her mouth shut, but the damage was done.

Both the king and queen turned to fix their eyes on her. Jess unconsciously released a low whimper. Kyodai stepped in front of her protectively, her own gaze never wavering except for a moment. She turned to Jess and gave her a thankful smile, but quickly focused her vision on her parent's once more.

"Really, Kyodai? You'd think we were a pair of supervillains come to kidnap your girlfriend," the king sighed and smiled warmly. Before Kyodai could even feel confusion, her sire leaned to the side to peer behind the princess and caught Jess's skittish eye, "We're not going to hurt you. Sorry for the theatrics, they were Mira's idea."

"Like you said anything, Lisandra," Mira retorted.

"Honey, call me Liz in front of company, please? You know I don't like that name."

"I do, that's why I use it, Lisandra."

"You're impossible, Woman," Liz growled but returned her attention to their daughter and the cowering teenager behind her. Jess peeked from behind her protector to see a pair of welcoming smiles where scowls and deathly serious tones had once greeted her. Kyodai regarded them with squinted eyes and kept one arm in front of Jess.

"How do I know you're not gonna pull a fast one?" She questioned.

"If we were going to make you come back by force, you'd be in the car already," Mira explained with a shrug.

"Oh, yeah, that's true," Kyodai glanced around before hesitantly lowering her arm. She looked back at Jess, "It's okay. They aren't gonna hurt you... I think," she added with a non-committal shrug.

"O-okay," Jess mumbled before stepping back into the line of sight, "Um, hi," she said with a meek wave. Liz strode over to her in an instant and took her hand, shaking it vigorously. An all too familiar burn resurged in Jess's cheeks.

"A pleasure to meet you..."

"J-J-J-J-J," Jess couldn't summon more than the lone syllable.

"Jess," Kyodai answered for her.

"Jess? Wonderful, I always prefer short and snappy names. Thank you for taking care of our daughter," Liz smiled broadly as her wife joined them. Jess only then noticed how short the king actually was, standing almost perfectly level with the teenager. The teen noticed Liz's eyes scan over her body, but did nothing to shield herself from the aristocrat's gaze. She caught a faint glimpse of surprise flash across the royal futa's expression.

"And she's so cute. Kyodai really knows how to pick 'em," Mira said and leaned down to look Jess in the eye. Stunned into complete stillness, Jess couldn't tear her gaze away as the queen regarded her closely, "Hmm... yep, that's love," she announced.

"Huh?" Jess articulated. At least it was something resembling a real word. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she caught Kyodai blushing.

"You sure?" Liz inquired. Mira nodded with a satisfied grin on her face.

"100%," from the car, they all heard a distinct squeal of delight. Kyodai heaved a sigh.

"She always eavesdrops."

"Who? What? I... what's going on?" Jess managed to blurt the words out. Her head felt like it was about to explode if she didn't get an explanation soon.

"Don't worry, dear. We'll explain everything on the way."

"Where?" Jess squeaked. She knew what was coming next, a titanic avalanche of emotions tumbled down to bury her thoughts. Fear, joy, excitement, overwhelming terror, back to joy, then fear once again. She never settled on one until Kyodai placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to tear Jess from her chaotic reprieve. Jess lifted her head to meet the princess's cool blue eyes.

"I'm here," Kyodai stated and smiled. It was unlike anything prior. Despite their short time together, Jess could tell when the princess was smiling flirtatiously or with genuine joy. And this neither. The warmth in her gaze was at odds with its colour, and yet it enveloped Jess's very being nonetheless. Jess could feel her heart galloping in her chest, yet it was calm at the same time. Opposite thoughts and ideas swirled around in her mind, all chasing one another, all except one. This was real.

Jess climbed into what she had thought was a car, but was in fact a limo. Kyodai sat to her right, acting as a barrier between the stunned teen and the royal couple. Both Mira and Liz never lost their grins. The queen studied Jess as though she were observing an exquisite piece of art, while her wife respectfully kept her eyes elsewhere. Her gaze still fell occasionally on the average teen despite her efforts.

"Refreshments?" Came a voice over a small speaker situated on the roof.

A mini-bar extended from the right side of the vehicle. Crystal glasses with bottles of brandy, bourbon and an assortment of wines. Jess could hardly fathom how expensive that one part of the limo could be. Just to hammer it in, however, was a large, plasma-screen TV built into the front seats. The ceiling was decorated with small, glimmering rocks that cast faint beams whenever light struck them to almost create a disco ball effect. Jess shrank down into her seat, which she realised was made of what had to be the finest leather. This wasn't her place to be.

"Relax," Kyodai whispered to her.

"I-I can't," Jess whimpered.

"She's just adorable," Mira chuckled, "Hold on," she added and flipped a switch above her. The mini-bar retreated into the wall as did the TV and gems in the ceiling, "Is that a bit better?" Jess nodded mutely but remained where she was.

"What're you up to?" Kyodai questioned and leaned over slightly to shield Jess from view, "And why aren't you mad at me?"

"Oh, we are," Liz assured her, "Rather, we were. But we got in contact with Jess's lovely parents and everything came together. They really are very nice people," despite herself, Jess couldn't help but grin at the compliment on her parents' behalf.

"But you never give me any freedom? Why now?" The princess searched their faces as if she were an interrogator, which, given her penchant for seeming to read Jess's thoughts, didn't seem unfathomable for her.

"You can thank Monica for that," Mira said and nodded to the front. The driver gave a slight wave.

"Monica?" Kyodai frowned.

"She barged in when we were leaving. I've never seen someone so fired up," Liz chuckled under her breath, "The short version is that she talked..."

"Yelled," Mira interjected.

"Yelled at us that we were being, um, 'unfair'."

"I think her exact words were 'you fucking control freaks need to let her out on her own for once'. Is that about right, Monica?" Mira looked to the front and saw a thumbs up, "We were this close to firing her. But a couple of other maids backed her up."

"It was a real kick up the ass," Liz added to which her wife nodded. Kyodai slumped down into her seat and stared off into space. Jess squeezed her hand to get her attention. The princess looked down to see the smaller teen wearing a strained, but warm smile. She returned the expression and leaned down until her lips met Jess's forehead. As per usual, the teen's face turned a stark red, but she managed not to shy away.

"So, we talked it over and we decided that, within reason, you're free," Mira declared.

"That's... surprisingly easy," Kyodai frowned and brought her head about to face them, "I thought you were going to forbid me from ever leaving the house, or something."