"Talia? Talia, did you hear me?"
The Princess looked up at her mother, realising that both her parents were currently staring at her waiting for an answer to the question that she hadn't been listening to.
"Erm... No, I didn't. Sorry, mother."
Her mother tutted. "Honestly, Talia. You'd lose your head if it weren't attached to your shoulders. I asked you if you'd be joining me at our Prayer Circle tomorrow?"
"Oh," Talia said, ignoring her father's stifled smirk as she nodded. "Of course, mother."
"Good," the Queen said, sipping on her evening sherry. "The Mother Superior will be joining us so it should be quite an event. Most of the Court are attending!"
"I'm looking forward to it," Talia lied.
She sank back into her chair as her parents' conversation turned to matters that thankfully did not concern her. It had been three days since Alec had left the capital and despite his promise that he would leave her something whilst he was away, she hadn't received anything yet. She was worried that she had done something wrong and was secretly missing his daily visits.
"I think I'm going to turn in," Talia said, rising from her chair. "I'll see you both in the morning."
"Yes, it is late," her mother agreed. "I'll see you in the morning. Remember to wear something appropriate for tomorrow!"
"Yes, mother," Talia replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She caught her father's gaze, recognising the smile behind his eyes as he squeezed her hand and bade her goodnight.
She exited the drawing room, walking the quiet corridors of their private apartments before climbing the stairs of her tower to her bed chambers. Porter and Dathan were waiting outside her door and snapped to attention as she approached.
"Goodnight, Princess," Porter said, his voice deep and gravelly.
She smiled at the two guards, relived that neither of them seemed to have any recollection of their bewitchments at Alec's hand. "Goodnight to you both," she replied as she slipped into her bedroom and closed the door softly behind her.
Her room was dark but for the small flames of a fire burning in the grate opposite her bed. Mel's mother had taken a turn for the worse the day before and so Talia had given her handmaiden the day off to care for her. She crossed to the fire, placing a log from the pile beside the hearth onto the flames and using a poker to slowly coax some life back into the flames. She began to light the candles around her room when she spotted a large wooden box resting on the end of her bed. She frowned as she approached the box, running her hand over the plain, polished wood and the simple catch carved in the shape of a dragon.
"Alec?" she whispered, glancing around as she half expected him to materialise from the shadows.
Silence. Cautiously she slid the catch free and opened the box. It was quite full, a folded piece of paper laying on top of a black leather corset, a single underlined word written in scarlet ink in the centre of the paper.
Princess
She picked up the paper and unfolded it. Her heart beating a little faster in her chest as she scanned the contents of the note.
I hope you've enjoyed your break, Princess? That ends now. Remember, I own you.
Put this on.
Setting the note down on the bed, she reached into the box and picked up the corset. It was heavy, the bodice lined with gold studs, and she realised that it had no cups, meaning her breast would be totally exposed. As she lifted it up, six fat suspender straps unfurled themselves to dangle beneath the corset.
She glanced around the room again, wondering if he was playing some kind of joke on her. She picked up the note again, turning it over to see if she had missed anything but the back of the paper was blank. She turned it round and stifled a gasp. A new sentence that she was certain hadn't been there before was scrawled beneath the original instructions.
Now, Princess.
She bit her tongue, staring at the neat handwriting that had just appeared on the paper. She knew Alec was some kind of sorcerer. She had seen him bewitch her guards and that was presumably how he had obtained the images of her touching herself that he was using to blackmail her. She realised that he was probably watching her now...
Fine, she thought defiantly. If he wanted a show she would damn well give him one. She slipped her dress off of her shoulders, letting it tumble to the floor around her ankles to reveal the soft curves of her body. She reached behind her and unfastened her bra, arching her back seductively as her tits popped free of the cups. She hesitated at her panties, before realising that of course she should take them off. She slid them slowly down her legs, kicking them casually across the room and leaving herself completely naked. She imagined him watching her undress, the thought turning her on as she reached slowly for the corset. The leather felt good against her skin as she wrapped it around her waist, the suspender straps grazing her thigh as she cinched the bodice as tightly as she could. To her surprise, it was a near perfect fit. A pair of black stockings had lain beneath the corset and she plucked them from the box and rolled them up her legs, clipping them to the suspender straps one at a time.
She paused to look at herself in the mirror and found herself smiling approvingly. The corset hugged her waist tightly and cradled her titis comfortably despite the lack of cups. The suspender straps were pulled taught against her skin, neatly following the curve of her ass and hips to meet the almost opaque stockings. At least Alec had good taste, she mused.
Beneath the stockings was another note. She picked it up, smirking as she read it.
Collar and cuffs, Princess.
