Princess 101 005: Blackmail


[Autumn is starting to get the hang of ettiquete classes. It’s probably the ONLY thing she has the hang of! And now she is headed back to her suite.] -10:35 Jun 19
Autumn: Her hair was freshly dyed black again, so she was happily not wearing one of those silly hats. Every time she passed a mirror in the hall it still felt weird to see her reflection, though. Still, she was in a good mood and humming a few notes to a song she was fiddling with as she waltzed down the hall. There was a surprising amount of inspiration in the place. Along the way she waved at Prince uuhm… crap. She struggled to remember his name and almost panicked when he popped up to walk with her. -11:01 Jun 19 Autumn

“Princess Ysabelle. Lord Lionel, remember? I was wondering if you could do me a favor.” he asked in earnest, stopping her in the hall. He held up a hand before she could speak. “I need some tabloid pictures for a bit of cash and publicity. You know how it is. Something juicy to get people talking. I can share the profits if you want.” -Autumn 11:01 Jun 19

Autumn: That was a weird request to her, but she supposed she understood. Pictures were pretty harmless. "Like what sort of pictures? Of us hanging out or something like that? That wouldn’t be too bad." -11:01 Jun 19 Autumn

He smirked and laughed out loud. “You’re hilarious! No, something that’ll actually get people talking. Make out with me.” -Autumn 11:01 Jun 19

Autumn: It was Autumn’s turned to laugh! She shook her head and started walking again. It was one thing to take some innocent pictures, but there was no way she was making out with some guy in them. Not mentioned she doubted Ysabelle would appreciate THAT kind of gossip, no matter how bad her reputation seemed to be around here. "Um, no thank you! You’ll have to find somebody else for that one. But um, thanks for thinking of me, I guess?" -11:02 Jun 19 Autumn

“It can’t be anybody else, it HAS to be you.” he complained, catching her by the arm and pulling her back. He ALMOST looked kind of apologetic, but that was erased by the fact he was shuffling her over to the wall. “The camera Derrick!” -Autumn 11:02 Jun 19

Autumn: Autumn gave a squealing protest as she was picked up off the floor and pressed up against the wall, that was quickly silenced by a sudden kiss. A hand slid up her leg and under her skirt and there was the sound of a camera’s shutter. By the time she shoved him off, he managed to get her underwear and his buddy had ran off. "You asshole!" -11:02 Jun 19 Autumn

“Sorry Ysabelle. It’s business!” He gave a flourishing bow before he strode off, leaving a very red faced and angry Princess. -Autumn 11:02 Jun 19

Autumn: That was just-!! She just got molested and her panties hijacked by a lord! What planet did she live on?! And now her face was going to be plastered who knew where making out with the guy. Ysabelle was going to come home to that. Autumn didn’t know if she wanted to cry or grab the nearest fire extinguisher and go bash his brains in. With her hands shaking, she pulled out he phone. At least Adrian would know if she should get a lawyer? -11:05 Jun 19 Autumn
[Adrian was not anywhere he was meant to be, nor doing something he was mean tto be doing…] -11:36 Jun 19
Adrian: No, in fact he had his expencive sleeves rolled up to prevent oil and grease getting on them. When his phone rang he didn’t evne have to take his hands off the bike. "Answer." he said shorplywithout looking at the number, not that he could when he had his phone in his bag and was wearing a bluetooth headset. "Adrian rubrum, heloo." he said, his voice professional as if he were in the penthouse office of a high rise corporate headquarters when in actual fact he was sliding an oil pan out from under his bike and hand fightnign the blot to close the drain. -11:41 Jun 19 Adrian
Autumn: Autumn sighed out loud, tugging her skirt down as she self conciously walked down the hall. It was long enough no one was going to know, but SHE knew. "Do you know any good lawyers? Or, hmm… know how to stop someone from publishing pictures." -11:47 Jun 19 Autumn
Adrian: He saused, rotating the lid on the motor oil bottle so that it wouldn’t be audiable over the phone. "I know several ways…" he said after some thought. "Depends on who, what, and why…" he frowned, this sounded like trouble. "Exit the schoo, go the the garage and go through the side door on the right hand wall. It’s not locked. I’ll meet you there. No one will overhear us." he said before pretting the headset with his shoulder to end the call. He would need details…and fast. -11:51 Jun 19 Adrian
Autumn: "But..!" He already hung up. Not she wanted to announce that she felt uncomfortable walking around the school without her panties! A detour would take too long, and who knew how fast Lord Jerkass would get those pictures out. If he posted them on the internet, they could already be online! Awkward skittering down the hall and maybe getting lost once or twice trying to find the right door, she left the school. She was feeling even More exposed outside and now concerned about a sharp gust of wind. When she found him, she was clinging to her skirt at the sides of her legs. "…you’re all greasy." -11:57 Jun 19 Autumn
Adrian: He was wiping his hands off on a rag when she entered and leaning against his bike. "Oil change" he said, ending that discussion before beginning the next. "What happened?" he asked squeezing dishwasher into his hands to scrub them in a sink, getting the grease off with practiced ease before grabbing a towel and drying his hands off before applying lotion to them and then sitting in a surprisingly spotless chair and gesturing her towards another. He was alreayd running through plans in his head as he folded his hands in his lap and waited. -12:09 Jun 20 Adrian
Autumn: "It’s stupid and infuriating." Autumn didn’t know why she was embarrassed by the whole thing, she wasn’t the one that acted like an asshole. But her face was red anyway. She slipped in to the seat a lot more gracefully than she usually would, taking great care to make sure her skirt fell over her knees. "Lord Lionel and his friend took some pictures and I want to get them back. I just need to know how is all, before they get every where and Ys- I get in to some trouble." -12:15 Jun 20 Autumn
Adrian: He placed his elbow on his arm rest and with the other hand poared out a mut of tea from the pot on the workbench before he pushed it towards her. "Tell me, step by step what happened." he said warmly despite the fact that inside he was feeling things he would deal with later. Fear… a spot of jealousy… idiotic things. "Then I’ll see what I can do. Me with my resources have a much better chance of intercepting those pictures than you do with yours. Don’t you agree princess." He allowed himself an easy smile, sure in the back of his mind that her resources were next to nill. -12:22 Jun 20 Adrian
Autumn: "Well I’m pretty sure I know how to use a phonebook!" she was forgetting she had the resources of a princess again. Autumn huffed. It wasn’t Adrian she was mad at, anyway. She reached for the tea and her hands were still a little shakey. Which just made her more huffy. It’s not like she was -actually- molested. The whole thing was stupid. "He asked if I’d take some pictures with him for a tabloid, and I was okay with it until he said it had to be make out pictures. So I left and tried to leave, and it all kind of snowballed from there. ..! I mean, not as bad as it sounds! He just got grabby and kissed me and somehow stole my underwear and I’m not even sure how he did that, I guess maybe he had scissors just in case, I don’t know, but it’s all really stupid and I kind of want to punch him in the face, but you can’t go around punching lords and princes can you!" All of it came out in a rush. She plopped her cup back down on the table. "I SHOULD go punch him. I don’t know why I didn’t." -12:28 Jun 20 Autumn
Adrian: "Because you’re a properly mannered princess of a european dynasty." he interjected before standing. "I think I’ll go and have a talk with Mr… Lord Lionel…" he said "But first do you know which tabloid? I have a hunch but specifict would be better." Yes, he had a plan, and a good one. It would take about an hour. -12:33 Jun 20 Adrian
Autumn: She wasn’t a princess. And Autumn bet that Ysabelle would have punched the guy. Ysabelle seemed like the sort of girl that didn’t take crap from jerks. Autumn jumped up to her feet. "Wait! You don’t have to talk to him for me, I can do that. I just need to know who I should call? I actually don’t know who he wanted to sell the pictures too, but I’m sure I could bluff my way through it if you told me how." -12:41 Jun 20 Autumn
Adrian: "You call someone with a thourough knowledge of the European press enviroment, stacks of money and control of a significals portion of the largest corporate empire than has ever existed." he said as he started walking towards the door, slinging the strap of his bag over his shoulder, his hand reaching in to take out his phone before he opened the web browser. "Call Patrick Swiedrick." he said so the phone would call in the background. Three seconds later he was on the webpage he wanted to be on while the line connected. "Mr. Swiedrick… I believe you are about to recieve pictures involving Lord Lionel and Princess Ysabelle…" he waited for the reply. "Lucky guess. I am Adrian Rubrum… yes that Adrian Rubrum. I have at my fingertips controling intereset to your newspaper that you unwisely opened to the public without keeping the majority shares to yourself… a quick cash in I suppose… the important thing is I am now your boss and you will not publish those pictures. Instead you will send them to me in this number then delete all record of them… then I might be willing to sell you back soem shares." the screen on the phone slashed a message that the shares had been successfully bought, then a minute later that Abrian had new picture messages. "Very good, we’ll discuss the fate of your company later. Good day." He hung up before entering the School building and removing his headset so he wouldn’t be caught. "Seems you already did talk to someone like that.. Autumn I’ll meet you in your room when this is over." -12:53 Jun 20 Adrian
Autumn: Did he just… buy a company in under two minutes? She just knew she was standing there with her mout wide open, staring like an idiot. How did anyone have that much money and that much sway… shaking her head, she caught up to him. "When what is over? You look like you’re about to go burn someone’s company down or something!" Granted, his face was as impassive as always, maybe it was just the glint in his eye. "Should I call a lawyer too, just in case?" -01:01 Jun 20 Autumn
Adrian: "You wouldn’t be fast enough and I have the only workign phone that isn’t jammed." eh said as he forwarded the photos to another number. "Though apparently not if Lionel can send pictures… go to your room, if you need a lawyer I’ll give you to mine on my phone but right now I have to make sure your lover doesn’t send those to anyone else. This is his room…" he pulled open the door without knocking. "I’d prefer you not to see what I do in there, or I’ll need a lawyer. I’ll meet you in your room." then the door shut, with Adrian inside. -01:04 Jun 20 Adrian
Autumn: "He’s not my-" Oh no. He was in Lionel’s room? What if Lionel was in there! Her hand was on the doorknob and she almost burst in… but… Autumn turned and ran down the hall back to her room. She shut the door tightly behind her and immediately made sure to put on some panties. …and some pants! No more skirts at this school. She was imagining everything from Adrian bribing the guy not to do anything, to Lord Lionel winding up dead in the courtyard. -01:09 Jun 20 Autumn

It was almost twenty minutes later when Lord Lionel returned to his room, looking pleased with a day’s work. He had an arm full of envelopes and a stack of pictures printed out from the photgraphy studio, along with the camera he had good old Derrick using. -Autumn 01:14 Jun 20

Adrian: "Mr. Lionel. So happy you could join me." Adrian said from a chair that from it’s position was obviously the one Lionel preffered for himself. "Nice pictures, but I’m afraid I’ve seen them already." he said dryly placing his phone down with one of them open. "I sent them to David Hartfor, CEO of the Transeuropean news conglomerate and a friend of my father… he likes them too. But he won’t pubish them unless you do." he steepled his fingers and stared at the man. "For your sake I hope you don’t." -01:22 Jun 20 Adrian

Lord Lionel, to his credit, didn’t look the least bit phased. “A bit low brow sneaking in to a man’s room, Rubrum. That’s not how we do things in Europe.” He tossed his photos and envelopes on his desk. “I already have them sent out to my favorite tabloid. Not that it makes a difference to me what you think and to. I rather like the fuss it all stirs up.” -Autumn 01:25 Jun 20

Adrian: "No, it’s not, that’s why I’ll win. Also I know, I bought it." he said dryly. "Then had them delete the pictures after they sent them to me. I really don’t know what you’re trying to prove. This Ysabelle is a fake." He offered a lobsided grin. Suspecting Lionel might already suspect that too. -01:28 Jun 20 Adrian

This was apparently news to Lord Lionel, but he hid his shock. Leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. His wheels were already turning about how this could make his gossip train even MORE interesting. “A Fake? You don’t say. Does make things a lot more sensational, though, doesn’t it. Princess of Rhineland and Lord of St Albans having a torrid affair, only for the poor Lord to have been duped by a commoner whore. They’ll be talking about it for months.” -Autumn 01:31 Jun 20

Adrian: Adrian set his phone down and pushed the screen causing a hologram of a web page to form above the phone. "Hartfor just sent me this, a draft of his article…" the headline LORD LIONEL SEDICED BY SPY large at the for of what looked link a front page along with one of the juicier pictures. "Giving up state secrets… my my my, you really are in a lot of trouble." Adrian said reading the page. "Family disgraced… kicked out of the accademy… this would ruin you. Everyoen would be too embarresed by you not to go along with it. I think I’ll ask Hartfor to make her russian, everune loves to hate the russian and no one knows thier agenda… it’s perfect… don’t you agree?" -01:36 Jun 20 Adrian

The Lord was impressed! He even graced the man with a smile. “That’s good, very good. I didn’t think you could reach that far.” He learned forward, giving a smug smirk and speaking lower. “Except… I don’t give a shit. Bad press, good press, it’s all fun and fine for me. I’ll get a slap on the wrist for being a bad, bad, boy. And the world will love it.” He straighted, rubbing his chin. “I don’t understand why YOU are getting involved, but I suppose Ysabelle has had her fair share of men on the hook. She LIKES this sort of thing, you know. Fake princess or not, I’m not doing anything Ysabelle wouldn’t do herself.” -Autumn 01:43 Jun 20

Adrian: "Sure, the press with love you but your country will investigate you and they’ll uncover every little thing you or your hamily have done.Then you’ll be stripped of title and imprisoned… if you’re lucky. That’s the funny think about your little countries. While you public love scandal your monarchs hate ita dn if they had the resources of an international corperation dedicated to helping the truth come to light then… I’ll pick up all the goodwill I need to move into your markets and steamroll over europe. So really you’d be doing me a favor if you were dumb enough to publish those. I wonder if they’d let me throw away the key to your cell of if they’d want that honor for themselves. that’s what they do to embarresments you know. Hide them in boxes until they die." -01:49 Jun 20 Adrian

THAT must of hit home, because he was rubbing his neck and imagining what prison must be like. He sure as hell didn’t appreciate being pushed around by some American trying to pass himself off as upperclass. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Rubrum. You might have all the money in the world, but some things mean a lot more than money. You’re making a dangerous enemy here.” -Autumn 01:52 Jun 20

Adrian: He picked up his phone and slipped the slib device into his pocket, sensing victory. "Makes life interesting. We’ll see if you get further than the Jade Sword Triad did." he smiled before he picked the parcel of photographs up and strode to the door. "My money is that you’ll do about as well as the state-funded Moscow Mafia. Almost exclusivly ex spies… Rusty though… very rusty." -01:56 Jun 20 Adrian

He was scowling now. All of his plans were pretty screwed at this point. …except one thing. “As you wish. Tell Ysabelle I thank her for the souvenir.” There was the smug grin again. -Autumn 01:59 Jun 20


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