Cordia (Final Fantasy XV fanfiction)

Chapter XII

Cordia sighed softly and threw herself back onto the bed. She was bored to the point of anger. Usually, she'd have a million and one things to get done at the palace, but here? She might as well just be a wall decoration.

The only form of entertainment that truly made her happy was seeing the prince. Noctis had been annoyed at her sudden relocation to his apartment a few weeks ago after Ignis reported the state of the prince's lifestyle to the King, but now, he had come to know her presence as normal.

Except, it was now two in the afternoon. The prince didn't leave school for another hour, yet, and she found herself out of jobs to do. She'd spent a while lingering in the kitchen, taking her time with the dishes, but had swiftly run out of them to clean, even if the prince had used almost every cooking utensil whilst he had struggled to cook for himself the last week.

Then, she'd tidied the seating area, only to have just the cushions to fluff. Ignis sure had done a good job tidying the last time he was here, and she even wandered into Noct's room to see if there was anything to clean there, but she found no trace of uncleanliness. Even his bed was made, which was a surprise, since he never used to do it in the palace.

With nothing to do, she'd retreated into her own bedroom. It was the best lodgings she'd ever had; the room wasn't huge, but it was more than enough for her, with enough space for a double bed, a desk, an armoire and even a dressing table. Most of the storage furniture in the room was empty, for she didn't have many clothes. Noctis had said he'd help remedy that, and they'd arrange for a day to go shopping the next weekend, which had her very excited. She'd never bought her own clothes before.

That was both a blessing and a curse about living here; she didn't have to wear her maid uniform. Noctis didn't care, so she was free to wear what she pleased. Except, without her it, she was rendered with only one set of clothes to don; a single, cheap sweater that was too big for her and a pair of simple leggings. It was comfortable, of course, but she was getting sick of it, and Noct had told her that the same repetitious outfit was beginning to irk him too. That had encouraged the shopping trip idea.

She couldn't wait for it. The very idea of the prince taking her out into the city to buy her gifts of her choosing spawned butterflies in her stomach. Perhaps people would see, perhaps people would recognise him. She didn't want to be in the public eye, she supposed, but the idea of maybe even being labelled as the only female Noctis had been seen interacting with sent her heart fluttering.

She felt it was pathetic, to develop feelings for a boy she could never have, and most of the time, she pushed them aside with ease, and was able to keep her mind at work and not her heart. Still, late at night, when she would wake from restless sleep, her thoughts would wander, and knowing that the prince was on the other side of a single, thin wall made her have blissful thoughts of what could be.

The physical wall was so much more to her than just that. Of course, it divided their rooms, but not only that; it divided their hearts. She wasn't sure whether he felt anything for her, but if he did, they would never be able to be happy with it. The wall would always be there, even if they left this apartment. The wall was his responsibility, his fate as future king. He needed a princess, a leader to be his Queen and dam to his heirs, not some parentless servant girl with her head in the clouds.

She'd have a nap, she decided, at least until the prince returned. It might even be more than an hour that he'd take, since he had a habit of spending an hour, if not more, at the local arcade after school ended. Who he went with, she didn't know, but she believed he didn't go on his own; he hadn't mentioned any friends, but she hoped he had some.