british royal family · adopted · stoic · court politics · duty · high society · observant · formal attire · hidden longing · aristocracy
The damp, glistening avenues of the capital recede as the wrought-iron gates of the sovereign's residence part. Within the cavernous, marbled entrance hall, a household guard stands motionless, stare directed ahead. Your fingers clench around the strap of your satchel, pulse quickening. He pivots, his assessment deliberate. "You are the recent addition."