& unbridled ;

“you’re late.” chelsea shoved an itinerary at his chest without ceremony or emotion, save minor annoyance. “you can give this to alejandro after you help me finish a seating chart. your country’s a fucking headache.”

She often found herself wandering the palace late at night. It was her second home after all, and despite its grandeur always felt comfortable to her. For the last 4 years she had free roam of the place, within reason, but now with the new arrivals it was hard for the girl to find a moment to herself. One where she didn’t need to be on her best behavior. There was a secluded section of the building that most wouldn’t notice if they past by. It was her favorite hiding spot one she disclosed to a select few. Finally alone the girl took out her book, it’s spine broken with folded and creased pages, it was clear the book had been well loved. You could tell she had read it cover to cover hundreds of times. Nowadays she could only make it to chapter 12. As the door swung open her book shut synchronized. Genevieve stood to her feet, a habit she had created with all the new royalty entering. Of hadn’t expected anyone to be out this late. “I thought I was the only person who knew this room even existed.” She explained annoyance hinting on her face.

Chelsea pushed the door open and blinked, surprised to find herself met with the Lady Genevieve, annoyance clear on her expression. Pressing past her own initial shock, Chelsea composed her features into something neutral and apologetic. 

“Apologies, my Lady.” Chelsea bent her head as Genevieve’s title demanded. She could be the Queen’s right hand, have known Genevieve for years, but Chelsea was still outranked by her and nearly everyone in the castle. “I was –” she debated making a conversation or simply taking leave, but let an edged smile take up her polite expression. “I didn’t know this room had been occupied, I’m sorry. It appears we both have thought ourselves the only ones who knew about it.”

giovanni wondered what the flicker was in her eyes, but he did not know the women enough to ask. plus he was too polite and tired to ask. 

giovanni laughed as the women spoke again. he agreed, it had only been his first day at the royal residence with everyone and even he was a little overwhelmed. “no need for discussion of that now,” he said, giving her a kind smile. “i hope those conversations don’t go on forever, i can only stomach it for so long before i fear i’ll drop dead from boredom.”

“you and me both.” she smiled again, this time with meaning, and set the wine bottle between them as an open invitation. “i swear, the next time someone brings up trade agreements or trickle down economics in my vicinity i’ll grow faint, like something out of an austen novel.” despite herself, chelsea let a small chuckle bubble on her lips at the image.

“i was yes, I really like gardens and well the weather here is quite nice so what better time to spend time at a garden.” She said looking around, yes the gardens back home were lovely and her bias made her think they were the best but there was something about this ones. “Well I think we arrived just at the right time then,”

“I suppose you did,” Chelsea smiles pleasantly, as if their arrival and the courting ceremonies weren’t precisely chosen; as if painstaking care hadn’t been put in to the gardens, consideration for the weather, and careful cultivation to keep everything to the guests’ most esteemed standards.

“I’ll admit, the gardens are my favourite place to be at the end of the long day.” She lifted her wine glass and tipped it gently in Elizabeth’s direction. “Though I suppose that was obvious enough.”

“forgive you?” he asked her, a rhetorical question to it’s core really. bringing his wine glass to his lips, that he had earlier made a point to thank her for generously pouring, he gave her a curt shake of his head. “laugh away,” urging her not to hold back around him, within good reason of course. he wasn’t overly stern by any means, edward was always one who craved ‘normal’ one-on-one conversations, he hated when other’s tip-toed around what they said or did around him; although he understood why they felt the need to do so. perhaps he inadvertently appreciated that take much more so than someone who mindless spewed profanities or things of the sort. his brow raised slightly at her comments, sure his features said it all; he was both amused and curious. deciding not to pry, though. returning a polite smile back to the blonde woman across from him. “that is a awful lot of pressure to place on my shoulders,” his dry sense of humor coming into play. as if the pressure of coming up with a topic of conversation weighted unbearable heavy on a man’s shoulders who carried countries on those same shoulders. “my stay has been heavenly, nice change of scenery,” he commented, the corners of his lips curving upward just a tad more than they had previously. “pardon my ignorance, i don’t believe i caught your name?” he wasn’t uncomfortable doing much but when it came to asking someone their name he struggled with it. a part of him feeling as if he should know everyone’s names, especially after the files upon files of who would be present at the palace, the woman across from him just wasn’t coming to the forefront of his memory.  

“chelsea byrde, your highness.” she smiled at him pleasantly. she would’ve raised her hand towards him, too, palm open, if the entire exchange thus far hadn’t suggested he’d wave it away. instead, chelsea simply tipped her wine glass in his direction, as anyone might do with an acquaintance. 

“personal assistant to queen clarisse. no ignorance, i assure you. it’s part of my job i suppose to blend in with the background.” her smile took on a wry edge, but remained in the strict parameters of polite. without intending, a small flush creeped up across her cheeks. chelsea took a small sip of her wine. “and – i am sorry to presume you to hold the conversation. i’ll admit i’m used to most of our guests directing subjects towards what pleases them.” she shrugged. “mostly politics.”

“Yes I understand very well.” She said nodding, still she thought that planning and organising the stay of a bunch of royals and make sure they are all happy was a feat on itself, usually when an event happened at Wales she was just required to be there, making just a few decisions before it. “Yes thank you.” She smiled and poured herself a small glass of wine 

Chelsea watched her with a pleasant, if absent smile. She supposed she knew the Princess of Wales the least of the United Kingdom monarchs, although know she wasn’t quite sure why. She sipped slowly at her own glass and her gaze drifted back towards their surroundings.

“You were looking at the garden, yes? Before I interrupted you. They’re so lovely this time of year. You’ll see just the most beautiful blossoms during your stay.”

never one to make much of a fuss about another’s approach, he was not self-obsessed nor was he impolite. did he have expectations and perhaps make mental notes of interactions and the way they were handled, surely, but it was rare for him to truly hand something as minuet as a wave against another. “please,” and with a slight nod he accepted the silent offer of wine. “oh, i am sure that can’t be true,” he gave her a look as if to say there was needn’t any reason to be apologetic. “faint,” he highlighted the word with a quiet chuckle. “i don’t know if you are unequivocally the luckiest woman on earth or are simply without any luck at all given where we are right now,” it was interesting to find someone so off put by policy in such a way be surrounded by those who in most cases didn’t know how to speak about much else. “but i would prefer you not became faint on me, so surely we can find something to speak on, preferably not the roses or ivy, that’s more of my sister’s or mother’s forte.”

chelsea poured him a modest glass and set the bottle down between them. she’d seen edward before – she’d seen all of them, guests esteemed and strained alike, from her place beside the queen. but the proximity they shared now was a rare event, rarer still the nonchalance between them. even as he’d sauntered over, chelsea had felt her spine stiffen. she kept her polite smile, wine glass still in hand, when a sudden laugh escaped her, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“forgive me,” she touched her lips gently. “fortunately, there is no risk of me becoming faint just yet. unless –” she cast an exaggerated look over his shoulder, “you happen to see the portuguese finance minister coming, in which case i’m afraid i will have to make a dramatic exit. until then,” chelsea faced edward again, her polite smile returned, “we’re free to talk of whatever you’d like, your majesty. i hope your stay so far has been to your liking.”

      genovia was just as liliana remembered  ,  it had always been quite the beauty in her opinion  .  she loved the royal garden  ,  comparable to her own where she’d spend hours and hours fixated on bringing her plants back to life  ,  she smiled as she walked past people ;  the perfect imagery of a queen with no actual expression showing why laid beneath  .  he eyes finally glancing over at the familiar blonde from previous visits  ,  “  i see you already have the wine out  ,  darling  .  ”  she chimed  ,  soft fluttered giggles leaving her lips as she joined the other  .  “  good because i rather not speak politics for once  ,  it gets quite boring if you ask me  .  how have you been  ?  ”

“naturally.” chelsea slid a spare wine glass towards liliana without question or second thought. of all the queens she’s shared a table with, chelsea thought she’d most prefer to share a bottle with her majesty, queen of mexico – despite her own history with alejandro. 

“well, you know.” chelsea shrugged and sipped idly at her own glass. “busy wrangling jet-lagged royals and dignitaries, but besides that, quite excellent. very much looking forward to my citizenship finally processing this month, fingers crossed.” she smiled brightly. “you must tell me how you’ve been, though, halfway across the world.”

“Must have been destiny” She said with a small laugh and sat down, still admiring the garden and just how lovely Genovia on itself was “Oh don’t worry about it.” She said waving her hand “You must be so busy with all the royalty and representatives arriving it can’t be an easy thing to coordinate. And let me tell you everything has been great so far.” True she had been here just hours but still. “I think you deserve a break”

Chelsea smiled brightly and sipped at her wine. “That’s very kind of you, your highness. I do have help, but I’m sure you know – nothing’s ever as good as job as you could do yourself. Would you like some?” She lifted the bottle of wine. “I’ve got plenty to spare, straight from our reserve.”

the blonde catching his attention as she waved him over, an action, he will admit he wasn’t necessarily used to anymore. edward hadn’t been waved over since he was in university. giving a smile as he silently accepted her invitation. “i suppose i can’t leave you to yourself out here, now can i?” he mused, sitting across from her, rather gracefully in his movements, “trust me i’d rather not talk about politics as of now,” he assured her, he’d been at the palace for less than twenty-four hours and nearly every conversation he had carried a certain political undertone, it was expected, but edward was in many ways burnt out on the whole foreign policy talk. he was due for a normal, human interaction. 

recognition flickered in chelsea’s eyes and embarrassment flushed red in her cheeks. she’d just waved at the bloody king of england – her king, technically speaking, until her genovian citizenship came through. she opened her mouth to apologise immediately and correct herself when he spoke – with, to her surprise, kindness and agreement. she slid an empty wine glass in his direction, the question open on her face with her raised eyebrows and partially lifted wine bottle.

“well, it seems you’ve come to the right place, your majesty. i’m completely, absolutely useless on the matter.” she offered him a small, shy smile twinged with apology. “i can talk your ear off about all the different types roses or ivy or oak we have in the garden, but the moment someone brings up policy i swear i feel faint, like something out of an austen novel.” suddenly aware she was speaking too much, chelsea quieted herself with a sip of her wine.

anjali raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. do you remember everyone? she wanted to ask, but felt as if that’d be rude. once the glass was just over half-full, anjali uttered a when. “ thank you, it’s nice to meet you. so you’re the one that keeps everything running smoothly, yeah? ” she’d seen enough of the royal staff in india to know a thing or two about the roles they played. “ and you must know all the good spots in genovia—but if you don’t want to play tour guide, totally fine. we can talk about literally anything else. ”

unfortunately, yes. chelsea kept a small, soft smile on her face as she set the bottle down. always polite, even as ache split sideways across her head and exhaustion pressed in on her vision. always polite, to people she liked and didn’t, tolerated or loathed. without thinking, she laughed.

“something like that.” chelsea lifted her wine glass, watching idly as it moved against the sides in waves. “i absolutely spent almost 10 years working here to play babysitter – well, that’s not entirely fair, but i suppose i’m something of a wrangler for the next few months.” she tipped her glass towards anjali with an uncharacteristic wry smile. “good spots yes, but you’ll have to pry me with more wine before i reveal any real palace secrets.”

giovanni went over to the young women, he vaguely remembered her features. she was french, he was not but he did work for the french marquis and his wife. although the two sometimes acted more as siblings than husband and wife. “that is good,” he nodded, as he sat across from her. “because i am all talked out about politics for the day.”

chelsea felt a flicker of recognition in her eyes, and then a twist in her stomach. not royal. he was charlotte’s advisor. she composed her features into a small, polite smile, and gently slid an empty wine glass in his direction. 

“a perfect match, then.” if chelsea’s smile was tight or her tone clipped, she didn’t notice, and hoped he wouldn’t either. “i suppose we shouldn’t expect much else from a palace full of dignitaries, but regardless, i’ve had to give the unfortunate news twice now that i’m utterly useless at mediating discussions on climate change responsibility.”

Genovia was really lovely, she had been here a few times before but she had been much younger and she didn’t remember much, so to her it was like it was the first time, besides the other times she had been here with her parents and barely able to see around. And of course she ended up by the garden, easily her favorite part on most castles. She smiled when someone waved at her, she didn’t think she knew the woman but that wasn’t all too important. “Ah then we are both lucky since I am not terribly fond of that either.” Elizabeth knew about politics of course but it wasn’t a topic she would choose when just talking to new people or just in casual conversation.

“A perfect match then.” Chelsea flashed her a polite smile, sliding an empty wine glass her way as she poured a modest glass. She set the bottle down between them. “Forgive me if we haven’t met before, I’m Chelsea – Byrde, assistant to the queen. I’m more often than not running around with more things than I can carry, but,” she glanced out over the expanse of gardens around them, “very much trying to take a breath before everything gets crazy.”

“ i’d love to! ” anjali replied, taking a seat at the table. she never turned down a glass of wine or the chance to make a new acquaintance. perhaps it was her parents’ blood in her, this eagerness to meet new people and develop connections, or maybe she was just that much of an extrovert. “ i’m not that great of a conversationalist when it comes to politics either, much to some disappointment, so you’re in good company. ” she offered a friendly smile, a flicker of recognition in her eyes. in a flurry of meeting people and being ushered through the palace grounds, she must’ve passed by this face before. “ anjali, by the way. ”

chelsea pushed forward the second, empty glass with a smile. her own gaze lit with renewed recognition and she nodded. “guest of princess amin, i remember. chelsea – byrde, assistant to the queen. welcome to genovia.” she lifted the open wine bottle and pointed it towards the glass, glad for a drinking partner and conversation absent of politics. “tell me when.”

“would you join me? i feel terribly sad sitting alone, although i’ll warn you: i’m not much of a conversationalist when it comes to politics.” 

⋆ ° ⟡ ( JOHANNA BRADDY, thirty, cis female, she/her ) has CHELSEA BYRDE, the PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE QUEEN from GENOVIA arrived yet? i heard they can be quite ABRASIVE, but also SELFLESS. there’s rumours they’ve come to genovia to ENSURE THE PRINCESS’ BETROTHAL GOES SMOOTHLY, but you never know. NAILS TAPPING ON WOOD, A METRONOME TICKING IN AN EMPTY ROOM, AND STICK-STRAIGHT POSTURE always remind me of them.

abby’s dumpster fires part 2: electric boogaloo ; as usual, like if u want to plot & i will hop into those sweet, sweet dms