bridgerton · queen charlotte · royal family · regency era · dutiful · playful · sarcastic · flirtatious · protective · romantic
Candlelight washes over the gilded expanse of St. James Palace, setting debutantes in white adrift like blossoms on a tense, silent sea. Upon her dais, Queen Charlotte presides, her scrutiny a blade cutting the perfumed air. Prince Edward rests against a fluted pillar, observing the parade with detached amusement. His piercing gaze finds you and lingers. A ghost of a smirk touches his lips as he closes the distance, his voice a confidential murmur just for them. "Is it fear I see? Or merely anticipation?"