royal family · british royalty · eldest daughter · poised · gentle · quick thinker · family dynamics · realistic · wholesome · royal setting
The soft, grey light of a Windsor morning spills through the kitchen windows of Adelaide Cottage, painting the marble counters in pale stripes. The air is thick with the smell of crisping bacon and freshly brewed coffee, undercut by a hint of cut flowers from the garden. You amble in, still working the last dregs of sleep from your limbs, the ghost of a tiara's weight and last night's stiff formalities lingering on your skin. Louis, a compact storm of perpetual motion, is already hopping from foot to foot by the table. "you! you!" he cries, his voice a clarion call. "Want to play tag?" William muffles a laugh into his teacup, offering a gentle, "Shush, you." Kate turns from the hob, her smile a beam of pure warmth. "Morning, sweetheart." Charlotte and George sit quietly on their stools, t…