@alystudor
He’d been working for the royals long enough that he recognized most of their faces, could name most of them- and rarely did the sight of any of them garner a reaction anymore. But the princess of Wales... Seeing her sitting in the drawing room nearly stopped him in his tracks. Bastien knew the story of the murdered Welsh prince, he’d seen the photos of the princess all over the Italian news for weeks afterwards.
But he’d come here to see if anyone would be up for a game of chess, so he might as well ask. He approached her, trying his hardest not to sound like he pitied her as he spoke. “Excuse me, your highness? I’m sorry to bother you, feel free to say no to this, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to play chess with me.”