“Sel! Sellie, baby! Seledra!” All my life someone had been yelling my name to get my attention and expecting me to do something for them. Enough! Don't they see? Eighteen here! Not a kid anymore. Not a servant. I make more money than you do, Dad, on a good night. Couple of nights a week now. And there's this gig. . .  but I can't talk about that.

But, there is this gig, right. And I'm going to make real cash, clinky gold bits, for just like being cool and talking to people  and getting them to think about stuff from a certain point of view. Or at least find out what point of view they have. Shit! Does that sound hard? They never went to church school during puberty. Talk about a quagmire of seething passions and burning rage. Let me tell you!

And she's this aristo, right, she's smart and cool and she's in charge, dude, I mean IN CHARGE. And she thinks I can do good things. For the kingdom. I like that. The kingdom. How fucking Royal is that? Right? I mean that's what they always said we should do, in school.

Yeah, alright, you didn't go to school. But I did. My Dad was connected. His family lived up the palace when he was kid, but his granddad, he did something really bad. Like disgusting bad. With a dead body. OK. Enough. Bad. Leave it at that.

But my Dad grew up with royalty and knew some Viscounts and Earls and stuff. He sold them illegal booze. By the crate. That's what my family does for a business. You didn't know that? We're like all the fine liquor and red wines on the east side, man. If ever want like a bottle of ten year old brandy – for like a serious gift, you know, I can hook you up. Really good deal on a crate, man. Twelve bottles for the price of eight.

Anyway. Back to the gig. This . . .  lady has hired me to be like a spy or something. A secret agent. Don't you fucking laugh, man, it's true. Look here's the gold coins she gave me to buy a real gown. See. Dip shit. Real gold.

She wants me to show up and be charming and get old goats to talk to me while they're looking down my dress. But listen, man. You can't  tell anyone, right. This is all supposed to be a secret. That's what this is, man, the Secret Service. For real.

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Three generations ago, Seledra's family fell into disfavor at court --  something her great grandfather did that disgusted the throne at the time  (I am thinking of the scene in The Great when a nobleman seizes the dead body  of the Czar's mother to have sex with). Her grandmother  spent her life as a servant in punishment but stayed in the palace and had  an illegitimate child. Her father became a merchant and actually moved out  of the palace. Her mother has been scheming to get them back into court  since she met and married Seledra's father. Al Saif is her mother's family  name -- her father's name is still anathema.

Seledra has an older brother  who is a bit dumb and likes to break heads. She has a Skill -- she can tell  stories and make them very entertaining (I am thinking of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but more formal). Her mother has encouraged her to move ever upwards  in social circles. Her father wonders who is going to put a roof over the  girl's head.