Events which the King wills must come to pass, or he loses a part of his royal dignity.

And then, a King cannot very well be subservient to the will of a subject." "But has she no rights as a petty sovereign ?" I asked.
"Only those which the King is kind enough to give her.

She is but a tenant: the rulers of Hohenphalia are but guests of his Majesty.

It is to be regretted, but it cannot be helped." That afternoon, as I lay on my pallet, it seemed to me that in some unaccountable way I was destined to become concerned in the affairs of her Serene Highness.

I had never seen the woman, not even a picture of her.