“Serafina, do tell us about your studies,” the queen says, and I’m grateful for the question, which breaks up the tension. “We’re thinking of allowing the girls to go to uni,” the king adds. “We’d trust your judgment as to whether it’s a proper place for a princess, Serafina.” Henri and Juliet look at me with bright, pleading eyes. I can tell they’re clutching one another’s hands under the table. Probably because they’ve constantly pushed the boundaries from birth, the girls have been kept under a fairly tight set of constrictions.
