Oh God, what was wrong with her? Why would she ever think about her sister’s intended undressing? A blush spread across her face and chest. She shook her head and tried to banish the impropriety from her mind. But then Franz looked her way—and all she could think was how much she didn’t want him knowing she’d been staring. She panicked, darting behind a tree and closing her eyes like a child, willing him to go away.

But no. She could hear hooves approaching. She took a steadying breath and opened her eyes.

“Good morning.” His voice was deeper than she’d thought it would be. “Why are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding,” she lied, stepping out from behind the tree.

“You’re Helene’s sister,” he said.

She realized she’d forgotten to bow, so she remedied the situation with a small curtesy, the bird still cupped in her hands like an offering.

“Your Majesty.”

“Do you always secretly watch people?”

Elisabeth’s heart lodged in her throat. Her mother would hate this.

“No, Your Majesty.” She avoided his eyes, staring down at where her bare toes peeked out from beneath her skirt.

When she chanced a glance back up at him, he raised both eyebrows. “May I ask why you aren’t wearing shoes?”

She pulled her foot back under her skirts. The real question was: Why did everyone else insist on wearing shoes when it was so much more fun to feel the earth, all soft grass and silky dirt, against your bare skin? “I like to go barefoot.”

“And why is there a bird in your hands?” He cocked his head.

Elisabeth cupped her hands protectively around the little feathery bundle. “Why do you have so many questions this early in the morning?”

Immediately, she bit her tongue. Why wasn’t she able to hold a nonconfrontational conversation with a man? And with the emperor himself, no less? Had she gone and done the very thing her mother was afraid of—ruined Helene’s prospects with a few sharp, unnecessary words? Her mother was right: she really must be mad.

But no. After a pause, the emperor laughed. Just the barest amount, a smile and then a soft exhale. She got the sense that the laugh surprised even him, like she’d unlocked a door that had been jammed shut, the key long forgotten.

“The bird was trapped in the palace. It couldn’t get out.”

And there it was again, the slightest laugh, the crinkling around the eyes, which were deep and brown and threaded through with gold. “I know the feeling.”

She smiled in return. He was funny. Earnest too. And now that she was really looking at his face: handsome. The strong jaw, dark eyebrows, hair with just the slightest curl. Broad shoulders and soulful eyes. She realized she was staring.