Our day out in the sunshine was even better than the ones I was forced to watch from a window under the tutelage of Countess von Ogre. Pleasant winds flowed from the east, pushing out all the clouds and revealing a deep-blue sky. Tufts of wild seedlings floated through the air.

“Josepha thinks she is better than the rest of us because she’s marrying a king,” I lamented as we made our way to a remote part of the grounds. “Just this morning, she called me an ignorant child! How can I be an ignorant child when she is only a year older than me?”

Antoinette spread a blanket out for us to lie on next to a patch of pink peonies. “Ignore her. Soon she’ll be married and living in Naples. Then she’ll no longer be our concern.”

Antoinette picked a nearby flower and began to twirl it between her fingertips, humming as she did, while a feeling of unease grew in my stomach. Mother was already busy making negotiations for my marriage and my sister’s. One of us would be married to the Dauphin of France, and the other to nobility with influence that would benefit Austria. “Antoinette, do you think when we get married that we’ll ever see each other again?”

Antoinette let out a little laugh that sounded like bells rising into the air. “That may be the silliest thing I have ever heard. If I am queen, I expect you to be one of the members of my court.”

I smiled at the thought. She reached over and took my hand in hers. “Oh, yes, I’ll need my older sister next to me. If I become queen, you’ll provide counsel and, at the very least, beat the heads of state into submission.”

We broke into fits of laughter and spent the rest of the afternoon daydreaming about all the ways we would help our future kingdom and how we would be different than our mother. “I will always tell my children that I am a mother first and a queen second,” Antoinette said, suddenly growing serious. “That’s the way it should be.”

I was about to open my mouth to agree, but a dark cloud drifted toward us. Sitting up on my elbows, I eyed the intruder on our perfect day. “Antoinette, I think it’s time to head back.” Following my gaze, Antoinette agreed.

Only we weren’t quick enough. On our way back to the palace, a downpour let loose. We ran through the pouring rain as thunder rippled through the air. We turned a corner, and I slipped, pulling my sister down with me. Mud splashed up, staining both our dresses. I got up and hoisted Antoinette from the muck. “Quick, through the servants’ entrance!”

Normally, that was a safe place to enter without notice, but this time as we rushed through the door, I discovered we were in great danger. The fearsome sight of our mother stood before us. Her large form took up most of the doorframe, blocking our escape to the hallway, and she was furious. Both of our heads snapped down in submission, to look at our mud-covered shoes.