The afternoon sun filtered through the windows, casting dappled light shadows on the oak desk in the study of Windsor Castle.
King William IV was sitting in a high-backed armchair, draped in his favorite blue vest, wrapped in a loose white silk scarf. He held a cane in his hand, tapping it lightly against the carpet, in a hurried, chaotic rhythm that reflected his current mood.
"She refused?" King William IV's voice was hoarse, his eyes half-closed, as if verifying an absurdly laughable rumor: "Is it true?"
Lord Chamberlain hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, the Princess indeed... personally transcribed a reply, in which she mentioned her youth and inexperience, and stated her willingness to remain under her mother's protection, unwilling to defy her mother's opinions, and willing to continue entrusting the control of finances and residence to her mother."
"She transcribed it?" King William IV repeated: "Did she transcribe it, or did she write it?"
