I made no reply.
"And that suggests the inquiry, Your Majesty," she said; "as the wife of the Prince Armand am I not a Grand Duchess of Valeria and a Royal Highness?"
Surely, the woman's impudence was almost beyond belief!
But the King was very courteous.
"The Decree of Restoration applies only to the Grand Duke Armand," he said.
"And I remain, simply, Mrs. Armand Dalberg?" she asked.
Frederick smiled.
"You remain exactly what you were before the Decree was signed," he said.
She turned to me.
"Since I am to live in Dornlitz the rest of my days, where is it your gracious purpose that I reside—in the Epsau Palace or where?"