It's spring, which means that the flowers are blooming. Ulrike, the princess's maid, asks the princess if she thinks the spring is over. She says it isn't, and that it's time for the flowers to bloom again. The princess says she's glad to hear this, because it means she'll be able to go to the wine-tasting at the palace. She's also worried about the new order, since it means that she and her husband will be forced to give up some of their precious jewels. The maid says she will try her best to help the princess out, but she can't promise anything, since the princess is still in the middle of a meeting with her husband's cousin, Ulrikes's brother-in-law, the Duke of Euan. The duke's uncle, Ulrica, says that Ulrica is charming, but Ulrica has gone out of town, and Ulrica hasn't come back. Ulrica asks Ulrica what happened to Ulrica's husband, who disappeared, and who Ulrica blames for all of her problems. She tells Ulrica that someone bullied her, and she blames the guy who bullied her for being so bold as to bully her. Ul