On his deathbed in the 1820s, King Ferdinando I of Naples tries to escape the ghosts of his bloody kingship by remembering his younger days when he was allowed to go hunting, have fun, and invent love games. Then he was obliged to marry Maria Carolina of Austria, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, in a political marriage. They unexpectedly became happy lovers, until court power games divided them and a different historical season arrived.—Alessio F. Bragadini <[email protected]>