how can I understand "one's head is due to roll"?
Here is the context:
She was even attractive, in a nervous, pallid way, like a princess whose head was due to roll.

Question

Answer

Literally, it means to be sentenced (scheduled/order) to die by beheading (chopping off of the head.).   Beheading was a common method of execution (Kling) for royalty in Europe in the Middle Ages.  After the head is chopped off, it may roll like a ball.  "Due" in this context means scheduled/set for a time sometime in the near future.

So, if you can imagine a young princess who knows she is about to have her head chopped off, you can imagine that she would be pale (pallid) and nervous.

Figuratively, "heads will roll" is used when somebody (a boss, a President, a parent) is about to give out punishments -- like firing somebody from a job.  Examples:  "The boss is really angry at how the team handled the project.  Heads are going to roll."   "The economy is doing badly.  Heads are going to roll on the President's team of economic advisors."

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