Julia

  Julia wasn't quite awake when there was a kno her door. Lazily, she pulled a dressing gown over her nightgown and watched out of the er of her eye as one of the servants led her three new, personal servants in.

  "Good m, princess," the elderly gentlemaed her. "Five me for bursting in like this..." He looked at her dressing gown with red cheeks. "I assumed you were ready for the day. I am terribly embarrassed! After all, it's half past nine..."

  "It doesn't matter." She smiled tiredly. "I see you have visitors with you."

  The wolf with the bck ears looked curiously at her, the elf, oher hand, seemed bored and the wolf with the white ears shyly avoided her gaze. Hello, servants I never wanted.

  "These are Marko, Finn, and Leopold, your new servants," the old servant announced solemnly. "Finn will take care of your wardrobe. Due to health problems, he only work to a limited extent. He sew, so he'll mend your clothes if you o."

  A sick servant? What were Cleo ahinking?

  "I'm gd to meet you," Julia said. "My name is Julia, as you probably knht now I have no work for you. Use the day to look around the castle. After breakfast, I show you around."

  "Princess, how generous!" ehe servant. "I'll take the three of them back with me for the time being. Help is needed i. Shall I take the three of them there today?"

  I just gave them the day off and you still want to send them to work immediately?

  "No, thank you. The three have today to themselves," she tradicted with slight vehemence. "I'll see you after breakfast. Then I'll show you around the castle." She smiled at the three. "I hope you will enjoy it here."

  The three grimaced but did not answer her. They didn't bow either.

  The old servant cleared his throat and turned red again. "I beg for your fiveness!" He looked indignantly at the three newers. "When the princess speaks to you, you have to answer! A bow would also be appropriate! Where are your manners!" he grumbled. "I expined all this to you earlier!"

  "That's fine!" Julia quickly intervened. "They are new. Mistakes are normal!" They are here against their will...

  "Of course!" The old man bowed.

  "Well, I'll expihing to you again!" With a stern face, he gestured for the newers to go to the door. "We'll leave you alone, princess."

  This time, the three remembered the rules and bowed before leaving.

  They didn't say a single word... What do I do with them? Where should they work? Personal servants follow their... I don't want to say, owner... But that's it? Right? As if they were things. I will make sure that they are as free as possible... Here and in the Academy...

  There was another kno the door and Sophie came in. "Well? Already awake?" The elderly dy wi her. "I'll let you take a bath quickly, yes? At eleven there is breakfast. I heard your brother, Prince Fritz, will leave after breakfast. Did you get a lot of presents?"

  "Plenty, yes." Julia followed Sophie into the bathroom and watched as she poured water into the tub. "A lot of jewelry. But also pens and other things..." Babette had given her a brooch. A bright e bird with a bran its beak.

  "That sounds good." Sophie collected the old towels and took new ones out of a narrow cupboard while Julia brushed her teeth. "I have heard that you noersonal servants. Unfortunately, I haven't met the three of them yet. I'm looking for some hings for you, what are you pnning today? Today the sun will shine all day."

  "I'll give them a guided tour of the castle."

  "Then I'll find something ve for you. I heard that I would have support from now on. The wolf's name is Finn, right?"

  "Yes, exactly."

  "Wonderful! Enjoy your bath." Sophie turned off the water and hurried away busily with the old towels.

  Peter

  Peter looked at his refle. Tired, grey eyes looked at him.

  Around his neck hung his sister's neckce. He had ed the pearl bracelets in a handkerchief to returo her. He looked at the silver neckce. It retty, with a filigree pendant. A rose, with pink gss beads and small diamonds. Julia had gotten it for her twelfth birthday and had hardly worn it since. His refle grinned mischievously at him. Then he pulled a dark gree over the white shirt a his room with the olive green, discreetly gold-embellished, expensive aper and took the buh the bracelets with him.

  On the way to breakfast, Fritz came to meet him. "Good m. You're still wearing a neckce?"

  "Julia's neckce, yes." Peter smiled. "My rebellion is not over yet!"

  "Don't you think that's a bit childish?"

  "Why? I like the neckd hopefully upset Her Majesty, the proud Queen." Peter wi his older half-brother. "Do you think she will disi me?"

  Fritz ughed. "Not because of a neckce. Is it because of Babette?" he asked as they walked to the dining room.

  "She doesn't push you to get married. Or Lea and Cleo."

  "Well, we're living longer. Have more time. She tried the same with Ingried and Paul until they said goodbye to the and its titles."

  "I’m not like them." The frustration was clearly audible ier's voice. "But Babette? It's terrible!"

  "I agree." Fritz patted him on the shoulder before they ehe dining room. A spacious hall with high windows, dark green curtains, and tless paintings.

  "There you are," they were greeted by their mother. "Now only Julia is missing."

  Fritz aer sat down with their family at the table. Frederick was not back yet. He would probably be gone for a few more days.

  "Is that Julia's neckce?", Lea noticed the jewelry.

  "Certainly," Peter announced with exaggerated solemnity, hearing his mh in resignation. Grinning, he shoveled scrambled eggs onto his pte.

  Julia

  Julia hurried down the corridors. It was already shortly after eleven and her mother attached great importao punctuality. The portraits of her aors looked at her reproachfully.

  Out of breath, she rumbled into the dining room. "Good m!"

  "Did you run?" Her mother looked at her in disbelief. "A princess does not run through the castle."

  "This princess does," Peter ented as Julia sat dowo him. Sighing, she smoothed out her light blue skirt. It was far too early for a reprimand.

  "Not even this princess!" corrected the queen, sounding annoyed.

  Did I miss something? The mood in the room seemed slightly tense. Julia looked questioningly at Peter and noticed her neckce. It will hardly be because of my jewelry. Right?

  "What's for breakfast?" she asked, looking at the offer on the rge, dark brown dining table. Scrambled eggs, rolls, fruit, jam...

  "Did you sleep well, Julia?" asked Agathe.

  "Certainly," she replied. Her gaze fell on a bundle, which Peter pushed to her. When she ope, there were her bracelets. "Earlier I met my new servants. I'll show them around the castle ter."

  "That's very nice of you." Her mother smiled tentedly. "Are you looking forward to the academy? It starts on Monday. Your first year of school! A carriage will take you to the academy tomorrow evening. Sophie will pack ys ter. She asked to apany you to the academy as well"

  "Did she?" Julia was surprised. Is that why she spoke of 'support'?

  Agathe nodded. "I agreed. She will coordihe work of your new servants and take care of your well-being. At the academy, you will not have a single room, but a whole corridor for yourself, and you will not have to share a room with anyone. Sophie will move into a room there, just like your three servants. As a princess, you have very ve privileges." She wi her daughter.

  "You'll like it at the academy for sure", Fritz added. "I also had a hallway to myself."

  "You were alartying there instead of learning." Lea wrinkled her nose. "I really wonder how you graduated.

  "I had fun!" Fritz threw some scrambled eggs at her. "And I'm smart!"

  "Table manners!" Agathe looked angrily at her eldest son. "Julia? Did you like yifts?" Her gaze wandered back to her you daughter. "We didn't talk at all yesterday."

  Some I do. "Yes, very," she replied instead. I am a coward! "I got a lot of jewelry. I don't know when to wear all this."

  "You could give me something." Peter ruffled her hair. "Is there something nie?"

  "Sure." Julia ughed. "How about Babette's brooch?"

  Peter's face darkened.

  "Speaking of Babette," said the Queen, "I only saw you dang with her very briefly yesterday."

  "She stepped on my toes." Peter poked around in his scrambled eggs. "And I don't like her."

  "You didn't dah anyone else, Peter. First, you show up with impossible clothes and then you disappear for the rest of the evening!"

  "Do we o talk about it again? You have already told me enough about your displeasure, mother!"

  That's why the mood is so bad. You lose your appetite because of this.