Julia

  A week ter, Finn stood in front of her with a beautiful dress. It was afternoon and Leopold and Marko hadn't left the kit yet. Sophie sat in the armchair and khe pair of socks. Julia, Finn, and Leopold had already received ohis pair was intended for Marko.

  "This is for you. As a thank you!" announced Finn, holding up the dress. It was simple, with wide sleeves. The dress was lid Finn had embroidered the hem with light yellow yarn.

  "You sewed me a dress?" Julia was amazed. "As a thank you?" She had expected a pair of socks or a scarf, but not a dress.

  Finn smiled and held out the dress to her. "My grandma didn't just teach me embroidery... I was always bored as a child and sewing are fun. So I thought to myself, as a thank you for the fabrid everything I could sew you something... It's not as good as the clothes you usually wear, but..."

  In fact, some seams were a bit crooked, but it wasn’t that noticeable. "Thank you very much. I'll try it ht away!" Julia hurried to her room. The new dress fit her well... Where did he get their measurements from... From Sophie? She looked at her refle and smiled.

  It looks beautiful. Finn is very talented.

  She heard Marko and Leopold return. Marko pihat the staff had been very rude today.

  "Were there problems again?" She hurried into the hallway and looked at the two insistently. She had already piwice about the behavior of the staff. But there had been no major problems i so far.

  "No. Not really." Marko looked at her dress. "So Finn gave you the dress? You look beautiful."

  Leopold stared at her.

  Finn now came into the hallway. "You look good!" He nodded tentedly.

  "Thank you, Finn. I like it very much!" As a thank you, she hugged the wolf and kissed him on the cheek. She didn't feel like she deserved a thank you, but she was very happy.

  After dihey all sat in the living room. Finn was talking to Sophie. Marko y as a wolf at his feet. Julia pyed cards with Leopold. Outside it was raining and st. Raindrops whipped against the closed windows.

  When it thundered, Julia was frightened and a wind blew through the room. She didn't like thuorms very mud looked out the window in surprise. They were tightly closed. Where had the wind e from?

  Lightning could be seen in the distance.

  "Princess?" Leopold sounded worried. When she looked at him, she couldn't believe her eyes. The pying cards that had been lying oable were no lohere. Instead, they y scattered on the ground.

  "Was that you?", asked Leopold.

  "What?" Where had the wind e from?

  "Princess?" Leopold looked at the cards on the floor. "It 't have been anyone else except you... None of us use magic."

  "Oh, dear!" Sophie jumped up and looked at the chaos. "Wind! Princess, you know what that means?" She beamed enthusiastically.

  "What does it mean?" Finn looked fused and Marko snorted.

  "Maniputive magic," Sophie expined. "That was magic."

  "But I'm a seer," Julia protested. I use all three types of magibsp;She remembered the rain that had surprised Ingried... Aay in the hospital room, when her ankle was suddenly healed, although she could hardly stand on it before... "That 't be true..."

  I don't want more magic!

  Peter

  Babette looked as if she had been ed in several strips of red fabric. She wore a rge, red women's hat, which was decorated with peacock feathers and a golden ribboer didn't know what she wao portray, but it wasn't pretty. They sat together with their fathers in a carriage and drove to their future home. Peter would have liked to do without this trip. The baron talked to his father about the cost of adequate furnishings. Babette insisted on the most expensive furniture and decorations. She also wanted a painting of herself aer. Ohat still had to be made. Peter didn't want to be trapped in a picture o Babette.

  The st time he ainted was ten years ago, on a family portrait. It had taken a very long time to finish the picture. He didn't want to stao Babette for several hours.

  When they arrived at the house, one of the guards apanying them opehe carriage door. Wheer got out, a rge estate awaited him, with a small front garden and an adjoining horse stable. The sun was just setting and bathed the green fa?ade in golden light. On the horizon, he could see dark clouds. A storm roag.

  "Isn't it beautiful!" excimed Babette as she got out of the carriage. "Let's go in quickly! I want to see all the rooms!"

  "Of course," he murmured, struggling to grimace as Babette hooked up to him.

  "This really is a magnifit building!", the Baron said, while Peter's father unlocked the door.

  The entrance area of the residence ainted light blue. Light streamed through rge windows. A staircase painted greeo the sed floor. There were two hallways on the ground floor with many rooms. All were apered with colorful fabric aper. In one of the rooms was a rge firepce. A small narrow staircase led to the basement. There were rooms for the staff, a rge kit, and a undry room. From the celr, there was also a staircase leading to the horse stable. They weren't on the first floor yet, but Peter suspected it looked simir to the ground floor.

  "It's wonderful!" excimed Babette enthusiastically. "A beautiful home for us! I 't wait to move in!"

  "I 't wait either." Peter was looking at the firep front of which they were standing together. From the firep, a door led into the gardens and paddock of the property. However, raindrops were already knog on the windows. Babette looked at the garden. "It's a pity that it started to rain now... And it's already dark. Otherwise, we could still take a closer look at the garden," she said.

  "This looks like a storm is ing. We should go", the baron suggested, aer's father agreed.

  "Already?", Babette pouted.

  "I don't want to drive through the storm, Babette. We e baother day. The house doesn't run away." Peter offered her his arm and Babette took the invitation gdly. He wao get out of the house as quickly as possible.

  "All right," she agreed.

  They hurried through the rain, which fell on them without mercy. When they finally sat in the carriage, they were soakihe barued with the an, who did not want to drive in the approag storm. It was too dangerous. But the baron insisted and finally, the carriage drove off. Soon it began to thunder and fsh above them.

  "I hope we'll be at the castle soon," Peter's father murmured, shivering from the cold. They were all freezing. The wind whipped furiously against the carriage, which swayed disturbingly.

  "That's scary." Babette reached for Peter's hand, startled.

  He himself didn't like it either. "We should have waited for the storm to leave... We should have stayed in the residence... We shouldn't be sitting in a carriage!"

  Babette shook her head. "No. There is no furniture there. Nothing. Where should we have slept? Who knows wheorm will subside!"

  At that moment they heard a loud bang, the an cried out and something big and heavy fell on the carriage and threw it over.

  Babette held on to Peter, who ressed against the door of the carriage. The other side of the carriage was dehe Baron aer's father were now also pressed together in the carriage.

  "Is everyone okay?" asked the Baron.

  "I'm fiears rolled down Babette's cheeks. "What happened?"

  "A tree must have fallen on top of us!", said Peter.

  "Is everyone in the carriage okay?" they heard the an call.

  "We fine!", Peter's father replied. "But we 't get out of here! Are you okay? How about uards?"

  "One of the guards bumped his head and I injured my hand, otherwise we're fine. Nothing happeo the horses, as it seems. We tie them to a tree, and I go to get help. There's an inn nearby!", shouted the an. His voice could hardly be heard. The storm had increased and the wind whistled.

  "I want to go home," Babette whimpered. Peter squeezed her hand fly. He would even have hugged her if he had had enough spaove.

  He also wao go home.

  Julia

  On Saturday m, she woke up early. She had slept badly. She had seeer locked in a carriage in her sleep. Julia hoped it was just a dream, but it hadn't felt that way. It had felt like all her other visions. Therefore, she was now worried about her brother.

  She could see the suhrough her window. Still sleepy, she went into the kit to get a gss of water. There she met Leopold. The elf was already awake and sat at the kit table with a cup of hot cocoa that he had made. The rest of it steamed in a sau.

  "Good m, princess. Do you want a hot chocote?" He poio the pot.

  "Yes, with pleasure." Tired, she rubbed her eyes.

  He got up to get her a cup and pced it oable in front of Julia, where she had now also sat down.

  "Thank you very much." She took the hot cup in her hand. The chocote smelled wonderful.

  So much had happened. Magic... The vision of Peter... Julia didn't know how to deal with it.

  "Do I get a kiss too?"

  Julia looked at the elf fused. "What?"

  "Do I get a kiss too? Finn got one as a thank you. So?"

  "Um." She blushed.

  Leopold grinned. "That would be fair, right?", he tio tease her.

  ?What…“

  "A kiss. That would be fair."

  "A kiss? But..." She didn't know how to respond. Running away, maybe? Or was it just a joke?

  "And if I say please?"

  "Leopold! That's not funny...", she excimed, turning even redder.

  The elf ughed. "How to mean. Finn got a kiss! Pretty, please!"

  What was she supposed to do? Was it a joke? Should she even respond to this? "All right", she finally said, standing up to kiss Leopold on the cheek. His eyes widened and turned as red as she was, blinking. "Oh," he murmured. He probably hadn't expected that.

  "Satisfied?" she asked, grinning victoriously. He hadn't wa any other way.

  Leopold just nodded.

  "I'm going to the bathroom", she announced, leaving the kit. She took the hot chocote with her.

  Leopold

  She had kissed him.... She had actually kissed him.... Just on the cheek, but.... It was a kiss... He had just wao tease her. She looked so pretty when she blushed. He hadn't expected her to actually kiss him.

  What was he supposed to do?

  There was no denying it. He had feelings for the princess and that g his sce. He had a job to fulfill. Flirting with the princess and liking her was not part of it.

  What had he been thinking?

  He shouldn't have teased her. Leopold still felt the kiss on his cheek.

  Liking the princess was not part of his pn, but he was hopelessly at the mercy of his feelings.

  "Good m Leo." Finn came into the kit, yawning. "You're all red. Did something happen?"

  "The princess kissed me."

  ?She did?“

  "On the cheek... I don't know what to do?"

  "Because she kissed you?"

  Leopold ughed. "No. Because I like her."

  Finn sat dowo him. "Well, you could tell her that. And find out if she feels the same."

  "We are her property! It's wrong!", he protested.

  Finn sighed. "I know. But maybe she likes you too?"

  "And what is that supposed to lead to?"

  Finn patted him on the shoulder. "You'll find out. First of all, I'm making coffee. Would you like one?"

  "Thanks, but I still have hot chocote."

  "I know it smells like it. So? Would you like oer the chocote?"

  "Gdly. Thank you, Finn."