Paul saw the girl ing out of the bakery. She was beautiful. She wore a long, white dress and her dark brown hair was braided. Paul stared at her open-mouthed. It seemed to him as if he had seen an angel. But the carriage that drove him back to the castle started to move and the girl disappeared.

  Adelheit had invited him for tea and he had spent a few hours with her. They were good friends and Adelheit had retly fihe academy. They wao meet more often during the summer. After all, Adelheit was his best friend, the sister he was not reted to.

  Back at the castle, he met Ingried, who hurried down the corridor with a big smile.

  "I have the perfect wedding dress!" she shouted at him. His sister would soon marry and leave the castle to go her oaul would miss her, but he was happy for her.

  He had to think of the girl in front of the bakery. Would he see her again?

  Wheurned from a visit to Adelheit two weeks ter, he saw the girl again. She stood in front of the same bakery as the st time, he had seen her. Paul stopped the carriage and got out. He wao take advantage of this opportunity. He absolutely had to get to know her.

  "Hello!", he greeted her.

  The girl looked at him with wide eyes. "Hello." She looked at him while ihought. "Do we know each other?"

  "No, but I would like to ge that." Obviously, she hadn't reized him. This was not unusual, after all, he had little tact with the on people. "My name is Paul."

  "Oh." She smiled. "My name is Valentina. Would you like to e in?" She poio the bakery. "For a tea? The bakery belongs to my father..."

  "I would love to e in."

  Over the few weeks, they met as often as possible, and Paul knew she was the right one for him.

  At one of their meetings, he told her who he was. Valentina didn't believe him at first and thought it was a joke.

  "As if a prince wao meet me!", she said, ughing.

  Finally, Paul was able to vince her. He poio the expensive carriage in which he had e and to the guards who were inspicuously waiting for him in front of the bakery.

  "I thought you were just the son of rich parents..." Valentina had been worried.

  "Well... My parents are rich."

  Valentina put a delicious strawberry cake oable and Paul ate half of it alone.

  A week ter, he proposed to her. He didn't care what his parents would think. This angel was the princess of his heart.

  Now, a few years ter, he still loved her as much as he did on the first day.

  It had been love at first sight. She was his princess, even though he was no longer a prince.

  He watched as she pced their little son in his cradle.

  He would have liked to offer them a castle, all the riches of the world, and a . But that wasn’t their reality.

  Some days he missed his siblings. He only saw Ingried from time to time. With Peter and Julia, he wrote letters... How had the two ged? Would he reize them if they stood in front of him? Would he ever see them again? Would his so his aunt and uncle?

  He didn't know.