Julia

  Instead of sitting in css, Julia spent the entire day in the academy's nurse's office learning from the healer. Her tutor was also there. Julia looked over the healer's shoulder and helped her with minor injuries. Not many students came into the nurse's office, but they came, and they willingly let themselves be used as guinea pigs for the princess.

  Julia suspected that the reason was that they wao show off to their friends. After all, it was something special to be healed by the princess. Or at least to see how she tries...

  Healing magic articurly easy for her, unlike maniputive magid seeing magic, which was generally difficult to trol. Of course, there was also a lot of theory. You had to uand the body to heal it. Especially when it came to major injuries and illnesses. Without this uanding, unskilled healers did more harm than help. Her tutor, therefore, made sure that Julia also khe theory.

  When Julia met up with her friends during the break, Pia wao kly what it was like to help in the hospital room and asked her questions. Julia answered all her questions with a smile. Marie was unusually quiet.

  "What's wrong, Marie?" Julia looked worriedly at her friend. They sat in the dining room and got tea and biscuits because it was very cold in the building. Julia wasn’t that hungry and therefore did not go back to her apartment during the break. Lately, she ofteh her friends in the dining room.

  Marie just shook her head. "Nothing. All good."

  "She's been like this all da", Helga whispered to her. "We've already asked, but she doesn't want to talk."

  "Is it because of your sister?" Julia didn't have a good feeling. Mia was still very young and the disease had hit her hard.

  Marie just nodded.

  "What about her?", asked Philip, who had gotten a rge bowl of stew with his tea.

  Tears rolled down Marie's cheeks. "My parents found a healer, but she was too te. She couldn't save Mia. I'm leaving tomorrow to go home for two weeks." Marie sobbed. "Together with Theo."

  Philip turned pale. "I'm sorry."

  "It’s not your fault." She smiled sadly. "But thank you."

  Julia put her arm around her.

  Wheuro her small hallartment iernoon, Sophie and Leopold were already back from their shopping and Sophie had made fried potatoes, of which Marko had eaten a rge part alone.

  "Yoing to get fat", Finn teased him.

  Marko ughed and patted his stomach. "Round and happy!"

  "Hardly", Sophie objected. "Marko, you have too muergy for that!"

  "And too few opportuo use it!" Marko id his head oable dramatically. "I’m a poor wolf!"

  Julia reached over the table and ruffled his hair. "Poor wolf!"

  "Yes!", Marko firmed with pyed sadness. "Poor, poor wolf. You should feel sorry for me!"

  "Maybe you need an alternative to use up your energy?", thought Finn.

  Marko looked at him and grinned. "Sure! Do you have any suggestions?" He wi him. "I think of something!"

  Immediately, Finn blushed. "Tha ... That's not what I meant!"

  Sophie threkin at Marko. "No way!", she grumbled. Marko ughed.

  Leopold rested his head on his hands. "Do I have to py your chaperone now?" He sat o Julia as usual and poked in his fried potatoes.

  Marko shook his head. "No, no. We've had enough of that!"

  Sophie frowned. "Oh?"

  "Nothing, nothing", the wolf murmured immediately. Finn looked like he wao hide uhe table.

  "Teenager!" Sophie groaned and put away her pte as she had finished eating. "You'll excuse me? I'll start doing the dishes."

  As soon as Sophie had left the dining room, Marko gri the elf. "Don't you want to spend the night with the prioday?"

  Julia's eyes widened. "What?" Finn looked equally surprised at her and then at Marko.

  "Well... In that case, Finn and I would have some privacy!", tinued Marko. "You know..."

  "Marko!", protested Finn, hiding his face behind his hands.

  "I'd like that idea, but you've fotten Sophie." Leopold pointed into the kit. "The pn never works. So, no. You two will have to behave."

  "That’s too bad." Marko pouted. "But it was worth a try. She doesn't have to know."

  "She would clearly notice THAT." Julia ughed. "Why are we talking about this? I didn't really want to know anything about Marko and Fin pns!" Then she looked at Leopold. "How was it iy?"

  "There are no pns!" Finn blushed as Marko hugged him ughing.

  Leopold shrugged and ighe two wolves. "Nothing special. I helped Sophie with her shopping and I briefly visited an old friend who works as a servant iy. Sophie didn't mind as she wao say hello to a friend who has a flower shop in town."

  "Oh. That’s nice. Was your friend happy?" Julia was happy to hear that he had a friend nearby. "I didn't know there was someone from your vilge in town. You are wele to visit him more often."

  "Thank you." Leopold stopped poking around in his fried potatoes. "That means a lot to me."

  "Juli?" Finn asked her suddenly.

  "Yes?"

  "A letter has e for you. It's on your desk. From your brother. Prier. I had fotten that." He brushed his hair out of his face. "Sorry."

  "Oh, I would have found the letter sooner or ter", she assured him. "But thank you!" Full of anticipation to read her brother's letter, she quickly ate her dinner. Did Peter want to e by soon? Or what was the letter about?

  After dinner, she eagerly opehe letter and made herself fortable on her bed. Peter asked how she was doing and told her that he was staying with Babette and her parents. He wrote that he had to stao her for hours for a painting, with a terrible hat on his head and a smelly horse o him. He sounded anything but pleased. But he also wrote about something disturbing. The queen had his clothes and jewelry ed out and he had to cut his hair. Julia knew how much it all meant to him. Apparently, he had taken his rebellion a little too far. Julia did not uand her mother. Why were Peter's clothes bad and Babette's clothing outps okay? Of course, sometimes he dressed inappropriately to upset their parents, but he didn't look any more rebellious than Babette, who looked basically ridiculous. Peter looked good with jewelry. Long hair and fancy clothes suited him. Even the nightgown had looked good on him. And he seemed much happier in fancy, fshy clothes. And his clothes never looked tasteless.

  Finally, he wrote that he wao e over on the weekend in a week. Shortly after the wedding. Julia was happy about that. She missed her brother, even though it hadn't been long sihey had seen each other.

  Julia was not going to be released from her csses for her brother's wedding, as an important feng tourook p Saturday m and Sunday m, in which all students had to participate. Julia would have liked to e to her brother's wedding, but apparently, no exception was made for a princess as far as the tour was ed. inally, it was said that her absence was not a problem until she told her css teacher the exact day and time of the wedding.

  sasi