Peter

  Saturday came faster thaer would have liked, and with Saturday came the big rehearsal for the wedding in the ballroom of the castle. It was agreed on the exact procedures where everyone had to stand, and how Babette should get into the ballroom, together with her stepmother.

  Peter yawned bored.

  Also, for the celebration of the wedding, all details were discussed again. He barely listened. None of this ied him. Peter had made up his mind. He just didn't know if he made the right choice.

  His mother looked at him reproachfully. His iion had not gone unnoticed. "Peter!", she hissed softly. "It's about your and Babette's big day! Stop dreaming!"

  "Mother, of course!", he murmured with a roll in his eyes. Babette's big day.

  Babette seemed particurly enthusiastid lively today. It was clear that she was looking forward to the uping wedding. Her parents also seemed extraordinarily happy.

  After everything was discussed, they sat down together in the firep to enjoy coffee and cake. Wheer remembered the terrible cake and wine escapade, he lost his appetite.

  "The painting is wonderful!", announced Babette. "Unfortunately we couldn't bring it with us. heless, I hope to be able to show you soon." She smiled at the queen.

  Agathe nodded delightedly. "I heard a lot of good things about the painter. Well, I will be able to admire his skills myself soon."

  Babette's stepmother poked around in her cake. She looked a little green in the face.

  "Is everything alright?", asked Peter worriedly.

  She nodded. "Yes. It's all fine..."

  "Sure?" Babette frowned. "You don't seem to be doiely."

  Her parents exged smiling looks.

  "Well... We wao wait a little longer", her father said. "But now is a good time too" He smiled at his wife.

  "For what?" Babette seemed irritated while the queen cpped her hands with glee. Peter had a hunch as to what it was all about.

  "Yetting a brother, or a sister!", announced Babette's stepmother with a blissful smile. "Isn't that wonderful?"

  "Oh." Babette didn't seem like she thought about it as wonderful.

  Peter grinned. Did Babette not want siblings? "gratutions!", he turo her parents.

  His mother jumped up and hugged her friends. "This is wonderful news! I am happy for you. How long have you been married? Two years?"

  Babette's stepmother nodded. "We're terribly excited. Of course, the child will not bee a witch or a magi, like our Babette, but still!"

  The queen nodded. Her face revealed that she found this quite regrettable. Peter rolled his eyes.

  "Well, that's very good news." Friedrich looked at Babette. "Isn't it, my dear? And your parents won't be lonely when you move in with Peter."

  "Terrific", Babette murmured.

  "Oh. And who knows, maybe your kids will be able to py with your sibling?" Friedrich wi her ughing.

  Babette's parents ughed too. "It's going to be wonderful!", her stepmother announced. "I've always wanted a big family! With lots of kids!"

  The baron looked at his wife lovingly.

  Peter felt sorry for Babette. She looked anything but satisfied with the new developments. Oher hand, he was not satisfied either. Of course, this had nothing to do with Babette's siblings. He didn't care. But he had the pn to improve his situation. A grandiose pn. More than just a silent protest.

  Even if that meant making sacrifices.

  But he didn't want to live his life unhappily.

  "We already have a name!", said the Baron. "If it's a boy, he will be named Gerhard. And if it's going to be a girl, it's Gundu."

  "Those were my grandparents' names", his wife expined. "I think that would be a wonderful fit, wouldn't it? Gustav, Leonora, Babette and Gundu erhard von Steinhof! The perfeames!" Leonora was the name of Babette's stepmother. And Gustav the name of her father.

  "A family tradition!", agreed the Baron. "After all, that's how my te wife and I chose Babette's name!"

  Peter khat Babette had been named after the great-grandmother of her biological mother, she had oold him. She roud to bear her great-grandmother's name.

  Julia

  Her mother had written her a letter. In the meantime, she had read it three times. The queen was anything but pleased with Julia's academic achievements and the test rumor that she was in a retionship with one of her servants. Her mother was expeg an expnation. Julia stared at the paper, which was ready on her desk. What should she write to her mother?

  And something else worried her. "It's okay if you have some fun, but a retionship would be a sdal", her mother had written. Fun. Julia didn't just want to have fun.

  There was a knock at her door.

  "Yes?", she answered.

  "Is everything alright?" Leopold came into her room and looked at the letter lying on her desk. "I heard you sigh."

  "No. Mom knows about our retionship."

  "And that's bad?"

  "She wrote that it's okay if I just have fun! As if you were ahat I just use as I please. But a retionship is out of the question!"

  "Well. In the eyes of the Queen, we bound servants are nothing more than possessions. Most people see it that way... I'm not surprised." Leopold sounded bitter.

  "But I don't see you as an object!"

  "And that means a lot to me!" He smiled. "So? How I cheer you up?"

  Julia got up from her desk and hugged him. "You could read something to me?"

  "That sounds like a good idea. What do you want to hear?"

  "Anything!"

  "Then I'm looking for a nicyclopedia!" Leopold tried to go to her dhing, but Julia held him tight. "No! No encyclopedia! A novel!" she protested.

  "You said 'anything'!" He tried to push her away from him. "You 't take that back!"

  "Yes! I !" Julia g to him even tighter, so he pulled her with him to the door and then into the living room to the rge bookshelf.

  "How about the big medical encyclopedia?" he suggested. "That's certainly very iing!"

  "No!" Julia ughed.

  "You don’t like that? Here is also a diary! How romantic!", the elf tio tease her.

  "No! Not a diary either!"

  "A cookbook?"

  "No, no, no!" Julia shook her head. "A novel!"

  "Mathematical formus?"

  ?Leo!“

  "What? I'm just trying to find a det book for us!"

  Marko

  "What’s that noise? Are they arguing?" Marko was sitting on his bed. Leopold's and Julia's voices could be heard from the living room.

  "I don't think so", Finn objected. He had his head in Marko's p, looked at him with wide eyes, and smiled. "Sounds more like they're having fun."

  Marko wao kiss him. Urgently! Right away. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. Should we take a look at what they're doing?"

  Marko shook his head. "The two of them occupy themselves without us."

  "Oh? Yes? And what are we going to do?" Finn sat up. "I wao finish knitting the sweater... Or do you want to go outside?" He poio their window. "The sun is shining."

  Golden light came through the small window and made Finn's hair shimmer golden as well. His ears twitched excitedly. Marko gently pulled him onto his p and kissed his neck. "I'd rather stay here."

  Finn put his arms around him and tried to escape the kisses at the same time. "That tickles!"

  "Are you ticklish Finn?" Marko did not let him escape and tio kiss him ughing.

  "Yes! Marko!"

  Marko buried his fa Finn's shoulder. "What do you think of a zy afternoon?"

  "Hm." Finn g to Marko's sweater. "That sounds good."