Marie

  The princess had not shown up for css. Marie spun her pencil oable. The first hour had already begun and Julia was o be seen.

  Is she sick? Hopefully, it's nothing serious... Or did she oversleep. princesses oversleep? But if she's not here today, I pn her surprise party with the whole css. I'm sure everyone wants to e.

  After css, Marie turo her cssmates. "Do you all have some time?" she asked. "I want tanize a surprise party for the princess..."

  "A surprise party?" Kra, who was sitting a row behind Marie, smiled. "That sounds wonderful! But why?"

  "Because she showed more magic. That's a reason to celebrate!"

  Pia stood o Marie and nodded eagerly. "We get to use our and decorate it. This has already been crified. That's why we need people to help make the decoration. We also need a cake. We want to buy one iy."

  "We could also bake ourselves... If we use the school kit", suggested a tall boy with short blond hair. His name was Heinrid he sat in the front row. His best friend, Kus, looked at him in surprise. " you bake?"

  "No. But the girls bake safely." Hugo turo the two girls sitting behind him. Eliza and Thea. Thea rolled her eyes. "You could bake too. Why should we do that?"

  "Because yirls?" Kus grinned. "But if you two don't want to, I'm sure you'll find someone else."

  "Boys bake too!", protested Eliza. "Baking is not just firls!"

  "Or we'll just buy the cake," Philip interrupted her. "That's the easiest, right? When do we want to celebrate?"

  "I was thinking about week, Friday. Iernoon", Marie answered his question. "We would have enough time to make decorations, decorate the room, a a cake."

  "Do we want to give her something?", Helga suggested. "A few pens maybe? Or something else that is useful?"

  "Or a bouquet of flowers? How about that?", Pia suggested.

  After half an hour, the pnning was over and the css had divided into groups. One group made decorations, one group took care of the cake and one group bought a small gift. And of course, everyone would keep the celebratio from Julia.

  Marie was satisfied.

  She liked to party, but so far she had no reason tanize a big surprise party for a had been the best celebration the Academy had ever seen.

  However, she also was worried. Hopefully, the princess was ba css tomorrow.

  Peter

  His parents had been spicuously quiet all day. Had they argued?

  Peter couldn't remember ever seeing them argue. At dinner, he asked them: "Why are you so quiet? Did something happen?"

  "Certainly!" The queen gave her husband a venomous look. "Maybe your father wants to tell you personally."

  "It's nothing to worry about." His father's voice sounded cold.

  "Is it?", hissed Peter's mother. "Well, Peter. Obviously, your father has an illegitimate child. Your half-brother will keep us pany at dinner. So we get to know him."

  "Half-brother?" Peter blinked. "Dinner?"

  "It's just a rumor, but your mom insists on inviting him. He will keep us pany tomorrow night."

  "Tomorrow?" Peter was more than just surprised. If it was just a rumor, why was this 'half-brother' invited?

  "By the way, the Baron has firmed the date. The weekend, we will look at the rest of the property, Peter. Please dress appropriately." Friedrich poio Peter's clothes. "And not like a colorful bird." Peter noticed that his father did not look at his mother. What he looked at, however, were Peter's clothes.

  Peter was wearing a suit of floral fabrid a pearl hair clip in his hair, which his mother looked at with a grim expression. Of course, he also wore his sister's neckce. He had his lucky charm.

  "Is that your sister's hair clip?", his mother asked.

  "No, my own", Peter replied.

  The queen just shook her head.

  "There is more to discuss", she said. "Fritz is engaged. He will so his fiao dinner. We would also like to celebrate an e ball for him soon. By then, the dilemma with your son, Friedrich, should be resolved. I don't want sdalous headlio tarnish the mood at the ball. And for Julia, all three forms of magic have shown."

  Peter grimaced. Of course, he already khat Julia had gotten more magic, after all, she wrote about it in her letter. She had also seen the carriage act iorm. Peter hadn't answered her yet. He didn't know what to write to her...

  Peter was jealous.

  Why couldn't he be a magi? He pyed with the hanging around his neck. "Will there be a ball for her?", he asked. "And will she be here tomorrow? For dinner?"

  "Not for dinner. But if we excuse her from css, then yes. We will anize a solemn ball for her. The academy is very strid Julia has already been excused oherwise, we have to celebrate when she is back for the holidays. But if your mother insists, Julia will surely be released again." Friedrich looked at his wife. "Right?"

  "Of course. Even though the students only e home during the holidays, different rules apply to Julia. After all, a princess has obligations."

  Peter remembered that Julia had been happy not to have to be in the castle all the time... But the reality was different. She did not escape the castle.

  "And if she doesn't want to celebrate?", he asked.

  His parents looked at him in amazement. "Why wouldn't she want to celebrate? Suews should be celebrated!", the Queen answered his question.

  His father nodded in agreement. "This news should be known by the whole try! The you princess will be one of the greatest of our people. We should probably prepare for several celebrations? One e, two weddings, and a solemn ball."

  Agathe looked at her husband gloomily. "Until then, other news must be off the table."

  Friedriodded. "It's just a rumor. o worry."

  But it was easy to see that the queen did not believe him.

  Maybe it's not a rumor?

  Do I have a half-brother?

  Did father really cheat on mother?

  Julia

  The healer had finished his work and Julia and her servants were sidered perfectly healthy again. Tomorrow, she would return to css. She had used the day to read and py cards with Marko and Leopold.

  Now, they were all sitting at dinner. Sophie had made meat, potatoes, and sauce. Julia sat o Leopold, who nudged her uhe table with his foot, which made her smile.

  "Sophie?" Julia looked at the old servant. "Will you teach me how to bake?"

  "Baking?" Sophie nodded. "Gdly. We have everythio bake cookies. If you feel like it? After dinner?"

  "Gdly. Should we all bake together?" Julia looked at her three personal servants.

  Finn nodded enthusiastically. After dihey cleared the table together and then gathered i, where Sophie showed them step-by-step how to bake simple cookies. Julia had a lot of fun, even if she actally khe bowl with the dough off the table. Luckily, the dough had remained in the bowl.

  Whehree trays were baked with biscuits, they waited eagerly to decorate them with frosting. To make the time pass faster, Leopold and Marko pyed aname of cards and Finn showed Julia how to knit a scarf.

  Finally, the cookies had cooled down and they could decorate them with frosting. Leopold and Julia made a petition out of who decorated the most cookies, while Marko decorated Finn's h ig. Finn ughed and smeared frosting on Marko's cheek iurn. They had fun.

  When they all went to bed, it was already very te.