Peter

  Peter stood in the middle of his dressing room, looking at the chaos around him. Various items of clothing were scattered on the floor. His mother had sent him servants to take care of an appropriate appearance, but Peter had sent them away indignantly.

  He had his own idea of what ropriate.

  However, he could not decide. What were the perfect clothes for the sdalous occasion of this dinner? Should he rather appear inspicuous there, or dazzling?

  He held various shirts in front of him and looked through his pants, vests, and everything else. In the end, he opted for a mixture of inspicuous and dazzling. He put orousers, a white shirt, and a grey vest with mother-of-pearl buttons. Plus, of course, his sister's neckce. Shiny shoes were not to be missed. He tied his hair together with a silver ribbon si was finally long enough for it. Satisfied, he looked at his refle in the mirror and put on a few of his own bracelets.

  Perfect!

  He looked great.

  It was enough to upset his parents, but not enough that they tried to force him to wear something else. And his choice was dazzling enough to leave a det impression during the sdalous visit.

  He left the rest of his clothes on the floor. Servants would it up ter. When it was time for dinner, his parents were waiting for their guest in the dining room, where they had already taken their seats. Both were dressed in bck. His mother wore blood-red jewelry with her bck dress and she had her hair pinned up into a strict bun.

  When servants brought their guest ier almost stared at him open-mouthed. He was Friedrich’s image, except that his hair was reddish and not dark brown, like his father's hair. His mother's eyes narrowed and she gave her husband a venomous look before inviting her guest to the dining table.

  "Thank you for invitihe young man said with a friendly smile. "Maybe I should introduce myself?" He bowed deeply before sitting down at the table across from Peter and surveyed the family with the gaze of a lurking, poisonous snake.

  "Sure. That would be a good start", the queen hissed. She didn't even try to hide her anger.

  "My mother named me after my grandfather and father. My name is Torsten Friedrieu. My mother is Anneliese Neu, who worked here until retly. I grew up with my uncle because my mother couldn't raise me herself because of her work here." Torsten smiled smugly at Peter's parents.

  "Anneliese? I don't know that name...", said the Queen. There were a lot of staff w in the castle, so it was impossible to know all the names. heless, she emphasized this exaggeratedly. As if it were about an unimportant person. From his mother's point of view, she probably was.

  Peter looked at his half-brother because he clearly was his ‘brother’. Torsten was unsympatheti. "Surely it was hard not to grow up with your own mother?"

  Torsten fixed Peter with his eyes as if he were a mouse that Torsten wao eat. "No, my uncle's family was always kind to me, but he passed away a few months ago... My mother retly told me who my father was. Otherwise, I would have tacted you earlier. I always wao know who my father was."

  "And what do you expect from us?" The queen's gaze was no less venomous.

  "Now that I'm obviously part of this family, I want to be officially reized as such. That's the least you could do, don't you think Your Majesty?" Torsten smiled. "The press has already informed the citizens... I retly read the article myself. And of course, I would like to get to know my family. I was really excited about the invitation."

  "There is no proof that you are my husband's son." The queen did not look at him. Instead, she looked at the servants who were now serving the food. "Therefore, we will certainly not give in to su impudent cim. But thank you for your hoy. Surely you thought you would bee rich if you were the king's son? That you could marry into the nobility?" Now she looked at Torsten. "I'll tell you what's going to happen. After this meal, you will return from whatever hole you crawled out and then some of my soldiers will escort you and your mother out of the try. You have no use for me." Was she just trying to provoke him? Or was she serious?

  Torsten ughed. "Be? No. I have a right to be part of this family. I am part of this family. Even if you chase me out of the try, it won't ge anything... But for the press, that would certainly be an iing headline."

  Peter had to agree with him. After all, he looked like his father. It was impossible that Torsten was not Peter's half-brother. But something about his character worried him.

  "Is that a threat?", asked Friedrich.

  "No, just the truth." Torsten smiled tentedly. "I am your son, whether you like it or not. And surely it is better for your reputation if you aowledge me?"

  "You're worried about our reputation?" Friedrich looked at him doubtfully.

  Peter poked around with his fork in his food and watched the versation and the way his half-brother moved. He seemed very fident and smiled almost superiorly.

  Torsten noticed this and turned his gaze back to Peter. "I like your vest. It’s very elegant."

  "Thank you."

  "I look forward to getting to know you better. I've always wanted siblings."

  The rest of the dinner was quiet. Torsten talked to Friedrid Peter, while the queen ignored him. That he would be chased out of the try seemed to be off the table.

  After diorstehem, servants led him out and the queen looked angrily at her husband. “How many times have you been with this servant? Do you have any more children I should know about?"

  Peter's father seemed nervous. "here are no more..."

  "I really should throw him out of the try, but he seems to be intelligent...", murmured the queen. “And he was right. If we receive him, we will stand stronger before the people than if we chase him away... I will find a pce for him. But you!" She pointed her fi Friedrich. "If I find out about something like this again, I will divorce you! I don't want another sdal!"

  Then the queehe dining room, sn in anger.

  "I wish you a good night, Peter", his father turo him ahe dining room as well. He looked sad. Peter looked after his parents before he also left the dining room ahe servants clear the table.

  He didn't like his new half-brother.

  He seemed deceitful. Peter was sure he nning something. But his parents had certainly noticed this. Peter went to his room and wrote letters to Paul, Ingried, and Julia. They urgently o know what had happened aer o write off his new worries.

  Would Torsten now be an integral part of his life? He didn’t want that. Peter already had enough worries. He did not need a mischievous brother. And that's exactly what Torsten seemed to be. Malicious.

  Peter was sure that nothing good would e out of Torsten being part of his family. If he even got a title.

  He missed his siblings, especially Julia, even more. Would he see Paul and Ingried ever again? And when would he see Julia again? Only during her holidays?

  Peter was sure that his mother had already sent a request to the academy to release Julia from lessons for a solemn ball. And then there was the house viewing... And Fritz’s fiancée.

  It was all too much. Too much at once.

  Tired, he let himself fall on his bed. Why did everything have to happen at the same time? Why couldn't everything happeer another? Why couldn't Babette just disappear from his life?

  Why wasn't he a magi?

  As a wizard, he would certainly have fever worries and clearly more freedom.

  Freedom.

  He was not free. Would he ever be?