(A few months ter.)

  Gustav von Steinhof was in good spirits. Today his daughter married.

  After the catastrophe with Prier, she had bee a victim of ridicule and withdrew more and more often with a persistent bad mood. Therefore, he and Leonora had been looking for a suitable man for her to put ao the gossip and to give Babette a new, positive outlook on her future. Arranged marriages were not unong the nobility, even if they became increasingly rare. After Babette's wedding, the family and all the other nobles would surely quickly fet the misfortuh the prince.

  Babette was not particurly enthusiastic wheroduced her to Felix von Grühe younger brother of Florian Grünwies, who unfortunately passed away. Florian had been eo one of the princesses. The baron could still remember the funeral well. Felix didn't look much like his brother. He was four years older than Babette and came more like his mother, while Florian had been the image of her father. Felix, a seer with little talent, had been looking for a woman and had quickly agreed to marry Babette. Babette, oher hand, pouted, but finally, let herself be persuaded. She could no longer hear the mockery and waet Peter quickly.

  Today was the wedding. The happiest day of her life. She would move in with Felix into the estate that the royal family had given her. A small sotion because of the humiliation she had had to e the hands of the prince.

  Unfortunately, the baron missed her wedding. The wedding of his eldest child. The reason had happened very surprisingly in the m. His wife had goo bor after Babette had go in her carriage to put on her wedding dress, ihe decorations, and all the other things she wao check. If there's ohing she didn't want, it was a sed ruined wedding! He and his wife wao follow her a little ter because his heavily pregnant wife had overslept, but everything turned out differently. He had sent a servant to his daughter's estate to tell her that her parents were uo attend.

  The hours passed. He had not expected a quick birth, as the healers suspected twins. So he feared and waited hour after hour, looking forward to presenting her siblings to his daughter as a sed wedding gift. Babette would certainly be overjoyed. For the st few months, she had been in a very bad mood.

  Gustav sat in the firep and poured himself a sed gss of wine. His wife had thrown him out of the room after half an hour, cursing and scolding. The two midwives had sent him out with a smile. He could hardly wait to greet his children and his euphoria had not impressed his wife.

  Then, after another hour, the time had finally e. A servant came into the firep and smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

  "gratutions!", she said excitedly. "You have triplets! Two girls and a boy! All safe and sound!"

  "And Leonora?"

  "Exhausted, but she's fine. gratutions! This is so wonderful! Your wife is waiting for you!"

  He didn't have to be told twice. Overjoyed, he ran to the bedroom, where his wife was lying in bed with three small, g bundles. She beamed.

  "Leonora!" He rushed to her and pressed a kiss to her wet forehead.

  "They're here!" She had tears in her eyes. "Just look. They are beautiful!"

  He looked at the three little beings. The two girls had their mother's dark skin and ash-blond hair. His hair. Just a little darker. The boy aler than his sisters with Leonora's dark hair. "They are perfect!" The midwives ed up a an eye on the new mother.

  "They are" She gave him a serious look. "But I won't do that again! Once is enough for me!" She snorted.

  "Of course, honey..." He grimaced. "But didn't you want a big family?"

  "We have four children. That’s a big family!"

  "What should the children be called?", asked an amused midwife.

  "Our son, the eldest, is called Gerhard." Lehed. "The sed oldest is called Gundu... And for our you... Gustav? What do you think of Bere?"

  "My great-grandmother's name?" He nodded. "Yes. I like that."

  "And it sounds a lot like Babette!" Leonora looked ecstatically at her three children. "Gerhard, Gundu, Bere and of course Babette! Our children!"

  Gustav wept with happiness.

  Little did he know that Babette would be anything but delighted. While her parents bathed in their neiness, Babette also sidered her sed wedding ruined.

  sasi