Julia

Julia stared into her reflection as her brown hair was pinned up by Sophie. The servant with the shimmering green dragonfly wings handed the elderly lady hair clips. While Sophie babbled incessantly, the elf didn't say a single word. Liesa, Julia remembered. The servant's name was Liesa. While Sophie took care of Julia's appearance and well-being as far as Julia could remember, Liesa was usually close to the queen. She served her tea, mended her clothes, cleaned up, cleaned occasionally, combed her hair, and relayed messages to her children. Like secretary, maid and chambermaid in one person.

"Now only the make-up is missing!", Sophie announced much too cheerfully for Julia's bad mood. "What do you think? Pink lipstick? Matching the flowers on your dress?" Sophie held up a light pink lipstick. "Or something more eye-catching? Red? Some of the flowers are also red."

"Red," Julia decided. "It's my birthday today. I should stand out."

"Absolutely," Sophie agreed.

Just as Julia's make-up was finished, there was a knock on the door. Liesa looked questioningly at the princess. With a nod, she informed the servant that visitors were allowed to enter. Liesa silently rushed to the door and opened it with a bow.

"Little sister!", Cleo stormed through the door without paying attention to the servant and hugged Julia just as furiously. Fritz and Lea came in behind her. "Happy birthday, you're the best. I would love to give you your gift right now, but I must wait for the ball. Has Mother given you a gift yet?" Cleo wore the black uniform of the military, with gold ornaments indicating that she was in power. Agathe left her the supervision of the military, she took care of the health system like Fritz and Lea took care of the financing of the health system.

"No, Mom didn’t give me a gift yet. I've only seen her at breakfast so far today. But Peter gave me a bracelet."  Julia proudly held up her left wrist, on which a filigree begging bracelet jingled. Small, diamond-studded figurines and bells hung down from the silver chain and rattled and rang with every movement.

The two servants cleaned up the make-up utensils and hair clips without paying attention to the siblings.

"That's really pretty." Lea pushed her older sister, rustling the wide skirt of her purple dress. "You used to have that kind of bracelets Cleo. Before you joined the military."

"True, but I have muscles instead now!" Laughing, Cleo stroked her short hair. "I think I'll keep my uniform on. I would probably look ridiculous in a dress."

"You look very pretty Julia. Are you excited?", Fritz wanted to know. He wore a dark blue suit with silver embroidery.

"Rather unmotivated," Julia admitted, waving goodbye to Sophie and Liese, while the two servants silently left the room. "A cake would have been enough for me."

"What? No presents?" protested Lea immediately.

"Oh! A cake and presents," Julia corrected immediately. "Gifts are great, but I'm afraid I'll drown in gifts at the end of the evening. Mom invited pretty much all the noble houses. All! Even the landed gentry and influential merchants. I don't know half of the guests."

"That was also the case with my 16th birthday," Fritz reassured her. "And also with Cleos and Leas. And when our magic showed itself, she organized such an exaggerated big ball for each of us. After all, you only have to endure one ball, not two."

"Are you looking forward to the academy?" Cleo looked at her own reflection and smoothed her short hair. "I can still remember my first day well. Out of sheer excitement I had to go to the toilet all the time. And then I knocked over an ink bottle and ruined my school uniform... It's been 83 years, I started my first year of school there when I was 15, but I still remember it as if it were recently. I was the youngest in the class at the time. The youngest and the largest."

"I overslept on my first day," Lea recalled. "That was just embarrassing."

Fritz grinned broadly. "I didn't show up for classes on my first day. I skipped."

"Oh? Is this a tradition I should continue? A disaster on the first day of school?" asked Julia, amused.

"At least," Fritz agreed.

There was a knock at the door. Another servant, in the silver festive uniform of the servants, came in and behaved himself. "The ball starts in a few minutes. Her Majesty awaits you in the gallery of the ballroom."

"Now the seriousness of life begins," Fritz whispered mischievously in Julia's ear.

Peter

Peter looked out of one of the windows of his spacious room, from which the courtyard of the castle could be seen. He watched as one carriage after another drove up and rich people in rich clothes got out, including several young witches and normal, non-magical girls between the ages of 16 and 20. His mother, of course, wanted him to marry a witch... Some he already knew from other celebrations.

In particular, he could do without the company of a young lady. The presence of Baron von Steinhof's daughter Babette.

The queen had forced him to dance with her on Babette's 19th birthday. His mother called it 'a good match', he called it a torment for his ears. Babette had the loudest, roughest voice he had ever heard and an even louder, rumbling laugh. The fact that she was two whole heads taller than him was not exactly pleasant. 

While dancing, she had constantly stepped on his feet and told one bad joke after another... And finally burped him in the face. By mistake, she was terribly embarrassed... 

He certainly wouldn't dance with Babette again.

He watched her get out of a silver-painted carriage. Her father followed her. Babette wore a fiery red dress, which did not suit her in the slightest and which was also too tight. It looks like a fiery red liver sausage. Babette the liver sausage... Made from happy cows...  Did she choose the dress herself? Or was she badly advised? She should claim damages.... In the form of liver sausage?

His little sister's birthday would be exhausting. He was convinced of this. Should he just stay in his room? He had no desire for dancing and flattery. He didn't want to be introduced to young witches and then have to dance with them... He didn't want to get burped at... He didn't feel like dancing with a fiery red liver sausage.

The Queen holds Baron von Steinhof in high regard... His daughter Babette was a gifted healer, while the Baron was only weakly gifted. He was also a seer. However, he could not see into the future, but only into the past.

Babette's mother had died ten years ago. She had also been a healer. Even though the magic always came from the mother, this did not mean that the child also inherited the type of magic. That Babette was a healer was a coincidence. However, healing magic was slightly more common than manipulative magic. Seers were very rare, and particularly gifted seers, like the queen, were even rarer.

Peter put his forehead against the cold window. Baron von Steinhof is one of his mother's best friends... If it were up to her, I would have been married to the burping liver sausage long ago. Mother pretends that I am free to decide, but it MUST be a witch... Preferably Babette... She would be extremely satisfied with that... I'm sure I'll have to dance with her, and Babette seems to like me. On her birthday, she didn't leave me alone for a single second.

Should I leave the castle? Like Paul and Ingried? To go against Mother's wishes? ...

Maybe one of these witches is quite nice and doesn't burp.

Julia

From the stands, Julia could overlook the entire ballroom. Slowly, the golden hall filled with more and more guests. Colorful paintings on the walls and ceilings depicted dancing couples and a sunset. The court orchestra was waiting to play dance music. At a buffet there was cake and wine.

The queen sat on an opulent golden chair and smiled contentedly. Juliet's chair was also decorated with golden, but simple and solemn flower garlands. Her siblings also sat on simple, golden chairs. The chairs of her siblings were not decorated, as it was tradition to decorate only the chair of the person who had a birthday with flowers.

Cleo chatted with her mother, and Fritz and Lea quietly rated the dresses of the ladies present on a scale from -10 (ugly and an abomination for the eyes) to 10 (Who is your tailor?). Lea had just rated the dress of Babette von Steinhof with -10. Fritz nodded his head in agreement and compared poor Babette to a goldfish that had grown out of its scales and swam in water that was too hot.

 Julia had played with Babette from time to time as a child. Babette had been an imperious playmate and had followed Peter, who was completely overwhelmed by the situation, everywhere. Peter had not yet appeared in the gallery. His place was still empty. Where is he? Should I seek him? No. Then I would miss the beginning of my own celebration. This won't do.

The ballroom was getting more and more crowded and soon no more guests came. The queen rose from her chair and the court musicians played a short solemn melody. Now Julia and her siblings also stood up. She wanted it the ball protocol. All eyes were now on the stands. Julia would have liked to hide.

"Today we celebrate the 16th birthday of my youngest daughter," the Queen proudly announced in her voice. "As well as the appearance of their magic. Julia von Sonnenhof is a seer. Tonight it takes its rightful place in our community. Let us raise our glasses to their well-being and be merry!" As if on the word, servants came into the ballroom with champagne glasses and distributed them and the court musicians began to play a cheerful, light melody. A servant also appeared in the gallery and brought Julia and her family gold-colored sparkling wine. "To Princess Julia," the Queen raised her glass. The celebration had begun. Now there would be about two hours of dancing, drinking and eating. After that, the gifts would be handed over. These gathered in an adjoining room. The guests had given them to the servants. Only the gifts of her mother and siblings would be given personally. After the gift was handed over, dancing would continue. Only then would the queen, Julia and her siblings mingle with the crowd.

"Where is your brother?" the queen asked, clearly irritated. "He's too late. I had sent a servant to his room... Peter should be here by now! This is a scandal!"

"Maybe he got lost?" joked Fritz. "We haven't seen him today either."

"Nonsense!" reprimanded Agathe. "He certainly didn't get lost, Fritz. He didn't greet you?"

Fritz shook his head.

"Oh!" Lea interrupted her. "Peter is already here." She pointed to a figure at the edge of the ballroom at the cake buffet.

As soon as Agathe had discovered her youngest son, she turned angry and struggled to save face.

Peter calmly ate his way through the buffet. And that in pajamas, dressing gown and slippers. Julia couldn't help laughing. "At least he's present." She sipped her glass of champagne so as not to laugh loudly.

Peter's brown hair was completely disheveled and stood out. He still looked exactly like he did at breakfast, where he had already slightly upset his mother with his appearance in pajamas. This was not appropriate for the Queen's son.

"Apparently, Peter doesn't want to dance," Fritz remarked, who watched Peter turn away Babette with a furrowed brow, who was obviously not deterred by pajamas.

The queen shook her head, stunned, and called for a servant. "Please lead my son here." While the servant hurried away, smiling slightly, Agathe turned to her other children. "Before he makes a mockery of us all!"

"I'm sure the damage has already been done," Cleo murmured.

A few minutes later, Peter appeared in the stands eating cake. A few crumbs fell down. "At your service, world's best mother of all. How can I help you?" he asked with a bored expression.

The world's best mother of them all glared angrily at him: "By putting on something else on the spot!"

"On the spot? Here?" Peter took off his dressing gown with glee. "But I don't have anything else with me."

"Peter!" threatened the queen. "Don't ruin your sister's party! Go, change your clothes and then I want to see you in the stands. The gifts will be handed over soon."

"As you wish, mother," he relented, but Julia could see the mockery in his eyes. His next clothing choice would hardly be better. She had to hold back her laughter again. My celebration is definitely funnier like this.