Amaury's early childhood was marked by a war he could hardly remember.

He remembered that his mother was always worried. He also knew that some cities were burning and had to be rebuilt. He had seen one of the fires. Everything else was gone.

He was still very small when the war came and went like a fleeting nightmare. But the country had not yet recovered. Werewolves and elves were free. But the former servants still wore the binding spells that bound them to people or buildings. There was still no spell that could solve it without endangering the wearers. It was said that binding spells were very complex and not meant to be broken. But the country's universities were still looking for a solution.

The queen wanted free people. She did not want slavery. Unlike the mad queen, who previously ruled for a long time and enslaved others.

Amaury's father was a baker by profession, just like his mother. But she had given up work after she married Paul and the two started a family. Amaury was their oldest child. Their first child and the only one of their children who remembered the war. After a short time, he was joined by his two sisters Ava and Aleidis, who were now both seventeen years old. And, of course, thirteen-year-old Adaliz. And Ethan. The six-year-old was the spoiled baby of the family.

Amaury had been apprenticed at his father's bakery for two years now and was about to complete it. Paul hoped that one day he would take over. But he didn't push him to do it. Amaury didn't know if he wanted to take over the bakery. Maybe he wanted more? Ava and Aleidis at least wouldn't.

Ava didn't speak. And Aleidis? She hadn't started speaking until she was three years old. But she, too, preferred silence. She never said much when she said anything. Adaliz, on the other hand, spoke endlessly. She had something to add to everything. She wanted to be a professor. Not a baker. She was smart enough (unless it was about math), but far too eager to communicate. And with that, she really got on Amaury's nerves. She also had a habit of bringing neglected animals home. Not just cats or dogs. No, she also brought spiders and other insects with her and wanted to keep them in her room. For research purposes, she said.

Ethan?

He had been going to school for a week. And a week seemed enough to hate something from the bottom of his soul. Every morning, he fought with his parents to stay at home. He also had a slight allergy to animal hair, which is why Adaliz was not allowed to keep the dogs or cats. Much to the chagrin of his sister. And Ethan was also very afraid of insects. Adaliz regularly made him scream with her finds. Consciously and unconsciously.

Amaury had loved school. Might that be something for him?

A teacher?

But the study cost a lot of money. Money that his parents didn't have. This is what they also told Adaliz every time she spoke of her future studies. Amaury's family was not poor, but they lacked the necessary money for higher education. Unlike his parents, his aunts and uncles did not lack money. Would they pay for his studies? Should he ask them?

But none of his friends studied. They had all moved to the surrounding towns to work. And once a month they all met. He would miss these meetings far too often. He cared a lot about his friendships.

Would he be a good teacher? His mother always said he lacked assertiveness. He liked to avoid quarrels and arguments. And that's how he liked it best. But he wanted more from life than just baking bread.

Should he move in with his relatives for a while? To his uncle Fritz? To Ingried? Cleo? Lea? Or maybe... No. He did not want to ask his Uncle Peter or his Aunt Julia to be allowed to live in the castle for a while.

Amaury was of royal blood, even though he did not hold any titles. His father was once a prince. Amaury was not. Unlike his cousins. Therefore, he did not particularly like family gatherings. They all lived in luxury. Of course, he was not jealous of their titles. Amaury didn't want to be a prince.

No. Amaury wasn‘t a prince.