WITCH - The Revolt

Chapter 5

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."