WITCH - The Revolt

Chapter 56

Peter

Tired, he recoiled. The sun was shining through the window. The soft light had awakened him. Lazily, he climbed out of his bed and disappeared into his bathroom to get ready for the day, before a servant could wake him up.

When he came out of the bathroom, there was a pot of tea and a cup on his bedside table, as he started every day with tea. A servant had quietly brought him the tea. Peter poured some tea into his cup and went to his dressing room.

Another breakfast with Babette and her parents awaited him, as they would not leave until after breakfast. Lea had already left the evening before.

He had little desire to spend more hours with Babette. He would rather go straight to the academy to visit his sister. What was it like to attend classes there? To be a student there? What was it like to be a magician?

His childhood dream did not let him go. Instead, another breakfast with sausage Babette was waiting for him, who probably had even more ludicrous ideas for her wedding. What idea might come next? A parade?

In a bad mood, he put on simple cloth trousers and a light linen shirt. He put a colorful scarf around his neck and tied his hair together with a shimmering ribbon. Julia's necklace disappeared under his shirt. Then he made his way to breakfast, where his parents were already talking to the Baron and the Baroness. Babette wasn't there yet. Maybe she had overslept?

"Good morning", he greeted his family and future family. He sat as far away from them as the dining room table allowed and put fruit on his plate. A servant poured him coffee. To his left sat Cleo, who looked a little pale and listlessly sipped a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning, Peter." His mother nodded at him, but then continued to talk to Babette's parents. Babette arrived at the dining room a few moments later. She wore a too-tight, poison-green dress and lavish jewelry. Smiling, she sat down next to Peter and reached for his hand.

"Did you sleep well?", she wanted to know. Her grip was tight and she looked at him with a fake, sugar-sweet smile.

Peter withdrew his hand, her hands were sticky and wiped it on a napkin. "Yes, yes. And you?"

"I slept wonderfully! The beds here are just wonderful! I would love to have such a bed in our house!"

"That can certainly be arranged!" Friedrich smiled. "Do you want more?"

"Sure!" Babette pulled a plate of sausage to her and eagerly helped herself to it. "I want a big painting of me and Peter in the entrance area! With one of my horses."

"That sounds like a good idea." Her father nodded. "Didn't we generally want to arrange an appointment for a painting?"

"We had thought about commissioning one, yes." The Baroness smiled. "But we also have a beautiful painting by Babette that could be hung in the house." She looked at her stepdaughter. "The one with the swan? On which you are five years old? You should take a memento with you. And we would have room for a new painting!"

Peter did not want a painting of himself and Babette together. And also none with a horse. "How about a dragon? Instead of the horse?", he suggested, knowing full well that the idea was abstruse. But a dragon suited Babette, didn't it? The future house dragon?

"A dragon?" Babette frowned. "There are no dragons here! And I doubt that one would be painted with us. Dragons are dangerous! He'd rather eat us than get a painting!"