POV: Katherine 

The sun suddenly hit my face, waking me up from my deep sleep. I still felt really tired, but the maid who opened the curtains started talking.

“I know the bed is comfortable, but you have something to do today, don't you?”

Suddenly all the sleepiness is gone, I get up in a flash and make my way to the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Miss Katherine?”

I looked at my body and noticed I am only in my sleepwear, walking around the mansion in it would have been… I get red just thinking about it.

“Thanks Iona”

I hear her cheerful laugh as I make my way to the dressing room adjacent to mine. I am going to turn 16 soon, my last year in the academy, making this my last vacation as a student…

As those thoughts crossed my mind I quickly changed into more appropriate clothes, even though I got the dress from grandma last year it barely fits, but I am sure it would make my grandparents happy if I used it, at least for today. 

Running from my room, I passed by Iona who was cleaning as usual. 

“Where is Alice?”

“She is with Rylee as usual, but make sure to eat breakfast first!”

I continued running all the way to the dining room.

“Good morning Kate!”

“Morning grandma, has grandpa already left?”

“Yes sweety”

I grabbed a piece of bread, and stopped to catch my breath for a second. the old lady sitting alone put her hand on her cheek. Even at such an age she still had a little bit of the overwhelming elegance she boasted in her youth.

“To be young...”

While she was daydreaming, I put as much bread I could in my mouth and washed it down with a cup of tea that burned my throat. I was too late to worry about that, and also to worry about how unladylike my table manners were…

I once again started to run, as fast as my dress allowed me to, my destination this time was the study room, where I would most certainly find Rylee teaching Alice all the stuff we learned at the academy that year.

If only Alice had managed to pass the entrance exam… I won’t let it get me down today.

I opened the door in a hurry.

“We are late!”

They were surprised by my sudden intrusion. Rylee held her head as if it suddenly started to hurt.

“If a certain princess wasn’t sleeping until now we wouldn’t be late!”

“forget that, we need to go now!”  

Alice looked lost for a bit, but when Rylee grabbed her hand she let herself be pulled. I noticed her cheeks became a little bit flushed… But that wasn’t worth wasting time for.

We ran full speed towards the building grandpa had built in the middle of the forest, stopping a few times to catch our breath. All around the path there were trees full of color, their flowers signalling that spring was in full force. 

Reaching the building, stopping one last time to catch my breath I opened the door.

“Sorry for being late grandpa...”