Queen Julia von Sonnenhof let her legs dangle over the highest roof of the castle. From here she could overlook the entire palace garden. She loved to sit high up. She also liked to fly on the backs of her dragons. High up in the air, she was happiest. (And, of course, in Leo's arms.) She sat up here, on the roof, whenever she needed a moment to herself. The light fabric of her nightgown fluttered in the wind. Julia hadn't changed her clothes yet.
Aili had written her a letter. Julia read it with pleasure. The girl had meanwhile become her pen pal, something she had never expected. After all, Aili was Babette's daughter. She and her siblings deserved a better mother. Of course, Julia had helped the children. Aili had reminded her a bit of herself. Back when she was at the academy and the expectations of a cruel queen weighed heavily on her. Now she was Queen herself.
And the fate of these children did not get out of her mind. Especially since one of the children was now a good, cherished friend.
Julia sighed and watched the gardeners in the garden of her castle. She had it rebuilt a bit. And further work was pending. It reminded her too much of her mother. Julia wanted to be a better queen. And that's why the castle should also change. Some days she felt hopelessly overwhelmed, but she did her best. She had good advisers and wise counselors. Julia was positive about the future. She could make the kingdom a better place. And that's exactly what she would do. No matter how long it took.
And then, when she had obtained everything she wanted and was tired of governing, she would pass the crown on to a future generation of nephews and nieces. Or she and Leo adopted a child one day? Only, she herself remained a teenager forever... That was not a good premise for this... But who knows what the future holds? Julia didn’t try to plan everything now. She had centuries or more of a future ahead of her.
She stroked the letter in her hands. Aili wrote a lot about her friends, but even more about Amaury. She was in love with Julia's nephew. The two were officially dating by now. But they took it slowly. Aili wrote to her that Amaury blushed terribly when she told him for the second time how much she liked him. Julia was happy for the two of them. Of course, she had noticed how her nephew looked at the girl. And Aili often wrote that Amaury was very different from Nio. A boy who hadn't been good to her. Julia had learned from Lea what had happened to the girl. The boy, Nio, was not allowed to return to the academy. He was not allowed to approach Aili. This was decided by a court. The court also decided that he was too young to send to prison. And Aili refused to testify against him. His friend Arne was also not allowed to return to the academy.
She wrote regularly with Amaury. Julia knew from him that Aili found it difficult to allow any form of intimacy. Simple kisses and hugs were already difficult. Amaury didn't know how to help her. Except to give her time. Julia agreed with him in her letters. He took good care of the girl, Julia was sure of that. And he thought about going to university later. But he wanted to continue working at the academy as a baker until Aili graduated. After that, they planned to study together. What, the two did not know yet.
Paul was very proud of his son. Amaury had finally found his way. Her brother only grieved that his boy would probably not take over the bakery after all. However, little Ethan had announced that he also wanted to be a baker. And he wanted the bakery. So far. Julia also often wrote with Paul. As with all her siblings. She wanted to invite them all soon. To a small feast. Maybe in winter? Then they could all have a snowball fight in the garden. She also planned to invite Aili and her family. And Marko's siblings with their families.
"Here you are!" Leopold climbed out of the window and cautiously approached her. To do this, he had to climb a ladder that was intended for chimney sweeps and roofers. "Everyone's looking for you."
"I needed a moment for myself", she replied.
"But up here? Eventually, you'll fall."
Julia grinned. "No. I have the wind and everything on my side. Nothing happens to me." Her gaze was on his broken wings. "Do you miss it? Flying?"
Leopold sighed and put his arm around her shoulders to pull her close to him. "Yes. But I don't regret anything." He kissed her hair.
Julia smiled. "I love you."
"I love you more!" Leopold replied.
High up, on the roof of the castle, they kissed.
THE END.
