I hurried to our private kitchen, not the one where the staff cooked, and prepared the milk. I also took a small basket with me to carry the lunch with me. It even had a pocket for bottles and glasses, which worked almost as well. One still had to be careful not to swing the basket around too much. The basket also had an enchantment to keep the stored things fresh and hot for longer. It was the main reason I took it. I wanted Will to get hot milk and a hot lunch.

So I went to the great hall carefully but fast. I took a plate and began to choose what I would take with me. Chicken legs sounded good. I loved chicken legs. And bacon. Bacon was the best. And pork sticks. A few sausages couldn’t hurt. When I put the plate into the basket, I noticed that I wasn’t as careful as I thought I was, as a bit of the milk had sipped over. I cleaned it up with a napkin and added a few more to the basket just in case.

I winked at my uncle when he saw me and made my way up the many many stairs. Carefully. Slowly.

“You again!” That old lady was really a bother.

“Carpe Diem.” I didn’t want another talk with HIM again. The first one was terrible enough.

I made it halfway through the common room when the people spotted me and fell silent again. Awkward silence. I should quickly go up.

Oh, no, please grow a spine in the least good moment.

A boy and a girl, both larger than me, barred me from the stairs.

“You are not welcome here. Leave.” What an ass. And what did he mean by I’m not welcome? This is my castle; he was not welcome. Well, it was technically Uncle's castle, but he said I’m like a daughter to him, so it was basically the same. Still, I didn’t want to start any trouble. I know that William wouldn’t like it if I beat up his maybe friends. I didn’t know if they were, which reminded me that I knew painfully little about him.

“No? I’m not here for you. Just let me go up there, and we won’t have any trouble.”

“Who do you think you are?" Do you think we are afraid of you? Leave now; this is my last warning.” The wand in his hand irritated me a little. It wasn’t a nice feeling to have a weapon pointed at your head, and they looked old enough to even be capable of hurting me if I wasn’t careful. If I struck first, the fight would be over before it even started, but then I would be blamed for everything.

“I’m not here to play around. Just let me go up the stairs, and everyone can be happy.”

Instead of making way, the girl pushed me a little back. I didn’t fall or anything, but the dripping sound told me that even more of the milk had sipped over. Enough was enough. I carefully put the basket down. No need to risk anything.

“What are you doing? We want you to leave.” Said the girl as I was focused on the basket.

“And I said you should let me go up and we could both be happy, but you didn’t want to listen.”

“Stay away, or we will…” He didn’t speak till the end before he fired a spell after me. He needed to because I was fast. He naturally didn’t hit me. Even in close range, the really focused and targeted spells they liked to use for dueling were unlikely to hit me. I grabbed his outstretched arm and twisted it a little. Just enough to hurt. He whimpered a little as I pulled the wand out of his hand.

The girl had, in the meantime, decided that her friend was unable to beat me alone, and she fired a spell at me. Instead of dodging, I pulled the boy in front of me. I didn’t really care about the spell's effect, but my anger lessened a lot when I saw that it was just a full-body bind. I wouldn’t have cared if she had used something lethal, as the boy was the perfect shield, but knowing her intention wasn’t to really harm me was enough for me to show leniency. I threw the bound boy into her arms, dashed forward, and pulled the wand out of her hand while she struggled to free herself from the boy. She could have used the shield charm to block my throw, but then it would have been like throwing the boy into a wall, so I can understand she didn’t even attempt it.

“I will give you your wand back when I leave. And now stop bothering me.”

I took my basket in front of the silently watching, spineless group of Lionhearts and walked up the stairs.

I knocked, and I was quickly called in.

Lorain, that annoying bitch, was there happily, sitting on the edge of his bed, talking with him.

“Charly! You really brought me lunch?” Was that really so surprising? I told him I would.

“I will leave you two alone. Have fun.” That winking really was unnecessary, but I guess it was better than her staying.

I carefully placed the basket next to his bed and opened it. Luckily, I had put in a few spare napkins, as they saved the food from being drowned in milk. Could I really still give him the half-full cup of milk? I guess it was better than nothing, even if it wasn’t very presentable. I guess I should start with the food. Nothing wrong with that.

I pulled out the plate and showed it to him.

“Tada. Lunch.” Why was he looking at me so strangely?

“You really don’t eat vegetables, don’t you?” Okay, that was embarrassing. I mean, it's not like I would get sick from eating vegetables, but they tasted like mud to me. I never understood why someone would eat something like that. I wouldn’t even consider it real food, even though mother wanted me to try every vegetable she knew of to change my mind. It didn’t. But how do I explain that to him? Was it weird? Do I need to eat vegetables if I’m with him? That would be a huge minus point on the list, I hadn’t even started, about being together with him.

“It’s a condition, alright. So do you want to eat now or not?”

He coughed a bit before answering that it was fine. I put the plate on his lab before climbing into his bed. I stole a few chicken legs and bacon stripes, but I mainly watched him eat. He looked much healthier now than this morning. Maybe someone already made him milk with honey and… and love.

“Did you bring anything to drink?” he asked a little shyly. I was sure he didn’t want to make me feel bad in case I didn’t bring any, but I guessed that after eating so much bacon, anyone would get thirsty.

“I’m sorry. I bought some, but there were some… turbulences, so there is not much left.

I climbed out of the bed and got him the cup of milk.

“Is that milk?”

“Yes, with honey, ahmm, and something else. You will like it.” I couldn’t tell him it was made with love, but saying that there was whiskey in it was equally bad.

“It will make you feel better. I asked mother for a recipe.” My mother's name gave the milk more credibility, and he didn’t ask any further.

He carefully took a sip. The milk was still hot, so he had to drink slowly.

“So you want to get me drunk now?” How did he know about the whiskey?

“My parents work on a dragon farm. If I know something, it's whiskey. We need whole barrels of it to cook the dragoneggs, until they hedge when a mother doesn’t take care of an egg for some reason.” Damned dragons. Why couldn’t they be better parents?

“I’m sorry. Mother told me it will help with the coughing, and the coughing will… I don’t know; she told me it would help.”

“No need to be so defensive. My mother makes the milk like that too. Well she puts in more whiskey because she “loves us so much,” but I honestly think she just wants us to fall asleep.”

“Can I try it? I never had it before. I was never ill, so mother never made it for me.”

“Sure.” He gave me the cup, and I took a small sip.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

It was still hot and a little creamy. It tasted sweet, but not too sweet. The whiskey gave it a little bit of spicy and smoky flavor. It was delicious, but at the same time, I felt it made me feel a little dizzy. Was that the alcohol? I never had any before, and mother told me I shouldn’t drink any, and if I really wanted to try it, I should do it when she was nearby. But could it really be the alcohol? I just drank a sip. I know that Uncle and HE could drink bottles of beer and wine before they became drunk, and I was almost immune to most potions, so I shouldn’t even feel that little alcohol.

“I don’t think I like it. I feel weird.” I gave him the cup back and laid my head on his pillow. Everything was spinning a little. But every time I noticed the room moving, it seemed like it was resetting itself before starting to move again. I closed my eyes because it was making me dizzy.

“Hey, Charly, you need to wake up now.” I heard his voice in my ear. Didn’t I tell him that I couldn’t sleep? I just closed my eyes for a short moment because I was dizzy.

“It’s already evening, people will talk if you stay much longer.”

What was he talking about? I was barely past lunch. The sun was still.. where was the sun? I looked shocked to the window, but it looked dark outside.

“That can’t be. I just closed my eyes, and now it's dark. How is that possible?” I panicked a bit and felt my heart pumping faster.

"Charly, calm down. You just fell asleep. Everything is fine.” His calm voice really did calm me down, but did I really sleep? I didn’t dream, or at least I don’t think I did. It was really just like blinking a bit longer. Was that really sleeping.

“But, but I can’t sleep. I have never slept.”

“I can guarantee you, you just did. Like a rock. You didn’t react to me talking to you. At least in the first few minutes. You even drooled on my pillow.” Now I was sure he was joking. I would never drool on anything. Okay, why is the pillow wet? Did I really? No, I didn’t. But why else would the pillow be wet, and why else would it be dark outside?

Great my first time sleeping, and I can’t even remember what I did.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... I… I really have never slept. I didn’t know I would do something like… like that.” Why did it need to happen when I was with him? Why couldn’t it have happened when I was in my room? Alone.

“Don’t worry. It is fine. But did you really never sleep? What do you do all night?” Was it really okay, or was he just trying to calm me down? Anyway, I would take it either way.

“I mostly just take long baths. Sometimes I study a little, and in really rare cases, I go outside and look at the stars. It’s really boring most of the time.” Which reminded me that, with the exception of our date, I hadn’t left the castle for quite some time.

“You really like your baths.”

“I really do, they are the best. You should do it too; it’s so amazing; so comfy. I absolutely love it; you should come with me next time. I will show you how to build a ship out of a soap bar.”

He smiled at me.

“Do you really want to take a bath with me?” Ups, I might have been carried away. Baths are just that awesome.

“Maybe later. Much later.” I didn’t want to admit that I just blurted it out without thinking about it, but never say never.

“Fine. By the way, Lorain was here and took the wands you took from Daisy and Tom. But don’t worry, they are idiots, and Lorain has already scolded them. They won’t do it again, and I guess, after Lorain’s outburst, the others also won’t do it.”

“Lorain did what? Why did she?”

“I told you she was a nice girl. You just had a bad start. After you left this morning, she came back and wanted to know everything. She was genuinely happy for us. I mean, sure, she is sad that it won’t work between her and me, and she doesn’t make a big secret out of it, but that doesn’t mean she would sabotage us. And what Daisy and Tom did was just stupid, so naturally she gave them a bit of her mind.”

Okay, maybe I should reevaluate her. She wasn't an annoying bitch anymore; she was an annoying girl from now on. Annoying girl that had the potential to become annoying but nice girl. But I guess she was still closer to an annoying and perverted girl. I didn’t forget what she said about HIM.

“I guess I should thank her then.” I sounded more downcast than I wanted. It wasn’t really bad to thank someone. At least not as bad as apologizing.

“You don’t need to if you don’t want to. She did it mainly for me, but if you appreciate it, it would be good to do it. But you really should go now. I guess they are all waiting outside and want to know when you leave. Lorain’s outburst did more than just cause a few rumors.”

Hearing that, I wasn’t so sure I really wanted to thank her anymore, but I would think about it later on.

“So bad?”

“It depends on what your definition of bad is. Lorain told me the most popular theories are that you used a love potion or that you have succubus blood. I guess the odds for succubus are higher because of your eyes. The meaner ones are that your mother pays me, or that I just do it for a good grade, or that you did it with every guy and that I was just one of many, or that you are a vampire and I have become your bloodslave, or that..."

“Stop, Stop. I get it. Its bad. I mean, the vampire part isn’t too far from the truth, I guess. Except, I can’t create bloodslaves.” It was ironic that, with all those romours going around, I still felt happy. It didn’t even hurt me.

“Mother doesn’t pay you, right?”

“No, of course not. What do you take me for?” For an idiot. My idiot.

“If she offers you something, accept it. I need a raise. Lorain said I was poor." I really should ask mom for more pocket money. I had a few unlucky bets with Uncle, so I really didn’t have that much money.”

“How little does your mother give you for Lorain to call you poor? Her mother is a widow and is working part-time as a seamstress, so she is really not well off.” Okey, I didn’t know how much a seamstress earned, but I felt a little offended at that.

“I have two Gold Coins and ten Shillings to my name.” I added the five Shillings I withheld my last time in the hope it would change his judgment.

“Okay, I understand now. Do you even know what a Gold Coin is worth? What a Shilling is worth or what a Penny is worth?

“What is a Penny? And naturally, I know how much a Gold Coin is worth nineteen Shillings. And ten Shillings is the minimum you need to bet once against Uncle.” I don’t understand what's so hard about that.

Did he just hit his face with his bare hand? Was he retarded? Did he like pain? Should I punch him too? I should better ask to be sure, or I might cause him... unpleasurable pain? Is there something like pleasurable pain? How does that work anyway? Pain was pain. There was nothing good about that.

“You don’t understand the concept of money, Charlotte. I can’t believe no one taught you. 31 Pennys are worth one Shilling, so a Gold Coin is worth 589 Pennys. But what can you buy for a Gold Coin. A pack of flour, for example, is worth two Shillings and five Pennys. Sometimes ten Pennys. The bottle of milk is worth three Shillings. A full glass of honey is worth thirteen Shillings and a bottle of whiskey usually goes for three to ten Gold Coins, depending on the brand. Ten Gold Coins is around what a normal wizard earns in a day. Some earn a little less but never lower than eight Gold Coins. A seamstress that needs around two days to finishes a normal dress, not the ones you like to wear, in two days. Adding the costs of the materials, she needs to sell the dress for at least thirty Gold Coins. A more complex dress with better materials costs at least twice that. The dress you are wearing probably costs around two hundred Gold Coins. The normal seamstresses don’t work with such expensive materials, and the better ones naturally get better paid as well. So no, you are not poor. You just don’t have much money.”

I was sure he was joking. I mean, I liked my dress, but was it really worth 380 bets with Uncle? That couldn’t be. We could bet for years and wouldn’t reach that number. I don’t think we would even get to that many bets if I took all bets we ever made into account, and this was only one dress. I had at least thirty. But why would he tell me that if that wasn’t true? There was no plausible reason, which meant it was probably true.

“Okay, now you really need to go. I’m also tired, and I really need to go to the toilet. You laid on my arm, so I didn’t go until now, but if I wait any longer, the bed will be as wet as the pillow.”

Was that meant to be funny? Sometimes he was really weird. Why didn’t he just push me away when I was sleeping so deep?

Anyway, I knew my time had come, and I stood up. But not before giving him a good-night kiss. But unlike my mother, this one was not on the forehead.

He needed to brush his teeth. I could still taste the bacon and the chicken. And now that I noticed it, I also realized that he really should take a bath. Should I take him with me now? Nope. Too soon.

When I walked out, I was greeted by a lot of frosty but also curious eyes. It felt much less hate than I was used to from the group of Lionhearts. Wasn’t it time to go to bed. Hush hush. Leave me alone.

Lorain came forth from a group near the fireplace.

She silently followed me to the door. What did she want?

“So, how was it?” Was what? Is it so hard to just tell me what you want to know without me needing to ask?

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you kiss again? How did it feel like to sleep in his bed? When do you plan to do IT? Everything!” Okay, that was a touch too intrusive. I didn’t even know the answers to some of these things myself.

“Okey, but just because I heard you talked to that Daphne and Tom.”

“Daisy, but yes, tell me.” I think I will never get good at learning names. I mean, I can quickly come up with a ton of them, but remembering them was something different.

“Right. Daisy. So yes, we did kiss again. I drooled on his pillow, so I would say that the sleeping part was really terrible, and I never thought about the last thing yet. I mean, do you even plan something like that? Isn't it meant to be more spontaneous? Or after marriage?” Okay, I repaid my guilt. I owe her nothing now.

“Oww sweet. I’m sure he wasn’t angry. I just hope he will clean the pillow. When is your next date?”

“Hey, I already answered your questions. And why wouldn’t he clean the pillow? It was really wet, sticky, and… unclean.”

“I said "everything." She pouted at me. Hey, don’t do that; I have a boyfriend, and I don’t tick that way. “And you are really clueless. Boys do things like that. My first boyfriend had this shirt I wore once. He didn’t wash it for three weeks. Always saying that he liked the scent of it. I needed to wear another one to get him to clean that. My second boyfriend wasn’t any better. Boys just do weird stuff like that. It's idiotic, sometimes disgusting, but sometimes a little cute, don’t you think?”

“Well, I agree with the disgusting part. And no, we don’t have our next date planned. He first needs to get healthy again before we plan anything. But I really need to go now. I really need a bath.” I felt really dirty. Not only had I a few drops of milk on my beautiful dress, but the whole drolling story just made everything worse.

“I can come with you, and you can tell me more.”

“Don’t you dare. I will get mother to change the password.”

"Hey, that’s not fair. I kept my promise.”

“Go at another time. I bathe alone!” How did that annoying girl change from talking shit about me to wanting to bathe with me? Sometimes I think I’m the only normal person in this castle.