The next day it was too rainy to go outside, so Angela decided to look around the house more. There was one place she liked, and it was the kitchen.

She used to cook a lot home, so she tried to do something. There was a lot of food there.

But maybe something easy will be better.

She started making soup and was kind of curious, why there weren't any cooks here. Actually NOBODY was there.

,,Hey Giselle, look at that!" she heard from the door. She rolled her eyes.

,,What… hey, she's cooking! Yay, seems there's a new servant here, don't you think?" Anastasia grinned.

,,As expected from a peasant girl."

,,You never cook here?" Angela asked, while still working.

,,No, of course not!" Giselle rolled her eyes. ,,I mean, look around, do you think we could cook here?"

,,Well," Angela grinned. ,,cooking is one of the signs of a future good wife, don't you think? How about you lose all your money and you won't learn nothing? What would you do? I don't think you would make money with talking or dancing, though… being comedians isn't that bad. Tried it, but I think that's more fun that real job."

They shuttled, then one of them snorted and then also tripped over something, it seemed.

,,What the…ELLA! What the hell you think you're doing, sitting in the door!" Anastasia screamed.

,,I'm sorry, si-"

,,Don't call me like that!" both of them ran away cursing.

Angela looked to the door, where also the oven was, and noticed a slim girl there, sitting in the door with a mouse on her shoulder, to which she seemed to talk now, holding a sweeper.

,,Hello?" Angela called. ,,Are you alright?"

The girl – Ella – jumped of her seat and whirled ashes around her.

,,Wh- Sorry, I didn't mean to sit there, I just was so tir-"

,,That's okay, that's okay!" Angela laughed. ,,Calm down, please. You're Ella, right?"

,,Yes. And you are who?" she asked, it seemed she just noticed it's someone she never seen before.

,,I'm Angela Rubens, nice to meet you."

,,Rubens…? You're the witch's daughter!" Ella pointed out. ,,WOW! I never met a real witch before! Can you show me something?"

,,I can I think," Angela shrugged. ,,But I'm just a apprentice."

,,That doesn't matter, it doesen´t have to be a big spell."

,,Alright. Can you hand me over your little friend?"

Ella stayed quite hesitant, so she added;

,,Don't worry, I wont hurt her."

,,How do you know it's a her?"

,,Well, I talked to animals since I was little, so I can tell the difference."

,,Oh! So its not that weird," Ella nodded, it looked more for herself. ,,I can also talk to animals. But they," she pointed out of the door. ,,think I'm weird."

,,No, you are just slightly magical, but anybody can learn how to speak to animals if they want to." Angela started to like this girl.

,,Okay," Ella nodded cheerfully and carefully handed Angela over the mouse.

She took it and closed her eyes. After a while she opened them and tapped the mouse's head.

The little animal turned orange.

Ella bursted onto laughter and clapped.

,,Glad you liked that!" Angela laughed too and tapped the mouse again, it turned it´s natural color. ,,You know, you are a lot nicer than those two."

,,Well they are just my stepsisters, after all."

,,What?" Angela's eyes widened.

,,Well, I'm not surprised they haven't told you... my mom died, my dad got married again and so on."

,,I see. But why are you here as a servant then?"

,,Well, since everybody around thought I'm weird and then dad died…So I'm here."

She shrugged.

,,Well, if you ever wanted something, just send me a letter! I'm sure birds know where I live, just ask them."

,,That's nice of you! Really. Never met such a kind person before. But YOU don't think I'm strange, do you?"

,,I'm a witch!" Angela bursted onto laughter again. ,,I'm the only one who wears a long red cape in my village, or maybe in the whole land, and I recently turned down a marriage proposal from the richest and best boy from the village."

,,Well wow. You're just the right person for me! Want to be friends?" she reached out a hand.

,,I sure do!" Angela shaked it.

The bell rang and in the same time the dog started to bark. Angela and Ella curiously rushed to the door, which were next to the hallway, Ella stopped out of sight.

Anastasia and Giselle opened the door and found out it was a royal messenger. He just handed them over a letter and walked away again.

,,Wow!" Anastasia jumped. ,,It's a invitation to a royal ball next week…the younger prince is going to chose a wife!"

,,Wow, I´ve never been to a ball before!" Angela wondered quietly out loud.

,,I'd love to go see the ball," Ella sighed and jumped down the stairs to the kitchen again, after closing the door.

,,Just to see?"

,,Just to see! I don't like when I have to be among nobles, I'd rather be as a servant there. But I'd love to meet the prince."

,,And you haven't yet? I mean, you are a noble actually."

,,Ack, no. But I saw him before," she blushed. ,,I wonder what kind of person he is. I'd love to see him again."

,,Me too, but I'd much rather- eh."

There was silence for a while, it seemed that Ella waited for the rest of the phrase, but then just asked;

,,You'd much rather…? See someone else?"

,,Yes," Angela blushed.

,,Witch blush!" Ella pointed out dramatically. ,,That must be a special one, right?"

,,No," Angela turned her head away.

,,No what?"

,,No I wont tell you about him! You'd think I'm a psycho."

,,I want to hear anyway."

,,You're weird."

,,I know I'm weird," Ella said cheerfully. ,,and I try to be nice. Tell me please?"

,,Alright then… do you want to hear the full story?"

,,Yes!" Ella sat down on the last stair and shutted.

,,Well," Angela started and still cooked at the same time. ,,recently, it was my eighteen birthday."

,,I'm going to be eighteen too; just two years left! Is it a good feeling?"

Beside her I feel like a normal girl, Angela thought with a smile.

,,Yes, it sure is! Well, and at that day mom send me to my grandma to bring her some things and to watch over her house, because she had to leave it. She lives deep in the forest, but I was there many times. Well and along the way I met a huge white wolf I never saw around before."

,,How big?"

,,His mouth was so huge he could swallow you."

,,Wow. But wolves aren't really so aggressive, are they? And you said you met him."

,,Yes I met him, I talked to him. By the way he was something I never saw in my whole life! He had really beautiful eyes; people who saw him said it's like the color of passion."

,,Passion has a color?"

,,No, but if it had I would imagine it as that."

,,So it was like reddish pink, right?" Ella closed her eyes for a while, when saying it.

,,Exactly. Well and in the conversation we made a bet, because he wanted to go where I was going too – who will be there first. If I win, I would get a special rose, if he did, he would get a kiss."

,,Kissing a wolf? No big deal," Ella shrugged.

,,I thought the exact same thing and you know what I found there, when I got to granny's house? I found a damn hot young man there."

Ella half gasped, half laughed.

,,Well, the next day I woke with bloody sheets and I was glad! Then in the forest he took me home on his back, and two days after he gave me this," Angela took out the rose she carried everywhere with her.

,,Winter rose!" Ella pointed out. ,,That's really rare! I read that it's a flower that high magical beings give to their loved ones."

,,High demons…"

,,I'd say so what! If you miss him that's nothing to be ashamed of."

,,Thanks." Angela suddenly hugged her.

,,Ouch." She hugged back. ,,And you know you haven't told me his name yet."

,,Andro."

,,Nice," Ella tapped her back. ,,really nice."