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I kissed my cute chubby-cheeked Roland one last time the day of our departure for the Kanta Mountains. It had been a long and uneventful winter, making last minute preparations and negotiations with Franz for proper restitution.

The baby was nearly a year old and was crawling everywhere. My heart ached that I would miss his first steps and likely never hear him call me "Ka-ee" again. He had been the closed thing I would ever have to a nephew unless the du Pont children decided to stay in touch after I left.

As predicted, the countess was absolutely distraught. We made sure to head out before she could fuss too much.

"Take care of yourself, Katie," Mariela said with a sad smile. "You too, Al. It will not be nearly as lively around here without the two of you."

"You say that as if it is a bad thing," Franz muttered under his breath, which made me laugh.