1911 (9)

The palace clock hadn't stopped. And yet today, everything seemed to be moving more slowly than usual.

Just as we were about to begin the morning lesson as usual, the chief chamberlain suddenly came in and whispered something briefly to Dr. Schneider. The doctor closed his book and said,

“That will be all for today's lesson.”

“But we haven't even started.”

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“Queen Victoria of England has passed away.”

‘Oh, right. It was around this time.’

A monarch who had defined an era in Britain. But now she was my father's maternal grandmother, and part of my family—someone my mother and siblings exchanged letters with. I remembered that she had sent me gifts and letters several times, too.

I didn't know what expression to wear. In history books, it was merely the event that marked the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of a new one, but now it had happened to my family.

An order went out across the palace to prepare for mourning. The splendid banners and decorations were covered in black cloth, and the maids put away the brightly colored dresses in the wardrobes...