It took about a month for arrangements to be made to visit the Jewelry Kingdom. Five weeks in, Altezza's ears were visibly longer than Sophie's. There was a picture of them comparing ear length to demonstrate that. Her ears also laid down over her chest rather than bending outward.

As they approached Crystal City and Jewelry Castle overlooking it from its perch on a hilltop covered in quartz spires. The city was a rainbow of roofs designed like colorful, cut gems. The streets were busy with people going about their business. However, many stopped and waved as the King Barbardo passed overhead.

Altezza returned to the lounge and took her seat as the Windmill Kingdom's flagship settled to the ground. "We have landed," the pilot's voice announced over the speaker. "You may now depart."

"I always love coming to the Jewelry Kingdom," Danielle said, practically bouncing in her seat. "Will we be going to the Décor Plaza? I want to see the latest trends."

"I'm looking forward to seeing my family more than anything," Altezza said. There were times she could spend the whole day at the Décor Plaza and perusing the various vendors' wares. What a difference impending motherhood made. "However, I think we can make a trip down there. I'll need to look at maternity clothes for one thing." She was still months away from needing them, but she might as well prepare now. The Décor Plaza would be the place to find the most fashionable options.

Camellia, Aaron, and Bright were waiting for them at the bottom of the wing. Camellia ran up the wing and pull Altezza in a hug. "Oh, Altezza, my little girl."

"Good to see you too, Mother," Altezza replied.

Camellia released Altezza and looked at her ears. "I heard you talk about it and saw your pictures, but I still can't believe this happened to you."

"The feeling's mutual," Altezza said.

Camellia glanced to the side. "Thank God I dodged that bullet," she murmured under her breath and away from Altezza.

Along with the flaps, Altezza discovered her hearing was being augmented. She could hear frequencies she used to not and could hear clearly at lower volumes than before. Even if her mother hoped to not be heard, Altezza picked up every word.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Altezza was aware of Camellia's brief yet disastrous courtship with Randa, the source of their decade and a half of mutual animosity that defined the first half of her childhood.

"Oh nothing, Altezza." Camellia picked up Altezza's ears. She rubbed them. "Though, I must admit, they're absolutely luxurious."

"Mother, please don't play with my ears." Altezza could not believe that sentence had to leave her lips.

Once they were settled, Altezza headed to the garden. The garden was her domain until she left to live in the Windmill Kingdom with her new husband. She spent many hours tending to the plants with the utmost care. If there was one thing she and Sophie agreed on, it was appreciation of flowers.

She sat on a bench and took in her old "kingdom" and "subjects." The garden seemed to miss her. The rose bushes could stand to be pruned on a more regular basis and there was the occasional weed in the flower beds.

"Can I sit with you?" a voice asked.

Altezza looked up to Camellia standing next to her. "Sure."

Camellia sat down. Altezza looked up at the mountains in the distance.

"I didn't realize, when we married you off, you would go all the way with being a Windmill Kingdom princess," Camellia said.

Altezza looked down at her attire. It was similar to what Sophie wore starting in her mid to late teens. The jacket and cloak were like Elena's while the crinoline skirt was the same as Sophie had worn in the years prior. There was also the dome crown. Though, her mother was speaking of her ears.

"Well, I don't have a tail." Altezza realized she might have jinxed herself. "At least, not yet."

"This was the bench where I gave you your first pieces of jewelry," Camellia said. "And here you are about to make me a grandma."

It was. Though, it was much bigger back then. Between their two crinoline skirts, they took up most of it.

Altezza turned to her mother. She used make-up to conceal it, but her age was starting to show in her face as she approached 50. There were subtle creases at the ends of her mouth and around her eyes. To Altezza, it made her look more distinguished. It made Altezza realize her mother's generation was going to be giving way to hers. For now, the two sat on the bench, mother and daughter, like this did all those years ago.