At dawn, a ray of sunlight shone through a gap in the curtains onto the sleeping boy's face. Albert had yet to wake, but he would soon be roused.
The door to the room beside the stairs on the second floor was quietly pushed open. A brown-haired girl poked her head inside, her large brown eyes fixed on the boy still asleep in bed as she softly called, "Albert, it's time to get up."
Seeing no reaction from the boy in bed, the girl pouted in dissatisfaction, pushed the door open, and walked inside, followed by a British Shorthair Cat.
"Tom, I'm counting on you." The girl placed the shorthair on the bed, gently picked up its tail, and brushed it twice across the boy's face.
Still half-asleep, Albert reached out and brushed away the cat tail on his face. He opened his eyes to look at his mischievous younger sister, covered a yawn with his hand, and greeted her, "Morning, Nia!"
"Dad said he's taking us to London today." Nia blinked and looked at Albert. "To have your Eton College uniform tailored, and to buy the things on the list while we're there."
"Okay, got it. I'll get changed." Albert covered another yawn, picked up the shorthair stretching its paws atop the blanket, set it on the floor, stretched lazily, and began changing. Then he washed up and headed to the living room for breakfast.
"Were you up late again last night?" Daisy placed a hearty breakfast on the plate in front of Albert.
"Son, we'd better hurry. Today's schedule is rather packed." Herb spread the letter Eton College had sent a few days ago across the table, his face full of proud smiles.
As everyone knew, private schools were where England cultivated its elites, and Eton College stood