In the early morning, a ray of sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and fell across the sleeping boy's face. Albert had yet to wake, but he soon would be.
The door beside the stairs on the second floor quietly opened, and 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, time to get up."
When the boy showed no response, the girl pouted unhappily, pushed the door open, and walked in. A British Shorthair Cat followed behind her.
"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 up and pushed the cat's tail away from his face. He opened his eyes, looked at his mischievous little sister, covered a yawn with one hand, and greeted her, "Good morning, Nia!"
"Dad said he's taking us to London today." Nia blinked at Albert. "We're going to get your Eton College uniform tailored and buy the things on the list while we're at it."
"Okay, got it. I'll get dressed." Albert covered another yawn, picked up the shorthair stretching its paws across the sheets, set it on the floor, stretched lazily, and began changing. After washing up, he headed to the living room for breakfast.
"Stayed up late again last night?" Daisy placed a generous breakfast on the plate in front of Albert.
"Son, we'd better hurry. Our schedule is rather packed today." Herb spread the letter Eton College had sent a few days ago across the table, his face brimming with proud smiles.
As everyone knew, private schools were where England cultivated its elite, and Eton College was among the very best. To