esture of an a-dult to a beloved child, but at that moment he truly regarded her as an equal.
"Hurry and set up your easel, or you''ll end up drawing stars," Edith stuck out her tongue.
The sunset was indeed coming to an end.
Andre began to work while idle Edith played by the river, splashing around, chasing after dragonflies.
After a while, when she ran past the painter, she slowed down and turned to him, coincidentally meeting his sight.
"Wait, Edith, stop moving!" the painter suddenly shouted.
"What''s wrong?"
"Please, just for a moment, don''t move, okay?" Andre''s brush flew fast and made a rustling sound.
Edith shrugged and reluctantly cooperated, feeling utterly bored.
"Done," the painter smiled with satisfaction.
Curious, Edith ran over and saw the image of herself captured:
With only a few strokes, the girl''s bright smile was frozen on the canvas. Her iconic little freckles, the braids that flew up in the wind, nothing was left out.
"You paint so well!" Edith exclaimed excitedly, "Can I have this one? I want to take it home and show it to Margot! Let her see that I have my own portrait too!"
"No, leave this one to me please, okay? I''ll paint a better one for you later." He said earnestly.
"Aw, meanie." She couldn''t bring herself to plead any further when she heard how sincerely he requested it.
"Aren''t you painting the sunset?"
"Sunset can be painted anytime," he smiled and pointed to the nearby rock, "come over and chat with me for a while."
"You''ve got something to ask me?" Edith happened to feel tired from running and flopped down.
"Do you hate...I mean, do you dislike, the nobles?" Andre asked hesitantly. It was clear that this question had been on his mind for a while.
"Huh? Are you still reflecting on what I said earlier?" Little Edith was sort of surprised.
"Dislike the nobles? Surely there are good ones among the nobles, like my best friend Marie-Charlene in the countryside. It''s a pity that her legs are unwell, always having to sit in a wheelchair so she can''t play with me. But when the boys in the village gang up on me, she helped me out! She''s the daughter of Lord Saint-Clem