Chapter 3

However, this didn't seem to be the first time Felix had taken over someone else's place, but the memory of that time was very vague, making it hard to recall clearly.

Only what was in front of him was real.

Gao Dan's house stood out in the entire town of Saint-Denis, not just in terms of grandeur. In fact, there were newer, more beautiful, and more elegant residences in the town, but what made Gao Dan's house unique was its location, environment, and the style of its owner. Although René Gao Dan had converted to a different faith, he still seemed to retain some of the qualities of the southern Huguenots, a blend of the characteristics of the people of Geneva and Provence. His house was divided into three floors. The first floor was the reception hall, but few people came and went on a daily basis. The reception hall had an inner and outer section. The outer section had a high cabinet and threshold, with candlesticks, abacuses, and various account-related documents inside. The inner section was the living area, with lavender-colored wallpaper and poplar wood wall panels. Along the entire west wall was a large oak cabinet with the most beautiful and clear Venetian glass doors that could be pulled open. Inside the glass cabinets were Mr. René's "hobbies," including his woodcarvings and insect and fish specimens he collected in the countryside, as well as an otter skin, an animal that was nearly extinct in the province. Beyond the reception hall, connected to the garden, was the dining room. Apart from the prominent marble fireplace, there was a large oval dining table, eight leather-padded chairs, and a locked dining cabinet. Outside the dining room was the kitchen, where the cook and ordinary apprentices usually ate (except for the big meal during the year-end inventory). The only one allowed to dine with the Gao Dan family was the senior apprentice, Cato. On the second floor were three rooms: the room of the widower owner René, Aile's room, and Felix's room. René's room was very simple, with a full-length mirror, a bed, a soft leather armchair, a small round table for newspapers, and two portraits. Felix's room had a four-poster bed, a mirrored chest of drawers, a desk with drawers, and a chair, all made by René himself from the finest peach wood. René's craftsmanship had won a gold medal at the Paris market, and his products were exclusively sold in Paris. Therefore, although the furniture in Felix's room was somewhat old and the color was a bit brown, the grain and luster were even more gentle and beautiful. Aile's room was the most colorful in the house, with the only Rococo-style wardrobe belonging to her. Inside were over thirty dresses, but they were not as elaborate and luxurious as those in Paris or Rouen. They were white, light gray, and light blue, made of fine linen or Indian cotton, adorned with colored ribbons or shell buttons, exuding the neatness and elegance of a middle-class family. The second-floor rooms of the siblings shared a small balcony from which the entire town could be easily seen. On the third floor were three more rooms. The largest belonged to the cook, Atali, but being a cook in the Gao Dan household was not easy. In other households, it was tacitly accepted that cooks should "earn their wages and also take a little," but in René Gao Dan's eyes, there was no room for such behavior. Atali, at the age of thirty-eight, was threatening to resign. Another small room belonged to the maid, Elga, a girl from Arras who came to the Gao Dan household at the age of sixteen and was now in her second year of work. Being from the province and from a farming family, her salary was not high, sixty livres a year plus two of Aile's old dresses. The third room seemed to have been locked for a long time.

The courtyard of the house not only had a place for carriages and horses but also stone steps leading to the alley, which could take one directly into the town. The walls of the courtyard were built with the best spotted rock from the province, and the large Gao Dan garden had two wooden greenhouses.

This was what Felix had learned in a short time.

His father René was both shrewd and frugal, with considerable wealth. However, from another perspective, Mr. René was isolated in the town of Saint-Denis: he was a converted Huguenot descendant, one of the wealthiest in the town and the surrounding countryside, and an outsider. In Saint-Denis, only those who had owned land for generations could be called natives, whether they were nobles, clergy, farmers, or craftsmen. People like Mr. René could only be called "residents of Saint-Denis."

Therefore, Mr. René had closer ties to the city of Rouen.

Two days later, in the early morning, Felix woke up in his bed.

No matter what, having a body made him happy. The solid and real happiness made him sleep very soundly the previous night.

When he walked down the stairs and through the reception hall to the dining room, a small and exquisite frame on the mantelpiece caught his attention again.

Inside the frame was a woman with golden hair, draped in a veil, with fair, clean skin and a pair of azure eyes that gave an incomparable sense of peace. Her small, rosy lips had clear lines, contrasting with her plump cheeks and shoulders. She was in her early twenties, with a smile that rivaled the Madonna in Raphael's paintings, yet also had the innocence and shyness of a young girl.

Her hair was not tied up but loosely draped over her neck and shoulders, like golden sunlight on snow, giving her a somewhat lazy demeanor. Her hands were not crossed in a reserved manner but naturally separated, one hand holding the banister and the other pinching the top of her bodice.

What made Felix even more curious was that upon closer inspection, the painting had some faint white lines, clearly indicating it had been damaged and carefully repaired.

"This must have been a very comfortable and relaxed moment. The painter must have captured her charm as she was descending the stairs. From her eyes, this painter must have been very close to her..." At this thought, Felix couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

At that moment, Aile quietly walked up behind Felix. Seeing her brother staring at the painting, her face showed a sympathetic sadness, "Poor Madeline, I should go to the cemetery tomorrow to perform the tenth requiem mass for her."

Madeline? Sister?

Although Felix was eager to know about the painting and the woman in it (this beauty had actually died), he remained calm and sat down at the dining table.

Soon, his father René came out of his room, the keys on his belt jingling. After sitting down, the cook Atali, cold and composed, brought the breakfast.

An unhappy cook would never provide delicious food.

Felix saw only a nauseating brown liquid in the white porcelain dishes, like mud from a pond. Upon Aile's inquiry, he learned it was called chocolate soup.

In the porcelain cup was coffee with a sugar cube floating on top, and the smell of gunpowder filled his nose.

In the basket lay a few pieces of baguette without any condiments or sauces. Atali hadn't even cut them, and Felix couldn't break them with his hands. He had to grab the bread by both ends and bend it over his knee to break it...