Char did not stay in St. Petersburg for long, but went directly to a palace on the outskirts of the city, called the Summer Palace.

It was built in 1704 by order of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia.

Located about 30 km southwest of St. Petersburg, the Summer Palace faces the Gulf of Finland and consists of beautiful fountains, parks, palaces.

The victory of the Great Northern War greatly satisfied Peter the Great's ambitions, and in order to demonstrate Russia's status as a veritable "great power", it was necessary to build a palace that matched it - this is the summer palace, which was further sculpted and embellished by successive generations of tsars, making it even more beautiful and charming

At the beginning of the 18th century, it was used for large balls, court ceremonies, and other events.

The Upper Garden and the Lower Garden, with the Great Palace in the Upper Garden. The interior and exterior decorations are extremely ornate, with gilded domes on both wings, and ceremonial halls in the palace. Banquet halls and royal palace rooms.

In front of the main palace is a group of fountains called the Great Waterfall, which was built to commemorate the victory in the Northern War.

There are 37 golden statues, 29 submersible reliefs, 150 figurines, 64 fountains and 2 trapezoidal waterfalls.

This is a treasure of human civilization, which embodies the creativity and wisdom of human beings.

A country without the depth of history and culture cannot go far, so Char will also examine the thickness of civilization when choosing a country.

The fountains are divided into steps from top to bottom, and Char stands near them.

In the center of the fountain cluster stands a statue of Samson the Hercules and a lion fighting.

Samson opened the lion's jaws with both hands, and the spring water rushed out of the lion's mouth, and the water jetted 22 meters high.

The sculpture symbolizes Russia's victory over Sweden.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, the fountains shine with gilded brilliance and the silver shadow of the water. The gold-colored sculpture is bathed in a curtain of water, and the jade beads are splashed and dazzling.

Walking through the secluded and tall forest, every short walk will cause splashes of jade beads to flash in front of you.

Char walked to the courtyard of the palace, found an angle, silently took out a drawing board and set it on the ground, and then set up a palette and began to mix colors.

Although the photograph can leave a perfect picture, there is no substitute for the artistic sense brought by the painter according to his personal style.

Today is the first time he has held a paintbrush after giving up painting, although he is a little rusty at first, but gradually he has become a little proficient, after all, he actually had a literary dream that was shattered by reality in the past.

When a person calms down and does something, no matter what they do, they will feel the healing of the soul, and painting is the same for Char.

Soon, this magnificent palace was displayed in his drawing board, and the details, proportions, colors, and light were all perfect, and even Char did not know that he could draw so well before he started to write.

He also used color and light to highlight the grandeur and simplicity of the palace, and a sense of civilization almost came to his face.

Perhaps because of Merlin's fate, his perception of things is clearer, and his painting skills seem to be much better than in the past.

No. In other words, even Char was surprised that he could paint such a work, whether it was brushstrokes or color modulation, it was much better than in the past.

So in fact, it is also the fulfillment of that sentence, talent, in fact, is much more than hard work.

"It's a really good drawing."

A voice from behind him caught Char's attention, and he turned his head to find a person standing beside him at some point.

She is a very beautiful woman, with fair skin and a high nose, but the most special thing is her eyes.

The deep blue of Lake Baikal, like two of the brightest and most brilliant sapphires, exudes intelligence and agility, and in the depths of that eye, there is some suppressed and imperceptible ambition.

Her hair was casually draped, and she was only wearing a simple petticoat, stepping on the ground barefoot, as if she had just gotten up from bed, her eyebrows and eyes were a little tired, and her complexion was not good, but even so, it was still difficult to hide her beauty.

"Thanks for the compliment." Char raised her eyebrows.

"This is a private palace." The woman reminded.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave right away."

"I didn't chase you away, did I?" She asked rhetorically.

Char didn't say anything, and for a while she couldn't figure out what the woman was thinking.

"Your drawings are beautiful." She continued, "In the future, I will definitely become a very famous painter."

If you want to continue painting here, I don't have a problem. ”

She walked silently to the side, where there was a table in the shade of a tree, a chair on one side of the table, and on the table were some tea sets, the teapot was steaming, and on one side was a book.

She poured herself a cup of tea, then opened the book and read it.

"It's been a while since anyone else has come here, and it's good to have someone to talk to me."

Char didn't speak, just silently pulled down the drawing paper on the drawing board in front of him, changed another one, and continued to draw.

But this time, he spoke as he painted.

"You live here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The woman said as she looked at the book.

"You don't look like a maid, but this is where the royal family lives, and those who can live here must be royalty, either a queen or a princess, but there is not a single maid by your side." Char said.

"I'm from Prussia." The woman said, "However, I am married to the crown prince here, and this is a marriage."

So, I should be the future queen. ”

"Is that so?" Char continued to write, "But why don't you have a maid, and you still look weak. ”

The woman smiled self-deprecatingly, "Because, for this royal family, I have done my greatest role.

I had a baby a while ago. ”

"Boy?"

"Boy."

Char nodded, adjusting the color on one side.

"There is a saying in the East that a mother is more expensive than a child."

"Obviously, this is not the East." The woman said, "As you can see, my situation is even more difficult. ”

"Was it hard before?" Char said with interest.

"It's not too bitter, but it's not good, it's more like a gray time." The woman whispered, "My husband doesn't love me, and after five years of marriage, we're actually separated, and we've even been virgins. ”

"Most political marriages are not lovely." Char said.

"I've been here since I was sixteen." The woman said, "Before that, I actually had some fantasies.

But now, I don't really like my husband either, and I even suspect that he has some intellectual and mental problems, stuck in childhood. ”

She silently picked up the tea on one side, took a sip, and said in a low voice.

"This may be the reason why Queen Elizabeth thinks so highly of the crown prince.

Do you know?

After giving birth to that child, all people.

The whole court, headed by the empress, revolved around the child.

As soon as the child was born, I was carried to the empress's palace, and I lay alone on the delivery bed for more than three hours, and no one took care of me.

I'm a mother who doesn't even know what her own child looks like. ”

She laughed to herself.

"I'm a fertility machine, and when I give birth to a child, I lose my use."

Char was silent for a moment and continued to ask.

"Speaking of which, I don't know your name yet."

"Sophia, though, you can call me by my Orthodox name.

Ekaterina Alekseevna. ”

(End of chapter)