The day after Evangeline drew a picture for the bald slave and received a coin.
After finishing their work, Beatrice was chatting with Evangeline as usual when, for some reason, she spotted a woman slave loitering around them.
Thinking perhaps this person had bad intentions, Beatrice shot her a glance, and the woman slave nervously approached and asked,
“Um… are you doing that thing again today?”
“That thing? What do you mean? If you’re trying to have us do something weird…”
“Oh, no! It’s just that I heard that girl over there receives coins and draws pictures… right?”
At her words, Beatrice’s eyes widened.
It was a surprising matter.
She didn’t think she had shared the story of drawing a picture with anyone, so how on earth did this person find out about it?
However, unlike Beatrice, Evangeline smiled brightly and answered as if she had no such questions at all.
“Oh! That’s right! Would you like me to draw a picture? What kind do you like?”
“Umm… anything’s fine…”
“Then I’ll draw your face, so could you smile for me?”
“Uh? O-okay…”
The woman slave looked flustered at Evangeline’s words and forced a strange smile.
And that awkward expression was drawn on the ground by Evangeline’s hand.
It was a bit crooked, but the features were well captured in the picture.
The woman slave burst into a giggle upon seeing the completed drawing and muttered,
“Hehe… the expression is weird…”
“Eek! Do you not like it?!”
“No… thanks to you, I feel like I’m smiling for the first time in a while… here’s the payment for the drawing…”
“Thank you!”
“Hehe, I heard dreams come from looking at the sun, right? I’ll support you, keep working hard…”
Handing a coin to Evangeline, the woman slave left with a slight smile.
Once she departed, Evangeline excitedly showed the coin in her hand to Beatrice, shouting with joy.
“Wow! Look at this, Bea! I’ve already earned one today! Maybe drawing pictures is better than running errands, just like that bald uncle said!”
“Uh, yeah…”
Unlike Evangeline who was happily oblivious, Beatrice felt confusion.
That woman clearly knew about Evangeline’s dream.
Puzzled about what was going on, Beatrice soon found her question answered by another arriving slave.
“Hey, you! Aren’t you the one who draws pictures for coins? Which one are you?”
“Ah, it’s me. But, how did you hear about this?”
“Oh, that? A bald guy from our side mentioned it. He said there’s a little girl working hard to collect coins just to see the sun for a bit. After hearing that, I thought I’d help out a bit!”
It seemed that the bald slave Evangeline had drawn for had been sharing her story around.
Considering that both the woman slave and this man knew so much about Evangeline’s situation, it was evident.
Anyway, that bald slave was promoting Evangeline for free.
Did he like the drawing that much, or was it just that Evangeline’s situation appeared to be that dire?
It was quite an intriguing situation.
“Wow, this is totally me, right? With this much, other folks might pay at least one coin. I’ll help spread the word too, so keep it up, little one!”
The surprising thing was that those who had heard the bald slave’s story continued to come to help Evangeline.
“Hey, is that her?”
“Hey, I’ll give you a coin, so could you draw me a picture too!”
A few slaves came looking for Evangeline, handing her coins in exchange for drawings.
It was only a single coin at best.
But how often do people willingly offer what they have to others?
If they were paying just for a drawing, that would be one thing, but their reactions indicated the drawings were just a bonus; they were genuinely there to help Evangeline.
It was a good thing, but Beatrice couldn’t understand why these people were doing this. So, she went to find the wisest person she knew, the old man, to ask him.
“Why are people suddenly acting like this when they never did before?” she asked.
With a smile, the old man replied,
“Well, most of these folks became slaves for doing bad things outside, but as human beings, they have a desire to do good.”
“Desire to do good?”
“Right, most of it is for self-satisfaction or a way to slightly redeem themselves for their sins. But if they can feel that way with just one coin, it’s not too costly.”
It definitely wasn’t hard to understand if it was for such selfish reasons.
Yet the old man, looking at Beatrice, nodded as she agreed, and his smile broadened as he continued,
“However, it seems that the kindness directed towards that child is not just from such reasons.”
Saying that, the old man called over Evangeline, who was quietly playing by herself nearby.
“Hey, what was her name again? Evangeline, right? Could you draw a picture for me as well?”
“Oh! Of course! Do you have any specific requests?”
“Draw it by the entrance of my tent. And let me give you a helpful tip: from now on, try drawing the pictures next to where the person lives. They’ll see the drawing every time they come and go, and you’ll get many more requests for drawings!”
“Wow! That sounds like an amazing idea! Are you a genius, old man?”
“Ha ha, I heard that quite a bit when I was younger. Anyway, you’re going to draw my face, right? I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes! Since you gave me good advice, I’ll draw even harder!”
Evangeline exclaimed in an excited voice, and she set to work drawing in front of the old man’s tent.
Was she genuinely excited about her effort? The drawing was colored even onto his white hair sprinkled with stone dust, unlike usual.
“Ha ha! This is a masterpiece! Since you gave me such a wonderful drawing, I should pay you back. Here, take this. It’s for the drawing.”
“Yes, thank you… uh… huh…!?”
Seeing this, the old man laughed happily and handed Evangeline a coin.
Evangeline’s eyes widened in surprise as she received the coin the old man had offered.
“Y-you gave me too much! The price for the drawing is just one coin!”
The old man had handed her not just one coin, but a whopping ten!
Thinking it must be a mistake, Evangeline tried to take back nine coins from her hand to return them to the old man.
But he gently pushed her hand away and said,
“I didn’t give you too much. Ten is the right amount, so just accept it.”
“But… the price is just one coin?”
“I think it’s a drawing worth ten coins, so it’s perfectly fine.”
“Still, this is precious… you could trade it for something delicious…”
“Ha ha, I’ve lost interest in those things since I’m old now. So, Evangeline, just use it to help fulfill your dream.”
With a kind smile, the old man spoke those words, and Evangeline finally seemed a bit reassured as she asked with a trembling voice,
“R-really? You’re really giving all of this to me?”
“Of course, truly.”
“Wow… wowww!!! Bea, look! They gave me ten coins for the drawing! Adding this to the nine I already have, that means I only need to gather 81 more! I’m so excited!”
With a bunch of coins in hand, Evangeline bounced around with excitement.
Beatrice looked at her, then turned to the old man, who was watching with warm eyes, quietly asking,
“…is it really okay? That’s everything you’ve gathered so far.”
The old man was regarded as the representative of the slave group Beatrice belonged to.
He was sharp-minded and had made numerous contributions, receiving coins most frequently from Davis, and he never used the coins he received for himself. Instead, he saved them all.
And he only ever spent the collected coins on medicine or comfort items for those in the group who fell ill or faced hardship.
Possessing a character that exceeded even his knowledge, he was sincerely respected and followed by everyone in the group.
Yet, no doubt that his possession of coins didn’t impact his standing among the slaves, Beatrice was asking him if it was all right to use it this way.
However, the old man, unconcerned, chuckled and answered her question,
“Ha ha, it’s perfectly fine. This is what I’ve been saving for from the start.”
The old man then turned to Beatrice and said,
“Do you remember what I said earlier? That the kindness towards that child doesn’t seem to be for just such reasons? The answer to that is right over there. Take a look.”
Gazing fondly at Evangeline, who was smiling brightly.
“Is it even possible to see that child and not feel a desire to help?”
And at those words from the old man, Beatrice truly understood why people were helping Evangeline.
Beatrice looked at Evangeline.
Seeing her smile reminded Beatrice of a blank white sheet of paper.
And she knew well that such untouched purity had something captivating about it.
Perhaps others were drawn in just by the sight of Evangeline, Beatrice thought.
*
From that day on, Evangeline’s coin collection speed accelerated rapidly.
“Hey kid! Draw me one in front of my house!”
“Hey, I was here first! Line up, line up!”
The trend of leaving Evangeline’s drawings in front of tents, as suggested by the old man, seemed to catch on among the slaves, and rumors about Evangeline spread to more slaves.
Those seeking Evangeline’s drawings never ceased, and thanks to that, Evangeline could swiftly accumulate the 100 coins she aimed for.
“Hehe! Look, Bea! I’ve got so many coins! If I gather just a little more, I can go see the sun! I wonder if I can draw the sun here? I’m so looking forward to it!”
With excitement bubbling over, Evangeline hugged her book tightly, struggling to contain her joy.
The closer she got to her dream, the more she sparkled.
Beatrice, who had been watching Evangeline’s brilliance, felt her own anticipation growing.
Just how brightly would Evangeline shine after seeing the sun, she’d wonder.
Lost in thought, Beatrice snapped back to reality at the sight of Evangeline waving her hands in front of her.
“Bea, what’s wrong? Why are you spaced out all of a sudden?”
“…Oh, it’s nothing. By the way, how many do you have left?”
“Hmm, let me see! I earned eight today, so… three more! Just three more and I’ll reach 100! I think I can reach it by tomorrow!”
With just three more coins needed to reach 100, Beatrice chuckled softly and pulled out what she had kept close to her.
“Here, Eva. Take it.”
“Uh? This is a coin! And three of them! Wait, are you wanting a drawing too? Then you don’t need to! I’ll draw it for free since you’re my friend!”
Receiving the three coins from Beatrice, Evangeline’s eyes widened in surprise.
Beatrice couldn’t help but chuckle at her flustered reaction, saying,
“No, I’m not asking for a drawing… I’m giving this to you. If you have that, it’ll make 100, right?”
“Ehhh… even among friends, I can’t accept this for free!”
“If you can’t take it for free… how about calling it a commission fee?”
“A commission? What kind?”
To the tilting head of Evangeline, Beatrice replied.
“Once you see the sun tomorrow, draw it and show it to me first. That’s my request.”
After hearing that request, Evangeline brightly smiled and answered.
“Hehe, okay! I’ll show it to Bea first! It’s a promise!”
“Right, a promise.”
Beatrice thought while linking her pinky with the beaming Evangeline.
The Evangeline who would return from seeing the sun would undoubtedly shine even more beautifully than the sun itself, she realized.
Beatrice couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
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