(Note: This is a bonus story about the childhood of Edith, Charlene, and Raphael. It's written in a children's literature style and provides important additional information to the main storyline. So, welcome to read it and enjoy!)

Edith first met the Saint-Clemont siblings in the summer of 1779.

By that time, summer was coming to an end, and little Edith felt very reluctant to say goodbye.

Among the four seasons, her favourite was summer. When the weather turned hot, she could splash in the water and catch all kinds of colourful butterflies and bugs. The best part was that the day was long, allowing her to play outside for a much longer time.

One day in the afternoon, Edith was chasing a squirrel and ended up near the distant castle.

She stopped, panting for breath, realising she had lost sight of the little squirrel. But right under the porch, facing the garden, she noticed a girl about her age. She must be the daughter of the lord.

The girl had a heart-shaped face, very thin, her wrists were slim, poking out from the sleeves of her white dress. She sat in a chair with a pair of strange big wheels. Even on such a hot day, a thin blanket covered her knees, draping down to hide her legs.

Edith was curious, so she hid behind the fence and observed her. The young lady turned her head and said a few words to the maid standing behind her. Then the maid curtsied and retreated into the house.

When the girl was alone, she sighed like a grown-up and then opened a book that was resting on her lap.

Edith noticed that when the girl read, her head was bowed low, and her face looked pale, oh so pale.

She couldn't help but walk up to the little girl, showing her worry. "You look unwell! Are you sick?"

This girl was exactly Charlene, the daughter of the count. She only just noticed Edith standing there and got a little surprised. Then she smiled and shook her head, explaining, "I'm fine. I've been holed up in my room reading, so my face might look a bit pale."

"Why don't you come outside to play?" asked Edith, feeling confused.

Charlene lightly tapped on the armrest of her wheelchair and said, "Didn't you see my wheelchair? I can't walk. I got ill, then I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I guess I probably will never be able to stand up again."

"Wheelchair? I've never seen this before." Little Edith curiously looked at the refreshing big thing in front of her.

Charlene was happy because the girl in front of her didn't apologise.

Ever since her legs became paralysed, the grown-ups would always look at her with sympathetic eyes and come up with all sorts of awkward ways to hide their pity.

They would cautiously avoid looking or mentioning her leg sticks. Even though she could see through their thoughts, she had to go along with them, like a "poor sick child".

Once, two new young maids didn't know Charlene was nearby and started talking in the hallway.

Charlene overheard their sighs and whispers, mixed with pity and excitement. "Ay, who would have thought that a young lady with such noble birth and good luck, would become a cripple!"

When Charlene rolled her wheelchair into view, the maids were scared and fell to their knees, shaking all over, begging for her forgiveness.

But Charlene found their sincere reaction quite interesting. It even made her feel a lot lighter. Moreover, she never thought of herself as pitiful!

"But, what kind of illness would make one unable to stand up?" Edith asked.

"They say it's meningitis," Charlene replied.

Edith knew very well that just like papa complained, she couldn't stand staying still for a single day. Just trying to imagine herself being stuck in the same chair all day long, she couldn't help but shiver with goosebumps.

So she shrugged sadly and said, "Then you must be really bored!"

Charlene shook her head again and said, "Honestly, it's not too bad. Even when I could walk and run before, I rarely went out. And now I don't have to go to the dance classes I dislike or learn the dreaded curtsy anymore."

"What do you usually do at home then?" Edith recalled what her mama did during downtime on the farm, "Spin, weave things?"

Charlene tilted her head. "You mean embroidery? I know a little, but I'm not very interested. Most of the time, I read books about chemistry. Maybe I've been reading too much, now my eyes can't see things clearly, so I have to get really close to read books, let alone doing embroidery."

"Embroidery? Chemistry? These words you say, I haven't even heard of them," Edith scratched the back of her head.

Charlene didn't seem surprised and said, "I'm the only one in my family who's interested in chemistry."

"How old are you?"

"Five."

"I'll be five next month too. We're about the same age, but you know so much!"

Only then did Edith remember and asked, "By the way, my name is Edith. What's your name?"

"I'm Marie-Charlene de Saint-Clemont."

"Your name is so long," Edith muttered.

The little girl in the white dress smiled, "You can just call me Charlene."

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From that day on, every time Edith went out to play, she would run straight to the garden to find Charlene.

In the centre of the garden, there grew large patches of blue and purple fleurs-de-lys. When the wind blew, the petals danced in the air like little doves flapping their wings.

One section of the flowerbed was dedicated to Charlene's beloved pink roses. The governess would often pick a dew-kissed fresh rose and placed it next to Charlene's blonde hair. Together with her lotus-pink dress, it made this young lady's overly pale cheeks look lovely.

Charlene sat under the porch all day, watching Edith running around with her skirt lifted. Before, when the governess insisted on pushing her out to get some fresh air, she felt very impatient. But now, she thought this kind of time was absolutely wonderful.

This lively new friend seemed to have endless energy. Seeing how happy she was running and jumping, Charlene couldn't help but smile along. It was as if Edith was taking her place, sprinkling her share of joy all around the garden.

Edith loved the sweet-scented air in the garden. Every time she came, she would eagerly inhale, sniffing with her nose until her head felt dizzy.

One time she complained to Charlene, "Strange, why can't I smell the aroma anymore after being here for a while?"

Charlene thought for a moment and replied, "I remember reading an article that said it has something to do with a substance that numbs the senses."

Edith couldn't understand these strange words. She just kept shouting that she wanted to smell that enchanting fragrance again.

Charlene suggested, "Why don't you leave for a while and then come back to the garden later? You should be able to feel it again."

Edith followed her suggestion and discovered that it really worked. Excitedly, she exclaimed, "It's true! I can smell the scent again!"

She repeated this game more than a dozen times.

Every time she got tired from playing, she would run to Charlene and rest her head on her friend's lap, burying her face in the long skirt. Charlene would smile and take out her snow-white handkerchief embroidered with the family crest, gently wiping the sweat from Edith's forehead.

One afternoon, Edith ran over and grabbed her friend's hand, saying, "Charlene! I found a very fun anthill by the stream! You have to come and see!"

"But I have to have Miss Mellie with me wherever I go. It's my father's instruction," Charlene replied.

"Just get rid of her," Edith said nonchalantly.

Charlene looked hesitant. "But Miss Mellie checks up on me every now and then. She'll easily notice if I'm not here."

Edith thought for a moment, then excitedly leaned closer to Charlene and said, "You can throw a tantrum to her! Scare her so she won't dare to show up again!"

Charlene shook her head, "I don't know if I can do that. I don't think I've ever had a tantrum before."

The next day, while the governess Miss Mellie was combing Charlene's hair on the porch, Charlene suddenly struck her hand and knocked the comb to the ground, angrily shouting, "Oh, bother you! You've messed up my hair! It won't curl anymore!"

"I'm sorry, little Mademoiselle. His lordship the Count instructed, the doctor said that combing your hair like this regularly is good for your blood circulation, and helps you recover your health faster. Please bear with it," Miss Mellie explained, holding another wooden comb and about to reach out again.

Charlene screamed at her, "I don't want to listen! Stay away from me now, and don't appear before my eyes until dinnertime!"

"But, Mademoiselle..." The governess had never seen the young mistress get so mad and was unsure what to do.

"Do you want me to go tell Father?" Charlene leaned on the armrest of her wheelchair, turning to face her, threateningly.

Miss Mellie hastily gave a curtsy. "Yes, Mademoiselle Saint-Clemont, I'll get down right now. But please, do not wander around!"

After Miss Mellie went inside, Edith emerged from the corner of the bushes and ran up to Charlene. They clasped their hands together and couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing so hard that their stomachs hurt.

"You played it so well, Charlene!" Edith began, but couldn't control her laughter, "I bet you really scared her away!"

"Let's go see the ants you were talking about," Charlene said proudly, tossing her beautiful long hair.

Edith pushed Charlene all the way to the streamlet, only to find that the big anthill had been destroyed.

Edith pouted and got very angry, "Hmph, must be those annoying boys! Next time I find something good, I must hide it and never let those bad guys find out!"

Although they didn't see the anthill, it was still very exciting for young Charlene to be alone with her little friend in such a dangerous place. The two children sat by the stream and chatted for a long time.

Suddenly, Edith stared at Charlene's dress and licked her lips, saying, "Charlene, your dress is so pretty!"

"But this dress is uncomfortable to wear. I prefer clothes like yours," Charlene shook her head.

Upon hearing this, Edith had an idea and suggested, "How about we swap clothes and wear each other's?"

Edith quickly took off her loose cotton dress and threw it on the grass.

Unexpectedly, when they tried to take off Charlene's dress, they encountered some trouble.

"Charlene, how do we untie these straps on your back?" Edith was puzzled by the complex bowknots in front of her.

Charlene felt disappointed and anxious. "Sorry, dear friend. I'm not sure either. My clothes are always put on by the maids."

Edith spent quite some time and finally managed to pull off Charlene's princess dress. After eagerly putting it on, she found that it didn't feel as good as she imagined at all.

Those laces made her skin itchy, and Charlene's clothes were too small and tight, making it hard for her to breathe. If she ran in a dress like this, she would probably faint in no time. After taking off the dress, Edith noticed that her chest was all red.

"I don't want to be a princess anymore. You are the one who suits being a princess, Charlene." In the end, little Edith came to this conclusion with a serious expression.

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