The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 372

"The mermaid must be hoping the sun will melt the frozen lake, so it can be reborn."

A round of applause broke out among the crowd who heard this explanation.

"Sir, you really are brilliant. That interpretation is fantastic."

"I'm sure the artist's intention is pretty much what you just said."

Citrine stood at the front, listening to everyone, her face completely impassive.

Hastings noticed her silence and leaned in, asking, "What do you think?"

Citrine stared at the painting for a long moment before finally speaking. "It's a struggle."

"The sun and the mermaid are locked in a battle."

Hastings blinked, momentarily taken aback.

Someone nearby overheard Citrine's comment and chuckled. "Sweetheart, you're awfully young. It's normal you don't understand art, but don't just make things up."

is pretty deep. It's not something kids can figure

should focus on your studies instead

...

continued, Hastings' expression turned icy. "That's enough. All of

to him. Someone scowled. "Hey,

when Citrine grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back. Whatever he'd been about to say died on

began to speak, unhurried and

That suggests the sun isn't a hero here—it's almost the villain of this piece, trying to scorch every living thing out of

grass. Further out, there's nothing but scattered stones, and on those stones, fish are leaping and struggling, barely alive. It means the sun is drying the sea, shrinking it bit by bit, and the creatures are dying

for the thin layer of ice on the sea-it's painted in pale, almost transparent colors. That tells us it isn't real. The ice is an illusion, something the mermaid imagines as a shield against the sun, a weapon in this battle. The mermaid hopes this layer will protect itself, and the whole ocean, maybe even

it dreams up this ice to fight back. It's a game of strategy-a battle of wills

fell silent. For a moment, everyone just

on cue,

That's some insight. You're

at first, but after hearing

...

the crowd-Hastings