Alexandra picked up the pen, secretly glanced at the Crown Prince, then quickly began writing on the paper:
[When moonlight flowed across the Winter Palace dome like silver glaze, I dipped my brush in Neva River mist to mix an indigo tide;
If you ask why my colored pen always wanders southwest, It is because there lies the unfinished painting of my dreams.]
[Your sapphire-blue pupils refract the Seine River's morning dew, And on the canvas I blur twelve colors into ripples;
The palette trembles softly, mixing the border of dawn and dusk, And a beautiful Fleur-de-lis awakens upon the silk...]
In elegant roman script, she wrote out the sonnet she had revised countless times, then handed it to Joseph with her heart full of expectation:
"Your Highness, since I cannot bring anything into France, this is the only gift I could think to give you." Joseph softly read the slightly awkward poem, and a happy smile surfaced on his face as well. He had not expected this little girl to have such a romantic streak... After reading the whole poem, he looked up at Alexandra and said sincerely:
"This is truly the best gift I have ever received. Thank you. I really like it."
Then he somewhat awkwardly pinched the space between his brows:
"Um, please forgive me. I seem to have forgotten to prepare a return gift for you..."
But the little princess immediately waved her hands seriously:
"No, Your Highness, you gave me one long ago. It was a gift I will never forget in all my life."
"Ah? Did I? What did I give you?"
Alexandra nodded. "Eden Amusement Park. Do you know, when I first came to Paris, I could hardly believe there could be something so interesting in the world.
"When I sat on