The Versatile Master Artist

Several time zones away in Glietz City.

It is still a beautiful afternoon.

The spring sun is warm but not glaring, hanging leisurely in the sky.

On the green mountain roads, young cyclists are passing by cliffs, and the ancient lakeside manor on the distant plain comes into view, the white sea of clouds and the manor’s Greek-columned dome almost blending together, as beautiful as an unreal mirage.

Today, the old estate of the Ilyena family is quite bustling.

People are coming and going in the manor, male and female guests holding trays with exquisite food, talking and laughing quietly.

The blue and purple curtains reminiscent of Roman palaces extend for hundreds of meters, stretching from the flower fields and lawns to the lakeside dock where two white motorboats are moored.

The air is filled with the scent of classical music and juniper gin, as if a sizable afternoon tea party is taking place.

”Auguste?”

In a corner of the garden,

A dog with cream-colored spots on its chest and sleek, bright brown fur on its back raises its head alertly from a lazy afternoon nap.

Its two festive-looking dark ears on the sides of its face twitch slightly, confirming it has heard its owner’s call.

The dog happily darts into the yellow and white floral sea of European primroses blooming in early spring.

As a dog considering itself noble and proud,

A dog with a territory consisting of the entire manor land, including surrounding woods and parts of the lake, covering 15,000 acres.

In nature, only top predators like brown bears or leopards usually have territories this vast.

It revels in being the emperor among dogs.

The big dog always looks with genuine disdain at those fellow dogs on the road, who are easily petted by passersby and happily abandon their dignity, wagging their tails shamelessly like little tambourines.

It strides with its long legs, gracefully avoiding two bikini-clad women who sit up from sun loungers by the lakeside and scream ”How cute.”

It also shows its teeth to scare off a child who looks only five or six years old but is dressed in handmade formal wear and impeccably tied with a tie, sneaking over from the long table with self-service food.

Hmm,

The child audaciously attempted to exchange a steak for secretly touching its tail!

It holds the rib-eye steak thrown to it in utter disdain, doesn’t even sniff it, and sleekly retrieves a tennis ball from the grass.

Gently biting the ball, it continues running along the path by the field embankment.

The big dog runs in familiar circles in the field and finds its target in a secluded walnut tree shade.

It nudges up to the young woman sitting in the wheelchair, amiably handing over the tennis ball, flashing a grin with its pointed front teeth.

”Auguste, you’re already a middle-aged old fellow, we need to exercise more, soak up the sun, and ensure living to fifteen years, strive for eighteen.”

The woman in a creamy chiffon dress reaches out to take the tennis ball, putting it on the ground, scratching the dog’s ear, and gently advises.

Tickled by the scratch, the dog joyfully rolls on the ground,

It wags its tail and licks the woman’s palm, then obediently lays down beside her in the sunlight, using its front paw to play with the tennis ball.

That tennis ball has been its toy since it was young.

The dog’s long-term gnawing has made the tennis ball’s surface appear slightly pitted, and the grass-green surface has the fading letters ”AUGUSTE” written with a marker.

Concerning what to name the first pet adopted in one’s life,

Anna and her aunt once carefully studied for a long time.

Anna hoped to call it ”Renoir.”

Her aunt suggested naming the dog after her favorite sculptor, Rodin, insisting that the dog’s sleek back curves had the flavor of Rodin’s bronze sculptures.

So,

One night, the two of them had a sudden idea, and eventually, this dog was named Auguste.

[AUGUSTE] — which is both the given name of the sculptor Auguste Rodin and coincidentally the middle name of Anna’s admired oil painting master, Pierre Auguste Renoir.

The two masters were also born in the same era.

One shaped the history of modern European sculpture, the other transformed the world’s art trends, complementing each other.

”Auguste? How do you think my painting is turning out?”

Under the shade of the trees, Anna calls her beloved dog to her side, pointing to the hazy paints on the canvas before her, casually asking.

Whether or not the dog understands, it lets out a low whimper in its throat.

”Indeed, spot treatment is pretty mediocre, but it lacks a certain spirit, my Auguste is indeed a very critical artist.”

Anna pats Auguste on the head, which rises almost to the height of her wheelchair, casually smiling and talking to herself.

Nine years ago,

Her aunt was diagnosed with cancer,

She still remembers, it was during the Easter holiday of her all-girls school, and her aunt was taking her to attend a wedding of a royal family side member at the Three British Isles.

Before returning to Austria,

Her aunt suddenly decided to adopt a puppy from the pet store.

When they returned to Yilena Manor, the family’s accompanying butler’s pet carrier held this Springer Spaniel from Ireland.

Apart from art,

Anna has a daily personality leaning towards aloofness; as a child, she didn’t like pets like other little girls.