A young, beautiful maid appears seemingly out of nowhere and slowly approaches Jean. As she steps closer, she places her hands in front of her apron and tilts her head curiously. She then comes to a halt and lowers herself into a modest kneel before Jean.

"Jean?" the maid called out.

"Hm," Jean turned towards her and smiled.

"The other children are playing. Would you like to join them?" she asked kindly.

"Hm!" Jean shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You don't want to play?" the maid questioned.

"Nope," Jean replied, shaking his head from side to side.

"Oh," the maid's pleasant smile remained as she contemplated his response. "Oh, I see. How are you enjoying your time here?"

"Good!" Jean beamed brightly, his grin reflecting his contentment as he returned to his doodling.

The maid stood up and looked around. She then bent down again and addressed Jean. "Well, anyway, it's nearly time for lunch! You might want to make your way to the dining room," she advised him with a kind smile.

Jean continued his drawings on the floor. Soon, he set the crayon aside and leaned closer to the paper, admiring his colourful sketch.

     A wooden door swings open, and a massive crowd of children rushes inside the dining room. Among them are Victoria, Elizabeth, Albert, and George, all hurrying to claim their chairs. Victoria, Elizabeth, Albert, and George scurry to the rear corner of the dining room, finding their seats. As they settle, they place their hands on the pristine white tablecloth, watching the other children scrambling to secure a spot.

     The dining room buzzed with lively chatter from the children. Each child quickly took their place, climbing onto their chairs and settling beside one another. The tables overflowed with a flood of kids, occupying the chairs surrounding them.

     Jean entered the room, his little legs carrying him swiftly. He scanned the room, eyes darting from left to right, until he spotted an unoccupied chair. Without hesitation, he made his way towards it and climbed up. As he settled into his seat, the other children around the table regarded him with unwelcoming glares.

"Hey! Get out of here!"

"We don't want you here."

The voices of the mean children reached Victoria's ears, and she overheard their harsh words. Her attention was drawn to Jean, and she gazed at him with her mouth agape.

"Take a different seat; we don't like you."

     Jean, nonetheless, possesses a pure heart that keeps his smile radiant, even in the face of trouble, although he has to comply with the demands of the older children. He takes a deep breath and pulls his chair, descending from his seat. As his feet touch the ground, Jean's eyes wander frantically, scanning the room for an empty seat.

     Every dining table is already occupied by most children, leaving Jean on the verge of losing hope. Just as Jean is about to lose hope, his gaze locks on an unclaimed seat amidst the bustling crowd. A surge of excitement propels Jean forward, his grin widening with each hurried step. Anticipation fills the air as he reaches out his hands, poised to claim the vacant chair. Yet, at the last moment, an older boy on the brink of adolescence snatches the chair away, swiftly occupying it before Jean's fingertips can make contact.

"This seat is mine!" the older boy laughed.

     Victoria gasps as her eyes widen, her pupils contracting in disbelief. Her palm flies to her jaw-dropped mouth, witnessing the mistreatment of Jean. A surge of protectiveness hastens through her, compelling her to fight on his behalf. However, her compassionate heart tempers her annoyance, reminding her to approach the situation kindly.

"Hey!" Victoria stood up and waved her hand to catch Jean's attention. She then pointed towards an empty seat at her table, signalling for him to join her and the others.

Jean's face brightened with a wide grin as he bounced on his toes. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards the last available seat, swiftly pulling it out and climbing onto it, firmly claiming his place at the table. "Yee!"

"Hi!" Victoria greeted Jean with a friendly wave. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Jean," he replied, his smile unwavering.

"My name's Victoria," she introduced herself. "This is my brother, George," she added, pointing at George.

"Hello!" George grinned.

"This is Elizabeth," Victoria said, gesturing to Elizabeth sitting on her right.

"And this is my brother, Albert!" Elizabeth chimed in, pointing at Albert.

"Hi!" Albert waved enthusiastically. Suddenly, he slammed his hands on the table as his eyes widened, leaning his face closer. "Woah! I love your hair colour! Wow!"

"Thank you," Jean responded, running his fingers through his hair.

"I wish I had a more exciting hair colour. Mine feels dull," Victoria sighed.

"No way, you still look amazing," Elizabeth reassured her.

"Aw, thank you," Victoria replied. She then turned back to Jean and said, "Hey, Jean! Starting today, you can sit with us."

"Mhm!" Jean nodded.

"And if you want, you can hang out with us, too!" George added.

"Yay! That's great! Now we have a bigger group!" Elizabeth exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"We're going to be the coolest group around," Albert smirked, crossing his arms confidently.

"Trust me, we are," Victoria stated.

As the conversation flowed, the maids entered the dining room, carrying trays laden with delicious meals.