Chapter 778 Dance
Queen Alexandra was very satisfied with Franz. She had been afraid that the painter of the Austrian royal family would paint people too handsome, and it would be bad if Olga fell too far behind after seeing him.
But fortunately, Franz spoke better than Mrs. Sophie, and from what she saw in Vienna these days, even if she didn't understand politics, she knew that the country's national strength was far from what it used to be.
Even Nicholas I would feel heartbroken to receive a grand princess with such high standards.
And judging from the performance of the guests, the standards were indeed very high, but not unique. In other words, there are often banquets of similar standards in Vienna.
For Queen Alexandra, the wealth of the Habsburg family meant that her daughter would not suffer hardship when she married, and the strength of Austria meant that the alliance was stable, so there was no need to worry about the two countries going to war.
Mrs. Sophie was also very satisfied. She felt that marriage with Russia was Austria's best choice at this time. The remaining countries are not worth mentioning at all, and the princes of Germany and Italy cannot continue to increase their influence and provide political resources for the Austrian Empire.
The only one with strategic value is Prussia, but the other party's interest does not seem to be great, so the priority can only be lowered.
As for Spain, it is too far away for Austria, and the former has already entered into a marriage plan with the French. It is not easy to seize the opportunity from the tiger's mouth.
Empires such as Brazil and Mexico, which are not recognized at all, are even less likely to be considered.
To sum up, Mrs. Sophie is very satisfied with this marriage. After all, Princess Olga looks very healthy. As for her personality, she was a pretty normal child before. The problem is probably with Franz.
No matter what, she is still a princess of a big country. If she really doesn't work, she can be trained slowly.
"My dear, what do you think of Princess Olga?"
Madam Sophie suddenly wanted to ask her husband's opinion. Archduke Franz Karl quickly stuffed all the food on the plate into his mouth, poured another sip of wine and spoke vaguely.
"Eatable, drinkable, clean, white, and tall"
Mrs. Sophie held her forehead, she regretted her behavior just now.
"I'm asking what you think."
"Of course I sat and watched. The party is not over yet."
Archduke Franz Karl kindly reminded him, and Mrs. Sophie could only say helplessly.
"Eat vegetables. Eat vegetables."
——
This is the dividing line that must be eaten——
After dinner, before the dance begins.
Franz doesn't like being stared at, but he's gotten used to it over the years, and doesn't show much emotion when faced with burning eyes.
"Beautiful Grand Duchess Olga Nikolayevna, if you have any questions, you'd better ask them now, otherwise you may not have the chance later."
"Dear Archduke Franz Joseph, are you giving me an ultimatum?"
Princess Olga showed a charming smile and then prepared to leave gracefully.
"No, I'm just reminding you in a friendly way."
Franz did not chase him, nor did he give any explanation in a panic. A kind reminder made Princess Olga very angry. She felt that the other party must be provoking.
The former sighed helplessly as he watched the latter's leaving figure. However, he did not take any further action. Instead, he chose to recuperate his energy. After all, there was still some physical work ahead.
After the two separated, the atmosphere became a little awkward. After all, this series of activities was specially prepared for these two young people.
Flowers, wine, dances, and waltzes are the favorites of young people in this era.
In order to increase the atmosphere, Mrs. Sophie also invited the old Johann Strauss, known as the "King of Waltz", but his edge was obscured by too many big names present.
Although I don’t know what the situation will be, the dance must go on.
Queen Alexandra on the other hand is not in a hurry, because she knows that her daughter is actually very well-educated, and she will politely refuse even if she doesn't like it.
What's more, unlike other German princes, Austria is an ally that can be on an equal footing with the Russian Empire. Olga will not be so ignorant.
The current situation is entirely because the other party is not paying enough attention to her and is getting angry. This shows that Olga is very interested in Franz.
So Queen Alexandra quietly made a gesture to reassure Madam Sophie, who then breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that there would be trouble if the two children couldn't get along.
Queen Alexandra saw Princess Olga coming over and asked her to sit next to her and said.
"My dear little Olga, how do you feel? Have a great time at the dance."
"Mom, can you remove that small print? I'm 24 years old."
Olga scolded, but Queen Alexandra didn't care and stroked her daughter's head lovingly.
"Olga, my little Olga, there are not many opportunities for a woman to make choices in her life, so take advantage of it."
"Mother!"
"If you don't like it, I can take you away now."
Princess Olga was startled by the sudden change in Queen Alexandra's tone, but when she saw the smile in her mother's eyes, she couldn't help but hold her mother's hand and start acting coquettishly.
"Mom! How could you do this! I am your biological daughter! I don't understand him yet..."
Queen Alexandra tapped Princess Olga on the forehead.
"Then what's the point of holding my hand? Ask yourself! He's right there!"
Princess Olga struggled for a while before she mustered up the courage to walk to Franz.
However, before the former could speak, he noticed that the drum music suddenly changed, followed by Franz's outstretched hand.
"Princess Olga, can I ask you to dance?"
Franz's eyes were clear and bright, and his smile was elegant and confident. Olga nodded subconsciously and stretched out her hand.
Then the latter lost his body autonomy. Franz danced very fast, but at a pace that Princess Olga could just keep up with.
In fact, the drumbeat of the music, the focus of the lights, and everyone's gazes all changed at that moment. Only Franz and Olga were dancing in the center of the hall.
But Olga couldn't notice any other changes at this time. She only knew that her heart was beating violently and her body was constantly catching up with the opponent's movements. The boy who was eight years younger than her was now like a comparison. She accommodated her like an older gentleman.
Their dance steps became more and more coordinated, and Olga also put away her embarrassment of the little deer bumping into each other. She tried her best to appear elegant and confident.
People at the ball cast envious glances one after another, attracted by the elegance and beauty of the pair of dancers.
The applause and drumbeats sounded in time, making Olga become more confident and couldn't help but smile.
She looked at him, and there seemed to be something fiercely fighting between their eyes.
After the dance, there was thunderous applause, and the ones who clapped the loudest were Prince Metternich and the Russian Ambassador to Austria, Mr. Plavich.
Franz smiled and said: "Grand Duchess Olga Nikolayevna, you are such an excellent dancer. I am honored to dance with you."
"Me too. If you could, I'd like you to call me Olga."
"Okay then. Olga, my name is Franz. It's nice to meet you again."
"Me too."
"See you next time."
"Wait a moment."
One good thing about Russian women is that they are not pretentious. Olga put her arms around Franz's neck, stood up on tiptoes and kissed him gently.