Chapter 778 Dance
Empress Alexandra was very satisfied with Franz. She was afraid that the painters of the Austrian royal family would make him too handsome. It would be bad if Olga saw him in person.
Fortunately, Franz spoke better than Madame Sophie, and what she had seen and heard 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 pained to receive an archduchess with such a high standard.
And judging from the performance of the guests, the standard was indeed very high, but it was not unique, that is, there were often banquets of similar standards in Vienna.
For Empress Alexandra, the wealth of the Habsburg family meant that her daughter would not suffer if she married there, and the strength of Austria meant the stability of the alliance, so there was no need to worry about the two countries going to war.
Madame Sophie was also very satisfied. She felt that marrying Russia was the best choice for Austria at this time. The rest of the countries were not worth mentioning at all. The princes of Germany and Italy could not continue to enhance the influence and provide political resources for the Austrian Empire.
The only strategically valuable one is Prussia, but the other party does not seem to be very interested, so it can only be prioritized.
As for Spain, it is too far away for Austria, and the former has already made a marriage plan with the French, so it is not easy to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
Brazil and Mexico, which are empires that are not recognized at all, are even less likely to be considered.
In summary, Mrs. Sophie is very satisfied with this marriage. After all, Princess Olga looks very healthy. As for her personality, she was a normal child before, and the problem is mostly with Franz.
In any case, she is a princess of a big country. If it doesn't work, she can be trained slowly.
"Dear, what do you think of Princess Olga."
Mrs. Sophie suddenly wanted to ask her husband's opinion. Archduke Franz Karl quickly stuffed all the food on the plate into his mouth, poured a big sip of wine, and then said vaguely.
"Can eat, drink, 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 down and watched. The banquet is not over yet."
Archduke Franz Karl kindly reminded, and Mrs. Sophie could only say helplessly.
"Eat. Eat."
--
This is the dividing line that must be eaten--
The dinner is over and before the dance begins.
Franz doesn't like being stared at, but he has gotten used to it over the years. He doesn't show too much emotion in the face of burning eyes.
"Beautiful Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, if you have any questions, you'd better ask now, otherwise you may not have the chance later."
"Respected Grand Duke Franz Joseph, are you giving me an ultimatum?"
Princess Olga showed a charming smile and prepared to leave gracefully.
"No, I'm just reminding you in a friendly way."
Franz didn't chase after her, nor did he panic to explain anything. Instead, a friendly reminder made Princess Olga very angry. She felt that the other party must be provoking.
The former sighed helplessly as he watched the latter leave, but he did not take further action, but chose to conserve his energy, after all, there was still some physical work to do.
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, waltzes, young people of this era like it the most.
In order to create an atmosphere, Mrs. Sophie also invited old Johann Strauss, known as the "King of Waltz", but because there were too many big figures present, his edge was covered.
Although I don't know what the situation is, the ball must go on.
On the other hand, Queen Alexandra was not in a hurry, because she knew that her daughter's cultivation was actually very good, and she would politely refuse even if she didn't like it.
What's more, Austria is different from other German princes. It is an ally that can stand on equal footing with the Russian Empire. Olga will not be so ignorant of the importance.
The current situation is completely because the other party is not paying enough attention to herself and is throwing a tantrum, which just shows that Olga is very interested in Franz.
So Queen Alexandra quietly made a gesture to reassure Mrs. Sophie, who then breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that it would be troublesome if the two children did not get along.
Queen Alexandra saw Princess Olga coming over and asked her to sit next to her, saying.
"My dear little Olga, how do you feel? You must have a good time at the dance later."
"Mom, can you remove that little word? I am already 24 years old."
Olga scolded, but Queen Alexandra did not care and stroked her daughter's head lovingly.
"Olga, my little Olga, a woman has few opportunities to make choices in her life, so you should seize them well."
"Mom!"
"If you don't like it, I can take you away now."
The sudden change in Queen Alexandra's tone scared Princess Olga, but seeing her mother's eyes full of smiles, she couldn't help but pull her mother's hand and start to act coquettishly.
"Mom! How can you do this? I am your biological daughter! I don't even know him..."
Queen Alexandra tapped Princess Olga's forehead.
"Then what's the point of holding my hand? Go ask him yourself! He is right there!"
Princess Olga struggled for a long time before she mustered up the courage to walk to Franz.
However, before the former opened her mouth, she found that the drum music suddenly changed, and then Franz stretched out his hand.
"Princess Olga, can I ask you to dance with me?"
Franz's eyes were clear and bright, and his smile was elegant and confident. Olga subconsciously nodded and stretched out her hand.
Then the latter lost the autonomy of her body. Franz's dance steps were very fast, but it was a rhythm that Princess Olga could just keep up with.
In fact, the drum beats of the music, the focus of the lights, and the eyes of the crowd all changed at that moment. Only Franz and Olga were dancing in the center of the hall.
At this time, Olga didn't notice any other changes. She only knew that her heart was beating violently, and her body was constantly chasing the other's movements. The boy who was eight years younger than her was accommodating her like a gentleman older than her.
Their dance steps became more and more coordinated, and Olga also put away the embarrassment of a fluttering deer. She tried her best to be elegant and confident.
People at the party cast envious glances at them, and they were attracted by the elegance and beauty of the dancers.
The applause sounded in time with the drumbeats, making Olga more confident, and she couldn't help but smile.
She looked at him, and the two looked at each other as if something was fiercely confronting each other.
After the dance, there was thunderous applause, and the ones who clapped the hardest were Prince Metternich and Mr. Pravich, the Russian ambassador to Austria.
Franz smiled and said, "Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, you are such an excellent dancer, and I am honored to dance with you."
"Me too. If possible, I hope you can call me Olga."
"Okay then. Olga, my name is Franz, and I am glad to meet you again."
"Me too."
"See you next time."
"Wait a minute."
Russian women have one good point, that is, they are not pretentious. Olga directly put her arms around Franz's neck, stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly.