#67. Northern Social Circle (1)
Time passed quickly, and soon the day of the ball arrived.
Sasha had been busy since dawn, giving out instructions, but by noon she had no choice but to stop working.
“Madam, I’ll handle things here, so you should start getting ready for the ball!”
“I’ll manage the guests, so don’t worry about that either.”
With both Olga and Yelena pressing her, Sasha returned to her bedroom.
“Madam, we’ll start right away!”
The skilled maids dressed her, fixed her hair, and applied makeup.
When she looked in the mirror, Sasha was quite satisfied.
It wasn’t exactly the latest fashion. The current trend was far from her taste. She could understand whitening the skin, but she didn’t like the blue powder on the cheeks and neck—it made people look unnatural, even scary.
“It doesn’t make you look like a statue. It makes you look like a corpse.”
Of course, she couldn’t go against the trend completely by showing off a healthy tan. That would only bring criticism.
So she balanced current beauty standards with her own preferences.
‘The dress turned out even better than I expected.’
She chose white as the base color since, though she was already an adult, this was almost like her debut in the North. But she didn’t make it all white. She wanted something different from the full white wedding dress she’d already worn.
The fitted top was white, but the color gradually shifted—pale peach at the waist, then deepening until the hem bloomed into rose red.
Her makeup was natural: no white powder, just pink on the cheeks and nose, neatly shaped brows, and cherry-red lips.
‘On Earth this would be a pure style, but here it looks bright and lively.’
The maids admired her.
“Wow, Madam, you look so beautiful.”
“A single perfect flower… The dress is stunning, and you make it shine.”
Sasha smiled. Their praise wasn’t entirely fake.
Nina helped her put on a full set of ruby-set diamond jewelry—a tiara, drop earrings, bracelet, and ring. She took off her usual locket pendant for the sake of matching.
With reinforced shoes for comfort, Sasha left the dressing room.
Pavel, waiting outside, looked up.
“……!”
“How do I look?”
Pavel just stared, speechless.
“Pavel?”
“Huh?”
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“No…”
He blinked slowly, still dazed.
“…I was speechless at my wife’s beauty.”
Sasha’s lips parted in surprise. ‘Why is Pavel saying such a cheesy thing…? Did he pick this up from Nikolai?’
She decided to let it go. His face was already red from embarrassment.
“Shall we go?”
Pavel offered his hand for an escort. Sasha placed her hand on his, and he bent down to kiss her gloved hand.
“Let’s go.”
Holding her hand firmly, Pavel led her to the main hall where the ball was held.
The hall was already full before the event began. People chatted and laughed over champagne.
But when Sasha and Pavel entered, the noise faded, and all eyes turned to them.
They walked calmly to greet Grand Duke Dmitri.
“You two look good together.”
“What do you mean?” Sasha asked playfully.
“Your dress suits you… and the two of you suit each other.”
Leaving the event in their care, Dmitri told them,
“Go on now and have your first dance.”
The couple walked to the center of the floor, the crowd parting like waves. The lively tune that began was the one they had practiced the most.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not really.”
“Don’t worry. If you make a mistake, I’ll cover for you.”
“…You too,” Pavel replied, holding her waist. “Don’t worry if you step on me.”
They began to dance. Their graceful, flawless movements drew admiration.
From a certain point, Pavel began to lead smoothly. Sasha looked up at him in slight surprise—only to meet his red eyes watching her closely.
For a moment, it felt as if the world around them disappeared, leaving only the two of them.
When the music ended, Sasha blinked quickly, regaining her senses. She was about to step off the floor when Pavel tightened his hold on her slender waist.
