"Sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I've achieved my purpose. That is enough."
Franz paused, then said.
"Olga, you know I have little interest in dancing. You're the one who's had to work hard."
Olga shook her head.
"This is simply the duty a queen ought to fulfill."
"Cheesy."
Franz's younger sister, Archduchess Maria Anna, could no longer bear to listen.
"You've been an old married couple for ages, yet you still act like this all day."
Before Maria Anna could finish her jab, Sophie seized a pinch of flesh at her waist.
"You little brat, have some respect for your elders. You were so sensible when you were little—how have you become more and more lawless as you grew up?"
Franz and Olga could only exchange helpless smiles.
In truth, Olga wanted to bring Maria Anna together with Alexander's eldest son, Archduke Nikolai Alexandrovich.
Whether Alexander liked Archduke Nikolai Alexandrovich or not, once Alexander ascended the throne, Archduke Nikolai Alexandrovich would become the Russian Crown Prince.
If Franz's sister could marry Archduke Nikolai Alexandrovich, relations between Austria and Russia would be even more secure in the future.
Olga had another concern as well: Alexander was not a man who greatly respected tradition. Her brother was utterly heartless toward his wife, Maria Alexandrovna, to the point of near cruelty.
Thus, Olga greatly feared a tragedy within the family. But if her nephew could form a marriage alliance with the Austrian Empire, that would provide another layer of protection.
Even if Alexander truly wished to do something outrageously unconventional in the future, he would have to consider the existence of the Austrian Empire.
To preserve his future position as Tsar, Archduke Nikolai Alexandrovich would certainly draw closer to the Austrian Empire as well.
The moment Olga's proposal was raised, the House