"Uhm…Alexander…what is the sudden invitation?" Diana stammered as she tried to figure out what was going on. Why is Alexander being assertive?
"This is a ball, after all, it would be a waste if we don't dance," Alexander said, his hand extending forward, inviting her to dance. He continued. "This would be a great honor for me to dance with the lady who would soon become the Queen of the Britannia Empire."
"But…" Diana hesitantly reached out to his hand but as soon as she showed signs of willingness, Alexander grabbed her hand and pulled her up.
"Uwah…" Diana let out a startled gasp as she found herself standing close to Alexander.
"Oh…is this how the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire acts?" Kaiser Wilheim commented from his seat, observing the whole ordeal.
"Kaiser Wilheim, I would like to finish our discussion later. Please wait for me kindly," Alexander said as he gazed at him.
Kaiser Wilheim averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with Alexander.
"Do whatever you like," he coldly replied. Alexander just chuckled at that response and returned his attention back to Diana, who is still confused about what was going on.
"Oi…Alexander…what's the matter with you? You're not being yourself…Uwah!"
Alexander ignored, and spun her around on the dance floor so she found herself in position already, hand in hand, her other hand on his shoulder, and his other hand at her waist. He transitioned the pair of them smoothly into the dance with music, and her body responded to the steps automatically.
While Diana's body functioned automatically, her brain was still trying to catch up.
"Allow me to express my honest opinion. You are the only woman here worth looking at, and I am not the only man who knows it," Alexander said, smiling dazzlingly.
Diana could feel butterflies in her stomach when Alexander said those words. Everyone's eyes were trained on them. As they knew how significant it is. The future Queen of the Britannia Empire and the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire danced together as if they were a couple. It was a breathtaking scene.
Diana couldn't help but wonder why Alexander is saying such flowery and sweet words to her. He already has a wife and a child. Could it mean that he doesn't want Sophie anymore?
As she was thinking that it was the case, the romantic mood between them suddenly shifted to that of a serious one.
"Diana, the reason why I pulled you here is that I have a question that needs answering."
Alexander's tone was serious. It was unlike his sweet and charming voice earlier.
Diana gazed down, swaying back and forth as they continued dancing. Her expectations were ruined.
"You could have asked me that on the table," Diana said.
"I could have but I won't risk anyone hearing it. So as for my question, how well do you know your sister, Anne?"
Diana looked up at him the moment she heard the name of her sister.
"We are siblings so we know each other very well," Diana replied honestly.
"I see," Alexander muttered in response before proceeding to talk again, "I just talked with her earlier and she is giving out a vibe that is not befitting of a princess. Are you sure that you really know your sister?" he asked once more.
"Alexander, I am not following you. Why are you curious about my sister? Is there something I should know?" Diana demanded gently.
Alexander ignored her pressing questions and asked another. "Do the two of you fight like you know some misunderstandings, jealousy…"
"Alexander," Diana interrupted his line of questioning. "Are you having suspicions about my sister?"
"You can say that," Alexander raised an eyebrow.
Diana began to act seriously after receiving a hint from Alexander.
"Is this a matter of national security…no, your security?" Diana asked.
"You know, your crown ceremony of yours is a perfect opportunity for an international syndicate known as the Black Hand. They hated kings, queens, and basically the system of monarchy as they believe that they are the symbol of oppression. Actually, we already have gathered intel about their organization but I can't disclose it to you as it is classified."
"I am very well aware of the risk my crown ceremony brings. But rest assured, the Britannia Empire will guarantee your safety," Diana said.
"I can't be certain of that. The Black Hand is a fearsome enemy of the world with unlimited resources and people of authority under their command. Heck, there might be a mole in your government, feeding the Black Hand sensitive information about your country. I can say this because we found one in my government," Alexander said.
He leaned and whispered. "If there's some rivalry between you and your sister that will very much cause her to hate you, then I suggest that you keep an eye out for her."
Diana's eyes widened. This is full of ridiculousness. Alexander just told her to keep an eye out for her sister? But ridiculous as it may be he still has a point. She has a history with Anne. From childhood days to adulthood. Anne wants to become a Queen of the Britannia Empire. To do so she worked very hard to gain the attention of their father. But she's not progressing as she expected, causing them to have a slight discord with one another.
After one minute, the song that was playing ended. Alexander took her hand and kissed the back. His expression, and countenance, returned to that of a charming prince.
"Thank you for this dance, Your Royal Highness," he purred as his sharp eyes flickered up to her. "It has been an extraordinary pleasure."
He escorted her back to their table and the two sat down in their respective seats.
Alexander wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead with a clean handkerchief. "It was satisfying," he remarked.
Kaiser Wilheim, who was sitting next to him, started speaking.
"I didn't know that you dance well, Alexander. While you were having your dance I was thinking…and then I suddenly remembered."
"Oh, would that be something serious? If it is, let's discuss that in a private room," Alexander said.
"No, this can't wait," Kaiser Wilheim insisted. "You see, a Hanese submarine sunk two of our troopships, one of them is Britannian," he glanced at Diana. "I'm sure Her Royal Highness is aware of the situation."
"Yes I do, Kaiser Wilheim. But why are you bringing this up?" Diana inquired.
"I just wondered, how can an inferior being with inferior submarines sink three troopships that are protected by our state-of-the-art destroyers designed to sink a submarine," he gazed piercingly at Alexander. "There's no other advanced navy in that area other than the Ruthenia Empire Pacific Fleet. I heard that you launched a new type of submarine that is better than our U-boats with long endurance."
"There you are again, Uncle. You are making another baseless accusation. I have made myself clear that I won't interfere with the Han Dynasty's internal affairs."
"Yet you supply the Nationalist Party or the Kuomintang with Ruthenian weapons, aircraft, tanks, and possibly submarines with the advanced capability of shooting a troopship down. How's that not interfering?"
"Kaiser Wilheim is right, Alexander." Diana joined. "I wonder why you only sell weapons to Nationalists but not the opposing faction or the government itself?"
They locked their gazes at Alexander.
Alexander sighed. "Well, I believe the Nationalist Party would be a perfect candidate for running the now-ruined country. Their interests are aligned with ours so we helped them. Of course, don't tell me that you don't pick your sides. Our intelligence agency reports that you are selling arms to the Communist Party."
"Alexander, if we find evidence that you helped the submarine that sank my troopships full of Deutschland soldiers. Know that we won't hesitate to retaliate," Kaiser Wilheim threatened. "Don't get cocky with your new advanced technology."
Alexander scoffed. "Well if you want to take your chances on taking us down, be my guest. But be aware that the Ruthenia Empire had once marched to Paris to stop Napoleon. Berlin is just near, making it easy to reach it."
The two exchanged glares.
