The grand duke and the princess's dance drew every eye in the hall.
The nobles envied the grand duke for winning such a beautiful princess, while the young ladies gazed in admiration at the splendid dance of the noble king and princess. The reality couldn't have been further from any of it, though.
After getting free of the grand duke and the princess, what awaited me was Imperial Crown Prince Maximilian. The imperial crown prince was fairly handsome as well, though his jaw jutted out a bit more prominently than most people's.
It was said to be one of the classic hereditary conditions of the Habsburgs, famous for their intermarriage, but at this point it didn't seem all that severe. It was the price of the vast enclosure the House of Habsburg had built around itself.
At his side was the crown prince. Within the empire, the imperial crown prince ranked on par with the grand duke, but the crown prince stood one step below, which probably made him the more approachable company.
