It's winter, 1830 year. Another ball was held in the palace, in honor of the birthday of the tsar's daughter. In the main hall, the celebration was in full swing, one guest was more beautiful than the other. The ladies were in lavish and expensive dresses, the men in tuxedos, and the old officers had gold medals on their chests. Foreign musicians were invited, and the table was overflowing with delicious delicacies. The polished parquet shone, reflecting the light of a luxurious crystal chandelier. It was hard to imagine how generous the tsar was to arrange such a large-scale event. Among the crowd, Alexander was the only one who was bored. The king's right-hand man, hiding his identity, pretended to be an ordinary son of a nobleman, wandering from side to side out of boredom. During all this time, Alexander managed to scan every person's eyes, determining exactly who everyone was and what they were doing. During the entire event, he tried to leave the palace four times, but his friends dragged him back and Alexander had to put up with it. Standing at a small round table, he rolled his eyes irritably when people approached him to get acquainted. He brushed off all the pleasantries and asked them not to bother him. But soon Alexander's boredom was interrupted when he noticed how a girl entered the hall unnoticed by everyone except him. After finishing his glass of whiskey, Alexander quickly put out and threw away the cigar, starting to walk quickly towards that girl. Judging by her clothes, she was clearly from the street. At the moment, he grabbed her hand before she could go out onto the balcony.

“Are you lost?” — Alexander asked the girl, looking into her surprised eyes. Sensing that she wasn't resisting or trying to escape, Alexander loosened his grip, holding the girl's wrist more gently. At that moment, the agitated guards approached them, ready to throw the girl out of the palace, but they were quickly stopped by Alexander — “The girl is with me. Am I right?” — Alexander looked at her thoughtfully, waiting for her answer.