I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 279 The Poetry Revolution and the Mysterious Pact
The poem "I Have No Other Wish But to Love You" is quite simple and doesn't have much complicated meaning, but the sincerity and deep emotions contained in these beautiful words made many people's hearts tremble slightly when they heard it.

For the women who frequented Parisian social circles, they had probably heard countless love poems, but upon hearing these verses and looking at the young man who seemed to radiate an inexplicable light, they couldn't help but tap their palms lightly with their fans to express their appreciation for the poem.

In the rather noisy environment of the ball, they couldn't help but exchange some thoughts with their companions:
"Is this a confession? It's as if he's offering up his heart."

"For whom was he writing this poem, and to whom was he addressing it? Once he read it to the other person, he couldn't possibly be rejected, could he?"

"He seemed to look in my direction just now. Has he seen me somewhere before?"

"I'd heard people say he was the best love poet in all of Paris, and I never expected to hear his latest work here today. It's another beautiful love poem. Has anyone written it down?"

"Hmm? Look at that young girl from Russia. She looks like a wronged child. Can a poem really elicit such a strong reaction from her? She's still too young and hasn't heard enough sweet words."

"When I was a little girl, I might have shed a few tears, but I probably wouldn't have reacted like her. Could it be that she was thinking of someone?"

"She's getting a bit too worked up; it seems her upbringing isn't as good as we thought."

……

For Mrs. Danilevskaya, if the poem Mikhail recited made her heart skip a beat, her daughter's reaction made her feel both heartbroken and helpless.

However, seeing that some people around her were already talking about it, Mrs. Danilevskaya had to prepare to remind her daughter.

After all, Russian nobles like them would naturally be scrutinized by some French nobles with critical and harsh eyes, not to mention that her daughter might have stolen the limelight from some people today, which would naturally attract even more discussion.

However, before she could act, the girl who had seemed slightly out of control earlier took a deep breath and adjusted herself slightly under the cover of her fan and her mother.

Finally, amidst some whispers and attention from those around her, she sat up straight again. Almost without conscious effort, her tall figure and graceful swan neck made her stand out in the crowd, and her slightly flushed skin from excitement made her even more radiant.

Upon seeing this scene, some Parisian ladies immediately averted their gaze, and their more trivial chatter quickly ceased.

Since it was really inappropriate to approach and strike up a conversation at that moment, Mikhail made eye contact with the girl who had already smiled again and gave her the same smile, before he had to temporarily look away.

“Mikhail, once the ball begins, everyone will be free to do as they please, and you can do whatever you want.”

Because they were so close, Dumas undoubtedly saw the expression on Mikhail's face. Frankly, it was quite unusual to see weakness on the face of this usually confident and composed young man. After offering a brief word of comfort to Mikhail, Dumas asked, in a slightly exaggerated tone:

"Who would you like to invite to dance the first dance of this ball? At this point, even if you wanted to invite a princess, I'm sure she would agree!"

"I think you've already guessed it."

Looking at Dumas, who was still dressed in his magnificent attire, Mikhail couldn't help but give Dumas a silent thumbs-up for his earlier casual gesture.

It's worth mentioning that whether it's the seemingly serious Victor Hugo, the bold and unrestrained Alexandre Dumas, or even the heavily indebted Balzac, they were all genuine masters of romance, with a whole repertoire of methods, techniques, and sweet talk.

Even Balzac, the least successful of the three and with the fewest lovers, left Mikhail completely stunned when he recounted his romantic history and experiences.
"It's been a long time since I've seen young people like you."

Just as Dumas was speaking to Mikhail with some emotion, the commotion they had just caused attracted the attention of many people. Because the poem Mikhail recited was not complicated, many people were able to relay most of its content to those around them after hearing it.

When the poem reached the gathering of young poets at the ball, one of them, after a moment's thought, immediately stood up and announced with some pride, "The rhyme scheme of this poem is completely off! It's just a bunch of pretty lines at best! How could he make such a basic mistake?"

Oh?
Although many poets present looked at Mikhail with envy and jealousy, as soon as the young poet uttered his words, a poet who was quite jealous of Mikhail was the first to jump out and refute him:
"What do you know? You think he would make such a basic mistake that you yourself would never make? In my opinion, either the poem that someone else relayed was incomplete, or he just improvised on the spot and casually recited these beautiful sentences."

He might even be preparing to launch a new poetry revolution! Just like the ideas he proclaimed last year, they have greatly inspired many young poets in Paris.”

The others present: "?"

That seems to be true!
How could such a genius make such a basic mistake?!

Having figured this out, the other poets present, wanting to show that they were on the same level as the genius, also chimed in with their own words:
"Just by listening to the emotions and expressiveness of this poem, you can tell that he must have had deeper thoughts! It just requires people to think about it more deeply."

"I think I understand why he wrote poetry like that now, I see."

……

The young poet who initially claimed that Mikhail's poetry had incorrect rhyme schemes: "???"

What have you all figured out?

Why don't I have any?!
Could it be that I really lack talent?
After careful consideration, the young poet quickly showed a look of sudden realization and then eagerly exclaimed, "I understand now!"

As these young poets seemed to have learned something from the form of Mikhail's poem, "I Have No Other Wish But to Love You" had spread to more people. This prompted many to greet the talented poet and also enlivened the atmosphere of the ball. As time passed, the dancing, which almost everyone at the ball eagerly anticipated, drew ever closer. At this very moment, the men and women on the ball were increasingly scrutinizing, examining, and exchanging glances. It seemed that everyone was starting to look for their next dance partner and consider whether to accept an invitation.

Among them, Mikhail is indeed the one who receives a lot of attention. Even setting aside the poem he just recited and his literary achievements, his young and handsome appearance and tall stature alone are enough to make him popular with many people.

So when the symphony that symbolized the official start of the ball began, the nobles, ambassadors, ministers, and celebrities from all walks of life, adorned with colorful medals such as crosses or ribbons, began to move around. Perhaps because Mikhail almost never appeared at balls in Paris, he attracted more attention than the nobles when he moved around.

The most attentive and nervous people seemed to be the noble ladies and young noblewomen waiting to be invited. Especially when Mikhail walked towards a certain area, even though they still had to maintain their composure and not appear too eager, the noble ladies and young ladies in that area couldn't help but raise their necks and glance slightly in that direction.

Among them, however, a Russian girl who was equally eye-catching remained motionless. While everyone else looked at the young man walking towards them, she even turned her head in the opposite direction and looked at her mother.

Was she trying to show off her superiority and uniqueness? Did that make her seem smarter than others?
Did she really think that her attitude would make that genius, who was famous in both Britain and France, come to her?

She's wrong!
Just as the other noblewomen and aristocratic ladies who witnessed this scene were having some unpleasant thoughts, Lady Danilevskaya, seeing her daughter glancing at her, thought: "???"

Why did you forget to come see me before?!
Seeing her daughter's pretty face that seemed ready to burst into laughter at any moment, Madame Danilevskaya, unable to contain herself any longer, reached out and pressed the seemingly restless Nadya back into the chair.

Nadya: "?"

Before Nadya could even think of a way to escape, under the watchful eyes of many people, Mikhail walked straight up to her and asked softly in a tone as if he had been waiting for a long time, "May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

When the voice rang out, Madame Danilevskaya, who had only wanted to tease her daughter, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. But in the end, as her guardian, she released her grip on her daughter's hand and watched as her daughter stood up somewhat impatiently. She replied in a restrained tone, "With pleasure, sir."

Before leaving, the young man who took her daughter gave her a slightly apologetic smile.

Mrs. Danilevskaya: "."

Let's leave it at that for now.
And so, as the first dance music began, the striking couple, along with many other couples, walked onto the dance floor and began to dance the first dance to the rhythm of the music.

To be fair, although Mikhail had hurriedly started practicing the dance steps he had abandoned for a long time after learning that the general's family was coming, the time was still too short. Moreover, at this moment, Mikhail felt that the two of them were beating their hearts louder than the music.

After finally shaking hands, Mikhail and Nadya remained silent for a long time. When they felt the warmth from each other's fingertips, they said in unison, "You danced so well."

Upon hearing what the girl said, Mikhail, who was already feeling his limbs becoming somewhat unresponsive, paused for a moment before instinctively asking, "Really?"

"of course it's true."

Nadya first skillfully dodged Mikhail's somewhat unsteady stomp and steered Mikhail back on track, then gave a rather gentle smile and replied, "I've made you as big as my loneliness. You've been busy here all this time by yourself. You must be tired."

"It's actually not bad."

Mikhail smiled somewhat embarrassedly, looking earnestly at the face that seemed to have not changed much, and said, "I should go back to Russia with you."

What are your plans after this?

Nadya, whose dance steps seemed to sway slightly, continued before Mikhail could answer, "I don't think you'll do what many people think."

Nadya thought about the letters Mikhail had written to her, his works, their conversations, and their views on certain people and events. As she changed the subject of her dance, Nadya gently touched Mikhail's shoulder with her head.

"What an difficult choice it was, but you seem to be the kind of person who makes it."

Mikhail: “.”

I was starting to waver after hearing that.
"No one can betray their own heart, neither you nor I."

Nadya looked up at Mikhail, revealing a smile that Mikhail saw as an icy wasteland, as icy as snow. She then grasped Mikhail's slender hand with a slight squeeze and said in a firm tone, "Just do as you think. You won't regret it no matter what, and that's for all of us."

Undoubtedly, the young woman noticed what Mikhail said and what he was thinking in his letter, and after hearing these words that he had clearly been pondering for a long time, Mikhail was momentarily at a loss for words.

Only when the music changed again and the dance steps needed to be altered once more did Mikhail lower his head with a relatively large movement and touch the girl's warm forehead.

At first, Nadya seemed almost startled, but after recovering, her face seemed to flush considerably. After what appeared to be a strange agreement, Nadya returned to her usual self and inquired about Mikhail's life there.
Tell me more about your experiences here!

"With great pleasure."

……

The flowing days and nights converge today.

(End of this chapter)