Margarita Nikolaevna

SADOVAYA STREET - AUGUST 2, 1932 - 15:47.

It was a spring evening, one of those Moscow rarely bestows upon its citizens, when the setting sun casts its last slanting rays upon the city, gilding the windows and softening even the sternest faces with its farewell glow. The air trembled with the first scent of lilac and gasoline.

And here she is.

She emerged from around the corner of Spiridonovka, moving slowly, almost solemnly, as if the world itself had stopped to watch her pass. In her hands, she carried a bouquet of yellow camellias—rare flowers, striking in their brightness, mercilessly beautiful against the gloomy pavement and the black of her dress. Her eyes, restless and deep, seemed to reflect something otherworldly: an unspoken sadness and tenderness capable of breaking the hardest heart.

People turned to look at her, but she seemed oblivious. Her gait was light and unhurried, but her gaze? It searched the faces of those passing by, as if...