Alessandra smiled and nodded at the Queen's word. Although she couldn't think of how else to address her at a formal event. Calling her aunt seemed impolite especially within the hearing range of people she barely knew. But to make up for it, she closed the small distance between them and enveloped the older lady in a big warm hug.

The hug gave Alessandra a nice fuzzy feeling. The perfume the Queen was wearing had the same scent as the one at home, on her mother's vanity table. It was easy to imagine that it was her own mother holding her when she closed her eyes. And for a moment, she did. She tried picturing her mother's face. She had been staring at her old photos so often that it wasn't difficult even though she had never met the woman who gave birth to her.

A few more seconds and she stepped back, smiling sheepishly at the queen for indulging herself too much. When the older woman complemented her, she smiled. "This dress belonged to my mother." She said, running a hand lovingly over the emroidered flowers decorating the waist of the dress. 

When she was encouraged to enjoy the ball, she curtsied to the royal couple and joined Avril. "So, the boys that were hanging around you earlier were that boring?" She whispered to Avril, an amused look on her face.