Le dernier bal de l'Imperatrice

The descriptions of dance and movement felt so vivid and symbolic—I'm curious whether this was a deliberate choice to mirror the characters' inner lives or evolved during writing.

While I appreciated the richness, some parts felt a bit slow. Do you think this was necessary to build the atmosphere or could it have been tighter?

The historical backdrop added so much flavor and tension. I wonder what led to the decision to focus on this specific period and location.