Reference:   Shueisha bunko 2, 328-330 (tankoubon 4);   anime ep.25

[ Party at Duchess Conté's mansion.   The ladies are chatting about the Black Knight and their stolen jewelries.   A lady appears in the doorway. ]

Ladies:	Madame!   Look over there! Um, who is that woman?   I've never seen her before! How beautiful she is!   As if bewitching your eyes.
Ladies:	Who is she?
Servant:	Hmm, I think she is some foreign countess.
Ladies:	Well, a foreigner!
[ crowd shuffling about and gasping at seeing the mysterious lady ]
Ladies:	I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life!
Sophia:	Look, Hans! She's as beautiful as a statue!   Look! I heard she's a foreign countess.
[ Fersen turns to see the foreign lady.   His eyes are locked with Oscar's.   The music begins. ]
Fersen:	Mademoiselle, may I have this dance?
[ Fersen and Oscar begin dancing, while the crowd watches in awe. ]
Oscar:	{{ Fersen's hands ... Fersen's chest ... I'm not dreaming ... Fersen's arms holding me as a woman, just like in my dreams! }}
< ... >
Fersen:	Where are you from, Countess?
[ Oscar blushes and averts her eyes ]
Fersen:	Oh ... I beg your pardon, Mademoiselle. I happen to know someone who resembles you very much. She's a beautiful woman, with blond hair like yours, kind and well-bred, and willing to risk her life for her own beliefs. Yes, she's like that ... Despite her beauty, she enwraps her fragrant skin in a gold-laced soldier's uniform, rejecting men's gaze like an icy flower. Oscar ... Oscar, is that you?

[ Oscar pushes Fersen away and runs out of the ballroom. ]

Oscar:

Fersen's arms embraced me. Fersen's eyes enveloped me. Fersen's lips spoke words of me. Yes, I can give him up now ... Now I can let go ...

 

Don't you just love this scene?   I nearly fell over when I first saw Oscar in a dress.   In the manga, we see Oscar first at the house, with Granny and André going gaga over her beauty.   The anime shows only André's stunned look, leaving us in suspense until she arrives at the party.

Okay, now onto Fersen and Oscar.   It is somewhat unusual that a main character like Fersen would have so few lines and appearances.   Yet when he does say or do something, it makes a huge impact on the storyline and other characters.   Here, his comment is enough to satisfy Oscar's desire for love and allows her to go on with her life.   At the same time, we get an objective, male perspective of Oscar that is refreshing in a story so overwhelmed with female views.

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