This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Larisa Renard's bestseller. A fascinating novel with a dashingly twisted plot can be read in one breath, but most importantly, the narrative is woven into the story with many recommendations for increasing the feminine energy necessary to attract men, build harmonious relationships and find femininity.

Level up four female states on, which starts on June 3. Thanks to the marathon, you will find your point of femininity, gain the strength and harmony of a happy woman!

The book “The Circle of Feminine Power” talks about how important it is for a woman to be in harmony with herself, her feminine essence, to be truly feminine and to maintain a balance of feminine and masculine energies.

Larisa Renard searched for the practices and rituals included in them all over the world, selecting the most effective and efficient ones. That is why, if you strictly follow all the recommendations of the books, you can radically change your life, attracting love, money, new opportunities and luck into it.

In search of femininity: four states

Every woman is naturally given the opportunity to accumulate energy, receiving it from the four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Fire gives sensuality and sexuality, earth gives inner strength and balance, air gives a sharp mind and creativity, and water makes a woman emotional and empathetic.

Filling with the four main energies allows any woman to find personal happiness, improve relationships in the family, with children and parents, become successful in business and achieve extraordinary heights in creativity.

Circle of feminine power- these are four energies manifested in four feminine states:

• Mistress (fire).
• Mistress (land).
• Queen (air).
• Girl (water).

In each incarnation, a woman reveals certain qualities of her character. And by skillfully combining all four states, at the right moments transforming from a business Queen into a carefree Girl, from a wise Mistress into a passionate Lover, she is able to achieve from a man everything she wants - care, a reverent attitude towards herself, expensive gifts, a marriage proposal and feats in his honor.

Alas, only select women feel natural in all four states. Legends are made about them, and their names go down in history forever.

Most representatives of the fair sex have two conditions, and some lucky women have three. But don't give up. With the help of special practices and exercises, every woman can master all four female states and become a magnet for men.

Four secrets of the ideal woman

Do you want to try yourself in every role and see the results? Then follow these tips!

The Mistress condition helps to attract a man, intrigue and seduce. If a woman turns on this state on dates, in an intimate setting, appearing before a man as a sensual seductress, she becomes a source of pleasure for him, which he will strive for again and again.

But passionate sex is not all that most men need. It is important for every man to feel like a bright personality, a protector and a hero. Is your bathroom faucet leaking? Is your laptop acting up? Transmission problems? Don't rush to deal with these issues yourself. It's time to “turn on” the Girl and ask for help. And then admire the intelligence, knowledge and skills of your personal specialist.

However, even the most independent and business-minded representative of the stronger sex is pleased when he is taken care of. What interests a man after his labors? Of course, a delicious dinner, coziness and comfort, as well as a calm, peaceful woman who will listen to him carefully without asking unnecessary questions.

However, you shouldn’t completely immerse yourself in caring for your loved one, otherwise the man will get used to it and get bored. Be sure to set your own goals, look for ways to achieve them, do what you love, realize yourself in your profession or creativity. This is the only way you can maintain the respect and interest of your man, who will want to “move mountains” to win the attention of his brilliant lady.

Circle of feminine power - reviews

Of course, the book “The Circle of Feminine Power” is worth reading for every woman who wants to change her life for the better. But in order to maximize and balance all four states in yourself, you need to go through. In addition, master classes, women's practices and webinars held at the Academy help maintain and improve the results achieved.

The practices of the “Circle of Feminine Power” give all women the opportunity to change their lives: find a suitable man and marry him, improve relationships in the family, attract good luck and prosperity to their home.

This year, 15 years after the creation of the Academy, Larisa Renard offers an updated version of her unique methodology - the “Circle of Female Power: Reboot” master class. Many of our students have already completed this training and share their feedback.

“...Please convey my deep gratitude to Larisa Renard for her work. I tried a lot of things in my life, but I settled on Larisa’s practices. Moreover, I tried other energy practices, which I found after becoming acquainted with FLS in various sources, and I discovered an amazing thing - they do not work and are not to my soul. As I understand it, Larisa carefully studies all the practices that are given at school, puts them through herself, analyzes, practices, and only then, making sure that it really works, gives training to others. Therefore, I now use only the techniques and practices that I received at the Academy, knowing that it is tested and safe. Thank you Larisa."

Lily

“...I have been a student of the Academy since 2012 and I can say without hiding: the practices work! I have gained invaluable experience in building relationships with men and the world. I am reviving my sense of self-worth and femininity. I have learned to believe in my uniqueness, I have learned to accept gifts and help with dignity. I was able to change my worldview on the relationship between a man and a woman. I realized the roles and ancient nature of male and female psychology and energy and learned the main secrets - the unchangeable rules of their interaction to create happy and harmonious relationships.”

Irina

“...Thank you so much, Larisa, for your video lessons and practices. They really WORK and help in life situations. Five years ago, while doing the “Golden Ball” practice, I dreamed of a dacha where my grandchildren would relax. Within 17 days of practice, we had a dacha. And now my grandchildren, who were not there yet, go there. And I had to use the “with a shoe” practice with one lady at work, and everything turned out well! Thank you, once again to YOU!”

Renard Larisa

Circle of feminine power. Elemental energies and the secrets of seduction

This book is dedicated to my teachers - Svetlana Dmitrievna Tokton, keeper of the ancient knowledge of the disappeared continent My, who taught me most of women's practices; Alicia, who passed on the North American tradition to me; Virginia, who revealed to me the secrets of the Sufi tradition and many others who devoted their lives to discovering feminine power and searching for invaluable knowledge. This book is dedicated to all the students and teachers of the Academy of Private Life, and I am grateful to the world for every meeting. How many magical and exciting hours we spent together. We learned and changed together and many are still with us.

This book is dedicated to the teachers of the St. Petersburg “Academy of Private Life” - Larisa Sokolova, Olga Mikhailova, Natalia Maksimova, as well as the founders and teachers of the Moscow “School of Women's Arts” - Zhenya and Oleg Frolov, Marianna, Olga and others, who make this world every day better and kinder and fill him with love.

This book is dedicated to my beloved friends - Natalya Dimanis, Elena Mikhailova, Olga Bogolyubova, who always believe in me and support all my adventures.

And of course, to my family - my stunning mother, my smartest and creative dad. But most importantly, to my husband, who for almost twenty years brings out the best in me, helps in all projects, teaches me wisdom and love.

I am very grateful to my publisher Maria Smirnova, who is ready to try new and unusual projects; to the editor Elizaveta Zvereva, who added charm and completeness to my book; Veronica Yurkus, who created an exquisite film that gives the opportunity to see and repeat practices, and Yulia Dzhuriiskaya, our marketing director, who knows how to masterfully bring all our creative ideas to life.

Each of us creates our own world, and I hope that my book will help you create a world in which you will be happy and loved!

Larisa Renard

Part 1. New life and the art of pleasure

Chapter 1. Prospective dating

Some people collect recipes for various dishes, some people collect recipes for beauty, some people collect recipes for health, but my great-grandmother, Princess Varvara Vasilyevna Renard, collected recipes for seduction. In fact, calling her diaries, where invaluable knowledge about power over men was collected, recipes is not entirely true. Having traveled half the world, the princess knew and was able to do a lot, and everything that happened to her, she wrote down in her alcove diary. Recipes for seduction were scattered like precious pearls in her diary. This diary contained memories of love stories that happened during the journey, knowledge of the ancient laws of love, understanding of the types of men and women's secrets passed on to her by the Chosen Ones, who for centuries had kept nuggets of powerful knowledge about female power in different parts of the world.

At 80, she looked 35 and also turned the heads of her many fans. Family legends said that the great-grandmother did not shine with particular beauty, but nevertheless all the men of St. Petersburg were at her feet. No one could explain why she was attractive, but when they found themselves next to her, men lost their heads. While still very young, she married the French Prince Renard, and after his death she traveled around the world for several years. No one knew exactly what happened during the years of her journey. When she left, she was modest, shy and inconspicuous, but she returned as a young, bright, sexy and fatal woman with sparkling eyes.

I inherited a passion for men, but the alcove diary with secret knowledge somewhere in revolutions and wars seemed to have disappeared forever.

Oh, how I missed this knowledge in my many novels. I stepped on the same rake and made the same mistakes as everyone else. Why aren’t we taught how to build relationships, how to make a man fall in love with you and not suffer from inevitable breakups?

All my relatives believed that I was a copy of my great-grandmother: I had her red hair, huge, wide eyes and charming dimples, but, unlike her, I had absolutely no idea what to do with men.

And so, when I turned 28, the same age as my great-grandmother was when her journey began, I was completely disappointed in men, gave up the hope of finding my One and finally getting married. At this time, my grandmother died and we were planning to sell the house.

Since as a child I spent long hours in the attic, reading old magazines, I was instructed to conduct an audit there, in case something valuable was found. And I really found something that was priceless to me - my great-grandmother’s alcove diary and a hoop, darkened by time, carefully wrapped in a thin silk shawl. My grandmother had other concerns; she was not particularly keen to find out her mother’s secrets, and dad certainly didn’t need them. And finally, I held a treasure in my hands - a diary with secret knowledge and recipes for seduction. If I could have guessed on that sunny June day how things could change...

How suddenly everything can change... Until recently, I lived quietly in our huge apartment in Paris, but the death of my husband, Prince Renard, completely changed my life. I was completely upset and had no idea what to do. My parents married me off, not particularly interested in my opinion, but simply deciding that a forty-eight-year-old French prince was a fairly profitable match for their twenty-three-year-old daughter, despite the lack of wealth. They met him while vacationing in Nice. The strict regime of the Smolny Institute, where I studied, instilled obedience in me, and I did not dare to resist. Moreover, France has always attracted me.

True, I still don’t fully understand how I ended up married and what I did there. But, having been married for five years, I was almost accustomed to a measured, calm life, and suddenly, so unexpectedly left alone, I was completely at a loss. Having received the news of the death of my husband, my aunt, Princess Sofya Nikolaevna Illyrian, came to my aid. Auntie was a legendary person. Outwardly, nothing special: a subtle smile, tender eyes, but there was something felt in her that made all the men turn around and follow her with their eyes, even despite the fact that Sofya Nikolaevna was already well over fifty.

Having raised three sons, she sincerely envied my mother, who had a daughter. While I was growing up and studying at Smolny, we rarely saw each other with my aunt. But I kept enthusiastic childhood memories of her - her luxurious toilets, sparkling jewelry, the subtle smell of perfume and, most importantly, her sparkling eyes, which drove the whole of St. Petersburg crazy. Seeing my loss, my aunt, who came from St. Petersburg for the funeral, immediately invited me to stay with her. To unwind and get away from sad thoughts, I decided to take a short trip to Athens and only then go to Russia. Having collected my things and jewelry, I set off towards the unknown.

“I’m going towards the unknown,” I decided when getting ready for the first module at business school.

I wanted changes in my life and changes in myself. For a long time I worked as a representative of a Dutch company that printed huge vinyl posters for outdoor advertising. Durable and bright colors, excellent quality and my hereditary charm, as a rule, contributed to successful sales. But I wanted to open my own business, and before setting off on my own, I decided to study at a business school.

For five days we had to go out of town, where in one of the Boarding Houses we were supposed to be taught the basics of strategy, marketing, finance and management. A group of thirty people, among whom only ten were girls, opened up enormous opportunities not only for studying business laws, but also laws of a slightly different nature. Of course, they were described in my great-grandmother’s diary, but I still didn’t have enough time to read it, and I promised myself to do it after the first module.

I went to Repino, looking forward to meeting the group. The closed world of outdoor advertising has been thoroughly studied for several years, both professionally and personally, and does not promise anything new. But twenty new acquaintances with successful and interesting men aged from twenty-five to forty-five excited the imagination, like everything new and unknown.

- Let me introduce myself! My name is Mark Golber, a military doctor from St. Petersburg.

- Really? – I was happy. – And I’m going to visit my aunt after my trip to Greece. She lives in St. Petersburg.

“Well, then we will have many topics to talk about,” Mark said, smiling mysteriously. “But you still haven’t said your name.”

“Varvara Vasilyevna Renard,” I answered dryly.

- God, how official! – Mark laughed.

And again I felt that I was falling into a field of strong attraction. For all his outward restraint, a fire seemed to be blazing inside, and I thought that if I didn’t run away right away, I might lose what was left of my common sense.

- Sorry, I have to go! – I said goodbye to Mark. - I think we'll see each other again!

– Yes, I hope I can find you! – Mark said goodbye to me with the same inviting smile. “I wonder,” I thought, “what is he really looking for in a woman?”

2003

- And what did they all find in her? – Marinka asked us as we watched Katya go for a walk with another fan during a break between lectures. In just a few days, we all managed to get acquainted and become friends. But maybe the men of our course were “gnawing on the granite of science,” but the girls analyzed men and the measure of their success more than all sorts of cases. No one has attracted me yet, or rather, there were many interesting candidates, and I flirted with everyone, without singling out anyone in particular. For now, everyone was just looking at each other. So far, relations with Matvey have also been purely friendly. And so, standing in the March sun, we discussed why Katya attracts men and why we, so beautiful, smart and free, stand in the women's team.

Having discussed that learning the secrets of seduction is more useful for life than studying strategy and SWOT analysis, we nevertheless went to listen to a lecture on SWOT analysis. But for me, the world seemed to stop, my thoughts returned to my great-grandmother’s diary, and I decided that maybe the laws that worked a hundred years ago are eternal and it’s worth trying to apply my great-grandmother’s secret knowledge in modern life. I had a lot of interesting things to discover.

1903

I had a lot of interesting things to discover. The sound of the waves told an eternal tale of adventure, and the light wind played the staccato sound of impatience on the mast. I had the same impatience.

Although we chatted pleasantly, Mark remained unfailingly polite and helpful.

Mark's touch was reminiscent of some kind of ritual, or maybe it was a ritual unknown to me. Every morning after breakfast we went out onto the deck, he gently wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and, as if by chance, ran his hot hand along the back of my exposed neck. My hair was pulled up, as fashion required, and I felt how he admired this area of ​​​​delicate skin. I froze and waited for the continuation, but the same phrase sounded: “Good morning, you are as fresh as the fresh air of the sea, and I am drowning in your turquoise and mysterious eyes.” Then he brought coffee, and we began a leisurely conversation about medicine, politics, Russia and France.

Hearing this phrase for the third time, I was internally furious and decided that he had found it in some tutorial on seducing fools like me, and simply memorized it. But on the fourth day I already began to miss something without these words, on the fifth day I already longed to hear them and feel the heat of his touch on my neck. And I decided that rituals are not so useless. But there was no continuation; Mark still did not try to seduce me. Either I wasn’t his type, or he was waiting for a special moment, or something unknown to me was happening.

2003

The unknown happened in my life. I realized that I fell in love. The general flirtation of business school did not escape me either. And although blondes were never the men of my dreams, Matvey’s tender care, even in small things, touched my heart. I wondered if he cared so reverently only about me, or about all women.

But then the module ended, coffee in the morning and his invariable “Good morning, dear” ended. Which, of course, was not as flowery and elegant as my great-grandmother’s, but it was repeated invariably all five days while we were studying.

I realized that I had fallen in love after all only on the last day. I managed to catch a cold and, waking up in the morning, I felt that, let alone going to a lecture, I couldn’t even get up. Marinka, knocking on the door, asked if I was going to breakfast, and, hearing my sick voice, promised to bring something. And imagine my surprise when Matvey came instead of Marina, bringing tea, honey, aspirin and oranges. Whether his concern was a manifestation of politeness or a manifestation of interest, I could not yet decide, but the fact that he did not make any attempts to even kiss me began to worry.

1903

What was happening was alarming. I was already beginning to doubt my own attractiveness. The journey was coming to an end, and nothing happened between us. I wondered how long Mark was going to continue to communicate politely and courteously with me while I was exhausted with desire.

One evening a concert took place in the restaurant. Mark and I sat next to each other and listened to the arias, and I felt like I was just dying of passion. The attraction was so strong that I experienced a real orgasm just sitting next to him. He seemed calm and calm. It’s good that the hall was dark and no one could see what was happening to me. I tried to pull myself together and hoped that the tight dress and corset would hide my secrets. I never knew this was possible. Mark gallantly offered me his hand, and, walking next to him, I noticed that he felt and understood everything.

Of course, there are certain rules of decency, but sometimes it seems to me that they were created by men so that they could politely ignore a woman who is not attracted to them. Because if a man really likes a woman, he will immediately forget all the rules of decency. I was furious, but didn’t show it. And only after returning to her cabin did she give vent to her indignation: “How dare he reject me, clearly feeling and seeing what was happening to me?!”

2003

– How dare he reject me, clearly feeling and seeing what was happening to me?! “The indignation cleared up my cold.” Five days of slowly igniting passion, and at the last moment give a friendly kiss on the cheek and say goodbye until the next module!

Still fuming, I began throwing my outfits into my suitcase. Marinka, coming behind me and seeing my expression, asked worriedly what had happened.

– Did you have something with Matvey? When he went to treat you, I decided that the treatment would be delayed! But somehow he returned painfully quickly and immediately left for some meeting.

“The fact of the matter is that I don’t understand what game he’s playing.” Either he is a very experienced seducer, or all these courtships are a manifestation of politeness, and nothing more.

- Don't boil! – Marina said conciliatoryly. - It's time for us to go! My suitcase is already downstairs. Should you call someone to help you with your suitcase?

- No I myself! You know, anger gives you strength! “I frantically picked up my suitcase and carried it to the elevator. True, my fuse immediately ended, and when I met Gleb from our group in the elevator, who helped load Marinka and me, along with our suitcases, into my red Volvo, I was grateful to him.

– Marinka, I propose to celebrate the end of the first module! - a thought struck me as I rushed, scaring and delighting the traffic cops, handing them a hundred rubles every five hundred meters.

- Where? – Marinka asked curiously.

- In my house! I think I have a bottle of expensive Frapin cognac. My boss gave it to me as a bonus for good work. Purely male logic: “Take, God, what is of no use to us.”

We arrived at my apartment on the embankment, I opened the cognac and cut a lemon, sprinkling it with cheese and ground coffee. Marinka took the glass and made a toast:

- For new knowledge! And don’t worry about Matvey! I always console myself with the words:

So let those who didn’t get us cry.

So let those who neglected us perish!

– Thank you for the consolation! – I smiled, sipping cognac.

And then Marinka’s gaze fell on an ancient hoop lying on the bookshelf.

- What is this? – Marinka asked, picking up the hoop and looking at it carefully.

- What is this? – I asked myself, finally digging out what had cut into my side. I stood in the middle of the Temple of Aphrodite in the Acropolis and held in my hands a silver hoop darkened by time. But this moment was preceded by rather strange events.

Having parted rather coldly with Mark in Athens and agreed to meet in two months in St. Petersburg, I arrived at the hotel. Having left my things, I immediately went to the Acropolis. It was already about three o'clock in the afternoon, and I only had two hours left to see everything. And suddenly, entering the dilapidated temple of Aphrodite, I felt that I needed to come here at night. Realizing that no one would allow me to stay here until the morning, at five o'clock in the evening, when all visitors had to leave, I hid in a stall in the women's toilet. Something inside me said that I had to do this!

Everything was empty and the voices fell silent. I waited a little longer and, realizing that the Acropolis was empty, rushed to the temple of Aphrodite. Standing in the center of the temple, I raised my hands to the sky and felt the flows of Cosmic energy entering my palms and the flows of Earth energy entering my feet. I felt like I had moved into another dimension. I saw Aphrodite laughing and taking the hoop from the hands of Hephaestus, who was looking at her with adoration. Then I saw Aphrodite handing over the hoop to the main priestess, I saw a beautiful ritual, how four priestesses gather in a circle of feminine power and, joining their hands, spin the funnel of feminine energy directed into the Cosmos. I saw how the hoop was passed on to the strongest of the priestesses, the one who managed to collect all nine stones, go through all four stages of initiation and, having learned the main types of male energy, learned to control it.

Then my vision darkened - I lost consciousness and came to my senses in the morning. It all seemed to me like a figment of my imagination or a strange dream. It was cold lying on the sand, something crashed into my side, and I tried to remove it. It seemed to me that I was slowly going crazy, and I, scolding myself for my crazy belief in miracles, began to dig. Of course, the spectacle was worthy of a pen - a luxuriously dressed lady frantically digging the earth. Imagine my horror and my amazement when I took out the darkened and dented hoop! I did not torment myself with guesses about where it came from, and accepted it as a sign of impending changes in my life.

Since it was already dawn, I returned to my shelter and waited for the opening of the Acropolis. When the first tourists appeared, I mixed with the crowd. The hoop was in my purse, and no one paid much attention to me. Still shivering from the cold and the experience, I felt terribly tired. I don't remember how I got to the hotel. Having quickly had breakfast, I almost crawled into my room and fell asleep.

But the dream was a continuation of the night vision. I dreamed that Aphrodite was putting a hoop on me, in which all the stones sparkled. And I heard her say:

– It’s time to return knowledge about feminine energy to the world. It's time for women to take back their power. You are the one who will show the way and find the right solutions. Many discoveries, many meetings, many disappointments and many happy moments await you along this path. It's time to collect the stones.

I opened my eyes and lay shocked for several minutes. I tried to understand and accept everything that I saw and heard. I must somehow collect all nine stones in order to gain strength and power over the world and, most incredibly, over men. I clutched the old hoop and tried to understand what was happening.

I even tried to try it on, but apparently its magical power, even if it existed, had not yet begun to act. I remembered with shame my stupid and futile attempts to drive Mark crazy. I was missing something, although I was good, young and free.

RENAR Larisa

"CIRCLE OF FEMALE POWER. ELEMENTAL ENERGIES AND SECRETS OF SEDITION"

This book is dedicated to my teachers - Svetlana Dmitrievna Tokton, keeper of the ancient knowledge of the disappeared continent My, who taught me most of women's practices; Alicia, who passed on the North American tradition to me; Virginia, who revealed to me the secrets of the Sufi tradition and many others who devoted their lives to discovering feminine power and searching for invaluable knowledge. This book is dedicated to all the students and teachers of the Academy of Private Life, and I am grateful to the world for every meeting. How many magical and exciting hours we spent together. We learned and changed together and many are still with us.

This book is dedicated to the teachers of the St. Petersburg “Academy of Private Life” - Larisa Sokolova, Olga Mikhailova, Natalia Maksimova, as well as the founders and teachers of the Moscow “School of Women's Arts” - Zhenya and Oleg Frolov, Marianna, Olga and others, who make this world every day better and kinder and fill him with love.

This book is dedicated to my beloved friends - Natalya Dimanis, Elena Mikhailova, Olga Bogolyubova, who always believe in me and support all my adventures.

And of course, to my family - my stunning mother, my smartest and creative dad. But most importantly, to my husband, who for almost twenty years brings out the best in me, helps in all projects, teaches me wisdom and love.

I am very grateful to my publisher Maria Smirnova, who is ready to try new and unusual projects; to the editor Elizaveta Zvereva, who added charm and completeness to my book; Veronica Yurkus, who created an exquisite film that gives the opportunity to see and repeat practices, and Yulia Dzhuriiskaya, our marketing director, who knows how to masterfully bring all our creative ideas to life.

Each of us creates our own world, and I hope that my book will help you create a world in which you will be happy and loved!

Larisa Renard

Part 1. New life and the art of pleasure

Chapter 1. Prospective dating

Some people collect recipes for various dishes, some people collect recipes for beauty, some people collect recipes for health, but my great-grandmother, Princess Varvara Vasilyevna Renard, collected recipes for seduction. In fact, calling her diaries, where invaluable knowledge about power over men was collected, recipes is not entirely true. Having traveled half the world, the princess knew and was able to do a lot, and everything that happened to her, she wrote down in her alcove diary. Recipes for seduction were scattered like precious pearls in her diary. This diary contained memories of love stories that happened during the journey, knowledge of the ancient laws of love, understanding of the types of men and women's secrets passed on to her by the Chosen Ones, who for centuries had kept nuggets of powerful knowledge about female power in different parts of the world.

At 80, she looked 35 and also turned the heads of her many fans. Family legends said that the great-grandmother did not shine with particular beauty, but nevertheless all the men of St. Petersburg were at her feet. No one could explain why she was attractive, but when they found themselves next to her, men lost their heads. While still very young, she married the French Prince Renard, and after his death she traveled around the world for several years. No one knew exactly what happened during the years of her journey. When she left, she was modest, shy and inconspicuous, but she returned as a young, bright, sexy and fatal woman with sparkling eyes.

I inherited a passion for men, but the alcove diary with secret knowledge somewhere in revolutions and wars seemed to have disappeared forever.

Oh, how I missed this knowledge in my many novels. I stepped on the same rake and made the same mistakes as everyone else. Why aren’t we taught how to build relationships, how to make a man fall in love with you and not suffer from inevitable breakups?

All my relatives believed that I was a copy of my great-grandmother: I had her red hair, huge, wide eyes and charming dimples, but, unlike her, I had absolutely no idea what to do with men.

And so, when I turned 28, the same age as my great-grandmother was when her journey began, I was completely disappointed in men, gave up the hope of finding my One and finally getting married. At this time, my grandmother died and we were planning to sell the house.

Since as a child I spent long hours in the attic, reading old magazines, I was instructed to conduct an audit there, in case something valuable was found. And I really found something that was priceless to me - my great-grandmother’s alcove diary and a hoop, darkened by time, carefully wrapped in a thin silk shawl. My grandmother had other concerns; she was not particularly keen to find out her mother’s secrets, and dad certainly didn’t need them. And finally, I held a treasure in my hands - a diary with secret knowledge and recipes for seduction. If I could have guessed on that sunny June day how things could change...

How suddenly everything can change... Until recently, I lived quietly in our huge apartment in Paris, but the death of my husband, Prince Renard, completely changed my life. I was completely upset and had no idea what to do. My parents married me off, not particularly interested in my opinion, but simply deciding that a forty-eight-year-old French prince was a fairly profitable match for their twenty-three-year-old daughter, despite the lack of wealth. They met him while vacationing in Nice. The strict regime of the Smolny Institute, where I studied, instilled obedience in me, and I did not dare to resist. Moreover, France has always attracted me.

True, I still don’t fully understand how I ended up married and what I did there. But, having been married for five years, I was almost accustomed to a measured, calm life, and suddenly, so unexpectedly left alone, I was completely at a loss. Having received the news of the death of my husband, my aunt, Princess Sofya Nikolaevna Illyrian, came to my aid. Auntie was a legendary person. Outwardly, nothing special: a subtle smile, tender eyes, but there was something felt in her that made all the men turn around and follow her with their eyes, even despite the fact that Sofya Nikolaevna was already well over fifty.

Having raised three sons, she sincerely envied my mother, who had a daughter. While I was growing up and studying at Smolny, we rarely saw each other with my aunt. But I kept enthusiastic childhood memories of her - her luxurious toilets, sparkling jewelry, the subtle smell of perfume and, most importantly, her sparkling eyes, which drove the whole of St. Petersburg crazy. Seeing my loss, my aunt, who came from St. Petersburg for the funeral, immediately invited me to stay with her. To unwind and get away from sad thoughts, I decided to take a short trip to Athens and only then go to Russia. Having collected my things and jewelry, I set off towards the unknown.

“I’m going towards the unknown,” I decided when getting ready for the first module at business school.

I wanted changes in my life and changes in myself. For a long time I worked as a representative of a Dutch company that printed huge vinyl posters for outdoor advertising. Durable and bright colors, excellent quality and my hereditary charm, as a rule, contributed to successful sales. But I wanted to open my own business, and before setting off on my own, I decided to study at a business school.

For five days we had to go out of town, where in one of the Boarding Houses we were supposed to be taught the basics of strategy, marketing, finance and management. A group of thirty people, among whom only ten were girls, opened up enormous opportunities not only for studying business laws, but also laws of a slightly different nature. Of course, they were described in my great-grandmother’s diary, but I still didn’t have enough time to read it, and I promised myself to do it after the first module.