On behalf of Emperor Alexander, Mongo went to Moscow. In St. Petersburg, they are discussing the new favorite of the emperor - Naryshkina. Alexander wants to raise his beloved sister Catherine as a Russian tsarina, not a petty German princess. He asks Olga to become a state lady to her sister, and Julia to teach her acting. Ekaterina decides that Olga is her brother's favorite, and Naryshkina is only a cover.