Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 126: Newborn

The date was October 20th, 1830. At the Palace of Versailles.

Napoleon II stood outside of Elisabeth’s quarters where she could hear her moaning from the pain through the thick wooden doors.

Inside, a midwife gave firm instructions. Water was being changed. Fabric shifted. Another sharp cry came.

Marie Louise stood a few steps away, fingers interlocked tightly.

"She is strong," Marie Louise said quietly. "She will endure it."

Napoleon II gave a short nod but did not respond.

Bootsteps approached down the corridor.

Napoleon I stopped beside his son.

"How long?" Napoleon I asked.

"Nearly three hours," Napoleon II replied.

Napoleon I gave a small nod.

"When your mother labored with you, it lasted longer."

Marie Louise glanced at him. "That does not make it easier to hear."

Another cry from inside. The physician’s voice rose briefly.

Napoleon II’s jaw tightened.

He had negotiated treaties, restructured ministries, commanded industrial revolutions—but this was different. There was no calculation to solve. No lever to pull.

Another cry.

Then silence.

A pause that felt stretched thin.

And then—.

A sharp, piercing wail, definitely belonging to a newborn.

Marie Louise exhaled sharply. Napoleon I’s expression shifted—only slightly, but enough.

The door opened. The physician stepped out, sleeves rolled, face flushed.

"Sire," he said, bowing to Napoleon II first. "A healthy child."

Napoleon II did not move.

"Boy or girl?" Napoleon I asked.

"It’s a girl, Sire," the physician answered.

For a brief second, the corridor felt still.

Napoleon I’s face hardened almost imperceptibly.

"A girl," he repeated.

The physician nodded. "Yes, Sire."

Napoleon II exhaled, shoulders lowering.

"And my wife?" he asked.

"Exhausted, but stable. She is asking for you."

Napoleon I looked at his son. There was no anger in his eyes, though there was a flicker of disappointment in his gaze.

"A daughter," Napoleon I said quietly. "France expected an heir."

Napoleon II finally turned to face him.

"France received a healthy child," he replied. "That is enough."

Napoleon I studied him.

"The line—"

"Will continue," Napoleon II interrupted calmly. "This is our first child. Not our last."

Marie Louise stepped forward and spoke firmly.

"She carried that child for nine months," she said. "Do not reduce it to succession within the first breath my dear."

Napoleon I did not answer immediately.

Napoleon II turned back toward the physician.

"May I enter?"

"Yes, Sire." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Napoleon II did not wait further. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Elisabeth lay against pillows, pale but conscious. In her arms was a small bundle wrapped in white cloth.

She looked up as he approached.

"You were outside the whole time?" she asked, voice weak but steady.

"Yes."

He stepped closer to the bed.

"And?" she asked quietly.

"A daughter," he said.

Elisabeth gave a faint smile.

"She arrived fighting," she said. "The midwife said she has strength."

Napoleon II leaned down and looked at the infant.

The child’s face was flushed, eyes squeezed shut, small mouth opening in short cries. Her fists moved with sudden jerks, unfocused but forceful.

He extended one finger. Her hand closed around it at once.

Napoleon II’s expression softened, though his posture remained straight.

"I’m sorry if it’s not a boy. I know that an Emperor must have an heir..."

"Don’t speak such nonsense. Didn’t I tell you that whether it’s a boy or a girl, I’ll love our child unconditionally? It’s a blessing from God. Besides, we are still young, we can make as many babies as we want."

Elisabeth chuckled softly. "At least give me a break first."

"Of course I know that," Napoleon II smiled faintly. "You have done enough for today."

He adjusted the blanket slightly around the infant.

"She is strong," he repeated. "I could hear her voice from the corridor."

Elisabeth shifted her head against the pillow. Sweat still clung to her hairline.

"Your father?" she asked.

"He is outside," Napoleon II replied. "He wished for a boy."

Elisabeth’s expression flickered.

"I feared that," she said quietly.

Napoleon II shook his head once.

"He will adjust," he said. "He understands strength when he sees it. And she has it."

A soft knock sounded. The door opened slightly. Napoleon I stepped inside, slower this time.

He approached the bed and looked down at the child without speaking.

The infant stirred and let out a short cry.

Napoleon I leaned closer.

"She has lungs," he said.

"Yes," Napoleon II replied.

Napoleon I straightened. "I apologize, my son, for my behaviour earlier. I shouldn’t have said it during these important moments."

"Apology accepted father," Napoleon II said as he gently carried his baby. He turned and faced Napoleon I.

"Would you like to hold her?" Napoleon II asked.

Napoleon I hesitated only a fraction before stepping closer.

"Carefully," Marie Louise said from behind him as she entered the chamber fully.

Napoleon II shifted the infant into his father’s arms with controlled movement. The child fussed once, then settled against Napoleon I’s chest.

The former Emperor looked down at her in silence.

Her face was still red from crying. A thin strand of dark hair clung to her forehead. One hand moved free from the blanket and pressed against his coat.

Napoleon I adjusted his hold instinctively, supporting her head.

"She is small," he said.

"She was small when you first held him as well," Marie Louise replied quietly.

Napoleon I gave a faint nod.

The infant made a soft sound and tightened her grip around one of his fingers.

Napoleon I’s jaw shifted slightly.

"Congratulations my son," Marie Louise said.

"Thank you mother, would you like to hold her as well?" Napoleon II asked.

Marie Louise stepped closer at once.

"Yes," she said softly.

Napoleon I transferred the child with deliberate care. Marie Louise received the infant against her chest, adjusting the cloth around her shoulders.

The baby stirred, then settled again, her breathing uneven but steady.

Marie Louise looked down at her granddaughter for a long moment.

"She has your brow," she said quietly to Napoleon II. "And Elisabeth’s mouth."

Elisabeth let out a faint breath that might have been a laugh.

"What’s her name?"

Napoleon II and Elisabeth glanced at one another. They already discussed the name of their baby the moment they were born. There’s a name for a boy and a girl. And since it’s a girl, they have an answer.

"Elsa," Napoleon II and Elisabeth answered.