Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 130: The Timeskip

The date was October 1st, 1834.

A little girl with blonde golden hair raced down the halls of the Palace of Versailles.

"Your Imperial Highness," said her caretaker who was chasing her. "Please slow down."

Elsa giggled as she passed by the staff and officials who were in the Palace of Versailles for an official business. They stood aside as she passed and bowed their heads in respect.

"Your Imperial Highness," the caretaker called again, lifting her skirts slightly to keep pace. "You must not run in the state wing."

Elsa did not slow.

She darted past a pair of clerks carrying rolled documents. One of them flattened himself against the wall just in time.

"Pardon, Your Imperial Highness," he said automatically, bowing as she passed.

Elsa laughed, the sound light and sharp in the high corridor.

Two guards stationed at the junction straightened at once when they saw her.

"Princess," one of them said, lowering his head.

She did not answer. She was already turning the corner.

The caretaker finally caught the edge of her sleeve but lost it again as Elsa twisted free quickly.

"I want to see Papa," Elsa said over her shoulder.

"He is in a meeting," the caretaker replied between breaths. "You cannot simply—"

Elsa pushed open a pair of tall doors before she could finish.

Inside, Napoleon II’s office was in session.

Maps were spread across a large table. Charles-Louis stood to one side with a ledger open. Two ministers were mid-sentence when the door swung wide. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

All of them turned.

Elsa stepped in as if the room belonged to her.

Napoleon II looked up first.

For a fraction of a second, the Emperor’s expression remained neutral.

Then it shifted.

"Elsa," he said evenly.

She crossed the room without hesitation and stopped directly in front of his desk.

"I ran faster than Madame Claire," she announced.

Behind her, the caretaker appeared in the doorway, slightly flushed.

"My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty," she said quickly. "She insisted—"

"It is fine," Napoleon II said without raising his voice.

He looked back down at his daughter.

"You ran in the state corridor?"

"Yes."

"That corridor is not a playground. You could get yourself hurt."

Elsa folded her hands behind her back, imitating the posture she had seen him use countless times.

"I did not fall," she said.

Charles-Louis lowered his eyes slightly to hide a faint smile.

Napoleon II studied her for a moment.

Her hair was loose from its ribbon. A strand clung to her cheek. She was breathing harder than usual but not distressed.

"And why," he asked, "did you require such speed?"

Elsa lifted her chin.

"I wanted to see you."

The ministers remained silent.

Napoleon II glanced at the open maps, then at the officials waiting for instruction.

He closed the folder in front of him with deliberate calm.

"This meeting is suspended for five minutes," he said. "Wait outside."

The ministers bowed at once and withdrew without question. Charles-Louis closed his ledger and followed them, shutting the door quietly.

The room settled.

Napoleon II stepped around the desk and crouched to bring himself level with her.

"Look, how many times should I tell you that there is time for everything? I am in the middle of discussing things with my ministers," Napoleon II said with a probing look.

That intimidating look caused Elsa to shrink but held his gaze.

"I just want to see you father, I’m sorry. I just miss you."

"And I miss you too but papa has work so I can’t be around you all the time. Look, how about you go to your mother and wait for me to finish my work. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, quieter this time.

Napoleon II held her gaze for a second longer to be sure she understood.

"You will walk," he added.

"I will walk," she repeated.

He reached out and adjusted the loose ribbon in her hair, tying it back with steady fingers. When he finished, he leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her forehead.

"Go now," he said.

Elsa gave a small nod and turned toward the door.

Napoleon II straightened and crossed the room. He opened the door himself.

"Madame Claire."

The young woman in her twenties stepped forward at once. She had already regained her composure and bowed slightly.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."

"You will escort Her Imperial Highness to the Empress."

"Yes, Sire."

Elsa slipped her hand into Madame Claire’s without protest this time.

As they walked down the corridor, the ministers who had stepped aside earlier were waiting near the tall windows. Charles-Louis stood among them, hands clasped behind his back.

Elsa stopped halfway and turned.

She lifted her free hand and waved.

Charles-Louis gave a restrained nod in return. One of the ministers allowed himself a faint smile before lowering his head again.

"Goodbye, Uncle!" she called.

"Walk," Madame Claire reminded gently.

Elsa resumed at a more measured pace.

Napoleon II watched until they disappeared past the corner.

Only then did he close the door and return to his desk.

He reopened the folder and placed both hands flat on the table.

"Call them back in," he said.

Moments later, the ministers and Charles-Louis reentered.

Napoleon II did not comment on the interruption.

"Now, what’s this situation in South America?"

"Well, Your Imperial Majesty," Charles-Louis began, stepping closer to the table. "Due to the dissolution of Gran Colombia in South America, the successor governments are disputing the obligations incurred under the 1829 infrastructure loan."

Napoleon II did not sit.

"Which governments?" he asked.

"New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador," Charles-Louis replied. "Each claims that the loan was contracted by the former unified authority and therefore must be renegotiated under new sovereign terms."

"Renegotiated," Napoleon II repeated.

"Yes, Sire. In practice, delayed."

"To hell with it. We loaned them money so they can develop their country and they are not even paying? Who are the other South American states who are not paying correctly?"

Charles-Louis did not hesitate.

"Argentina has requested an extension on interest payments," he said. "Chile is current, though they negotiate rates aggressively. Peru is unstable. Their treasury is strained after internal conflict. They have not defaulted, but payments arrive late."

"And Brazil?" Napoleon II asked.

"Brazil remains reliable," Charles-Louis replied. "Their imperial court values stable credit."

"I see, well if they don’t pay then we take something from their territory. It’s on terms of the loan. Port concessions, mining rights, et cetera. We will assert it to them. I’m going to give you a list on what places we should take..."

He looked at Charles de Rémusat, the Foreign Minister of the French Empire. "I’ll send a detailed paperwork later."

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. And if they refuse?"

"If diplomacy doesn’t work then I will consider military action. South America is a treasure trove of raw materials. We need those to feed our industries. Now let’s move on to the next."