Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 34: It is Time

The music eased into its final measures.

Napoleon II guided Elisabeth through the last turn and brought her to a smooth halt. Applause followed.

He released her hand.

"Thank you," he said. "You dance well."

"So do you," Elisabeth replied. There was no flattery in it. Just observation.

They stepped aside from the floor together, making room for the next pair. Conversation flowed back in around them, softer at first, then growing as the moment passed.

That was when Armand approached.

He did not interrupt immediately. He waited for a natural pause, then inclined his head.

"Your Imperial Highness," he said. "Princess Elisabeth."

Elisabeth returned the gesture. Napoleon II raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes?" he said.

"His Majesty wishes to see the both of you," Armand replied. "In private."

Napoleon II glanced at Elisabeth, then back to Armand.

"Now?" he asked.

Armand’s expression didn’t change. "If it were not important, I would not be here."

Napoleon II exhaled lightly through his nose.

"I assume this isn’t about the dance," he said.

Armand allowed the faintest hint of a smile. "Not entirely."

Elisabeth remained composed, but her attention sharpened. Courts had taught her how to read these moments. Private rooms. Fathers. Timing.

"I see," Napoleon II said at last.

He turned to her.

"Princess Elisabeth," he said, "it seems we are being summoned."

She met his gaze steadily.

"Then we should not keep the Emperor waiting," she replied.

Armand gestured toward a side corridor branching off from the ballroom.

"This way," he said.

They moved through the crowd together. Conversations dipped as they passed, eyes following without apology. Speculation bloomed and died behind them in equal measure.

The music continued, and the party went on.

They passed through the corridor and into a smaller receiving room set apart from the main halls.

The doors closed behind them with a soft, final sound.

Napoleon I stood near the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back. Marie Louise was beside him, seated, posture composed but attentive. Both looked up the moment the two entered.

Napoleon I’s eyes went first to Elisabeth.

"Princess Elisabeth," he said, inclining his head. "You honor us with your presence tonight."

Elisabeth curtsied properly.

"Your Majesty," she said. "The honor is mine."

Napoleon I studied her openly now.

"You are very beautiful," he said plainly. "And you carry yourself well. Bavaria has raised you properly."

Elisabeth lowered her gaze slightly. "You are kind, Your Majesty."

Marie Louise stood and came forward, taking Elisabeth’s hands gently.

"You are lovely," she said. "Truly. And you dance beautifully. I watched you both."

Her smile softened.

Napoleon II cleared his throat.

"You summoned us," he said. "May I ask why?"

Marie Louise looked at him, her expression shifting from warmth to something more serious.

"It’s time," she said.

Napoleon II frowned slightly. "Time for what?"

Marie Louise didn’t hesitate.

"The time for you to choose," she said. "A woman you can marry."

The room went quiet.

Napoleon II understood immediately. He glanced at Elisabeth. Just a brief look. Enough.

"I see," he said.

Napoleon I stepped closer.

"You have met many women," he said. "Daughters of kings. Nieces of emperors. Princesses brought here with intent written all over their faces."

He paused.

"Tonight," he continued, "only one held your attention."

Elisabeth’s cheeks colored before she could stop it. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Napoleon II opened his mouth to speak, then stopped.

"Father," he said carefully, "we just met."

Napoleon I waved that aside.

"So did your mother and I," he said. "Circumstances rarely wait for familiarity."

Marie Louise turned to Elisabeth.

"Tell us," she said gently, "are you already promised?"

Elisabeth hesitated.

Only for a moment.

"Yes," she said. "I am."

Napoleon II felt it immediately. A dull pressure in his chest he hadn’t expected.

Napoleon I’s jaw tightened.

"To whom?" he asked.

Elisabeth straightened.

"Count Friedrich von Hohenberg," she said. "A Bavarian nobleman. A loyal house. The arrangement was made two years ago."

There it was.

Silence settled again, heavier this time.

Marie Louise’s expression dimmed, just slightly. Napoleon I’s eyes narrowed—not in anger, but calculation interrupted.

"I see," Napoleon I said.

Napoleon II spoke before either of them could.

"Then that settles it," he said. "I wouldn’t take someone already promised. We’ve only just met."

He meant it.

Napoleon I looked at him steadily.

"And if you let her walk out of this room," he asked, "would you truly be content with that?"

Napoleon II didn’t answer right away.

He thought.

He thought about what his father had drilled into him since childhood. That empires were not sustained by brilliance alone. That symbols mattered. That a crown without a queen was incomplete in the eyes of the people. That legitimacy was not just laws and armies, but continuity.

He thought about arranged marriages he knew had worked. Others that hadn’t. Bonds that began cold and warmed with time. Others that stayed distant but still held empires together.

He looked at Elisabeth again.

She stood calmly, hands folded, face composed. But there was tension there.

He exhaled slowly.

"I am the Crown Prince of France," he said quietly. "Who I marry will shape the Empire."

Marie Louise nodded.

"And Bavaria knows this," she said. "They did not send her here by accident."

Napoleon I folded his arms.

"Arrangements can be changed," he said. "Especially when the stakes are this high."

Napoleon II hesitated.

"I won’t force this," he said. "Not on her. Not on Bavaria."

"No one is forcing anything," Napoleon I replied. "But do not pretend this is small. How about we call the head of the house and see for ourselves? Would that be fine for you, Princess Elisabeth? Or are you content with your future husband?"

Princess Elisabeth clenched the side of her dress.

"Your Majesty, I appreciate the offer but what would this make me if I accept simply because a French Emperor stood in the room," she finished quietly. "I am not a prize to be taken because the offer is greater."

Napoleon II felt something shift.

Not disappointment. Not relief. But respect.

He looked at her differently now. Not as a possibility measured in alliances or borders, but as a woman who understood exactly where she stood—and refused to step aside from it.

Marie Louise went still. Napoleon I did not interrupt.

Elisabeth lifted her chin slightly.

"I was raised to understand duty," she continued. "To my family. To my house. To myself. If my engagement is to be broken, it must be for reasons that can stand without pressure. Without spectacle. Without making me appear... convenient."

She stopped there.

Napoleon II studied her in silence.

She had not said no.

She had said not like this.

That mattered.

"You care about your dignity," he said, not as a question.

"Yes," Elisabeth replied. "I have very little else that is truly mine."

The room remained quiet.

Napoleon II turned slightly toward his parents.

"She’s right," he said.

Napoleon I’s brow creased, but he did not argue.

Napoleon II looked back at Elisabeth.

"I won’t ask you to choose tonight," he said. "And I won’t ask you to break anything on my behalf. If there is to be a conversation between our houses, it should happen properly. With respect."

Elisabeth’s shoulders eased—just a fraction.

"Thank you," she said.

"You are certain?" he asked.

"I am," Napoleon II replied. "If I am to rule an empire, then the woman beside me cannot be someone who was cornered into the position."

Marie Louise smiled softly, quietly proud.

"Princess Elisabeth, you are wise and beautiful, and I respect you. Which is why whatever decisions you and your parents made, I will respect it."

"How about tomorrow we meet with your parents?" Napoleon I asked. "They are here right?"

Elisabeth hesitated, then nodded.

"They are," she said.

Napoleon I inclined his head once. It was not a request anymore. It was procedure.

"Good," he said. "Then we will speak as families, not as a court spectacle."

Napoleon II watched Elisabeth as that settled. She did not look relieved. She did not look alarmed either. She looked steady. As if she had expected this path more than any other.

"That would be acceptable," she said. "Provided the conversation is... honest."

Napoleon I allowed a thin smile. "It always is."

Marie Louise stepped closer again, resting a hand lightly at Elisabeth’s arm.

"You have conducted yourself with grace tonight," she said. "Whatever comes next, know that."

Elisabeth inclined her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Napoleon II exhaled slowly.

"I should escort her back," Napoleon II said.

"Please," Marie Louise said.