Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 35: Insistence

The moment when Napoleon II and Elisabeth left the room, Napoleon I looked at Armand and said.

"Please give us a moment."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Armand bowed his head before heading out of the room, leaving only Napoleon I and Marie Louise in the room.

"Well, it is to be expected," Napoleon I said, stopping near the fireplace, "that a young lady of her standing—especially one like Elisabeth—would already have an arrangement in place."

Marie Louise moved closer to him, folding her hands at her waist.

"She carries herself with care," she said. "Not fear. Not ambition. Care. Girls raised only to please do not speak the way she did."

Napoleon I nodded once.

"She didn’t rush," he said. "Didn’t grasp at opportunity. Didn’t flinch when she could have."

He turned slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. "That tells me more than any pedigree."

Marie Louise smiled faintly.

"And our son noticed," she said. "Not because she was beautiful—he’s seen beauty all his life—but because she didn’t bend."

Napoleon I exhaled slowly.

"He has met half the courts of Europe," he said. "Princesses eager to be chosen. Families eager to be bound. Tonight, for the first time, he stopped pretending to be courteous."

"That is why," Marie Louise said quietly, "I believe she is the one."

Napoleon I was silent for a moment.

Then he said, "I am done, Marie."

She looked at him.

"I have ruled. I have fought. I have rebuilt," he continued. "France is stable. Strong. Respected. My duty is fulfilled."

He turned to face her fully now. "In a year, I will abdicate. The crown will pass to him."

Marie Louise did not look surprised.

"I know," she said. "You have been preparing him for that moment since he could walk."

"And he will need a queen," Napoleon I said.

Marie Louise nodded.

"I agree."

"Tomorrow," he said, "we speak to her family, and hoped that they consider the offer of marriage."

"They will, France after all is the rising superpower—No, a superpower. Being a Queen of the French Empire would elevate one status of a kingdom," Marie said with a proud tone.

"Tomorrow, we will find out."

***

Meanwhile, in the ballroom of Versailles, Napoleon II offered Princess Elisabeth a glass of champagne.

"Look, I know this is all sudden and I want to apologize for the directness of my parents. I didn’t expect them to bring up the topic of marriage, especially when we just met this night."

Princess Elisabeth chuckled softly. "You don’t have to, Your Imperial Highness. I understand their concern clearly. I am surprised that you don’t have a betrothal already."

Napoleon II accepted that with a small nod.

"I avoided it," he said. "Deliberately."

She took the glass from him but did not drink yet.

"That is unusual," Elisabeth said. "Most heirs don’t have the luxury."

"Well I was busy building up the country I will rule one day," Napoleon II said. "But still, all hope is not lost yet. The fact that you want to speak about that matter with your family tells me a lot about your relationship with your future husband. Count Friedrich von Hohenberg. Tell me about him."

Napoleon II waited. He did not interrupt.

"He is not unkind," she continued. "Nor foolish. He understands his duties. He understands mine." She paused, then added, "But our arrangement was made because it was suitable, not because it was certain."

"Certain of what?" Napoleon II asked.

"Of growth," Elisabeth said. "Of partnership."

She finally raised the glass and took a small sip.

"We have met. We have spoken. We are... compatible on paper." Her mouth curved, just barely.

"Hmm. But I believe I can be a better partner, I’m after all, the crown prince of the French Empire, and he is just a count. If you are going to treat marriage as a transaction, then choosing someone that benefits you and your family the most would be apparent."

Elisabeth chuckled again. "You are bold and daring."

"I can be daring," Napoleon II teased and looked around. "It’s crowded here, how about you join me in my office and show you something?"

"Your office?" she repeated.

"Yes," Napoleon II said.

"And what are you going to show me?"

"That’s a secret, it will only be revealed if you come with me," Napoleon said, offering her his hand. "So, come with me."

Elisabeth looked at his hand.

"You are persistent," she said.

"I prefer decisive," Napoleon II replied. "But I won’t insist."

For a brief moment, the noise of the ballroom pressed back in around them. Laughter. Glasses clinking. The sense of being watched.

Then she placed her hand in his.

They moved together through the edge of the ballroom, slipping between clusters of guests who barely noticed them leave. A side door opened at his signal. The sound faded immediately.

The corridor beyond was quiet, lit by evenly spaced electric lamps set into the walls. Guards stood at intervals, straight-backed, eyes forward. They acknowledged Napoleon II with brief nods and did not question Elisabeth’s presence.

"This way," he said.

They walked side by side. Their footsteps echoed softly on polished stone.

"You don’t bring many guests here," Elisabeth observed.

"Only those I trust not to misunderstand what they see," Napoleon II replied.

"That narrows the list considerably."

"That’s the point."

They reached a tall wooden door at the end of the corridor. Napoleon II unlocked it himself and pushed it open.

"This is my office," he said.

Elisabeth stepped inside.

"So this is your office huh? Quite bright here."

"It’s because of the electric lights, soon every European naion would have one in their household," Napoleon II said, walking up behind her and then sniffed her hair. It smelled lavender, she’s using the shampoo that is being manufactured in France.

"So what are you going to show me?"

Napoleon II placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "The future, you know, the first time I laid my eyes on you, I was struck. They call it love at first sight and you are the only one who took my interest. I want you to become my Queen and help me rule the French Empire."

Elisabeth did not pull away.

But she did step forward, just enough to break the closeness.

Napoleon II felt it immediately and let his hands fall.

She turned to face him, expression composed, eyes steady under the white light.

"You speak as if the decision is already made," she said.

"I speak honestly," Napoleon II replied. "That is all."

She studied him for a moment longer than before. Not the crown prince this time. The man standing in front of her. The one who worked from this desk. The one who smelled faintly of ink and metal instead of perfume.

"Love at first sight is a dangerous thing," Elisabeth said. "Especially for people like us."

"It doesn’t have to be," he said. "Not if it’s followed by choice."

She glanced around the room again. The maps. The ledgers. The absence of ornament.

"This," she said, gesturing lightly, "is not what I expected."

"That’s why I brought you here," Napoleon II replied. "Not to impress you. To show you what you’d actually be walking into."

She nodded once.

"I won’t pretend your offer doesn’t matter," she said. "It would change everything. For my family. For Bavaria. For me."

"And?" he asked.

"And I won’t pretend I didn’t notice you either," Elisabeth said. "But I won’t be swept into anything because it feels powerful or flattering."

She met his gaze squarely now.

"If I am to stand beside you," she continued, "it will be because I chose it. Not because you wanted me. Not because Europe expects it."

Napoleon II’s expression shifted—not frustration, not impatience.

Approval.

"Then we agree on that much," he said. "Because I don’t want a queen who arrived out of pressure."

Silence settled between them again. Not awkward. Measured.

From somewhere beyond the walls, music drifted faintly. The party still moving. Still watching.

Elisabeth adjusted her gloves.

"Tomorrow," she said, "you speak to my family."

"Yes," Napoleon II replied.

"And until then," she added, "this remains a possibility. Nothing more."

He inclined his head slightly.

"That’s enough for me," he said.

She turned toward the door.

"We should return," Elisabeth said. "If we stay any longer, people will invent their own conclusions."

Napoleon II reached for the door and opened it.

"Let them," he said quietly.

She paused at the threshold, then looked back at him once more.

"For what it’s worth," Elisabeth said, "you did not misunderstand me."

He met her gaze.

"Neither did you," he replied.