It took him a full week to record and document his knowledge of previous life, and all was contained in books that were catalogued for easy reference.
During that time, Napoleon II skipped lessons from the Imperial Tutors, which was a concern from his mother, Marie Louise, but Napoleon Bonaparte himself allowed it as he knew his son, Napoleon II, was doing something meaningful for the Empire.
And just as he had promised to the engineers, he had sent all the related documents to them so they could start working.
Now that he was done with that, Napoleon II wished to see something else. And that was the city of Paris.
Napoleon II knew Paris like he had lived there for decades in his previous life. The beautiful Haussmannian architecture, the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, Palais Garnier, and other buildings that made Paris the most beautiful city in Europe.
At this point in time, he knew those buildings weren't built yet, except for the Arch of Triomphe.
He wanted to see Paris to himself and see if he could somehow change the architecture of Paris and make as grand as the modern one.
So, he visited his father in his study. He arrived at the door guarded by two Imperial guards standing on either side of the door.
"I need to see father," Napoleon II said. "Please inform him of my presence."
The Imperial Guard straightened at once.
One of them turned and knocked.
A moment passed.
Inside, voices cut off mid-sentence.
The door opened just enough for Armand de Caulaincourt to appear. He glanced down, saw the small figure standing there with hands folded behind his back, and paused for half a heartbeat longer than etiquette allowed.
"Your Highness," Caulaincourt said. Then he turned back inside.
Napoleon II waited. He could hear the low murmur of men—maps being shifted, papers sliding across a table, a chair scraping stone.
Caulaincourt's voice carried clearly.
"Sire. The King of Rome wishes to see you."
There was a brief silence.
Then Napoleon's voice.
"Now?"
"Yes, Sire."
Another pause. Shorter this time.
"Very well. Let him in."
The door opened fully.
Napoleon II stepped inside.
The study was crowded. Berthier stood near the map table, fingers resting on a ruler. Two ministers were mid-argument, frozen in place. A clerk clutched a ledger against his chest like a shield. Everyone in the room stopped moving the moment the boy entered.
Napoleon Bonaparte stood at the center, hands behind his back, eyes already on his son.
"Gentlemen," he said without raising his voice, "we will pause here."
Berthier bowed immediately. The others followed a half-second later, some more awkward than others. Chairs were pushed back. Papers gathered. No one spoke.
Caulaincourt was the last to move. He gave Napoleon II a brief look, then bowed and followed the others out.
The doors closed.
Napoleon turned toward his son fully now.
"What do you want?"
Napoleon II cleared his throat and spoke.
"Father, I have been cooped up in this palace ever since I was born. I want to see Paris. Is it possible that you accompany me?"
"For what purpose?" Napoleon I asked.
"Before I proceed, will there be someone that could hear our conversation? I don't want to spoil the fun," Napoleon II said as if a code.
Napoleon I understood it immediately. It's going to be about his future knowledge again.
"Give me a moment," Napoleon I said before standing up. He went to the door and opened it. Outside was Armand and the others.
"Please leave this floor," Napoleon said calmly. "No one returns until I call."
Berthier nodded once. No questions. The others followed him out without a word. Boots retreated down the corridor. The sound thinned, then vanished.
Napoleon closed the door himself and turned the key.
The click echoed in the room.
Only then did he look back at his son.
"Now," he said. "Speak freely."
"There's a good reason as to why I requested to see the capital city of the French Empire. In my previous life, Paris was one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. But in this current time, it's not even close to its modern version. I want to see how far it is and work from there. I plan on making Paris the capital of Europe just as your nephew envisioned France to see."
"So you want to see the state of Paris and compare it to Paris in the 21st century?"
"Not even the 21st century, more like the late nineteenth century. Most of the notable architectures and buildings that were built were in the time of the reign of Louis Phillipe, who is your nephew and the Emperor of France."
Hearing that again, how his nephew ruled France as an Emperor, was a proud thought, even if the details made no sense to him yet.
Napoleon was silent for a moment. He walked back to the table, rested a hand on its edge, and looked at the maps without really seeing them.
"Fine, I'll grant your request. I'll even come with you."
"Thank you father for agreeing to my request. So when are you available?"
"I'm free today."