Out of all the women present in the palace, this girl right in front of him was the only one who got his attention.
"Good evening my lady," Napoleon II said with a warm smile. He reached out for her hand and then bowed slightly, pressing his lips to her gloved hand with practiced restraint.
"Napoleon Bonaparte," he added, lifting his head. "Though I suspect you already know that."
"I do," she said. "And I am honored, Your Imperial Highness."
"May I know your name?" Napoleon II asked.
"Princess Elisabeth," she replied. "Of Bavaria."
"Bavaria? What house?"
"Bavaria?" Napoleon II repeated. "What house?"
"Wittelsbach," Elisabeth replied.
That did it.
Napoleon II's expression didn't change much, but his attention sharpened. Old blood. One of the oldest ruling houses in Europe. Not a minor court seeking relevance. Not a disposable alliance.
"I see," he said. "Then Versailles must feel… familiar."
"In scale, perhaps," Elisabeth answered. "In spirit, less so."
