Same day, in the Universal Exposition.
Napoleon II, along with his wife, Elisabeth, daughter, Elsa, his Imperial Staff Charles-Louis, and his parents, Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Louise, walked down the central thoroughfare. Guards maintained a respectful distance, allowing the Emperor and his family to move without disrupting the demonstrations.
They passed beneath steel trusses that supported long glass panels overhead. Sunlight filtered through and reflected against polished machinery arranged in disciplined rows.
Ahead, a dense crowd gathered around a communication pavilion.
Two wooden booths stood on opposite ends of the hall, connected by insulated copper wires suspended along ceramic brackets. Between them, a group of foreign delegates watched closely.
An engineer lifted a receiver to his ear.
"Paris central station," he spoke clearly.
