After spending time on the top of the Bonaparte Tower, they returned to the grounds where they would go to the next attraction.
The elevator descended with the same steady motion as before. When the doors opened at the base, the sound of the exposition rushed back in—steam vents hissing from machinery halls, voices rising from thousands of visitors, and the distant rhythm of engines operating in demonstration pavilions.
Napoleon II stepped out first. Elisabeth and Elsa followed, with Napoleon I and Marie Louise behind them. Charles-Louis walked a few steps to the side while guards reformed their loose perimeter.
"Where to next?" Napoleon I asked.
Napoleon II turned toward the eastern section of the grounds. In the distance, towering above the roofs of the exhibition halls, a large circular structure slowly rotated against the sky.
"The amusement park," he said.
Napoleon I raised an eyebrow.
"An amusement park?"
