Bab 257: A Couple's Brief Visit to Paris

September 20th, 1801.

The grandeur of Paris sprawled before them as Napoleon and Ciela observed the bustling city from their horse-drawn carriage. The rhythmic clip-clop of hooves on cobblestones accompanied their progress through the vibrant capital. The carriage, with its open top, allowed the crisp autumn breeze to tousle Napoleon's hair and rustle Ciela's elegant dress.

The two sat side by side, absorbing the sights and sounds of a city in perpetual motion. Construction workers toiled nearby, their sweat glistening in the golden afternoon sun. 

The buggy stopped at the construction site of the Arc de Triomphe. It's been a year since he had commissioned constructing the monument which would become the cultural symbol of France and the monument celebrating French victory in the First and Second Coalition and the successful invasion of the British Empire.