His words seemed to be a mere courtesy, but in fact, they were a declaration of loyalty to Joseph—I didn't visit the Chief Minister or report to the Foreign Minister directly in charge after returning to the Palace of Versailles. Instead, I came to see Your Highness, the Crown Prince, first.
"Oh, I've missed you too, Archbishop Talleyrand. Please have a seat," Joseph replied with a smile, gesturing to the sofa. "Your departure from Paris covered more than 7,000 nautical miles, didn't it?"
Talleyrand nodded, "Indeed, more than 7,800 nautical miles, Your Highness, crossing the Atlantic Ocean twice."
"That must have been quite taxing on you," Joseph said, signaling a maid to bring Talleyrand coffee and pastries. "Actually, you could have come back with the convoy of Crown Prince Paul."
Talleyrand nodded his thanks to the maid and then looked at Joseph with a smile,