Joseph II on the side let out an anxious "uh-uh" upon hearing the news.
Leopold II immediately bent down to listen, then said to Tugut, "His Majesty is asking if the French people mentioned the sovereignty of the Walloon Region?"
"Archbishop Talleyrand said the sovereignty still belongs to the King of Southern Netherlands."
"What about Ghent Province then?" Leopold II asked further.
Ghent, located to the south of the Atlantic Ocean, is of extreme strategic importance as it can control the outlet of the Rhine River to the sea.
"Ghent is not included in the special trade zone," Tugut added, "nor is Bruges."
Bruges, another coastal province, is right next to Ghent.
Upon hearing this, Leopold II sighed with relief; with this, the so-called "special trade zone" was entirely inland and included only the provinces of Mons and Namur, as well as a part of the south of Liege. The area was only slightly larger than Luxembourg.