Chapter 250 The Most Anticipated Moment
May 30th, 1801. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
Inside the opulent Buckingham Palace throne room, Napoleon occupied the Sovereign throne, an ornate symbol of the British monarchy's grandeur. He sat with an air of authority, his left-hand fingers clasping the armrests of the majestic seal while the right hand in his coat.
Lord Eamer had arranged for a painter to capture this moment, and the artist, positioned at an easel nearby, was meticulously translating the scene onto canvas.
He could see the neutral expression on the painter's face. For any Londoners, it would have been a great disrespect for the British to have a French man such as Napoleon sit on the Sovereign Throne. Amusingly, seemed to not care, as if he was doing the job for money.
Speaking of portraits, since morning, Napoleon had been going on and about iconic places, commissioning a portrait of himself to immortalize his victory over the United Kingdom. The people of France would be pleased.
The next moment, Berthier entered the room and gestured a salute to Napoleon.
"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has arrived and is waiting for you in the white drawing room."
Napoleon, deep in contemplation of his portrait-in-progress, responded with a brief nod.
"One moment," he said and glanced at the painter. "How long do you think it will take to complete this portrait?"
The painter, still maintaining his neutral expression, replied in accented English, "I estimate ten minutes, First Consul."
Berthier nodded in response to Napoleon's question. "Yes, Your Excellency. The Russian diplomat arrived earlier and is also waiting in the white drawing room."
Napoleon considered the timing. "Very well, I'll be there in ten minutes. When I get there, we'll start immediately."
"The Russian Empire won't ask for a colony or a territory," Razumovsky interjected. "We only demand compensation for the ships that were destroyed during the naval battle in the Baltic Fleet and for the officials who were part of the conspiracy to assassinate our emperor. 400,000,000 rubles."
"As for the Spanish Kingdom," Don Mariano continued, "we want you to return the territory of Gibraltar to us and recognize it, as well as a reparation of 200,000,000 Spanish real."
Pitt gulped, his throat suddenly dry after hearing their terms. "This is...a harsh demand, there's no way the people of Great Britain would accept this..."
"Either they accept it or not is not our concern, Mr. Pitt," Napoleon said coldly. "You can decline the terms but that would mean a continuation of the war, and erasing the United Kingdom in the face of the Earth."
"You mean..." Mr. Pitt's voice quivered.
"Yes, if you decline our terms and continue the conflict and we win, France and her allies would definitely consider annexing Great Britain. You don't want that to happen right? At least our current demand, you still have your own country."
Pitt's face turned even paler at the mention of the possible annexation of Great Britain.
"That's way worse, First Consul."
"So the terms have been given, the only thing Great Britain has to do is either accept it or not. Though I urge you to accept it and you have to make this decision now."
Napoleon said as he handed him a fountain pen.
Mr. Pitt hesitated for a moment, looking at the pen as if it held the fate of Great Britain in its inkwell. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he contemplated the dire consequences of his choices.
Napoleon's piercing gaze bore into Mr. Pitt, and the room seemed to hold its breath. The Russian diplomat and the Spanish ambassador exchanged anxious glances, sensing the tension in the air.
Finally, with a heavy sigh and trembling hands, Mr. Pitt took the pen. And, with a determined but somber expression, began to sign the documents, sealing the fate of the United Kingdom.
Napoleon took the fountain pen from Mr. Pitt's hands and signed the document. After that, he handed it to Razumovsky who immediately signed the document and handed it to Don Mariano Luis de Urquijo. The Spanish diplomat completed the signatures, and the documents were now officially endorsed by all parties involved.
With that, Napoleon smirked subtly, the British were out and thus made the Republic of France the dominant power in Europe and the world.