Given a Choice

Back in the Republic of France, at the Palace of Versailles. Talleyrand, sat in a cushioned chair, meticulously arranging a stack of papers before him. He carefully extracted them from his well-worn leather briefcase and laid them upon Napoleon's ornate table, where the First Consul's piercing gaze fell upon them.

Napoleon leaned forward curiously. His eyes scanned the documents spread out before him like pieces of an intricate puzzle.

What are these?" Napoleon inquired curiously. 

Talleyrand offered a faint smile as he met Napoleon's gaze. "These, Your Excellency, are the missives we have received from the member-states of the Second League of Armed Neutrality. Their responses following the Russian declaration of war."

Napoleon's hand reached for one of the letters, his fingers brushing against the paper as he lifted it delicately. His eyes quickly scanned the contents, absorbing the weight of the words.