The little grains in her mouth tasted sweet, like candy.
"Is it good?" Leon asked her gently.
"What is it made of?" Georgiana asked. What she really wanted to know was whether eating it meant she would never be able to leave this world again.
"Mozart chocolate. There's a filling inside. Try biting into it."
She carefully did as he said. Once she bit through the chocolate shell, the filling flowed out. It was cloyingly sweet, but carried a faint hint of mint.
"Do you like it?" Leon asked again.
She nodded.
"How about keeping this food stocked in the palace from now on?"
"Where is it produced?"
"Austria."
"Because you want to maintain friendly relations with Austria?"
Leon happily pinched her ear.
"What about our own confectionery industry?"
"First, you need to understand something. French farmers don't want to grow sugar beets. Did you see anyone growing them in the countryside?" Napoleon asked.
"No."
"If I buy sugar from abroad, I'm supporting other countries' farmers. The French think they barely have enough grain to eat already, so why grow sugar beets? That is why France has no sugar industry at all," Napoleon said irritably.
Georgiana's mouth fell open in surprise.
"After those girls finish class, send them some of this chocolate. They'll be delighted."
"I think that would encourage a bad habit. They'll think studying is only for rewards, and once those rewards are taken away, they'll lose the motivation to study," Georgiana said uneasily. She was actually discussing how to raise the next generation with Napoleon Bonaparte.
"Hand it out whenever you like."
"Do you want to establish a sugar industry?" Georgiana asked. "I know a little about plants."
Napoleon's eyes narrowed happily. "How about we go to Rambouillet this summer?"
"What about your work?"
"Do you know