Chapter 48: Our precious boy and Royal Noble Consort Eom

“Yes, I’ve already heard about that. But isn’t Your Excellency interfering a bit too much?”

Kaiser seems far too interested in our affairs.

“Our Kaiser hopes this will be an opportunity for Korea to develop a navy, so that a true balance of power can be achieved in the Far East.”

“Korea, raising a navy, you say?”

Japan has already declined, leaving behind only a shell of its former military.

‘If Korea builds a navy with Germany’s support, perhaps the balance could indeed be restored. But can Korea manage something of that scale? Even if I personally strong-arm the integration of South Manchuria, the population would barely exceed 30 million.’

“The army is already strong enough to defend itself, isn’t it? And if we raise a moderately capable navy as well, Japan will no longer have the chance to threaten us. China is in no position to carry out reforms either, so Korea could serve as the perfect balancing power.”

Everything Cooper is saying now—this is basically Germany speaking through him.

So that’s why he brought Prince Joachim here.

They’re not just talking; they’re actually planning to invest and build us up.

Army like the French in the East, navy like the Germans in the East.

It’s unusual, sure.

“But the strongest navy is still the British, no? Maybe it’s worth playing between Britain and Germany for now—”

“No, that can’t be. If they’ve already docked a navy at Okinawa, they’re not just wary of Russia.”

“They’re keeping an eye on us too. No doubt about it. And if we reach out to Britain, who knows how Russia will react? Maybe the smarter move is to pull in every nation we can. Korea becomes a nation that doesn’t lean toward one side, but takes what it needs from all of them.”

‘If Germany’s offer is sincere, then it’s worth considering.’

‘Now, who was leading the Korean navy around this time again?’

‘If I could control both the army and the navy, and the air force is practically under my command already, and all of this came together…’

That wouldn’t be so bad.

“Not bad at all.”

I nodded lightly.

“We’ll have to engage in close discussions between our two countries about this matter.”

“Ahem. Isn’t state business something we can talk about later?”

“Oh, my apologies, Prince.”

‘Ugh, I almost got carried away there.’

“Since I’ve come all this way, I’d like to take a serious look around Countess Ok’s country. Is there anything in particular Germany might enjoy seeing?”

To be honest—let me speak plainly—this country is nothing like Korea in the 21st century.

There’s really not much to see.

Seoul, Busan—none of them are as developed as their future selves.

Right now, what we have is more like a backward, pre-modern country.

The only relief is that we at least have basic sanitation infrastructure.

‘But food fit for German royalty?’ Not really.

I’d love to invite him to a formal dinner at the Imperial Palace, but that’s something that should happen after he’s granted an audience with the Emperor.

And yet, he doesn’t even seem interested in seeing the Emperor.

He just keeps staring at me with sparkling eyes, as if everything’s up to me.

At least there’s the Sontag Hotel for lodging.

Thank God for that.

“What do I do with this?”

I scratched my head furiously.

‘If only I weren’t a woman—if I were a man, maybe this would be different.’

I turned slightly and saw Joachim looking at me, eyes sparkling.

“Administrator Countess.”

Admiral Cooper of the East Asia Fleet called out to me carefully.

His face showed no expectation—completely flat, as if to say he’s already resigned to disappointment.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I understand that this is called a ‘trip,’ but this country isn’t even properly modernized yet. His Highness’s visit to Korea was also rather sudden. Just show him what you can, within reason.”

In other words: “We already know your country is an underdeveloped, pre-modern state, so there’s no need to impress us—just go through the motions.”

“That’s true. I didn’t come to see Korea anyway—I came to see Countess Ok.”

“Even so, he’s royalty. I should at least treat him with proper formality.”

“I’m telling you, Korea has nothing to show but Countess Ok!”

‘…Should I feel happy or sad about that?’

‘Maybe he’s just being naive. Or maybe that’s simply the default perception. Still, he’s not being deliberately rude, so I can’t say much.’

“Then, would you like to tour the Imperial Palace?”

“Didn’t you say it caught fire?”

“Oh, right.”

‘It wasn’t completely destroyed, but still—what would I even show? ‘It’s mostly fine!’ and then point to a half-burnt construction site?’

‘Half the buildings in Hanseong haven’t even been rebuilt since the war. Showing off the palace would be pointless. And it’s not a problem I can fix on my own.’

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have sent Lee Beomyun back. No—knowing him, he probably begged me to handle this instead.’

‘Should I call Min Yeonghwan, then? Hah, that guy won’t be any help either.’

‘Why did Joachim have to show up now, of all times?’

“Then just show us around Hanseong, and perhaps you could share some stories of your heroics during the Russo-Japanese War?”

That’s doable.

At least the kid has enough etiquette to bring up topics like that.

I hear some German army officers are with him too.

That’ll make for a good exchange opportunity.

“In that case, I’ll request a banquet from the palace. A formal dinner at the Imperial Court.”

Arranging a banquet won’t be too hard.

Eventually, I’ll have to take him to see our golden boy Emperor.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t overwhelm him with stories of Admiral Yi Sunsin.

But once Joachim hears my story, he’ll probably think it’s nonsense and swear off ever dealing with “Eastern monkeys” again.

I mean, no one in their right mind would believe everything I’ve done.

“Then, I suppose it’s time to seek an audience with your Emperor.”

‘Huh? Joachim seems to be oddly excited about meeting our Emperor. That’s… not a good sign.’

“Yes, though I ask that you keep in mind—His Majesty had to ascend the throne rather suddenly.”

He does have to see our precious Emperor Sunjong.

But this is tricky.

I’ve worked hard to build up this country’s image.

I can’t let him ruin it.

Oh, right. There’s also Empress Dowager Eom. If she gets involved and screws things up, that would be a disaster.

And, of course, things turned out exactly how I feared.

The audience was held at Seokjojeon Palace.

“Your Majesty, this is the sixth prince of the current Kaiser of the German Empire, who has come to visit the Korean Empire.”

“I… I see.”

‘Our golden boy is stuttering?’

‘He could at least speak properly. Don’t tell me I just heard that right…’

“I am Joachim of Germany. It is an honor to meet the Emperor of Korea.”

“I-I am pleased to meet you as well.”

Wow. Our golden boy really knows how to speak.

He’s trembling, brow furrowed, clearly anxious.

What kind of impression does that leave?

He wasn’t always a stutterer, was he? He usually talks just fine.

He’s just a little… dim, that’s all.

Whatever. Joachim came to meet me, not him. So it’s still salvageable.

“Shouldn’t you at least speak clearly if nothing else?”

“I’m not in a good state right now.”

“I want to sit down and have a proper talk sometime soon.”

***

“Your Majesty, please don’t feel too burdened. His Highness the Prince is merely traveling to observe Korea, nothing more.”

‘You’re just a figurehead.’

‘We only need to exchange a few polite, formal greetings. That’s it.’

‘If you can’t even manage that, I’ll be honest—I’ll be disappointed. But what can I do?’

This country is doomed anyway.

‘If the Emperor can’t even properly receive a visiting German prince, maybe it’s time I reconsider things too.’

“Y-Yes… I see…”

Ha, this is beyond embarrassing.

Yi Cheok doesn’t speak German, and Joachim or Cooper from the German delegation don’t speak Korean, but surely even they can tell he’s stammering.

No matter how you look at it, this is just bad.

I brought Prince Joachim all this way.

As Emperor, at least act the part.

No doubt Empress Eom has been yelling at him from behind the scenes, demanding to know why the prince hasn’t shown up yet.

At this rate, I have no choice but to apply pressure.

“Your Majesty, I think we may need to construct a new palace.”

“Essentially, I’m saying we’ll have to demolish the current palace grounds and rebuild from scratch.”

“Ahem. Welcome to Korea. I am Yi Cheok, Emperor of this nation.”

“Welcome to the royal palace of Joseon, stranger.”

‘Why is that line suddenly popping into my head?’

The only silver lining is that this precious little Emperor at least understands his life is in my hands.

He must’ve seen with his own eyes how Japanese flesh was torn apart, brains dripping and trembling on the ground.

That must be why he’s acting like this.

But in the end, this is the reality.

‘If you want to keep that wretched throne, you’d better listen to me.’

***

“Even so, greeting a visiting prince with absolutely nothing prepared seems inappropriate.”

“What are you saying, Your Highness?”

Of all people, it had to be Empress Eom who spoke up.

I shot her a pleading glance, desperate for her not to spout nonsense in this situation.

I hoped she wouldn’t go on about the Emperor’s dignity now that a royal has arrived.

“Our Korea has a proud history stretching back thousands of years. Surely, we can’t let a visiting prince leave empty-handed?”

I didn’t like where this was going, but I stepped in as translator and relayed the message directly to the German prince and his delegation.

They didn’t seem particularly impressed, but at least they managed to keep polite expressions on their faces.

My presence here helps ease communication between us.

That alone should count for something.

“Then, Your Highness, what kind of hospitality does the Empress plan to offer the German prince?”

‘Can we even offer proper hospitality right now?’

We’re scraping by.

The Kuroki 1st Army has already been pushed to the limit.

We’re practically forced to glamorize this entire country just to make it look presentable.

***

“Our Imperial Family will take full responsibility for His Highness from Germany. Minister of Foreign Affairs, please just focus on your assigned duties.”

‘What happened to her?’

‘Right. With the imperial authority shaken, she’s trying to push back however she can.’

I get it. I really do.

She owes a debt to Gojong.

Now that he’s gone, she’s struggling to hold on to something.

‘Oh, who cares! Strengthen the imperial authority!’ Something like that.

She wants to show off the majesty of an empire to both the people and the outside world.

But the times have changed.

While the Imperial Family sat back, I did everything on my own.

The country didn’t recover because of some divine blessing—it survived because of the soldiers under my command, because we fought tooth and nail, because I slaughtered Japanese troops with underhanded methods.

‘Maybe I should just leave her to it.’

***

Prince Joachim came here to see me.

The German delegation came to approach me, not the Korean royal family.

That much is obvious.

From what they’ve said, it’s clear they’re putting their trust in me alone to drag this nation forward.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but this isn’t an official state visit. Of course, we’re here to promote friendly relations between our nations, but His Highness the Prince came to meet Korea’s John of Arc in person. That is all. Please don’t trouble yourself over it.”

“What? Are you saying he came not to see the Emperor, but to visit an official?”

“That’s correct.”

“No matter how powerful Germany may be, isn’t that incredibly disrespectful?”

‘Disrespectful,’ huh. Isn’t he being too blunt?

If this keeps up—

“Disrespectful? We’ve already shown your country more than enough courtesy. We’re here in person to support your navy, are we not?”

“Your Highness, how can you treat Germany’s delegation this way when they’ve come in peace to foster friendship?”

Now it was Minister of Education Yi Wanyong who stepped in.

Even Yi Wanyong looked surprised and glanced nervously between Empress Eom and the rest of us.

It was almost funny.

To think Yi Wanyong of all people would look that lost. Tsk tsk.

***

“This is not persecution. This country is ruled by a monarch. When a royal visits as a guest of state, it should serve as a symbol of goodwill between our two royal families—”

Empress Eom kept pressing her point, insisting on the importance of imperial dignity.

She’s trying so hard to hold onto pride, to show that the royal family still matters.

“My apologies. Our Empress is still recovering from the shock of recent events.”

And of course, I had to be the one to clean up the mess she made.

Honestly, I should’ve taken care of her when the palace burned down last time.

I tried to preserve the royal family, but she’s just made everything harder.

“The situation is understandable.”

At least Prince Joachim was gracious enough to say he understood.

But let’s be honest—he had to understand.

Empress Eom might be overstepping, but she’s not exactly wrong either.

Joachim came as royalty, yes, but publicly he’s here on a “tour.”

Even if his real goal is to meet Korea’s John of Arc, he still needs to maintain royal dignity.

He said it was just a visit, so it would have been respectful to meet the Emperor first.

He’s being a bit too shameless right now.

Sure, he’s not acting like Roosevelt’s daughter who raised hell during her visit, but Joachim still needs to show some humility.

At least for my sake.

Empress Eom just wants to reestablish imperial dignity.

If things don’t go her way, she’ll either blame me or simply doesn’t care if relations with Germany fall apart.

It’s probably the former.

She’s always hated me, so now she’s using this chance to reassert royal authority and pin any diplomatic failure on me.

Every day feels like a trial.

All I can do is cover for it all with everything I’ve got.

Someday, I’m going to have to have a real, woman-to-woman talk with Empress Eom.

***

“The Imperial Family is trying its best to show proper hospitality to the German delegation.”

I forced a smile, as bright and natural as I could manage, covering the situation as best I could.

“I understand. Your late Emperor was a great man. I respect your efforts. Thank you, Your Majesty, for the warm welcome.”

Joachim finally offered proper courtesy to the Emperor, albeit belatedly.

The German officers, who had been looking uncomfortable, followed suit.

“N-No, not at all…”

And Yi Cheok—the most awkward and clueless person in the room—gave a reluctant nod with a displeased expression.

At least the Germans were willing to let it go.

They came for balanced diplomacy, so I suppose they’re willing to tolerate a bit of whining from Empress Eom.

How pathetic.

Sadly, we’re in no position to refuse Germany’s goodwill.

“If we want to survive, we need help from the great powers. We have to take every gift we can get.”

“Minister of Foreign Affairs, stay behind for a moment.”

The Emperor tried to escort Joachim away personally, perhaps to avoid further mistakes—but Empress Eom clearly had no intention of letting me go.