The Oblivious Emperor
The second I saw those headlines, a headache came roaring up behind my eyes.
I was pretty sure I hadn't even touched a drink yesterday.
You never even told me your full name.
"Your Majesty. If I may be so bold—may I ask what sort of relationship you have with the Russian Grand Duchess?"
"We're just friends. Didn't I tell you I was meeting a friend? If we were lovers, I wouldn't have thought so lightly of leaving the palace."
At my answer, Eunuch Kim simply nodded.
"Still—how did they even catch us?"
Even when I went out in disguise, I never truly wandered around alone and unprotected. Naturally, people were stationed nearby for any unforeseen trouble. And "unforeseen trouble" most certainly included paparazzi with their secret cameras.
"We believe it was a photograph taken by someone who happened to already be inside the same building."
"That... well, I suppose there was nothing to be done about that."
No matter how lofty the Emperor's station, I could hardly order every civilian sitting in a café to introduce themselves, nor could I seize a citizen's phone just because they had taken a picture.
"Shall we issue a correction first, then?"
"We can take steps to release a correction, but I doubt it will have much effect."
"I imagined as much. How is the public reacting?"
"For the most part, they seem to be treating it as pure gossip rather than anything clearly positive or negative."
"Understood. Still, we should put out a correction. Keep it simple: we knew each other in high school, I heard she was returning to Korea by chance, and we only met briefly. Please release it in that plain, matter-of-fact tone."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Of course, a mere correction did nothing to quiet the public.
[Pap photo attached]
If it's a royal marriage, it's a marriage alliance.
That's just common sense.
Ah, so they were just "friends," I see~
Sure, sure. High school sweethearts who split up,
she becomes a world-famous pianist, and the second she lands in Korea the person she meets is "just a friend," aha~
Must be some Russian custom I guess.
Would they really meet out in the open in a café right in the middle of the capital?
His Majesty genuinely seems to have treated it as just meeting a friend.
Look at his clothes alone — that's not date-with-a-lover attire. It's barely a step above sweatpants.
Still, better to shut it down cleanly than leave everything floating in ambiguity.
Come to think of it—was Sofya all right? Landing in a foreign country only to become the number-one trending topic overnight... she had to be dealing with all sorts of trouble.
Meaning she'll say we aren't anything special to each other, right?
I would invite her later as repayment. For real.
"Ahem. Ordinarily our magazine sticks to questions related to classical music and avoids private matters as much as possible, but..."
The interviewer trailed off, scratching his cheek with an awkward expression.
"It's all right. It can't be helped, I suppose."
"You've recently become the center of attention. How does that feel?"
"I had no idea Korea was this interested in classical music. People recognize me wherever I go. Haha."
"Ahaha..."
"Well, it hasn't been unpleasant. Once I return to Russia this fever will be over in an instant, won't it?"
"Then... are you completely denying the 'controversy'?"
"If you mean controversy, which part exactly are we talking about?"
"Right. My question wasn't clear enough. Let's take it one step at a time. Is it true that you and His Majesty the Emperor knew each other in high school?"
"Yes, that's right. We sat next to each other, so we became close."
"And were the two of you romantically involved at the time?"
"No. I was the only one who liked him."
"Ah... excuse me?"
The interviewer couldn't help echoing the words back.
"I said I liked him. Ah—that makes it past tense. I still like him now."
"In a romantic sense...?"
"Yes."
"May I write what you just said into the article exactly as it is?"
"Of course. I deliberately said it because it was driving me crazy knowing he would never notice otherwise. Ah—please put that last part in the article too."
Sofya ← absolute chad, peak high-T energy, upvote if you agree
In Russia that makes her a Grand Duchess.
And she just flew into Korea and dropped a public confession on His Majesty. She threw her pride away completely, yeah.
She probably thought long and hard about it too. And still did it.
From our Imperial Household's perspective it's a bit awkward.
Given the current situation of the Imperial line, His Majesty getting married as soon as possible and producing plenty of heirs is urgent.
Because of "that incident," the direct line of succession that had continued from Emperor Gojong is on the verge of being cut off.
Moreover, even if the Imperial Household has no formal diplomatic authority, an international marriage does tighten relations between nations — that's just a fact.
But the problem is that getting closer to Russia could make the United States and Britain unnecessarily nervous. That possibility can't be ignored.
Especially regarding the Pacific, Japan has been carefully playing the buffer role between the U.S. and Korea. If the path to the Pacific opens wide through Russia, America might get tense.
And we also have to consider which direction that tension will go...
So the conclusion is—
He should accept the confession, right?
I just came because I like classical music...
The concert hall is a complete madhouse right now
Confessing is her own business but couldn't she have waited until after the recital sob my recital...
Ah lmao
Sofya had been looking at me that way?
No, wait... since when?
I should contact her first, right...?
Just as I reached for my phone, a voice came from outside.
"Your Majesty. It is Eunuch Kim."
"Ah. Yes. Come in."
"I take it you have already heard about Grand Duchess Sofya's interview..."
"Yes. I was just about to contact Sofya myself."
"What are Your Majesty's thoughts?"
"About what?"
"About that... 'confession.' Your Majesty must give an answer. To put it bluntly—does Your Majesty intend to enter a royal marriage with Miss Sofya?"
"...Yes."
"Understood. Then we shall begin the procedures."
"Excuse me? We can just decide it like that? I know it's odd for me of all people to say this, but don't we need to consult the Jongbusa?"
"Of course we can. For a royal marriage, the only things required are the will of His Majesty and the will of the one who will become his consort. The opinion of the Jongbusa is merely for reference, and in any case the majority view is that a royal marriage simply needs to happen. There will be no major opposition."
"I... see."
Three months later, I was married. The royal wedding proceeded at an absurd speed. And immediately afterward I boarded a plane bound for Russia.
"...Now that I think about it, something feels a little strange."
"What does?"
"The day we met again, I did everything I could to stay hidden because I was out in disguise—but you came all dressed up. Were you... doing that on purpose? Hoping people would notice?"
"...You always notice things late."