The Prussian Prince's Visit

The Prince of Joachim's visit

When I scroll through the alternate-history galleries, it looks like no one in our original timeline had the actual power to swallow the Korean Peninsula whole. Yet somehow they always end up forming some kind of union empire anyway. Just looking at that tells me everything I need to know. So yeah, this isn’t a position I should be playing around in.

“Still, it’s not like there’s zero possibility. Germany is supporting us right now, isn’t it?”

Nah, that’s just drinking the kimchi soup before the meal even starts. And honestly, I’m not even that into it. He’s not exactly a name that would make Koreans go “oh shit” at first glance. It’s not like he’s some historical figure who pulled massive aggro like Hitler or anything. He’s not that influential. Marriage with someone like that? No fucking way.

Let’s say I actually get married. Then several conditions have to be met. First, any foreigner who marries me has to settle down in Korea. Second, at the very least until I give birth to a child, he has to act as my proxy and play the perfect pro-Korea role. On top of that, since I have to drag this country up by the collar no matter what, if we have a kid, the husband will be the one raising it.

“Now that I think about it… yeah, that makes sense.”

But what can I do? Unless the person marrying me is a Korean reincarnator from my previous life, I can’t entrust anything to them. If I was just going to run off to a foreign country after coming this far, I would’ve done it from the beginning. Why the hell would I bother ripping the Japanese bastards’ throats out?

Besides, even after going through all that chaos, there are still plenty of closed-minded pricks around, and the great powers know it. That’s why they’re willing to talk diplomacy with me instead of those other guys.

“That’s absolutely impossible. Better to arrange a marriage between the two imperial families.”

I shook my head. Let’s be real—if the Korean Empire seriously tried to push a marriage proposal onto me right now, it would basically be an insult to the imperial family. Anyone who isn’t a complete idiot can see that the real power lies with the Manchurian Army, and my influence within it can’t be ignored. Lady Eom already looks at me with hostility. If this happened, she’d openly treat me like a treacherous minister.

If a marriage really had to happen, it should be pushed onto the imperial family as a royal union. Not that the chances of that are anywhere near zero anyway.

“Shouldn’t you be heading out soon?”

Ah, right. Looks like I’ll have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to go greet that kid myself.

“Guess so. Where is he arriving?”

“He’s coming to Jemulpo Port, which has developed rapidly in recent years.”

Jemulpo Port. After the Three Kingdoms War, foreign interest in Korea skyrocketed. The port grew massively as more and more outsiders stopped by. Since he said he wanted to meet me, the polite thing to do is go greet him in person.

“It is an honor to meet the sixth prince of the German Empire. This humble subject is Ok Jin-seo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Korean Empire. This is His Excellency Yi Beom-yun, Prime Minister of our empire.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Yi Beom-yun, Prime Minister of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Korean Empire. It is an honor to receive the German prince.”

Yi Beom-yun had come with me to this meeting. After all, this was technically a visit from an imperial prince. We had to show at least this much courtesy.

“Nice to meet you. I am Karl Wilhelm Heinrich Kuper, Admiral of the German East Asia Squadron. It is my honor to meet the renowned Countess Ok and the Prime Minister.”

Even the admiral of the East Asia Squadron came? It seems they’re quite determined to show interest in our navy.

“Whoa. He really looks exactly like the photos.”

Wow. This kid is seriously a total brat. Do I really have to deal with this little punk? Even if it’s just acting as a guide, the idea of having to make the Korean Empire look good to a child feels ridiculous.

Of course, calling him a brat might be a bit much. He’s probably in his late teens. Still, from my perspective, he’s definitely at the level of an annoying kid.

“Photos, you say?”

“I heard your beauty is unmatched by anyone in the West. I was also told you played an active role in the war itself.”

Prince Joachim handed me a European newspaper. My photo was printed in it. Since photo manipulation and editing don’t exist in this era, the image could basically be considered a perfect representation of the real thing.

Yeah. Looking at the person in this photo, even by the standards of this time, she looked almost Western. In Europe, people only saw the figure known as Ok Jin-seo. Well, this face is quite beautiful, I suppose. Maybe it’s because she carries the blood of the Goryeo royal family. Or rather, since that old man created this character as a virtual avatar, it’s only natural that her appearance would be this perfect.

That’s probably why the whole “Joan of Arc” thing works. Just my existence alone. The fact that I don’t look East Asian at all is an added bonus. Especially for France, they’ll hype me up as much as possible to fuel their own national pride.

French newspapers were full of stuff like this. Look! France turned a woman from a crumbling weak nation into a saint! Honestly, it’s not entirely impossible. Especially now that Germany is showing interest in using us as a counterweight, France will push even harder to imprint the idea that Korea is pro-French.

As for Britain, even though they find it distasteful, they have no choice but to use us to check Russia’s southward advance from Okinawa. They need to prevent us from completely switching sides to Russia. Even though we’re smaller than Japan, we’ve shown quasi-great-power fighting capability by defeating our former suzerain, Qing. Of course, it would be more convincing if we reached Beijing, but at least Britain will stay silent for now.

“There is no need to exaggerate my deeds. I simply did what any patriot should. Still, it is an honor that my humble exploits have reached as far as Europe. It seems His Majesty the Kaiser of the German Empire has taken quite an interest in our Korean Empire.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent a prince all the way here.

“I told them I wanted to see the Shenyang Administrator.”

So it’s personal interest in me. That probably makes Yi Beom-yun feel a bit awkward standing here. Since I’m also acting as interpreter, I naturally end up taking center stage.

“I see.”

From the German Empire’s perspective, this isn’t the first time. It makes sense that they’d send someone at least once. I don’t particularly mind.

“Unfortunately, our nation does not possess the advanced technology of the German Empire, our military strength is still weak, and we have not yet fully modernized. We remain a pre-industrial nation. There may not be much to show Your Highness, but we are constantly striving to move forward and achieve civilization and enlightenment.”

We have to present ourselves as openly as possible. We must appear more enthusiastic about modernization than anyone else. This can’t just be seen as a visit from some royal brat. Behind this royal brat stands the entire German Empire, and the people accompanying him as his entourage are all military figures who have formed an official delegation.

“I am aware. However, I wanted to see the country that possesses the woman called the Joan of Arc of Korea. I did not come as an official representative of the German Empire, but simply as a prince out of personal curiosity. I would not wish to trouble the Prime Minister of Korea over such a matter.”

“Good heavens, how could the Prime Minister possibly remain idle when a prince of a great power visits our nation? If that is your wish, I shall entrust this matter entirely to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

Hey, Prime Minister, you can’t just dump this on me. From Yi Beom-yun’s perspective, it’s probably easier to push dealing with this kid onto me rather than handling it himself. But seriously, why are you acting so embarrassed? Anyway, to everyone else here, all Koreans except me probably just look like talking monkeys.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Regrettably, His Majesty the Emperor is currently occupied with the funeral rites for the previous emperor, which could not be held during the war. He will not be able to greet you in person. Please understand.”

In truth, I had no desire to show that precious little imperial heir to anyone. Honestly, parading that kid in front of foreign royalty would be utterly humiliating. If he were even slightly presentable, maybe it would be different.

“It is of no concern. I came to see Joan of Arc, after all.”

To think that a prince of the German Empire would come all this way just to see the Korean Joan of Arc. If Lady Eom hears about this, she’ll definitely try to make an issue out of it.

This feels weird. Yeah. It’s strange. Before I get any more entangled in this, I need to lower myself appropriately.

“I am truly grateful that a prince of the German Empire would praise me so highly, but Korea once had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a general far greater than I. I was simply lucky, and the French merely elevated my name.”

“A general greater than General Ok?”

He shouldn’t be comparing me to anyone. I had the cheat of immortality, after all. If we’re talking about the greatest general in the five-hundred-year history of the Korean Empire that succeeded Joseon, it has to be Yi Sun-sin.

“His name was Admiral Yi Sun-sin, also known as Chungmugong. Hundreds of years ago, he fought against Japan and achieved unbroken victories in naval battles. I was only able to succeed thanks to support from Russia and France, but Admiral Yi fought Japan without any meaningful state support and won all twenty-three of his twenty-three engagements.”

In times like this, I need to bring up someone greater than myself. In reality, Yi Sun-sin’s reputation in world naval history goes far beyond mere Korean patriotism. I need to make that clear from the start.

“Isn’t he merely a figure known in Eastern naval warfare?”

“To the eyes of a civilized nation like Germany, he may seem outdated, but he is still a far better man than I.”

He is completely different from a cheat character like me. Of course, the proud Germans of a great power might find this boring, but I plan to explain it at length—long enough to make them so bored they never want to come back. As thoroughly and tediously as possible.

“Then I would like to hear about that man as well.”

“Very well. I shall tell you.”

If you really want to hear it, I’ll tell you. I’ll talk until the prince goes, “Dad, I don’t want to see Countess Ok ever again.” Of course, I’ll do it politely, as enthusiastically as I can, in a soothing tone.

Around this time, Lady Eom was in an absolutely foul mood. The German prince had come to Korea, yet he hadn’t shown the emperor so much as a hair, instead spending all his time with that wench Ok Jin-seo.

“How can a prince of the German Empire dare to insult our imperial family like this? He hasn’t shown his face once! And again, it’s that Ok Jin-seo! That woman! Have they become lovers or something?”

“I do not believe it is quite that simple, Your Highness.”

Once again, Yi Sang-jae, Chairman of the Privy Council, let out a deep sigh as he endured Lady Eom’s rage. She had summoned him, as she always did, in her endless obsession with strengthening imperial authority. How could she still fail to grasp the situation?

The Korean Empire now needed to open itself to the world. How long did she intend to cling only to imperial power? Besides, the imperial family wasn’t even competent. Hadn’t they only managed to hold onto their current position thanks to Ok Jin-seo?

“Chairman of the Privy Council. Are you truly taking the side of that young girl who was only recently released from prison thanks to the Minister of Foreign Affairs?”

Yi Sang-jae narrowed his eyes. Taking Ok Jin-seo’s side? He would have said the same even if it had been Yi Beom-yun instead. Imperial authority was weaker now than it had ever been. The previous emperor had pursued a pro-Japanese policy, fought against Russia, and ultimately died at the hands of the Japanese. The Manchurian Army—formerly the Sapodae—had risen in the name of avenging the military and defeated the Japanese forces, but both the moral high ground and the hearts of the people now belonged to the Manchurian Army.

In such a situation, a crown prince who wasn’t even a proper heir had ascended the throne. Did she really think absolute monarchy was still possible? They should be grateful that a German prince had even bothered to visit Korea at all. Instead of going mad over imperial power and creating internal division by checking the Minister of Foreign Affairs, they needed to move away from absolute monarchy and toward constitutional monarchy.

“Your Highness. No matter how much fame our Korean Empire has gained from this war, the German prince has come merely as a tourist.”

“But he is still a member of the imperial family, is he not? Then he should at least—”

He had tried to speak gently, but this wasn’t working.

“Your Highness, we won the war and Russia appears to be paying attention to us, but all of this is ultimately thanks to Minister of Foreign Affairs Ok Jin-seo.”

“There it is again—Ok Jin-seo.”

It wasn’t the time to mention Ok Jin-seo just to find fault with her. The Korean Empire might appear neutral among the great powers for now, but it was obvious that they would bare their teeth and target Korea again someday. Complete independence still felt unrealistic.

“Moreover, the Minister of Foreign Affairs speaks the languages of Europe with perfect fluency. There is no one better suited to attend to the German prince than her.”

“Even so… even so, could he not at least come to see His Majesty?”

Lady Eom’s voice grew smaller as she muttered. She must feel some gratitude for the previous emperor’s grace, so Yi Sang-jae could understand to some extent. But to care only for imperial power rather than the country itself was truly pitiful.

“The world now belongs to those Westerners. And our Korean Empire is not even in their sights. If they say they only wish to see our people, then that is all there is to it. Even the Qing, which was once our suzerain, is now little more than a colony of the great powers. The fact that we are not in the same position is thanks to Countess Ok, is it not?”

Yi Sang-jae looked at reality with cold eyes. If not for Ok Jin-seo—if she had not saved the Russian crown prince—this country might have already become a Russian colony by now. It was a shame that she was a woman, but her abilities could not be ignored.

“Then are you telling me to simply wait like this?”

“Even so, Germany has its own sense of propriety. Besides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will surely request an audience with His Majesty on the prince’s behalf.”

Since this wasn’t even an official state visit but a personal trip, there was no need to provoke them by demanding excessive formality. Especially when Germany might become a nation friendly to Korea.

Lady Eom slammed her palm on the table in fury.

“They’re all playing around nicely! Everyone is dancing in the palm of Ok Jin-seo’s hand!”

Everyone was under that woman’s spell. Since she was female, she couldn’t dare commit the filthy act of coveting the throne, but this was clearly crossing the line! She was well-versed in European affairs and could speak their languages fluently, allowing her to befriend European diplomats and leaders. She should be using that ability for the imperial family. Lady Eom, who wanted to strengthen imperial power to repay the previous emperor’s grace, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could only swallow her rage.