The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 129



< Royal Dutch (2) >

It’s been almost a month since I boarded the ultra-luxury cruise ship the Lusitania.

“Your Majesty the captain has sent someone.”

“What happened?”

“They say we will arrive at The Hague in an hour.”

“okay?”

“Yes. Please prepare to leave now. For Your Majesty’s safety it would be better to prepare in advance.”

“Okay.”

The long voyage is finally over.

Ethel and I checked our respective bags and then went out onto the deck holding hands.

“Ethel.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you remember the advice I gave you a week ago?”

We were moving around talking to each other in small voices.

After arriving at the Hague port we boarded a car headed to the palace and Ethel and I continued our conversation in the car for a while.

“Yes. I remember every single one of them.”

“That’s fortunate.”

I’ve been on the international diplomatic stage for quite some time now so I’m somewhat used to it but this is Ethel’s first time.

The atmosphere of a European royal tour is quite different from that of the American social scene so I explained to Ethel who was just making her debut on this stage a few things to be careful of.

“Remember you are my wife. My title has not yet been restored but that does not mean you should be treated like a commoner.”

“yes.”

“So don’t show yourself too discouraged even if those who look down on you especially if you are not of noble birth look down on you.”

“all right.”

Ethel looked cheerful and pretended that everything was okay.

“I’ll think of it as a relaxing cup of tea. Oh! I said that but I’m still nervous. Don’t make that face anymore because I said that.”

Ethel smiled briefly and recalled the advice I had given her as she recounted the story to me.

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“You seem anxious. Should we recall what we talked about before?”

“I wonder?”

“Yes. You told me to just smile when I asked you a difficult question and not to try to lighten the mood when the silence suddenly fell?”

“Yes. Especially keep in mind the last part of what you just said. Usually when you try to break the awkward silence by making small talk you end up making a big mistake. You should be careful about this again.”

“Okay. The talkative ladies who are going with me will bring up other topics appropriately. This time I will just sit quietly and listen to what others are saying.”

That’s a good attitude.

It’s okay for her entourage to make mistakes but Ethel can’t.

‘Because an external enemy might use it as an excuse to attack me.’

oh my.

Ethel is the one debuting but I’m actually more nervous.

It can’t be helped because I know very well how much the European aristocracy looks down on American capitalists.

‘There might be some who openly look down on me because I’m not of noble birth. Ethel has a certain personality… Please act wisely.’

Ethel must have felt sorry for me like this because she held my hand tightly and advised me not to be nervous.

“I’ve lived my whole life hiding my feelings at home following my mother’s teachings. So… don’t worry too much. I’m used to that kind of thing.”

“exactly?”

“Yes. Besides I’m not a three-year-old. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Okay.”

That was when.

As soon as I answered the car door we were in opened wide.

The Queen and Queen can be seen in the distance as sunlight streams through the gap.

Hendrik and Queen Wilhelmina were waiting to welcome us at the Royal Palace in The Hague.

I got out of the car first and extended my hand to Ethel.

That’s how our couple’s official European itinerary began.

‘Huh? What is it?’

But you know.

The event seems to be going strangely contrary to my expectations.

Because Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands looked at me and Ethel with a very dark face.

He is especially staring at Ethel.

Even Woo Hyun-sik who has no sense of humor can sense it.

* * *

hmm….

what.

Where did it go wrong?

Ever since arriving at the Dutch royal palace in The Hague the Queen has had a shit-eating expression on her face.

‘Damn.’

If you do this you won’t be able to talk about business.

We also need to bring up the topic of expanding the Lee & Wright aircraft factory.

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The Royal Dutch Shell investment should also be divided.

But if the Queen reacts like this everything will be invalidated.

‘ah….’

After talking to her a few times I came to understand why the Queen’s expression was so dark.

It was all because of Ethel.

It wasn’t some ridiculous reason like he was upset that some cheap non-aristocratic American girl was visiting the palace.

Because there is a child in Ethel’s stomach right now.

‘I never thought Queen Wilhelmina would have trouble producing a successor.’

A security team was created.

My staff of secretaries is also growing in number.

There are still many shortcomings.

If there was a problem like this the protocol team should have reported it in advance.

‘Would it have been right to leave Ethel in America or England?’

no.

If that’s the case the Queen would have made a shit-chewing expression for that reason.

Because news of Ethel’s pregnancy was bound to reach the Queen’s ears somehow.

The current situation is one where you can’t do anything.

In times like this just.

The current situation which is like the calm before a storm is something we just have to wait for to pass.

“Oh I envy you. This prince and this princess.”

“Huh? What is that….”

“This princess has not even been married for a year and she has not conceived a child?”

“Oh yes.”

After noticing this problem through conversations with the Queen he avoided the topic here and there and avoided talking about children as much as possible.

Eventually Wilhelmina brought the subject up again at the banquet.

Ethel and I are very perceptive so when the topic of pregnancy came up we were both very cautious.

I first tried to appease the queen to solve this problem.

“Your Majesty do not worry too much. God will soon bless you. I hear that there was good news before too. Unfortunately there was an unfortunate incident.”

Ethel agreed with my remark.

“That’s right. You’re still young so I’m sure you’ll hear good news soon.”

Queen Wilhelmina relaxed slightly and leaned back on her throne.

“I believe so. I believe so too. Someday I will conceive another child.”

But something seemed to be bothering Wilhelmina who pouted and glared at her husband Hendrik.

“But… it might take longer than expected.”

“Oh why?”

Oh no.

At times like this I should have just kept quiet.

Ethel stopped playing the jangguk.

At this Wilhelmina blurted out words that should not have been said with an expression full of meaning.

“Of course even clapping hands has to hit each other to make a sound.”

“….”

“….”

The dinner party atmosphere became tense.

Normally extremely personal stories don’t get told at these dinner parties.

Queen Wilhelmina seems to be very ‘determined’.

She glanced at her husband then looked at me.

“There are immutable laws in the world. The process of creating a child is also the same. Isn’t that so Prince?”

I agree with that.

But it’s not like I can’t agree with it.

In times like this silence is best.

At this Queen Wilhelmina shook her head and sighed deeply.

The look on her face was that she had long since realized that I was on the side of my husband Hendrik and so she had no expectation that I would lend support to her claims.

I looked slightly embarrassed and turned my gaze to Lord Hendrik.

‘huh?’

Hendrick was sipping his tea pretending not to hear the Queen’s complaint as she sighed deeply.

what.

Is there any problem between these two?

‘This won’t do…’

Hendrick and I have been best friends since we became close at the International Peace Conference two years ago.

The situation of a prince who was unable to return to his home country and wandered abroad without a fixed home and the husband of a 20th century queen were somewhat similar so they were able to become soul mates in a short period of time.

‘Hendrick is my important business partner…’

This story assumes that Hendrik is the queen’s husband.

If he becomes unemployed there will be no reason for him to pay for his friends’ expenses anymore.

‘Should I even threaten them?’

If you get a divorce it’s over.

If I turn it around and say something nice will he at least try?

I looked at Hendrick absentmindedly imagining all sorts of things.

“Friend.”

The dull Hendrick also noticed my gaze and turned his head toward me and whispered.

“Would you like to go play golf with me tomorrow afternoon?”

okay.

Rather than talking in a crowded palace it would be better to have a heart-to-heart talk on a leisurely golf course.

“Okay. Are you ready?”

“Okay. Bets are always welcome.”

I think we need to check how serious the problem is between the two.

The scale of the interests to be taken in the Netherlands will vary accordingly.

* * *

“Did I just play golf all day in the US?”

“Haha my skills have improved a bit.”

“That’s not it. Where did my friend ‘Lee’ go and only professional golfer ‘Lee’ is here.”

Hendrick who is crazy about golf is making a bet on golf for the first time in a long time.

We just finished the longest par 5 17th hole on the course and are now moving on to the final hole the 18th.

Hendrick complained.

Because today is a big deal for me.

“This is real skill.”

“What are you talking about? You were just lucky today.”

“Then shall we play one more game tomorrow?”

“I’m fine.”

There is still a lot to be gleaned from the Netherlands.

But you might wonder why I won the golf bet.

‘You’re painting the big picture.’

It’s no fun if you just keep winning.

The real fun in betting is when you achieve a dramatic victory in a tight match.

That’s when I feel the greatest pleasure.

To make Hendrick feel this joy I deliberately won today’s bet by a large margin to stimulate his competitive spirit.

“Oh that’s what we talked about at the dinner party yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?”

Hendrick stopped hitting his driver and spoke to me.

“Oh you mean that embarrassing scene where you said thank you to me?”

I think I’m going to tell you a story that happened yesterday.

Let’s start with light conversations instead of heavy ones.

Hendrick nodded and chuckled at my answer.

“okay.”

“What is that between us….”

At dinner parties with the Queen I often found myself enthusiastically praising Hendrik.

To save his self-esteem.

He also spoke passionately about how the reason he first stopped by the Netherlands during his European tour was because of Hendrik.

Hendrick was impressed by this and mentioned it again yesterday and again today.

Hendrick sighed and recalled last night’s events.

“You probably got a sense of how people treated me at your welcome banquet. Before you came I was just a sack of barley left to rot away in a corner of the palace.”

That’s what a husband’s role is all about.

You can live like a squirrel having fun but if you are an ambitious man shouldn’t you live like a prisoner in a prison without bars?

“It looks like you’re having a hard time.”

“….”

“You are the queen’s husband. It is a position that cannot be filled even if your abilities are too great. I think you know that well.”

“I know.”

Hendrick clenched his fists and furrowed his brows slightly.

“That’s why it’s more like X. You have no idea how cruel a fate it is to have to live your whole life in the shadow of a woman.”

hmm.

It seems like the two of them are more distant than expected.

This is a big problem.

“Is everything still okay between you and your wife?”

“well.”

Hendrick swung his golf club with a look of confusion on his face.

Then he came quietly to me and whispered.

“I’ve been thinking about getting a divorce little by little lately.”

“what?”

‘Hey Inma. Then that won’t work.’

Hendrik the Queen’s husband is a helpful person to me.

But unemployed Hendrick is different.

I started consulting for Hendrick.

“Your wife still seems to love you… and you too.”

“That’s right. We’ve been married for ten years but I still get sparks when I see her.”

“Okay then. What are you worried about?”

Hendrick shuddered and looked uneasy.

“But sometimes it gives me goosebumps. Sometimes Helena really doesn’t seem human she seems like a machine.”

Hendrick emphasized to me with a serious expression.

“She doesn’t react at all to my jokes. All the other women laugh out loud but she’s the only one who doesn’t laugh. What’s more she always says boring things. She just keeps talking about state affairs state affairs state affairs.”

“Isn’t this the queen’s fate?”

“Yeah. I understand that much.”

Hendrick approached me with a serious expression on his face.

“But she doesn’t really like me these days… no.”

Hendrick tries to say something serious but then closes his mouth tightly.

I think I know roughly what the story is going to be about.

Because if you consider Wilhelmina’s expression and remarks yesterday you can roughly guess.

“Your wife seems to be very troubled by the successor issue. That’s why she’s harassing you.”

Hendrick made a surprised expression.

He took a half step back looking genuinely surprised and glared at me as if he was seeing a ghost.

“How did you know? I’ve heard rumors that you use mind poison. Did you use some secret technique from the East on me?”

The last words sound like a boring joke from Hendrick.

When I straightened up Hendrick waved his hand.

“Oh by the way is that written all over my face? Or did the rumor spread to America? How did you know about the child problem?”

I gladly answered Hendrick’s question.

“From the first time we met your wife was fixated on Ethel’s belly. How could I not notice it?”

“Ah… that’s right.”

Hendrick then began to confide in me some more profound concerns.

As if bursting out in tongues he constantly poured out his hardships as if in confession.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m dying these days. I’m not some kind of stallion and yet I keep making demands every day.”

“okay?”

“Thanks to that I’ve been using each room these days. I don’t really feel like it…”

Is Burnout Coming to Successor Production?

Hendrik had not had sex with Wilhelmina for the past six months.

‘Is there a problem?’

I’m still in my early 30s but the aging rate in the 21st century is different from that in the 20th century.

Given how quickly we age it’s possible for that ‘disease’ to strike even at a young age.

‘Or it could be due to psychogenic factors.’

anyway.

At night I patted the weak man Hendrick on the shoulder and offered words of comfort.

“I just happened to bring something good here.”

I gave Hendrick a salesman’s look and offered him one of the gifts I had brought.

“Okay. Should I introduce you to him too?”

“Good thing? What is that?”

Hendrick asked me again with a somewhat curious expression on his face.

“What is it? Since you recommend it like that I feel like I have faith in it.”

“I’m telling you something special. I have a very good elixir for my man.”

“Elixir?”

21st century or 20th century.

Either in the West or in the East.

There is no man who refuses to have good stamina.

Whether poor or strong.

Men are constantly pursuing this.

“Do you know about Korean red ginseng?”

“Red ginseng?”

“Yes. When you eat it your body gets warmer and blood flows to your lower body. It’s very good for your stamina. It’s a specialty of my home country.”

“Really? It helps men?”

no.

It doesn’t help at all.

It’s a health tonic but it doesn’t contain any of those ingredients.

But why are you recommending red ginseng to Hendrick?

That’s because it was said with the intention of creating a placebo effect.

If it doesn’t work Hendrick can just make an exception for him.

‘While I’m at it… I’ll also promote red ginseng a bit…’

Some Koreans came to America and brought Korean ginseng seeds to the West.

They are trying to cultivate it and distribute red ginseng to the West.

I’m thinking of telling a nice lie for them.

“Am I joking with you? The emperor who first unified the vast Central Plains continent sent people to various parts of Asia to obtain eternal life. He is said to have collected all kinds of elixirs and one of them is this red ginseng.”

“Heh heh.”

“It’s been getting a lot of attention lately as a treatment for opium addiction so it’s become very expensive. But there are also people who seek it out for other reasons besides opium addiction.”

“okay?”

“That’s what I said.”

Hendrick was very interested in whether or not he was really weak at night.

“We’ll have to talk about business later. For now let’s go back to the palace. There’s an elixir there.”

“Oh I see.”

Hendrick perhaps obsessed with red ginseng rushed to his car without even mentioning his favorite business.

like that.

After arriving at the Dutch Royal Palace in The Hague I gave Hendrik some red ginseng.

Hendrick’s back which was handed the red ginseng looked bigger than ever.

Because I gained confidence that I never had before.

< Royal Dutch (2) > End