The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 139



< Uncle and Nephew (1) >

Today is the day of the official visit to Buckingham Palace.

“Madam let’s go.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

At present the British Empire boasted the most powerful national power in the world.

Since it was the first time in a while that I was meeting the leader of a powerful country I felt nervous.

Because of that my body felt a little heavy and when Ethel saw me like this she lightly tapped my side.

“Don’t be nervous Prince. Just act normally.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

I exchanged glances with Ethel who was smiling and then got out of the car I had just arrived in.

The King and Queen of England warmly welcomed our party as they disembarked.

“Come my prince.”

“Greetings Your Majesty the Head of the British Empire.”

Britain is a parliamentary country.

However as a constitutional monarch the British monarch was able to exercise some power over the prime minister.

I wanted to make a good impression on Edward VII as I still had some powers left such as the veto and the approval of cabinet appointments.

“Oh? There’s a really cute child hiding in this prince’s arms.”

Edward VII noticed this and spoke to him.

I answered with a big smile.

“I have prepared a few very small gifts.”

“Oh! You crossed the Atlantic with these cuties for us?”

“yes.”

I prepared some gifts.

The puppies that Ethel and I each brought were among those gifts.

“So the student here is [Show]?”

“Yes.”

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“The name of the female on the right is [Day]?”

“To be exact it has a name called [Die].”

‘Die’ and ‘Show’.

Edward VII smiled fatherly as he looked at the two four-eyed black spheres.

“Oh my… so cute.”

However his wife and queen Alexandra seemed more pleased than Edward VII.

Anyway.

It seems like a very cost-effective diplomatic gift as these little puppies were able to curry favor with a member of the British royal family.

While Queen Alexandra is petting the two puppies with Ethel.

Edward VII approached me quietly wanting to quickly inspect the other gifts he was holding for me.

“I heard that this prince has one more gift he wants to give me…”

“Oh right. Would you like to check it right now?”

Before visiting England I gathered quite a bit of detailed information about Edward VII.

in result.

I came to know that the old English king before me was a man of great pleasure-seeking.

cigarette.

alcohol.

hunt.

female.

Gambling etc.

Just hearing the name makes you think he has a manly taste that’s brimming with testosterone.

So as soon as I arrived in Europe the first thing I did was head to the horse market.

To buy good horses.

Because of all these hobbies Edward liked horse racing the best.

“Oh…..”

As expected.

As expected from Edward who loves horse racing his eyes change as soon as he sees a famous horse.

Edward approached the slightly shy mare very cautiously and stroked her fur.

“What a beautiful horse. Even a quick glance at its exterior shows that it is a very good breed.”

Edward smiled brightly and then quickly fell off the horse I had given him.

After that he looked at me and made a satisfied expression.

“I hope the horse this prince gave me as a gift will perform well in the horse race. Hehe. By the way how did you know that I like horses and gave me this gift?”

Edward came closer to me and suddenly started acting friendly.

“Anyway I will keep this prince’s warm favor deep in my heart. Ah this mare. What is your name?”

“This is the Secretariat.”

“Oh what a beautiful name.”

It is named after a famous racehorse from the 1970s.

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I hope this guy does well too.

Edward kept mumbling the name Secretaria as if he liked the name I gave him.

Then he raised his head and looked for the person.

“Horn horn.”

“Yes Your Majesty. Have you called?”

Are you feeling the nicotine craving?

Edward VII quickly summoned someone and had him bring some cigars.

Then he immediately brought the best Cuban cigars in front of us.

Edward took one out of the box of cigars quite naturally then took the lighter out of his pocket and held it close to him.

after-

He inhales the cigar deep into his lungs and then exhales it again.

After repeating this process two or three times he finally starts to look like he’s going to live.

“Oh I guess the prince doesn’t really seem to be interested.”

“I don’t really like cigars or cigarettes.”

“Why? How come?”

Edward opened his eyes wide looking as if something terrible had happened.

He offered me another cigarette seemingly not understanding what I was saying.

“A real man knows how to enjoy smoking. All the products here are made with the highest quality ingredients so give them a try.”

Knock knock knock-

Edward coughs before speaking.

It sounded like an unhealthy cough perhaps due to the cigarette smoke seeping deep into his lungs.

I waved my hands and made a pained expression.

“I’ve always had poor respiratory health… so cigarettes and cigars don’t go well with me.”

“ah….”

Edward VII sighed with a look of genuine regret on his face.

“I can’t believe I can’t feel this joy for the rest of my life… Even the heavens are heartless.”

Men in this era really liked smoking.

The harmful effects of cigarettes have not yet been made public.

Because I felt that smoking a cigarette was so manly.

In the early 20th century.

They all acted like real men.

That’s why it’s possible.

But I intentionally stayed away from cigarettes because I prioritized my health over how I looked to others.

“Then let us go back inside. I will personally show you around Buckingham Palace. For the Prince and the beautiful Princess.”

It looks like he really likes the puppy and racehorse gifts.

Edward VII invited Ethel and I into his palace shaking his fat belly back and forth.

I followed him quietly and admired what Buckingham Palace looked like in the early 20th century.

* * *

and.

As expected Buckingham Palace was incredibly large and splendid as befitting the residence of the head of the British Empire.

It wasn’t as extravagant as the Palace of Versailles but it was beautiful enough to make first-time visitors gape in awe.

“This prince.”

“Please speak.”

Edward VII the pot-bellied lecherous man looked up and down the body of his beautiful maid then turned his head to me and offered me a drink.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Yes. Even if British food isn’t British British alcohol is pretty good right? I don’t see any reason to turn it down.”

Since we became a little closer I tried to make a little satirical joke.

It’s taboo to insult Britain at Buckingham Palace but British food is an exception.

This is because the British people also did not like their own traditional food very much.

“Haha… that’s right. British food isn’t that tasty.”

Edward responded to my witty provocation with a questioning look and poured me some strong whiskey.

After that like a smoker he took up smoking again and smoked so much that Edward’s office soon turned into a raccoon’s den.

“This prince.”

“Please speak.”

“I have a difficult request to make of this prince for the petition of my council.”

Edward VII suddenly became very serious and mentioned something that would happen next month.

“Aren’t you going to demonstrate Lee & Wright’s new airplane in Germany next month?”

“yes.”

“There are rumors that we will sign a military supply contract with the German Empire in the future… ”

He nodded in agreement.

At this Edward asked me with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Could you please back out of this contract?”

It might be seen as rude to reject Edward’s request outright.

That’s why.

“Why are you asking me to do that? I want to hear the reason first.”

I asked him to tell me the background to his request.

“As all intellectuals who know anything feel there is a great storm gathering over the European continent. A very large and terrible storm is approaching.”

This was a fact I also knew.

Because the world war was just around the corner.

Thinking back to what Edward had asked me earlier I could easily guess what he was wary of.

“So you’re saying that Germany is at the center of it all?”

“exactly.”

Edward VII lit his cigarette again and blew out smoke.

“Didn’t my nephew drive out Chancellor Bismarck after he ascended the throne? Since then this tendency has only gotten worse.”

The royal houses of Europe are related to each other by blood.

Queen Victoria of England married her daughters off to royal families around the world.

Thanks to this Britain also gained contact with the German royal family.

‘Wilhelm II and Edward VII were third cousins making them uncle and nephew.’

The nephew he just mentioned was the Kaiser of Germany.

I continued to quietly look at Edward and listen to what he had to say.

“I have sent letters to several European leaders to mediate but the problem is….”

The King of England drank from his glass and sipped it.

“The problem is that my health is not very good. The problem is that after I die there will be no one to act as a mediator between the two forces.”

but.

Edward is right.

Although he wasn’t a good husband in his private life because his relationships with women were very complicated.

Because Edward did a pretty good job of acting as a mediator within Europe.

In the history of the original world didn’t World War I break out after his death?

“Eventually the two forces will clash. It will happen in five years at the earliest or in ten years at the latest.”

Edward had a keen eye for diplomacy.

I was inwardly startled and emptied the glass I was holding.

“I see. Is your request to stop delivery also part of that larger context?”

“exactly.”

Edward again predicted the future with a serious expression.

“I’m afraid that my nephew will make a big mistake.”

“Hmm… I understand why Your Majesty would ask me to do this.”

Edward’s analysis was quite accurate.

But there is one problem.

The cause of the problem was well analyzed but the solution was wrong.

“But it’s a little disappointing.”

“it’s a shame?”

“Your analysis is correct but your solution is wrong.”

“exactly?”

“Yes. Suppose I were to withdraw my supply of airplanes to the German Empire.”

I crossed my arms and made some assumptions about this.

“The budget that the German military had set aside to buy our company’s products. Will it go up in smoke?”

“I guess so.”

“Where will this money go? Welfare? Industrial infrastructure? No. The budget will ultimately be reinvested in strengthening naval power. Given the Kaiser’s disposition.”

“….”

Edward kept his mouth shut.

Because what I said was right.

“Emptencies are eventually filled. I believe Your Majesty your wise king knows this well.”

I have come up with a real solution.

“Your Majesty’s concerns will not be resolved unless disarmament negotiations involving all of Europe are held.”

“Disarmament negotiations… It won’t be an easy road.”

Edward looked at me for a while his mouth closed as if he was impressed by my argument.

“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”

Then he started laughing like a madman.

“It’s just as the rumors say.”

“yes?”

“People say that this prince is a man with great foresight who can predict the future. I laughed because it seemed to be true.”

“You are too kind.”

“What kind of compliments are you? You can tell that you have outstanding ability just by the fact that you so politely declined my request which could be seen as rude.”

Edward VII agreed with my argument saying:

“Yes. Germany won’t sit still just because this prince doesn’t deliver. Well… that’s true.”

He poured me another drink and apologized.

“I brought up a heavy topic for no reason and the mood has become awkward. How about we go get some drinks again?”

Edwards never again spoke about the sale of Lee & Wright’s new aircraft to Germany.

My argument was correct.

This was because the British Empire’s military power was still overwhelmingly superior to that of the German Empire.

Above all else.

He seemed to have just let it slide as he had no prior information about the usefulness of airplanes yet in his head.

“Oh and by the way.”

“Please speak.”

“I’m talking about the banquet that’s going to be held in the evening.”

When a member of the royal family visits a foreign country a welcoming banquet is naturally held.

“The King of Belgium was not permitted to attend the event. It was to prepare for any unexpected incidents.”

The current King of Belgium Leopold II is a notorious racist.

He is also notorious as a crazy psychopath who massacred five million Congolese people.

As news of this spread throughout Europe Leopold II found himself ostracized by the European royal houses.

But it was a society where racial discrimination was rampant.

Leopold II was so excessive that everyone kept their distance from him.

“I hear that Leopold II is interested in you.”

“Why me?”

“Your close friend President Hearst has written some articles about Leopold… and seems to have a personal favor to ask you for.”

Leopold II and I have absolutely no contact whatsoever.

I think I have a rough idea why he wants to meet me.

I guess you’re coming to me to ask me to take down some critical articles about Hearst.

Edward VII showed me his favor by preventing this in advance.

“If I associate with that rascal it will only ruin this prince’s reputation. That’s why I blocked him from my dictionary.”

“thank you.”

“No. The prince has shown me a favor. I should show him a favor too.”

We avoid shit because it’s dirty not because we’re scared of it.

Since it would be best not to meet them if possible I agreed with Edward and raised my glass.

“Isn’t the alcohol really delicious? After all alcohol is made in England.”

“Yes.”

right.

Unlike British food British alcohol is really delicious.

I had another drink with Edward and we started talking again.

Perhaps because he was drunk he responded well to my jokes and chimed in.

< Uncle and Nephew (1) > End