The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 162



< Christie’s & Sotheby’s (4) >

Mr. Gallipoli asks to shake hands with a sinister expression.

Our first meeting had started off on an unpleasant note so I reached out to him feeling a little nervous.

‘That little Churchill. He’s being quiet today.’

At the Baron’s house I fought with all my might.

Today he skipped the power handshake and greeted me in a friendly manner.

“Your Majesty you are still in London.”

“It just so happened that way.”

I nodded and answered Churchill’s question.

Then Churchill asked questions that he was curious about.

“Is there any special reason why you postponed your departure?”

“Baron Rothschild told me that Christie’s and Sotheby’s are hosting a major auction.”

“ah!”

“When will I ever have another chance like this? It will be at least five years before I can come to London again.”

As someone who works primarily in the US it takes a lot of determination for me to return to Europe.

It takes two months just to get there and back.

Besides I have to take a break from my main job.

Staying in a foreign country incurs enormous additional costs.

“So you postponed your departure?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to miss out on such a precious opportunity.”

Churchill was also a politician from the highest aristocracy who had been on a fair amount of long-distance travel.

Although we weren’t on good terms Churchill had also experienced the same situation I was in.

He had an expression on his face that said he understood my situation very well.

“That’s right. It’s a well-known fact that the prince is interested in art.”

“Really? Did the rumor spread like that?”

“Yes. To be honest I was hesitant because I didn’t know if it was true or not but through today’s conversation I was able to confirm it.”

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I suddenly turned my head away for a moment laughing.

Even while I was talking to Churchill people around me kept greeting me.

“Oh nice to meet you. I’m talking to Minister Churchill for a moment… Let’s talk again next time.”

This was also the case for Churchill.

The two of us.

The conversation continued attracting a lot of attention from many people.

“Did you buy a lot of the items you wanted at the last Christie’s auction and this Sotheby’s event?”

“of course.”

At the previous Christie’s auction a considerable number of various Western ancient artifacts and jewelry were purchased.

At Sotheby’s auctions I mainly bought art pieces.

“I bought seven pieces of art today. I only bought the best ones. Come over to my house sometime later. I’ll show you all the art pieces I bought.”

“Oh I’m looking forward to it. I’ll definitely go and see it.”

Munch’s The Scream is like that too.

The same goes for Van Gogh’s work.

I purchased quite a few pieces that would be worthy of being displayed as main pieces in an art museum.

‘It doesn’t end here. Didn’t you meet the writers in person and communicate with them and hand out business cards?’

Munch is Munch but Johanna who I met a little while ago is the real deal.

She is a walking treasure trove owning over a thousand Van Gogh works.

In return for supporting her he plans to purchase some of Van Gogh’s works.

He won’t give me all the Van Gogh works he owns though.

About a hundred of them.

no.

If I could buy just fifty of them individually I would become a huge collector.

Because I am confident that I can pick out only Van Gogh’s major works.

“What about you? It seems like there are a lot of good quality artworks up for auction this time.”

The Churchill in front of me actually came from a very great and prestigious family.

His family is the Spencer family.

It was a family with a longer history than the current English royal family.

Famous for producing Princess Diana Churchill was naturally not only famous but also wealthy.

“I just bought a few things that I had been thinking about.”

“okay?”

“Yes. Unlike the prince I am not very rich.”

Churchill was humble.

Because I was too rich to brag about my money.

“Oh! That’s right. Last time when I was talking with Baron Rothschild your story came up. I heard you wanted to meet me and talk to me privately?”

“ah….”

“What? Do you have any questions for me?”

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“Yes I have a few questions.”

“Then do it right here and now. I don’t know when I’ll be back here after I leave England this time. I want to resolve your curiosity today and then go back.”

You have to find out what you’re curious about.

If you end a conversation without doing anything you feel uneasy as if you went to the bathroom and came out without cleaning up.

“This prince.”

“I’m listening.”

Churchill suddenly guided me to a relatively empty area in the middle of the open banquet hall.

As he was walking he picked up two bottles of champagne and handed one to me.

“Just in case.”

Are you planning to tell some secret?

Churchill trailed off for a moment and then asked me a question that had been on his mind.

“What do you know about radium?”

* * *

radium?

What the hell is this radium?

‘What? Are you trying to assassinate your enemies with radium?’

Ah I’ll take back what I just thought.

In this era radium was considered a panacea but was not recognized as a hazardous substance.

Unless Churchill was a regressor or possessed there is no way he would know this.

I took a sip of the champagne I was holding and asked Churchill with a slightly bashful expression on my face.

“Radium? Are you talking about that luminous mineral that sparkles even at night?”

“yes.”

Churchill asked me again with a rather serious expression on his face.

“There is a rumor that radium is useful in treating syphilis. It is said that the prince discovered this cure.”

“….”

“I have a few questions about this.”

When dealing with the American rag Stevenson.

Max an Irishman who was a close associate of mine once recommended radium to Stevenson as a treatment for his syphilis.

I was the one who got Max talking by sneaking some information about radium.

It seemed like this rumor was continuously being distorted and circulated in the market.

‘That was said at my wedding party before too.’

Despite continued denials rumors continue to spread.

Of course this is not the case among Koreans in Korea and America.

They were reluctant to even touch radium because I boasted that it was a devilish ore that violated the Creator’s providence.

But in the West where syphilis was quite widespread this story continued to spread without abating.

“Well I never said anything like that. I remember the same ridiculous story coming up at my wedding once… Are you also taking up my precious time to tell me that story?”

At first he denied it.

I even got angry for a moment.

Really.

If this story spread throughout Europe as if it were an established fact I might get in big trouble later.

I responded first.

‘But why did Churchill bring up radium? Oh right!’

Before crossing the Atlantic.

I have separately investigated the personal lives of key figures from each European country.

Of course the British royal family too.

I was familiar with the information of the officials who should be careful and among them was a report on Churchill.

‘Randolph Churchill! Yes he had syphilis.’

Randolph Churchill is the biological father of Winston Churchill who is before me now.

He was a rising star in politics becoming a minister at a relatively young age like Winston Churchill.

However he died at a relatively young age due to syphilis caused by his promiscuous sexual life.

Like any syphilis patient his later years were truly miserable.

Syphilis spread to the central nervous system and he would strip naked and walk the streets like a madman.

‘Churchill must have witnessed his father’s futile final years as a child. In a very stark way.’

The level of medicine in this era was not as high as it is now.

Syphilis was also treated as a genetic disease rather than a sexually transmitted disease.

That’s why Churchill seemed to think that one day he too might contract syphilis and go mad.

The question you are asking me about radium now may also be related to this thought.

‘If we make a mistake here the leaders of Britain’s wartime cabinet could change.’

Yeah you’re right.

Radium is the world’s best cure for syphilis.

And after saying two words.

Because Churchill might leave early.

As a result of radiation poisoning.

‘I hate it a little but not enough to kill the other person.’

That’s why I think it’s right to give some sound advice.

I crossed my arms and looked at Churchill.

“This time I recruited Paul Ehrlich. He’s a very famous chemist who’s looking for a cure for syphilis.”

“….”

“That may be why the rumors have been somewhat distorted. Or perhaps the owner of the radium mines in England felt threatened and made a pun.”

Churchill remained silent for a moment appearing to gather his thoughts.

I looked at Churchill like that and drove a wedge in.

“I am currently investing a lot of money in the pharmaceutical industry.”

“I know. I heard that you are also interested in developing a painkiller to treat the Russian Tsarevich’s pain.”

“Yes. I’m spending a lot of money to find the real thing not these unfounded folk remedies.”

I’m also pouring a lot of money into the medical field.

Since taking office as Russia’s new finance manager he has also been working on developing painkillers.

For this purpose we are also gathering various talents.

It’s all true.

This was not something they were doing in secret but something they were working on while officially announcing to the public.

Churchill did not deny what I said.

“The results will come out soon. If you put in a lot of input you will get output.”

Isn’t there a famous saying that if the results aren’t satisfactory you should suspect that you spent too much money?

‘Salvarsan will be discovered this year.’

if.

Even if they say history changed because of me it will come out sooner or later.

In the history of the original.

The fact that the chemical formula of salvarsan was discovered in the early 20th century means that it is easy to synthesize or extract artificially.

“Paul Ehrlich who we recently recruited seems to be going to do something soon. So don’t believe in those strange folk remedies and just wait for good news.”

“Thank you for the advice Your Highness.”

In a complete turnaround from last time Churchill was friendly to me all day today.

I thought it was a little strange.

‘Could it be that you thought I knew something about a cure for syphilis?’

Humans are truly cunning animals.

If I think it will help me I can change my appearance like this.

‘uh?’

If you do this well…

It could also help my subsidiary companies expand into the UK.

If we exploit Mr. Gallipoli’s hidden weakness that is.

“Ah! Secretary Churchill.”

“Please speak Your Majesty.”

“I’m thinking of setting up a pharmaceutical company in the UK in the future.”

Not any other company.

Churchill’s eyes changed slightly at the mention of establishing a pharmaceutical corporation.

He looked straight into my face with an expression that said “Keep talking.”

“I might need your help. British law is a little different from American law and is complicated.”

“Yes.”

“Can you help me?”

“Of course. If you let me know in advance I will do my best to accommodate your convenience.”

* * *

It’s really over.

I bought all the artwork and met all the people I wanted to meet.

I packed my bags to go back to my accommodation.

“This prince.”

Vice President of Sotheby’s.

Michael Gantry Sotheby’s appeared before me again.

“Thank you for brightening up this place today.”

There are more than seven works that I have bought.

It was only natural that such a thing would come out since I was running around here and there and meeting people diligently.

“It’s going to be auctioned by our company in New York around August.”

As expected.

There was another reason why you took care of me until the end as I was leaving.

I answered with a look of ‘well then’.

“Does that mean you want me to take good care of you then too?”

“Yes that’s right.”

The founder of Sotheby’s flattered me with his eyes wide like crescent moons.

“Isn’t this America? The auctioneers’ standards are probably much lower than those here in England.”

“So you’re asking me to be active again?”

“Yes.”

If something comes there must be a way to go.

I asked Michael.

“What comes back to me?”

“….”

“What comes back to me?”

“What kind of convenience would you like?”

What if you become friends with a giant auction house like Christie’s or Sotheby’s?

There are several advantages.

It’s a little illegal but it might give me some convenience in the auctions I participate in.

You may even get a discount on your fees.

You may also be notified in advance of what items will be up for auction at the next event.

‘Like a baron.’

Look at the last Christie’s auction.

Didn’t the Rothschild man know in advance that my grandfather’s stone orchid would be featured at that event?

I too deserved this convenience just like the Baron so I casually told Michael what I wanted.

“I heard that your company occasionally receives relics related to the Korean Empire?”

“Oh yes. That’s right.”

“I want to get news about it faster than anyone else.”

If it was exported through normal routes I would have to buy it.

If the relics were stolen through an abnormal route the auctioneer must be identified and punished.

For this relevant information was needed.

I asked Michael to do this.

“It is a proposal that I can fully accept Your Highness. I will report the news to you before anyone else.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled brightly and quickly pushed back my bangs that were slightly outward.

“Oh and.”

“Yes go ahead.”

“These writers here.”

“yes.”

I handed Michael a note with a list of writers and made suggestions.

“I would like to see works by these writers in New York too.”

“….”

“Can you save me?”

I also gave him some pieces that I wanted to buy.

It’s better to go and buy the works of surviving writers directly.

Because famous writers can’t do that.

I had to buy it through an auctioneer or gallery and I wanted to get it before someone else stole it.

Michael looked over the list I gave him and then nodded in greeting.

“Of course. Time is limited but I will do my best to find it.”

< Christie’s & Sotheby’s (4) > End