Even though I may look like this, I am a master of languages.
I can speak and understand Russian.
This meeting is important.
From today’s meeting, I must turn Nicholas II into the Ming Emperor Wanli.
As soon as Nicholas II sees my face, he looks at me with even more suspicion.
“A military strategist? Is that even possible? Are you not a woman?”
“As the rumors say, she is fluent in Russian, but are you saying this child can save our son?”
Saving him is possible.
This isn’t something that can be solved just by a few doctors gathering around.
Like trying to break a rock with an egg.
It’s as ridiculous as telling someone who knows nothing about computers to take a certification exam.
“Yes, Your Majesty. She is well-known for treating soldiers in the military. It is said she performs the mysterious medical arts of the East.”
The Okhrana agent who brought me here reported this to his master.
Not a single part of it is true.
“I had thought I should see for myself at least once, but I never expected to meet like this. Let me ask you. Can hemophilia be cured?”
After mumbling to himself for a while, Nicholas II looks at me with a frightening expression and asks.
‘Hemophilia?’ Unfortunately, even in the future, there is no complete cure.
Since it’s genetic, it’s complicated.
Rather than hearing “You lied to us!” later, it’s better to throw the truth out there now.
“With current medical knowledge, unfortunately, there is no cure.”
“What did you say?”
“That is, if we are speaking only of modern medicine.”
Even in the future, treatment depends on the type of hemophilia.
There is a cure, but the cost is astronomical.
But right now, I need to make Nicholas II into our own Wanli Emperor.
To do that, he must have complete faith in me.
***
“Then, is there truly an Eastern spell that can cure Alexei?”
“It is difficult to cure the tsarevich’s hemophilia immediately, but it is possible to alleviate the symptoms and help him recover.”
‘Is that the correct title?’ Whatever, let’s just go with it.
The arrow has already left the bowstring—now, all I can do is leave everything to fate.
“Is that true?”
“I cannot trust that Eastern girl.”
A woman, seemingly a relative of the tsar, opposes me.
Well, they must be desperate to grasp at any straw.
At least Nicholas II and the woman who seems to be his wife appear to want me to start treatment right away.
Fine.
Now is the time to act.
When it comes to their child’s life, they cannot afford to discriminate against the East.
“Now, we must try anything! Yes, can you begin immediately? If I see even a glimmer of hope, I will grant you anything!”
‘Anything?’
I lower my head slightly and smile.
‘I can’t laugh too openly, can I?’
Fine. Since he’s offering so much, I should be honest.
“Your Majesty, Japan is eyeing my country and Manchuria.”
“Why do you bring up Manchuria all of a sudden?”
“Britain and the Japanese are developing Gando to use us as a meat shield in a war against Russia.”
First, I need to clear this up.
Some here might believe we will join Japan in attacking Russia.
“Those British and Nippon bastards dare?”
“However, we have no intention of fighting Russia. Rather, we plan to fight Japan and drive them out of our land.”
The Russo-Japanese War is our last chance to free ourselves from Japan’s influence.
“If Russia is also unable to project power into Korea, that will be enough.”
“Fine. That would be fortunate, but what does that have to do with Alexei’s treatment?”
His voice is starting to rise.
Of course.
To them, Korea is a foreign matter, and they just want me to save the tsarevich already.
“I am leading the efforts in Gando, preparing to fight against Japan. While I am here, valuable time is slipping away, making our preparations even more difficult.”
In other words, the longer I stay here, the more Gando’s development and military strength stagnate.
I’m making it clear: I won’t waste time on useless matters, but still, this situation is unavoidable.
“So?”
‘So?’ Now it’s time to raise my value.
I place a hand on my chest and close my eyes.
“I was born with the spiritual energy of Mount Baekdu and received divine revelations from Heaven. In my youth, I traveled across Europe and gained great knowledge. If Your Majesty makes a firm promise, I will dedicate myself to the tsarevich’s recovery.”
This is a legitimate transaction to help Alexei recover from hemophilia, even if only a little.
I must secure something from this.
Nicholas II may be incompetent, but he was forced into the throne unprepared.
At the very least, he is a kind man who cherishes his family above all else.
***
“Your Majesty, this could be nonsense!”
“How dare she negotiate before the tsar!”
Jeers and angry voices erupt from all around.
“This is too dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to apologize now?”
Even Ahn Junggeun whispers behind me, asking if this is too reckless.
But it doesn’t matter.
I won’t die anyway.
And considering they were deceived by someone like Grigori Rasputin, I am confident I can persuade them here.
“I am fully qualified to make this deal. My homeland is just as precious to me as Your Majesty’s son is to you. I believe this deal is reasonable.”
“You claim to have such qualifications?”
“I will prove it. If I may, could I borrow a revolver from one of the Okhrana agents?”
“What do you intend to do?”
Before I know it, an Okhrana agent is pointing a gun at me.
“I will show you proof.”
I glance at Nicholas as I speak, and he nods toward the agents.
With the tsar’s approval, an Okhrana agent standing beside me hands me a German Mauser pistol.
Nicholas must be quite desperate.
I press the gun against my temple.
“You—what are you doing in front of the tsar?!”
BANG!
The bullet strikes my temple but then falls weakly to the ground.
Everyone present, including the tsar, witnesses this.
Those who had been glaring at me moments ago, calling me a ‘yellow monkey’ under their breath, now stare wide-eyed.
“She… she didn’t die?”
“Is she truly an Eastern sorcerer?”
“This couldn’t have been staged by the Okhrana…”
Before the tsar, nobles, and officials, I have now proven myself.
I, a woman, do not possess a great asset like Rasputin, nor do I have the ability to captivate noblewomen.
And since I am not naturally inclined to prattle on with words, I chose to prove my point with actions instead.
The faces that had just moments ago regarded me as a mere performing monkey at a zoo were now filled with astonishment.
***
“I was born with a mission from God to protect this crumbling nation. Until that day comes, I will never die. If you do not believe me, you are free to summon your army and shower me with bullets and artillery shells. The reason I was able to stand at the frontlines as a woman in Manchuria and drive out the Qing army was precisely because of this.”
Nicholas II must have already heard of me.
Then this must be my best course of action.
Nicholas II, who had been half in doubt, now saw with his own eyes what I had done.
He could no longer deny it.
His eyes now held boundless trust in me.
Even his family seemed more interested in observing me than doubting me.
“Say it again. Whatever you desire, I may even protect your country as well. So go ahead, show me.”
“Even if a complete cure is impossible, easing the pain and aiding recovery is surprisingly simple. First, I need a few things.”
The doctors turned to look at me, their gazes filled with hostility.
It was amusing.
‘If they had knowledge of the future like I did, they wouldn’t have had to struggle so much.’
“What do you need from us?”
“Have a maid prepare an ice pack.”
***
A short while later, a maid brought the ice pack.
I planned to use it to relieve the pain of Tsarevich Alexei.
I couldn’t cure him in one go, but as long as I could lessen his suffering and show signs of improvement, that would be enough.
“Uwaaaah!”
Seeing Alexei in person, even at his young age, he looked utterly exhausted from pain—when he should have been living happily under the protection of adults, carefree and unaware of suffering.
I carefully applied the ice pack to Alexei.
Honestly, all I knew was that cold compresses helped, but while waiting for the maid to bring the ice pack, I secretly checked on an online forum from an angle where no one could see me.
***
[Author: Possessed in the Imperial Guard]
[Title: What’s the best way to treat the Russian Tsarevich’s hemophilia?]
—”There was no real treatment for hemophilia at this time, right?”
[Comments]
[BigPenguin01: Immobilize the joints with a splint and apply ice packs for 20 minutes every 4-6 hours until the pain subsides.]
[↳ Possessed in the Imperial Guard: “LOL”]
[↳ BigPenguin01: Dude, are you actually possessed?]
[↳ BigPenguin02: LOL, all their posts are just questions. Classic possessed person behavior.]
***
I followed the advice in the comments as closely as possible.
I couldn’t be sure if it would work, but after persistently applying the ice pack over time, Alexei’s complexion improved.
“Tsarevich Alexei. I do not know how long you will live here, but you must survive. You must get better. If only for Korea’s sake.”
‘If I wanted to reshape Korea, Alexei had to recover.’
Turning Nicholas II into a second Wanli Emperor—that was the only answer.
But seriously…
“What kind of treatment is this?”
“This is a method using an ice pack, Your Highness.”
“How do you even know about such a thing?”
Grand Duchess Olga watched me with sparkling eyes.
I had heard she had been eager to meet me. Was that why?
“This is a secret that cannot be easily revealed.”
“Did you really fight in a hail of bullets as a woman?”
Chattering beside me.
Ah, if only she weren’t a grand duchess, I would have flicked her forehead.
But I couldn’t just ignore her, so as I continued treating Alexei with the ice pack, I carefully spoke.
“My country is a weak nation, constantly suffering under the encroachment of great powers. If my own body could make a difference, I would not hesitate to step forward.”
“Wow.”
‘Was that so surprising?’
No matter what I said, she would just take it as some kind of fairy tale anyway.
***
“You are a member of the Russian imperial family. When your time comes, you will understand what this truly means. Remember this—nations do not fall from external threats alone. They crumble from within first.”
“Isn’t Korea suffering from foreign invasions?”
She at least knew that much.
Even a Russian grand duchess knew about Korea’s plight.
How pitiful my country must seem.
The Korean Empire needed to be overturned.
But it was too difficult for me alone.
If Gojong conveniently died at the hands of the Japanese army, and if Lee Beomyun led his forces south from Gando, then everything would fall into place perfectly.
***
“Ultimately, it was because the internal factions were divided and rotten to the core that Korea couldn’t even put up proper resistance against external invasions. Russia is a great empire, but if it crumbles from within, it will fall even harder.”
“I’ll definitely remember that!”
She nodded eagerly, eyes shining.
I wasn’t sure if she truly understood, but well, we’d see.
Whether she lived or died in Yekaterinburg in the future wasn’t my concern.
But having saved her, it would be unpleasant to see her die.
“No, if Japan was successfully repelled and a revolution eventually broke out like in history, then perhaps I could save them.”
“We could support the White Army and, in exchange, claim full control of Manchuria.”
“Not a bad idea, really.”
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