Chapter 65: The Reality of the Romance-Fantasy Empire

The journey back to Petersburg after finishing my business trip to Manchuria was comfortable and peaceful.

Once manpower from the Korean Empire began pouring in in earnest, the development of Manchuria would gain even more momentum, so things should be more or less stabilized by next year at the latest.

Then, after another 2 years, the money would start rolling in on its own, wouldn’t it?

I was the viceroy of that golden land, capable of bringing in tens of millions of rubles in pure profit every year, which meant the Romanov imperial house was now set to become the wealthiest imperial family in the world.

-But keep in mind that means you’ll be exposed out in the open a lot more too.

Obviously.

Now that I’d received the rank of Grand Duke, no matter how young I was, I couldn’t keep hiding in the shadows forever.

Of course, I was still in the position of a student, so I could use Yakov and Witte as shields for the time being.

In any case, given the nature of the matters we had to discuss, the train naturally turned into a conference room on the way back.

“Young Master, once the Korean labour force begins arriving in earnest, I intend to concentrate manpower at the Fushun coal mine first.”

“We should work on the port of Dalny at the same time. There’s no point mining coal if we have no way to ship it out.”

“Yes, precisely. I’ll establish clear priorities so the railway, port, and mine can all operate together.”

While Witte took a satisfied sip of tea, Yakov opened a set of documents this time.

“We also need to put our domestic affairs in order. The Nobles’ Committee has gone quiet, but if anything, the fact that it’s too quiet bothers me.”

“Haven’t they simply gone to ground? There’s nothing they can do right now anyway.”

“Even so, I’ll continue watching them. We have no way of knowing what else they might be plotting behind our backs while pretending otherwise.”

The work of slowly tightening the noose around the nobles until they had no choice but to resort to extreme measures was proceeding steadily, and before long the subject shifted to Europe.

“Once Russia fully stabilizes Manchuria, Germany will become the most anxious. The quality and quantity of the resources we can pour into the west will be on an entirely different level.”

“France will welcome it with cheers. Not only will their investment start laying golden eggs, it’ll also help keep Germany in check.”

“As for Britain…well. I just hope they don’t have another fit over India.”

And so we spent the full eleven days discussing matters of national importance.

After spending the entire journey home by train handling affairs of state and working my brain nonstop, the very first thing I did upon reaching Petersburg was….

“Mishaaaa!”

“Misha! Welcome back!”

“My princesses, have you been well?”

Hand my little sisters presents and fuss over them.

Anastasia hopped up and down while clutching the doll I’d commissioned in advance from the finest craftsman, while Maria buried her face in the bundle of gifts and smiled blissfully.

-You come back from pulling the strings on affairs of state, and the first thing you do is hand out presents to a bunch of snot-nosed brats.

Talk about whiplash.

“Misha, welcome home!”

The Tsar, who had been watching the princesses with a pleased smile from behind them, slowly approached and patted me on the shoulder.

“While you were away, I accomplished something truly important. I poured my heart and soul into finishing the preparations for my son’s once-in-a-lifetime investiture ceremony.”

He looked so absurdly proud of himself as he puffed out his chest.

Wondering just how good a job he’d done, I skimmed through the schedule he handed me and nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Your Majesty, this…has gotten much bigger than what I planned.”

“Haha, is this not an unprecedented occasion? I put in some special effort.”

I had very clearly nailed the numbers down at 300 to 500 for St. George Hall and around 1,000 for the ball.

“After the ceremony ends, we’ll hold a grand ball, and I’ve arranged a separate event for the children as well.”

He even threw in a children’s ball.

Well, I’d expected that much.

What really surprised me came next.

“And Olga and Tatiana will be attending the ball as well.”

“…Pardon?”

When I stared blankly and asked again, Olga, practically radiating happiness from her entire body, spoke up beside me.

“It’s a celebration of Misha becoming a Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be stranger if we, Misha’s sisters, didn’t attend?”

Apparently her perfectly logical argument had won the Tsar over, and even the Empress, who had always despised society so much, had finally nodded in agreement.

“Given their ages, only Olga and Tatiana will attend, however.”

The moment he finished speaking.

“Waaaaah! I want to go too!”

Maria burst into tears again.

“Why can’t I go! I wanna go too!”

“Maria, you’re still too young. When you’re older, we’ll definitely go together next time. All right?”

“Hiiing…then take me next year.”

While I soothed Maria, whose face was now covered in tears and snot, the Empress quietly came over to my side.

“Misha, I have a favor to ask of you at the ball.”

“Yes. Anything at all.”

“Stay right beside Olga and Tatiana. Don’t let any strange fellows approach them.”

What strange fellows could possibly show up at an event where only thoroughly vetted nobles had been invited?

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud, so I nodded and gave her a firm answer.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay right beside them the whole time.”

At my answer, Olga and Tatiana’s faces lit up.

It would be the first social event either of them had ever attended in person, and the fact that they would be going with me left them beside themselves with excitement.

Right, this was the Russian Empire. Of course people would treat social events like matters of life and death.

Just as there were fictional worlds where every dispute was settled with a card duel, the Russian Empire was a place where the pecking order was decided by who stood out most in society.

“Oh, then Misha! Pick out the dresses we’ll wear to the ball!”

“Wow! We finally get to wear dresses like these? I want a pretty one too.”

“Misha, Olga and Tatiana are sisters, so they should wear matching dresses. Keep that in mind when you choose.”

“…Yes.”

-Endure it. This is the Russian imperial family you chose. Tough it out through sheer spite and grit.

Get your facts straight. I never chose this, you stupid ghost.

***

After suffering for days on end while choosing Olga and Tatiana’s dresses and jewelry, the day of the investiture ceremony finally arrived.

The ceremony began at the Great Church of the Winter Palace.

Mystical incense rose through the air, and with the highest-ranking clergy of the Orthodox Church lined up in long rows, a thanksgiving Divine Liturgy was held.

“O Lord, as You add new glory unto the imperial house….”

The choir’s voices echoed beneath the domed ceiling.

Nicholas II crossed himself with the utmost solemnity, and I likewise bowed my head in accordance with the rite.

-By tomorrow, all of Europe will know our name. Never thought I’d live to see the day.

Strictly speaking, you aren’t alive.

Once the service concluded, the procession moved to St. George Hall.

The Large Throne Room, where the throne stood, was the most prestigious space in the Russian Empire.

Beneath red velvet and a golden double-headed eagle, members of the imperial family, the State Council, ministers, and the heads of the Empire’s most distinguished houses stood arrayed on either side.

As the Tsar stood before the throne, everyone held their breath at once.

“To my son Mikhail, I grant the title of Grand Duke Seversky.”

The moment the imperial edict was read aloud, the Empress herself approached me bearing the letters patent.

By proper protocol, this should have been the task of a subject, but the Tsar had specifically assigned the role to the Empress.

“Misha, take it.”

As the letters patent passed from the Empress’s hands into mine, a low murmur spread among the assembled nobles.

Then the sash of the Order of St. Andrew, the highest order of the Russian Empire, was draped over my shoulder.

Male members of the imperial family normally received it at baptism, so I was getting mine rather belatedly at the age of eleven.

“Even the Order of St. Andrew….”

“He may have no right of succession, but he is still a Grand Duke.”

I could practically feel the nobles behind me whispering as their minds churned through all sorts of calculations.

‘At a time like this, with a ceremony of this scale….’

‘So our suspicions were right. This is the Romanovs declaring that the Far East is their private family domain, isn’t it?’

Of course, the true nature of this entire grandiose ceremony was….

“Misha, what do you think? Your father prepared everything wonderfully, did he not?”

Nothing more than the antics of a doting fool of a father who wanted to throw his son a spectacular celebration, yet nobody seemed to know the truth.

Once the investiture ceremony concluded, I moved to the ballroom with Olga and Tatiana.

First, the invited nobles, diplomats, and senior officials were arranged according to status and court rank.

The higher a family’s standing, the closer their place was to the throne, while those of lower rank were placed farther away.

The children took their places alongside them according to their parents’ standing.

Before long, the enormous doors swung open to either side.

Normally, protocol dictated that the Emperor and Empress enter first, with their children following behind, but today I was the star of the occasion.

I entered hand in hand with the Empress, while Olga and Tatiana followed behind us, unable to hide their excitement.

Every invited noble bowed their head as one, like a wave sweeping across the room.

The Tsar mounted the platform and read his address.

“Today, I rejoice beyond measure to add a new pillar to the Empire….”

The strains of a polonaise rang out, and the procession led by the imperial couple crossed the ballroom.

After all, a Russian court ball always began with this stately processional.

Only after the distinguished guests followed behind according to rank and completed a circuit of the hall did the ball truly begin.

Then the children, including me and the Grand Duchesses, were guided into a separate space.

Under the watch of tutors sent by each family and imperial nursemaids, a separate ball just for the children was held.

How should I put this…looking at this scene.

-Damn, they don’t call this the romance-fantasy empire for nothing.

I couldn’t deny Seong-jun’s words at all.

How could I not be impressed when events like this were still being held in the 20th century?

I’d heard plenty about them, but deep down I’d assumed that since children were the main participants, it would be a somewhat more relaxed affair.

But as it turned out, this children’s ball was practically the culmination of everything they’d had drilled into them since birth.

This was supposedly an era in which the use of Russian was being encouraged, and yet.

“Bonsoir, mademoiselle. Your dress is truly beautiful today.”

“Merci. Your necklace is lovely as well.”

Every last child spoke only in French.

No doubt it was a deliberate display meant to advertise that they came from cultured, distinguished families.

On top of that, the status jockeying over who stood out the most and the endless contests over the prestige of their respective houses never stopped.

“Oh my, didn’t that young lady wear the same dress at the last ball?”

“Who can say? I’m more curious whether those jewels are genuine. Ah, but of course they must be, mustn’t they? Surely she wouldn’t attend wearing fake jewels.”

Their skill at throwing shade at one another while smiling sweetly was nothing short of masterful.

Of course, there was one girl who failed to notice the atmosphere at all and innocently looked around…no, two.

“Um…can’t we just speak Russian? French is still a little hard for me.”

“Wow…everyone is really good at French.”

The moment Olga and Tatiana broached the subject with awkward smiles, silence fell over the group.

I’d been teaching them diligently, so why in the world could they never get comfortable with French?

This was all because the Emperor and Empress spoke to each other in English in private.

Sensing the atmosphere freeze over in an instant, I deliberately smiled even more broadly than usual and nodded.

“Then let’s speak Russian. This is Russia, after all.”

I deliberately spoke clearly in Russian with Olga and Tatiana as we moved among the children.

Once the Grand Duke and Viceroy of the Far East started speaking Russian, even the children who had been showing off their French gradually began switching to Russian themselves.

Even if they were still kids, they were certainly every bit as good at reading the room as any adult noble.

It was a setting that made me painfully realize just how true the saying was that children were more frightening precisely because they were honest.

As I made my way through this elaborate festival of status jockeying, I was introduced to members of the pro-Tsar Sheremetev family and spoke first.

“Ah, you must be Count Sheremetev’s daughter. A pleasure to meet you.”

Under proper protocol, these children were not permitted to speak to me first, since I was a Grand Duke.

A conversation could only begin once I addressed them.

So having a Grand Duke personally single them out and speak to them was an unparalleled honor.

“I, I am Irina Dmitrievna Sheremeteva, Your Imperial Highness.”

She looked around the same age as Olga or Tatiana, yet the way she delivered a greeting without the slightest flaw made her seem remarkably grown-up.

-The Sheremetev family is practically the standard-bearer of the pro-Tsar faction. Nothing wrong with getting friendly ahead of time.

“It’s a pleasure. How has your father been lately?”

“He has been quite busy serving His Majesty. Not long ago, my grandfather from the Caucasus visited Petersburg.”

So Vorontsov-Dashkov, Viceroy of the Caucasus, had come to visit his son-in-law.

“Your grandfather came a long way. Was there some happy occasion?”

“Well…I don’t really know, but he said the Caucasus has been very unsettled lately. Something about workers rising up at a place where they dig up oil, or petroleum, or something….”

-She means the labour unrest in the Baku oilfields.

If the Viceroyalty of the Caucasus was failing to control it, that was information I could hand to Yakov and put to use immediately.

The children who realized they had a chance to speak with me, a Grand Duke and viceroy despite being around their own age, while I stood beside the Grand Duchesses they idolized, began gathering around me one by one.

I deliberately drew them into the conversation by offering each of them a few words.

“Your Imperial Highness, I come from the Dolgorukov family….”

“Everyone at court knows the Dolgorukov princely house. Is this your first ball as well?” “N, no, Your Imperial Highness. I have attended several times with my uncle.”

Once the child’s nerves eased, he began volunteering things I hadn’t even asked about.

“Ah, I see. Then you must be quite familiar with this place.”

“Not entirely. The adults have been acting somewhat strangely lately, so I haven’t been able to relax.”

“Really? Well, I suppose there’s been all that commotion over the development of the Far East and whatnot.”

“Ah, yes. There were lots of guests at my uncle’s house the other day as well, and they kept talking about the Far East.”

Nobles had gathered and raised their voices over Manchuria.

I could practically smell a conspiracy brewing.

“Adults’ conversations are always like that. Still, it sounds like you had quite a lot of guests.”

“Yes. Count Bobrinsky came as well.”

“Impressive. The Dolgorukov family truly is illustrious.”

No matter how much early education and rote instruction they’d received, children were still children.

Once a Grand Duke and the Grand Duchesses stroked their egos a little, the children’s chests swelled with pride, and they started spilling countless stories without the slightest restraint.

This family was trying to get in on Manchurian investments, that household’s adults had been badmouthing Witte, another family had recently fallen deep into debt, and on and on.

Sorry for judging you all so harshly.

You were such sweet, innocent little friends after all.

This place was basically a mine with intelligence pouring straight out of it.

All the fatigue that had been building up vanished in an instant.

Now that’s got my mouth watering.

~~~

Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/cdZPxPVrXW