'The proud Crown Prince of the Romanov dynasty bowing his head in greeting?'
Though he had merely nodded slightly out of courtesy toward a distinguished guest.
Prince Takehito Arisugawa, despite his royal status, couldn't hide his bewilderment.
As a navy member who knew the most about the Western world including Britain among the imperial family, Takehito.
He prided himself on knowing well about the man before him.
A Crown Prince traveling the world to broaden his horizons on the Emperor's orders.
A grand journey starting from Vienna, meeting the Queen of Greece, passing through the Suez Canal, and even undertaking a crossing of India.
Not content with crossing the Indian subcontinent, he was fulfilling the imperial command while traveling by sea through Singapore, Dutch East Indies, Java, Bangkok, and more.
Here, the Far East including the Japanese Empire was the Crown Prince's final destination.
And as far as Takehito knew, Crown Prince Nicholas had never bowed his head in greeting.
To begin with, the Romanovs neither introduce themselves nor greet others. The Romanovs are an arrogant bunch who consider themselves the sole heirs of Rome and the only true imperial family.
So Takehito had just slightly nodded his head out of courtesy, but when the other party responded formally instead, he was momentarily lost for words.
"You must be weary, let me escort you to your quarters."
Not only not arrogant, but showing courtesy to Asians? Already the Tokyo newspaper articles were clear in his mind.
This meeting was starting well.
==
The hotel that the Prince guided me to was provided entirely for my comfortable rest.
Thanks to this, I got enough time to think about the current situation.
Tsesarevich of the Romanov dynasty.
Tsesarevich simply means the next Emperor, and that's the term describing me.
In other words, this body is Nicholas Alexandrovich, the last Emperor of Russia...
"...Could it be because I said it went wrong from the Imperial era?"
Before even asking how and why, I'm curious why specifically Nicholas II.
What does it mean to be the last Emperor? It means there's no next one.
In other words, it means the Russian Empire ends with me.
Thinking back, that guy who was having a keyboard battle with me. When I thought he ran away midway, he left a strange reply at the end.
Just seconds after reading that post was that situation earlier.
"No, saying it would be different if it were me wasn't meant to say I could fix everything in the current era!"
Russia's massive blunders had already continued for quite a while, and you want me to overturn everything at the end of the Imperial era? In this country where corruption has festered and legacies have piled up like mountains?
Yes, if it had been grandfather's era rather than now, things might have been different.
The era of Alexander II, who pursued liberal and continuous reform policies, was still a time when things were stirring here and there.
It was our father's era when those seeds planted everywhere failed to germinate.
"Wait, why am I saying father's era? It's just Alexander II's era..."
Damn, even I'm flustered that the words "father's era" came out naturally in Russian.
Anyway, our father who neither wanted to be nor intended to become Emperor was someone even those around him said 'wasn't Emperor material.'
True to that assessment, father only loved the military.
A man whose friends were soldiers and whose girlfriend was a battleship.
In appearance too, he was a man who maintained 100% blood concentration machismo at all times, befitting the Slavic people, with a towering build over 190cm tall.
Naturally, what policies did such a person implement upon ascending to the throne?
"Endless oppression..."
The so-called military mindset.
He ruled the country with the national view that beating makes people obey and weakness is a sin.
Moreover, at home his parents favored his brother, and those around him endlessly criticized father's qualifications.
A Tsar who ended up drawing lines against everyone except his own people - forced to break up with the woman he loved in his youth, his grandfather repeatedly having affairs before dying in a terrorist attack.
"...No wonder he had no interest in national development."
Of course, he wasn't completely incompetent.
Domestication of artillery.
Distribution of Mosin-Nagant rifles.
Increase in standing army and reserves.
Direct participation in the Russo-Turkish War.
Increase in naval power and ship construction.
Hmm, everything he touched up was just military.
The economy at least is generally evaluated as not bad because he left it all to capable officials like Witte and Nikolai Bunge.
That's the evaluation of current Russia and its leader.
However, when it comes to me, the story is a bit different.
Because from now on, a cliff course downhill is reserved.
"No, not yet. We don't know yet."
My status is Tsesarevich, not Tsar Nicholas II. The decline hasn't started yet.
"More precisely, it's right before."
Because father will pass away soon. This is a predetermined event that I can't do anything about.
Shadows of decline can be seen everywhere, but it hasn't collapsed yet. At least outwardly it's a solid nation.
"I'll change it. I have to change to survive."
The weak Nicholas of absolutist traditional conservatism cannot survive.
To live, whether I want to or not, I must change first.
Nicholas Alexandrovich. Yoo Ji-chan. No need to choose between the two, both are me. Though confusing, I mustn't get mixed up.
First, from now on I can't just space out cluelessly like yesterday.
Knock knock.
"May I come in?"
"Come in."
"Yes, Your Highness. Prince George and Prince Takehito are currently waiting outside."
"My cousin is quick to prepare. Very well, I'll be out soon."
"Then."
Because now I have to go get hit by a sword.
The policeman who suddenly drew his sword was Tsuda Sanzo, wasn't it?
==
"I just learned yesterday that the current head of the Arisugawa family and my father had met before."
"The Tsar met with our family head?"
"Yes, he came to father's coronation ceremony. My predecessor was in Moscow but now we're in Japan. Isn't this quite an interesting connection?"
"Ha, haha! A connection, indeed!"
Takehito Arisugawa, the next head of the Arisugawa family, one of the four hereditary imperial branch families serving the Emperor.
Despite the grand title, he's not such a precious person.
If anything stands out about him, it's that he built his career in the navy and, like me, saw the world through study abroad and travel.
After just a day of conversation, it wasn't difficult to figure out about Takehito.
He's not an outstanding diplomat or soldier, just a young man with good bloodline.
Since he's a kind person who reveres the West, I think I can comfortably lay the groundwork too.
"Father is somewhat uncomfortable with relations with Japan, but I'm different. Rather, aren't we meant to be partners?"
"Haha... With my narrow insight, I fear saying something that might be disrespectful."
"As expected, you may be cautious due to your princely status, but at times like this, upright words are needed. In fact, Russia established diplomatic relations with Korea independently despite Qing's opposition. Because it was right."
"Very, um, your thinking is clear."
"Haha! Originally our people are not the type to go back on what we've decided."
A young Crown Prince favorable to Japan.
What an immaculately harmless image this is.
Add to this some slightly unrealistic principled statements, and the conversation becomes complete enough for Takehito to change the subject.
Still, I constantly shouted loud enough for those around to hear through conversations with Takehito.
"Shouldn't right and wrong take precedence over who benefits or not?"
"Father is a war monarch but I'm different. War is bad! Only peace benefits the masses!"
"In that sense, I have high expectations for the Japanese Empire's role. Isn't Asia's peace maintained because of the Japanese Empire? Though the concession issue is regrettable, thanks to that the Qing has quieted down and peace was created, so this should definitely be applauded!"
Without diplomatic rhetoric, I spewed out my thoughts directly without filtering.
If the atmosphere seemed about to get strange from my absorbed ideology, I immediately turned to Prince George.
"Seeing the great stream flowing into Lake Biwa here, doesn't it remind you of the Saronic Gulf in Greece? How can there be such identical beauty in the East too?"
"Indeed, brother. The shape is quite similar and the huge lake is just like the sea."
"This Lake Biwa is actually Japan's largest lake. Its size is truly enormous!"
Thus for two days I continuously exchanged conversations of the same feeling with Takehito.
Father dislikes Japan but I don't.
Father likes war but I don't.
Father prioritizes the military, but I prioritize diplomacy.
All were evidence-based statements and though my claims might be somewhat unrealistic, they were words that couldn't hurt the Japanese side in any way.
My conversations with Takehito will surely go up to those above in Japan and might even spread to newspapers.
Though our people seemed uncomfortable and even their side seemed burdened to the point of discomfort, I showed excessive goodwill.
All the roads we pass through are guarded by police officers standing in formation at intervals.
Gradually my mouth, which had been endlessly shouting only good words and phrases, dries up and closes.
'Today's rickshaw travel schedule ends here. There are police officers and they're all carrying swords.'
However, I don't know if it's exactly the same as the original history.
Our rickshaws are all single-seater, all traveling in single file and separated, and because of this the security forces are also widely deployed with many gaps.
'Rather, this is probably what made the incident possible.'
The Otsu Incident. Police officer Tsuda Sanzo's attempted assassination of the Russian Empire's Crown Prince.
In other words, what's about to happen to me.
If there's one problem, unlike the original history, there's a chance I might just die.
I don't know what route he attacks from, or how Nicholas survived.
'Though I'd like to just avoid it...'
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance hasn't been formed yet, Korea isn't anyone's territory, and Japan's army and navy are pathetically weak.
Therefore, though it could be avoided, it shouldn't be.
Then I need to somehow make it advantageous to me and maximize the benefits.
As I carefully observe my surroundings rolling my eyes, I keep meeting eyes with someone.
'Is that Tsuda?'
Though pretending not to care, I raised tension to the maximum to be able to react anytime.
Sure enough, the moment I turned my head elsewhere, I heard a shout in Japanese.
"Die!"
Reflexively turning my head, a sword shadow falls across my face.
I immediately pulled my body back but the sword grazed my forehead.
The rickshaw stops right there and everyone around freezes in shock.
"Y-Your Highness!"
"Assassination! It's an assassination!"
Soon the rickshaw puller who was pulling my rickshaw and Prince George ran over.
The widely swung sword that missed got stuck in the rickshaw wood, and Tsuda tried to pull it out to swing again, but Prince George and I were faster.
George swung his cane at Tsuda's back, and as Tsuda writhed in great pain, I grabbed his hair.
While his hand still remained on the long sword.
Bweok!
I drove my fist into his defenseless stomach with all my might.
"Keuugh..."
Tsuda Sanzo falling forward like that. Perhaps from tension, my hand gripping his hair won't open.
The long sword stuck in the rickshaw.
A head in my hand.
And blood covering half my face.
Though everyone runs over shocked at the assassination attempt, even while panting I felt an indescribable joy inside.
'Fuck... I survived.'
Is this the dopamine that bursts in your head when you succeed in a huge gamble?
Nevertheless, I don't hesitate to express anger outwardly.
Police officers and security forces subduing Tsuda Sanzo by pinning him down with their whole bodies.
Prince George and Prince Takehito approaching me anxiously.
A time to express anger rather than bewilderment.
I muttered loud enough for everyone around to hear.
"Fuck... Father was right."
Words spat out while frowning in pain along with anger.
At this, Takehito's face turns whiter than mine.
Regardless, I turned my back while holding my bleeding head.
"Y-Your Highness! Are you alright! First we should treat-"
"Japan is no longer safe. We're returning to the warship!"
Dangerous Japan.
Or... Japan that will become dangerous.
I wonder how this will be interpreted to Takehito.