ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Intermission | Conflicting Circumstances of the Nobles

"How do you do, gentlemen of the Japanese delegation. My name is Sara Senzak, the second princess of the Roiphe Kingdom."

"!"

The appearance of the new royalty makes the two even more nervous.

"...It is my pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Kiyoshi Konoue, representative of the Japanese delegation. This is my subordinate, Zenji Gahou."

Konoue introduces himself again to Princess Sara. Tomu VII, who was watching her, introduced her to them.

"This is my daughter, Sara. I am proud to say that I have educated her in a way that she would not be ashamed of as one born into the royal family."

"........."

"?"

While listening to the king's explanation, his bad feeling deepened even more, but Konoue agreed with Tomu VII's words. As a young diplomat, Gahou still looked confused what the king was just now trying to say.

"...I was wondering if I could present my daughter, Sara, to His Highness the Prince."

"...!"

"!? ...Yes?"

Gahou's eyes widened. At the same time, Konoue was shocked that his bad premonition had come true. What King Tomu VII of Roiphe had proposed to them, the Japanese envoys, was, to put it plainly, a "political marriage" between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Roiphean Royal Family.

"...Wait a minute," Konoue interrupted Tomu VII with a groan, "It is true that His Highness is still unmarried, but he already has someone he is close to, and besides, in the history of our Imperial Family, we have never invited a citizen of another country to become Empress," Konoue explained in desperation.

As he said, there is no precedent for the Japanese Imperial Family to have accepted a foreign lineage. His frustration was understandable. The most recent example of a political marriage proposal to the Imperial Family from another country dates back to the reign of Emperor Meiji, when King David Kalakaua of Hawaii, who was visiting Japan at the time, proposed to Emperor Meiji to marry Prince Yorihito Higashifumi (then 13 years old) and his niece, Princess Ka'iulani (then 5 years old). However, this proposal was turned down by the Japanese government and Emperor Meiji.

Notwithstanding their confusion, King Tomu VII continued.

"Then, we would be very happy if you would accept her as a concubine, if not as a regular wife."

The King of Roiphe was insistent that he would not be denied. But he does not realize the gravity of what he is saying. The Japanese Imperial Family has existed for nearly 2.000 years. In their world, it was the imperial dynasty that boasted of its long and distinguished history. He is demanding something that has never been preceded in its vast history. However, the inhabitants of this world do not necessarily understand or recognize it exactly. Tomu VII, likewise, had only a passing knowledge of the imperial family. He regarded the Japanese Imperial Family as having the same quality and history as those of other nations. This was where the difference in perception between the two sides arose.

"Hmm..." 'What's the matter?'

The two are in over their heads. While Konoue was thinking of a way to settle the situation and refuse the proposal quietly, Tomu VII's brow wrinkled a bit when he saw the two of them who had fallen silent.

"...Are you dissatisfied with my daughter?"

"No! That's not what I meant!"

Tomu VII seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood. In this world where monarchies are rife, political marriages are an important means of diplomacy. In Earth as well, it is well known that the former Habsburgs established a firm position as a prestigious family by making full use of political maneuvering. Rejecting that political marriage is not a very good impression, although it has various implications depending on the time and circumstances.

Afterwards, they put the matter to rest by saying, "We will contact our home country" to placate him, and then passed the matter on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Naturally, the reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was 'NO'. The next day, under the guise of a "reply from the home government," Konoue and Gahou formally informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of their refusal to enter into a political marriage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prime Minister's Office, Tokyo, Japan

"I had a feeling that something like this would happen sooner or later..."

Prime Minister Kojiro Izumikawa murmured as he sat deep in his sofa.

"The previous Imperial banquets had more than accomplished their main purpose, which was to make the Imperial Family known to the world. However, judging from the popularity of His Highness at the banquet, we should have expected that this would eventually happen..."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshio Kasuga made a derisive remark about the lack of preparation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"We have notified the two people who have been dispatched to the Roiphe Kingdom to categorically refuse to go. We will also consider countermeasures in case something like this should happen in the future. Do not worry!"

Foreign Minister Kosuke Minegishi explained to the two the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' future policy. After this incident, a few nations will propose political marriages to the Japanese Imperial Family. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided that the following measures will be taken in the event of such a situation:

- The Japanese Imperial Family is not related to any foreign country.

- Therefore, they do not accept political marriages.

Each diplomat participating in the delegation was required to make these two points clear, and to decline on the spot before making things more difficult, regardless of whether it might offend the other party.