Tyranny of Steel

Though Nakamura did not respond to Itami's words, she immediately fetched the Korean beauty and sent her to the empress. It took a while, but eventually the young woman known as Min-ah was standing in front of Empress Itami, wearing the attire of the Japanese Empire, rather than that of her homeland. As she walked into Itami's quarters, and prostrated herself before the young Empress. She spoke in perfect Japanese while she introduced herself.

"Tenno heika-sama, you asked to see me?"

Itami did not immediately respond, and instead poured herself, and the young woman, a glass of sake. After doing so, she took a sip and contemplated her words carefully before voicing her concerns.

"It has been years since I first took you in, and taught you the ways of chemistry. Since then, you have worked faithfully beneath me, and produced many results, such as the invention of smokeless powder. As a reward for your services, I have decided to grant you a gift. For an hour every day, I will allow you to make use of the divine mirror to help aid in your research. Do not disappoint me!"

Min-ah bowed respectfully upon hearing this and thanked the young empress for her generosity from the bottom of her heart.

"You honor me, tenno heika-sama. I will do my best to prove that I am worthy of such a grand gift. However, surely you did not request my presence solely to tell me this. Is there something else that you perhaps needed from me?"

With a slight raise of her glass, Itami downed its contents before gazing sternly at the Korean woman. Her blood-red eyes practically pierced into Min-ah's soul as her words sent a shiver down the young beauty's spine.

"You lied to me... About your lineage, that is. You are not the daughter of a wealthy Joseon Merchant, at least not really. No, your lineage is far more noble. It took me a while to find out the truth, as your true father had buried it well. You are the daughter of the Joseon King and his third concubine, are you not? Should I still call Hwa Min-ah? Or would you prefer me to use your royal surname Yi Min-ah?"

The Korean beauty, who was previously prostrating herself before Itami, quickly straightened her back, and narrowed her gaze as she met Itami's cold appearance with one of her own. No longer willing to hide behind her alias, the woman spoke to the Japanese Empress as a woman of equal standing.

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"How did you find out?"

Utter silence prevailed for a few moments, as Itami did not immediately respond. Instead, she took her time to refill her glass of sake and sip from it once more. As if each motion was carefully selected for the purpose of intimidation. Only after she felt the time was right, did she answer the question.

? "I won't lie. It was difficult. But in the end, my agents eventually sniffed out the truth. Your father is surrounded by turncoats, and those who do not trust in the strength of the German Empire have come running to me, offering all kinds of secrets in exchange for lofty positions. Truly, the lack of honor your people have is astounding.

One of these rats gave me a peculiar piece of advice: to look into your mother's identity. Imagine my surprise when I found out the truth. The cause behind your mother's death was rather mysterious. Supposedly, she died of fever when you were young. But your father suspected one of his other concubines had poisoned her. Still, he could not prove such a theory.

Thus, for your protection, he shipped you off to a family friend who lived far away from the capital, one who had no place in court politics. Ultimately, this man adopted you and welcomed you into his home, where you eventually began to treat him as if he were truly your father. So tell me, what's the real reason you approached me? Was it to spy upon my operations on behalf of your actual father?"

Min-ah's response was surprising to Itami. She merely scoffed and gritted her teeth in rage before vocally expressing her inner fury.

"Spy on you? For that old bastard? Not a chance! That bitch killed my mother, and instead of punishing her, that old dog sent me away from my home! He does not deserve to be King. Initially, I was content to live my life with my foster family, but then you showed up, and gave me an opportunity to get revenge! If you want to take my life, so be it. At least promise me before you do so that you will send my father to join me in the afterlife soon after!"

Itami could tell by the look in Min-Ah's eyes that she was not lying, and as a result she sighed in relief, before giving the woman an option that stunned her.

"Since that is a case, I will give you one last chance to prove your loyalty to me..."

A look of shock appeared in Min-ah's eyes as she cautiously gazed upon Itami's pristine figure. She did not immediately fall to the knees and prostrate herself for such a god given opportunity. In fact, as a brilliant young woman, she was naturally wary of what Itami had to say, and could only voice her suspicion in the most respectful manner possible.

"Just what did you have in mind?"

A cruel smile emerged on Itami's lips as she raised her brow. After doing so, she approached the Korean beauty, and even passed her comfort zone before gently whispering in the woman's dainty ears.

"I want you to seek refugee status within the German Empire and get close to the Kaiser. After years of investigation into the man, I can conclude that he has only one weakness: attractive women of high status. It would appear that he can't help himself but claim beautiful princesses as part of his harem. This is where you come in...

Once you have made your way to the German embassy in Beijing, I want you to reveal your identity, and say that you were discovered secretly acting as a spy on behalf of your father, and that you request Asylum in the borders of the Reich.

Once you have said this, I want you to present some intelligence about my Empire's current chemical capabilities to German Intelligence, nothing that would put my realm in danger, of course. From there, you will make your way to the German capital and find a way to seduce the Kaiser. When he has finally taken you as his woman, I want you to keep a close eye on him, and report to me any viable intelligence about his Empire.

The terrible truth is that I know next to nothing about the Reich or its Kaiser. I don't know how large their empire is, how substantial their industry has become, or how massive of a military they have. I barely even know the background of the man I am fighting. With this lack of information, you can imagine my concerns, yes?

Sun Tzu once said, If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

It has become clear to me that Berengar von Kufstein has the upper hand in intelligence. If I am to pose any chance of accomplishing my war aims, I will need to know what he's hiding from me. The only way to do that is to get a spy that I can trust to infiltrate his inner circle. So, tell me, are you willing to put your life and chastity on the line to prove your loyalty to me?"

Upon hearing what Itami was demanding of her, Min-Ah took a moment to find her resolve. The Japanese Empress was asking a lot of her, probably more than any person she had met in her life. However, if it meant ensuring that her father and that bitch paid for their crimes, then she was willing to do whatever it took. Thus, after a long silence. Min-ah nodded her head before responding.

"Yes, I am your humble servant, tenno heika-sama. Your will is my command!"

Upon hearing this, a sadistic grin emerged on Itami's lips. After doing so, she gave one final comment before ordering the girl to leave her to her devices.

"Excellent... You have one month to continue your work as the head of my chemistry department while finding a suitable replacement. After that, I will issue an order for your arrest, where you will then flee to Beijing. The rest of your task is up to you... Now go prepare yourself, you don't have long."

Min-ah did not say a single word. She merely bowed respectfully one last time before departing from Itami's quarters. She had a long and arduous road ahead of her. But Itami's success relied entirely upon her shoulders, and thus she would bear the burden no matter how difficult it may be to do so.

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