Keisuke Matsuoka - Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Japan

“You are mistaken,” Sherlock said briskly. “From what I have seen so far, if Japan and China were to go to war I expect Japan to win. And not only over China. If you are to become emperor, I imagine they should crush Russia as well.”

Nicholas jumped to his feet in a temper. “You insolent Brit!”

“I urge you to remember, you only stomp and rage in this manner now because Chairman Ito and I risked our own lives to save yours. By all rights you should be lying senseless at the bottom of Tokyo Bay, Your Highness.”

“And if I was, Father would have sent the entire army to Japan’s shores. I only wish I was dead.”

Sherlock snorted. “Do you truly mean that?”

Nicholas glared angrily at him. But Sherlock was unfazed, and met his eyes. After a few moments, the Tsarevich blinked. He lowered his eyes, seemingly less confident than before. He sat down again upon the sofa.

“If the Okhrana have started a rebellion,” Nicholas mused absently, “my father will be hard-pressed to suppress it. There will be civil war in Russia.”

Sherlock shook his head. “It won’t get that far, Your Highness. If the revolutionaries expand their influence, it would be a threat to the court. Right now the Okhrana keep them in check. The moment your father attempts to purge the secret police, the empire would be capsized. Though he knows the Okhrana work with revolutionaries in secret, he can do nothing to stop them. The Romanovs’ influence is waning.”

“What would you know?”

“You don’t believe me? Let me ask you a question. How many of the Russian people would stand up in your defense? Forget the citizens. How many of the soldiers? When you fled the Laskar in your lifeboat, not one of the sailors in the water had any idea which way you had gone.”

“Those were unusual circumstances. This would never have happened on the Pamiat Azova .”

“Because your father looks after you and has ordered those men to protect you. But would anyone follow you, without your father? Yet the Japanese people believed it was you who had been attacked, rather than Grand Duke George. They sent letters of concern and prayed for your well-being.”

“They knew they would be crushed if a war broke out.”

“And what of Russia? Did your own people show any of the same concern?”

“By the time I returned home,” Nicholas said despondently, “my safety had already been widely reported. As far as the people of Russia were concerned, my injuries were only minor.”

“The Japanese people continued to express concern even after seeing those same reports. Shall I tell you why? They respect their Emperor. It seems only natural to them to show that same respect to the royal family of another country.”

“Are you implying that the Russian people don’t respect the royal family?”

“The Japanese royal family has existed in harmony with its people for 1,500 years. Even now, the Emperor places trust in Chairman Ito and the other members of his cabinet. But what of the Romanovs? Your family rarely interact with the common people. The citizens are attached to the land, and title in Russia is synonymous with authority. Only those with title may rule. The only relationship is one between the ruling and subjugated classes.”

“Father has a close relationship with the government and military.”

“Perhaps, but he is unconcerned with the peasants. It is no wonder that the revolutionaries grow in influence.”

“No. Father is not mistaken.”

“If you do not reexamine these beliefs of yours, the Romanov line will surely end with you.”

A tense smile strained the corners of Nicholas’ lips. His eyes flashed with anger. “I may become Emperor, and I may lose to Japan, and the royal line may fall. But don’t forget, Sherlock Holmes, that we are currently aboard my warship, of the Imperial Russian Navy.”

“Is that a threat? You mean to suggest that I won’t be allowed to leave alive. If you ordered the sailors aboard this ship to kill me, do you believe they would even listen?”

“This is the kind of impertinence one expects from an Englishman. But not even Britain is safe from Russia’s might.”

“Have you forgotten the Ottoman Empire?”

Nicholas jumped to his feet again. “Who cares about the Ottoman Empire?! It is Japan I won’t forgive. And if Britain sides with Japan then they are just as guilty!”

“Guilty of what?”

“Of what they did to George!” The young man’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “My brother is in a coma. He is at death’s door…”

Nicholas broke off mid-sentence. Sherlock looked at Nicholas quietly. The Tsarevich stroked his face forlornly.

“Your Highness,” Sherlock whispered. “In the end this was all about your brother, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t you have a brother? No one else was born to the same parents, no one else understands me, but George. He is my other self. No one is as thoughtful or full of care for others as he is. Anyone who could attack someone as innocent as George must be dealt the retribution they deserve. It is my duty as an older brother.”

Sherlock was unmoved. “Were you aware of Grand Duke George’s public service?”

“Public service? Why bring that up?”

“I asked whether or not you were aware of it.”

The young man began pacing the room nervously. “If you are speaking of his visits to the coal mines, then yes, I was aware of them. Labor disputes, or some such, are on the rise.”

“Russia’s rapid industrialization has made its working environments inhospitable. The peasants sent to the mines and factories suffer, while the Russian government levies heavy taxes against them and pushes to raise foreign currency by exporting crops. The peasants are being exploited to the point of starvation. Your brother was concerned for them.”

“That is very much like him.”

“Yes. But are you at all interested to know why the working conditions of the peasants were so poor?”

“Not in the slightest. My brother’s duties and my own are—”

“Pollution. Sickness caused by pollution.”

Nicholas froze. He was perhaps overcome by a sense of foreboding. “Pollution…?”

“The peasants suffer from pollution-related diseases. Just as Grand Duke George suffered from them, after having visited coal mines throughout the country.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. George has been sick ever since he was a child.”

“I had Ambassador Shevich telegraph the palace. The court physician denied it at first, but in the end he admitted that pollution was the main cause of the Grand Duke’s illness. That is why he developed tuberculosis symptoms last year, and then bronchitis in Bombay. His weak constitution simply made him more perceptible to the polluted air of the coal mines.”

Nicholas took a step backward. He staggered against the wall and then collapsed, holding on to the closet to support his weight.

“You have always thought of Grand Duke George as a friend, someone sociable and cheerful. He is the brother who fished and hunted with you. But your brother was aware of his responsibilities to society, as well. You loved your brother for your own sentimental reasons. You never appreciated him for his true worth.”

“My brother’s public service has nothing to do with this. A complete stranger could never understand the affection we shared. Especially not a stranger such as yourself…”

“ You are the one who does not understand,” Sherlock insisted. “The pollution now hurting the health of the miners is an issue that should have been dealt with by your father, and as the crown prince, by you as well. Your brother listened to the peasants because you and your father refused to. You are the ones responsible for his illness.”