He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 211

211. Littleton’s End

Just as the Prince of Wales was about to go up to the second floor, he stopped short in the hallway, surprised by the sudden appearance of King George.

Normally, King George only arrived around the time the agenda was announced.

But today, for some reason, he had arrived before the parliament even began.

As King George walked in, guided by a servant, he frowned when he saw the Prince of Wales standing there in what seemed like a suspicious manner.

“Why are you here?”

“Yes? Ah… well…”

“Tsk, tsk. You can’t even greet your father properly after not seeing him for a while. And what’s with that disheveled attire?”

The Prince of Wales usually avoided being alone with his father as much as possible.

King George, with his blunt and straightforward personality, disapproved of the Prince’s gambling and excessive indulgence in entertainment, scolding him whenever he saw him.

However, when King George’s mental state was unstable, the Prince of Wales’ attitude would change drastically.

On those days, he would be defiant and say everything he wanted to say to his father.

But the father he faced after a month was not the erratic figure he had seen recently.

His eyes were sharp, and his energy had returned to its former strength.

The Prince of Wales was trying to understand his father’s changed demeanor, his eyes wide with surprise.

King George, who was about to head to his seat, flared his nostrils and stopped again.

“Huh—look at this! Have you been drinking since morning? Attending parliament while drunk? Are you in your right mind?”

King George, far from being in a normal state, rebuked him with eyes that were sharper than before.

Realizing that his father had definitely returned to his senses, the Prince of Wales quickly bowed and lowered his head.

“Ah… no, Your Majesty. What I drank yesterday hasn’t worn off yet……”

“Sigh—when will you ever come to your senses? When!”

“I… I’m sorry.”

As King George sighed and walked past, creating a cold draft, the Prince of Wales glared at Littleton with resentful eyes.

***

Shortly after the meeting began in the main hall of parliament.

The heavy sound of military boots echoed through the wide corridor as soldiers marched in.

The royal guards guarding the front of the main hall looked at them, bewildered.

“Huh? What’s this? Why are there soldiers here? There seem to be well over a hundred of them?”

“There was no prior notice. What are those guys doing?”

The flustered commander of the royal guard battalion nervously fidgeted with the sword at his waist.

“Everyone, stay alert and prepare for any situation! If a conflict arises, Johnson, contact the regiment immediately!”

“Yes! Understood!”

At the head of the approaching soldiers was a man in a commander’s uniform, followed by Colonel Rogers and about a hundred officers and soldiers armed with guns and swords.

“Isn’t that… the Commander-in-Chief?”

The commander of the royal guard battalion recognized the man walking at the front as Earl Sanderson and saluted him.

They had a connection as aides during the preparation for the war with France.

Theo, returning the salute, spoke with a solemn face.

“Commander of the royal guard battalion, listen carefully! From now on, we will arrest major criminals who have embezzled national funds under the order of His Majesty the King.”

The commander of the royal guard battalion, taken aback by Theo’s words, asked.

“M… Major criminals? Inside the parliament building? I have never received such an order……”

“It was done in secret. Colonel Rogers! Show them the emergency decree issued by His Majesty.”

Following Theo’s words, Colonel Rogers handed over the emergency decree, and the commander of the royal guard battalion hurriedly read the document.

The commander of the royal guard battalion, unsure of what to do as this was the first time such a thing had happened, asked in an uncertain voice.

“Um… Commander-in-Chief. I understand that according to the regulations, we cannot arbitrarily enter and make arrests while the members of parliament are discussing bills……”

The commander of the royal guard battalion seemed to be referring to the Privilege of Parliament Act, which was created by a resolution of the British parliament at the time [an act protecting members of Parliament from arrest in civil cases and ensuring freedom of speech during parliamentary proceedings].

Theo said firmly.

“The Privilege of Parliament Act does not apply to treason, serious crimes, and acts of disturbing the peace. Right now, there are major criminals inside who have committed corruption, and we are trying to arrest them under the order of His Majesty the King!”

Only then did the commander of the royal guard battalion nod and open his mouth.

“Ah—that’s right! If it’s treason or a major crime, we can make arrests! Understood. Then what should we do?”

“The commander should guard the vicinity of the main hall as usual and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Ah… Yes! Commander-in-Chief!”

As the royal guard quickly retreated to the surroundings, Theo called Colonel Rogers and gave instructions.

“Block all the front and east entrances of the main hall and set up troops. Once the situation stabilizes, enter the main hall according to my instructions and carry out the operation as planned.”

“Yes! Understood.”

Soon, officers and soldiers moved in an orderly manner under the direction of Colonel Rogers and guarded their respective positions.

Theo, having checked all their movements, quietly opened the main door of the main hall a little and listened.

***

The Speaker of the House opened the meeting and began explaining various agenda items.

Then, representatives from each party came out and gave speeches, and a heated debate on various topics unfolded.

After some time, when the discussion on economic issues ended, the Speaker informed the members that King George would soon be giving a speech.

Timothy, looking uneasy, whispered to Littleton.

“Sir? Will we be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t the atmosphere feel strange? The King’s confident eyes during the conversation with the Prince of Wales earlier… It seems like the King is not the way we thought he was.”

Littleton was already sensing an unusual atmosphere and was feeling anxious.

“Let’s wait and see… We’ll know once we hear the speech.”

King George, standing in front of the podium in the Speaker’s seat, raised his head and carefully looked at the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

As much as Littleton’s group had spread rumors, many members were watching the King’s every move with worried eyes.

King George, staring at them silently, soon opened his mouth.

“As winter approaches, Europe is suffering greatly from various wars and famines. But thanks to God’s grace and your efforts, our England is gradually improving in many ways, and as King, I am more grateful and pleased than anything else.”

King George’s voice, echoing in the main hall of the Parliament in Westminster, was full of the dignity of a monarch.

Although he did not speak with particular emphasis, each word of King George carried a strong authority that could captivate everyone’s hearts.

“Above all, the great victory of our British and Neapolitan allied forces against the French army has freed all of Europe from the threat of war……”

Littleton and his group’s faces gradually hardened as they watched King George continue his speech calmly without any disruption.

But.

“……I will stop the scheduled speech here, as I come before you today with a very bitter and desperate heart.”

The members murmured at the sudden, tragic appeal.

Littleton’s group looked expectant, wondering if King George’s madness was about to begin.

King George continued in a stern and angry voice.

“Some of the members whom I trusted so much and thought were working harder than anyone else for this country! I have learned that they have been stealing the nation’s money, collected from the people’s blood and sweat, to satisfy their own selfish desires!”

King George’s bombshell caused a great stir in the parliament building.

As the murmuring subsided, the King’s remarks continued.

“The members sitting here will well remember passing a bill a year ago regarding the reorganization of the new sewer network throughout London to address the terrible smell and sewage problems in the streets of London.”

As the story of the sewer maintenance project came out of King George’s mouth, the faces of Littleton’s group began to turn white.

“This project was a large-scale national project that was implemented with a large amount of the people’s precious taxes to improve the health and quality of life of London citizens.

But I have only recently learned that some cunning group has been siphoning off that money in the middle to fatten their own bellies.

And right here! I brought it myself to show you clear evidence of these serious criminal acts.

Here are petitions from businesses that suffered losses because the construction was started and then stopped for no reason, and complaints about them to public institutions. And here is evidence that a huge amount of money was embezzled by using the contract details with these businesses through shell companies!”

Hundreds of members could not even breathe loudly as they watched King George shake the evidence in his hand with fierce momentum.

“In addition, as a result of sending people directly to examine the construction site in detail, I have also confirmed that the construction was only a pretense and that the planned construction project was not carried out at all!”

King George ordered the servant next to him.

“You should distribute the prepared contents to the senators and representatives in front!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The materials held in the hands of several servants were delivered to the members sitting down, and soon sighs erupted from here and there.

The members were angry as they looked at the evidence contained in the documents.

– No, have you ever seen such thieves! With this money, we could cover more than half of our country’s annual budget?

– This is an outrageous thing. Which of our members committed such an evil act?

– We must hang them immediately!

Littleton and his seven-member group were at a loss, their faces pale, due to the materials detailing their wrongdoings and the criticisms erupting from all directions.

At that time, Littleton shouted quietly to Timothy.

“It’s a trap! We’ve been completely fooled!”

“W… What do you mean? A trap?”

“The King already knows everything and set a trap to catch us. He’s been pretending to be crazy all along!”

“Yes? Is that true?”

“If not, how could a person change so much overnight? Besides, he had been preparing so many materials for a long time, avoiding our surveillance.”

“In the meantime, none of His Majesty’s subordinates or investigative agencies had any idea? Earl Sanderson was not moving from the company, so who did such an investigation?”

“So… so the King pretended to be out of his mind and had a thorough secret investigation done!”

“Then, what… what should we do now?”

“We have to get out of here quickly. If we stay here, we will not be able to avoid death. We have to find a way to get out and seek a counterattack. Let’s get out of here right now!”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

As they hurriedly got up to leave, King George glared at Littleton and shouted loudly.

“Bring Earl Sanderson in here at once!”

The members in the main hall were puzzled by the sudden call of Theo’s name.

However, Littleton looked like he had been caught completely off guard.

Squeak—

The door at the entrance of the main hall opened, and Theo appeared.

Then, the murmuring main hall became as quiet as a mouse.

They were members who had known Theo for a long time, but it was the first time they had seen him wearing a proper military uniform.

Earl Sanderson, who was always mannerly and humble, was different today.

The cold figure wearing a uniform and carrying a long sword was so intimidating that it made them realize once again that he was the Commander-in-Chief who had faced General Howe and annihilated tens of thousands of French troops.

“Earl Sanderson! Immediately capture the wicked group that betrayed the country and the people and bring them before me!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Colonel Rogers!”

Thump—

Thump!

With Theo’s cry, the doors opened from the front, back, and sides, and dozens of troops rushed in.

Littleton, surprised, jumped up from his seat, and Littleton’s group, who were around him, also got up in confusion.

Other members also got up from their seats, wondering what was going on in the unprecedented situation where soldiers surrounded the parliament building during a meeting.

“Don’t act rashly, everyone, sit down!”

The members, frightened by Theo’s firm and stern voice, sat down quietly.

Only Littleton and his group, who were trying to escape, were still standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

“From now on, those whose names are called must stand up immediately!”

Theo called out from the list.

“Timothy Murphy!

Adam Blake!

Roland Green!

Willas Fox!

Robert Holmes!

Evelyn Cook!

August Paulie!

And Littleton!”

As Littleton’s group stood there with blank faces, Theo instructed as if scolding.

“What are you doing? Immediately capture those serious criminals standing there and make them kneel before His Majesty the King!”

“Yes! Commander-in-Chief!”

Littleton and the seven members who followed him were dragged to King George.

“I am wronged. Your Majesty! I am so wronged!”

Littleton knelt before King George and pleaded, feigning tears.

The others in his group, bound and prostrate on the floor, were equally distraught.

Littleton, raising his head sharply, glared at Theo and shouted.

“Your Majesty! How can you ignore our loyalty? All of this is clearly a scheme devised by that Sanderson. You must come to your senses. That guy who is causing discord in this country and trying to eliminate Your Majesty… that wicked guy must be……”

“Can’t you shut that mouth!”

King George shouted with an expression of disgust.

“Whether what you say is true or not will be answered by searching your house and your aides’ houses. Earl Sanderson!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Imprison them immediately, search the houses of these eight people, and investigate in detail how they obtained the money through the real estate and bank ledgers they bought!”

“Yes! I will carry out your orders immediately!”

Littleton began to tremble all over at King George’s stern order.

Littleton realized too late that all of this was Theo’s plan, and it was too late to regret it.

***

A lot of money that had gone into the national project poured out of Littleton and his group’s houses, and it was revealed that some of it was hidden in the bank.

In addition, it was revealed to the world that the huge amount of money used to buy expensive real estate flowed into their pockets after the sewer project was stopped.

Even more surprising were the fake will, false ledgers, and letters of Lord Llewellyn that came out of Littleton’s house.

It was revealed that they were trying to fabricate the will, making it look like Lord Llewellyn had committed suicide in preparation for any eventuality, so that they could manipulate it as if Earl Sanderson had orchestrated all of this.

In addition, they even forged and altered the ledgers of Theo Trading Company to make it look like they had embezzled the national funds that had gone into the sewer project.

Even in other letters, they devised a bold conspiracy of treason, plotting to drive King George into appearing mentally unstable and manipulate it as if Theo Sanderson was exploiting the situation, so that they could deal with the two at once.

King George, who was more sensitive than anyone else to the issue of treason, was greatly enraged, and the members were also shocked by the fact that they had conspired not only serious crimes due to serious corruption but also treason.

In the end, Littleton and eight members, including the members and officials who received bribes, were sentenced to death by hanging on charges of treason and corruption.

The Prince of Wales, who was implicated due to his association with Littleton, barely saved his life but was stripped of his title as Crown Prince for being manipulated by their machinations.

Littleton’s group denied the crime until the end and appealed for injustice.

In addition, they incited their fellow members to try to prevent their hanging at all costs.

However, King George, who heard this fact, was even more enraged and issued a very cruel punishment called ‘Pillory’ before the hanging was carried out.

Pillory was a terrible punishment that involved securing the neck and both hands to a ‘Pillory’ [a wooden or metal framework with holes for the head and hands, used as a public punishment] that prevented movement, and leaving them standing in the middle of the square for several days to several weeks without food or water.

As Littleton’s group stood in Trafalgar Charing Cross Square in London wearing the pillory, many London citizens flocked to the scene.

Citizens, angered by the fact that they had embezzled huge taxes and tried to frame Sanderson and even deal with King George, spat, cursed, and threw stones.

In the end, five of the eight people were stoned to death by citizens.

Littleton, who barely survived the pillory, was hanged a few days later.

Littleton had to face a miserable end, hanging on the gallows for more than an hour, struggling amidst all kinds of ridicule.

Afterwards, the huge amount of property they had concealed was all returned to the state, and the sewer network construction project could be carried out again under the leadership of Lord Llewellyn.