I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 33

Victoria (3)

I knew a lot about the Duchess of Kent, not only from records but also from many stories I heard from my aunt Cecilia.

She was the one who made the already sensitive adolescent period even more difficult with her absurd overprotection and control, disguised as strict education for her daughter.

An ambitious woman who tried to exert influence behind the scenes as regent after making her young daughter dependent only on herself.

Looking at it this way, you might think, ‘What kind of messed up parent is this?’ but that doesn’t mean she didn’t love her daughter.

The Duchess of Kent was originally from Germany, so she wasn’t fluent in English, and her husband was the only person she could trust.

However, her husband passed away a year after giving birth to Victoria, and the Duchess had no one else to trust.

That’s when her servant John Conroy approached her, and the Duchess trusted him and invested her entire life in her young daughter.

As a result, her love gradually became an obsession, and her obsession evolved into ambition.

It’s a common story.

Cecilia also took my advice and actively exploited this aspect of the Duchess, which proved to be very successful, so it wasn’t difficult to penetrate her heart.

“My aunt was so impressed with the Princess’s deep knowledge of literature. I’m also very interested in literature, so I was curious about how the Duchess educated her. I’m very honored to be able to meet you like this.”

“Oh, she seems to have painted my face with too much gold. It’s embarrassing.”

“As you know, Madam, my aunt is not one to make empty remarks.”

“Yes, she is certainly a thoughtful and wise person.”

The Duchess of Kent then looked at me without saying a word.

I certainly seemed to have made a good first impression, but I could definitely feel that she hadn’t yet withdrawn her watchful gaze.

It’s a natural progression.

From the beginning, I didn’t expect that I could解除 [release] this heightened sense of vigilance with just a few words.

When dealing with this type of person, rushing things will always ruin them.

You have to approach it with the mindset of gradually disarming them over a period of several weeks or months.

“By the way, what did you think of the students’ game earlier? Everyone put their heart and soul into the game more than usual because they knew you and the Princess were watching…”

“They were really running hard. I liked the passion that only students can exude. I guess the students were really looking forward to Victoria coming?”

“Of course. She is the future Queen, and they had the honor of playing in front of such a distinguished guest.”

“You were working hard too. I was impressed by how you didn’t lose your composure beyond a certain level. It felt very aristocratic.”

I guess I stood out enough since I worked so hard. I’m glad the hours I spent sweating and training didn’t go to waste.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“I heard that you are always at the top of your class at school. If you were to meet our Victoria, what would you like to talk about? If there is anything you want to hear, you can tell her.”

“It may sound presumptuous, but I wanted to offer words of encouragement. Even a student like me sometimes feels burdened when studying, so I can only imagine how much pressure someone who may become the future Queen of this country must feel. But I’m not worried because you, a strong mother, and Lord Conroy, and my aunt are there. However, I wanted to tell you that I and all the students at Eton [a prestigious boarding school for boys] are wholeheartedly supporting you and the Princess from afar. I don’t know if I’m qualified to represent Eton, but…”

“If you are the best student among the freshmen, then you are at least qualified to represent the freshmen, aren’t you? Yes, I don’t think a student as excellent as you would have a bad influence on our Victoria, so I think it would be okay for you to have a conversation. Come here.”

As the Duchess gracefully got up from her seat and walked, I quietly followed her.

Soon, we entered the room next door, and we saw Victoria and her governess, Baroness Lehzen, chatting.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Victoria, as you heard earlier, this child is Cecilia’s nephew, Killian Gore. I talked to him a little, and he is a student with a clear mind, so I brought him here because I thought it would be good for you to have a conversation. Would you like to have some tea together?”

“Yes, if Mother thinks so, he must be an excellent student.”

Victoria turned her gaze to me and smiled gracefully.

In fact, a certificate of excellence issued by the Duchess of Kent is mostly synonymous with a person who is useless from Victoria’s point of view.

Of course, Cecilia would be an exception, so she must be looking at me favorably now as her nephew.

So, I have to make the best impression here to move the plan to the next stage.

The problem is that not only Victoria but also the Duchess of Kent is here.

If I act carelessly, I will inevitably lose points with both of them.

In some ways, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I must not make the mistake of trying to catch two rabbits from the first meeting [trying to achieve two things at once, which may lead to failure].

The most important thing is to prioritize.

The person I must unconditionally impress is not Victoria but her mother.

If I can win the heart of the Duchess of Kent and get permission to have a private meeting with Victoria, I can naturally narrow the distance with her from then on.

Of course, I shouldn’t lose too many points with Victoria in the process, so I have planned to minimize the losses and maximize the gains.

Of course, this is not an easy task, but I can do it.

I have considered all possible scenarios, and I had anticipated this situation.

“Thank you for allowing me the honor of meeting the Princess. I am Killian Gore, representing the freshmen of Eton.”

“Nice to meet you. I saw you fighting hard in the cricket game earlier. You had excellent manners that were hard to believe for a freshman.”

“Thank you for seeing it that way. I prepared a small event because I thought I might have this honorable opportunity. Would it be okay to show it to you if it doesn’t bother you?”

The Duchess of Kent nodded, telling me to try, so I took out several cards from my pocket.

“I heard that the late Duke of Kent provided a lot of support to Eton. I think we are able to receive education in such a wonderful environment thanks to him, and I have been thinking about how we can express our gratitude.”

“That’s a very grateful attitude.”

“And since Eton is a school that nurtures talents who will lead the future of this country, I thought it would be a good idea to show the values we value most in writing, so I prepared a magic trick.”

These days, magic is very popular among commoners and nobles alike, so the Duchess will not take it as a simple entertainment and will not have any particular doubts.

I didn’t learn magic properly, but in fact, card fraud is also a type of magic, so I was able to perform it at a level that could be demonstrated to the general public.

I shuffled the cards with the letters written on them in front of the Duchess of Kent, and then laid them out so that she couldn’t see what letters were written on them, and showed her a magic trick that made a sentence only with the cards she chose.

It’s a simple magic trick that memorizes the position of the cards in advance and changes them in between so that they don’t show, but it’s difficult for beginners to distinguish.

Of course, the reason I prepared this magic trick was not simply to play the clown in front of the Duchess.

Under the pretext of performing magic, I deliberately placed the Duchess and Victoria in opposite positions based on me, and took measures so that the two could see different letters.

The Duchess of Kent read the phrase in a satisfied voice, looking at the phrase that I had set to appear in advance.

“Obedience is the greatest virtue. Indeed, I can immediately understand why Eton is the best prestigious school in the British Empire.”

“···Hmm?”

At that moment, Victoria stared at the card she had received and tilted her head, so the Duchess asked.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I was just surprised because I received the same phrase.”

“That’s what magic is. It wouldn’t be magic if it was wrong, would it?”

While the Duchess was giggling, I quickly collected the cards I had given to the two of them.

In the meantime, as I made eye contact with Victoria, who was gracefully handing over the card, she smiled and said.

“It’s a mysterious magic trick. The phrase is also impressive.”

“Thank you.”

I don’t know, but it must have been quite impressive.

The phrase I gave her was completely different from what the Duchess read: [Patience to wait for one’s time to come].

If this is the case, she will know that even if I whisper any sweet words to the Duchess in this place, it is not my intention.

The Duchess, who had no idea about this, leisurely savored the scent of black tea and continued to ask questions.

“I would like to hear from our student why Eton emphasizes obedience so much. Can you tell me?”

“The reason why Eton teaches us to obey the authority of our elders is to guide us so that we do not fall into the path of arrogance. Most of those who come to Eton are either geniuses from the country or those born with noble blood. It’s easy to fall into the illusion that I’m the best in the world and that there’s no one smarter than me.”

“But you are saying that you learn to obey authority to let them know that that is not the case?”

“Yes. I think that the higher a person goes, the more humility he must have from a young age that he is not the best. Considering the power and influence that person will have in the future, shouldn’t a noble person learn such virtues even more?”

As intended, the Duchess’s gaze turned to her daughter, who would become the noblest person in this country in the future.

“As expected, Eton students think differently. Isn’t that absolutely right? It completely coincides with what I have emphasized to you so far.”

“That’s right. I didn’t know that what Mother said was so well-founded.”

“I’ve said it several times, but I don’t just like educating you so strictly. But as this student says, the more noble a person will become in the future, the more he must know the values of obedience and humility from a young age. This is all for you, so I would appreciate it if you would understand your mother’s heart.”

As Victoria nodded silently, the brightest smile she had ever seen appeared on the Duchess’s face.

She must be in a good mood.

What is the Duchess of Kent putting the most effort into right now?

It is to educate Victoria to be absolutely obedient to her words.

It may have been somewhat effective when she was young, but Victoria is now at the height of her adolescence.

Of course, she can’t express it openly, but she is bound to be full of annoyance and dissatisfaction, and the Duchess can’t help but know what state her daughter is in.

In this situation, she has received strong support that justifies her education.

Moreover, she was able to justify her actions with Eton’s educational philosophy, which teaches the best talents in England.

The Duchess is probably hypnotizing herself and rationalizing her education by now.

-Look at this. My education was not wrong after all. Eton also teaches students that way, but isn’t our daughter going to be a much nobler being than them? Of course, I have to teach her more strictly!

It’s not that my education is strange, but that the King and other royals who are dissatisfied with it are strange.

Ahem, the voice of my heart is so clear that I’m embarrassed.

Still, I’m glad that Victoria is appropriately agreeing with her mother’s words, so it seems that my message was well delivered.

I was just thinking of minimizing the losses, but wouldn’t it be good to say that this is a better result than expected?

Although I didn’t have any more direct conversations, I could feel that the gaze of the future Queen looking at me was filled with complete curiosity.

* * *

After the tea time, the Duchess and Victoria decided to leave Eton for their next schedule.

Just as I was about to say goodbye to the Duchess and Victoria, who were about to get on the carriage for the send-off.

The Duchess first let Victoria into the carriage and then subtly approached me.

“I heard you talking earlier and you were very wise. If you have time, could you come to Kensington Palace next weekend? I’ll send you a carriage.”

“Excuse me? To Kensington Palace?”

“Yes. Come and see your aunt and talk to me more. I’m also curious about how Eton students treat their seniors and teachers.”

In short, she wants me to say more about the knowledge that will help her daughter be absolutely loyal to her mother’s authority.

Of course, I have a secret weapon that I have saved for times like this, so it’s not impossible.

“I would be honored. I will tell you anything you want to know as far as my knowledge and ability allow.”

“Okay, then I will look forward to next week.”

She waved her hand kindly and turned around and entered the carriage.

I bowed politely and waited for the carriage to disappear from sight.

With this, I have succeeded in reaching the entrance of the mountain I have to climb.

So now is the time to get a license to go mountain climbing.

In order for me, an outsider, to freely enter and exit that heavily guarded place, there is a limit to simply listing words that are only on the lips.

When you need to gain the trust of a highly vigilant target, simply filling them with 뽕 [Korean slang for hype or exaggeration] that they can definitely succeed is not as helpful as you might think.

To make them feel anxious that the success of the plan may be hindered if I don’t exist.

From now on, it was time to instill a sense of crisis that, if I made a mistake, I might fail, not a rosy future.