I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 37

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire 37

Imagined Conspiracy Theories

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment, looking at the list of books I had taken from Kensington Palace.

After promising to tell her anything she wanted, Victoria had written down a whole bunch of books she had always wanted to read.

Although she had people like Baroness Lehzen or Aunt Cecilia by her side, it seemed they couldn’t completely escape the Duchess’s watchful eye.

Perhaps that’s why she wanted to hear about all the books she had always wanted to read through me.

At first, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem, but this young lady… her intellectual curiosity was no joke.

Not only was it not enough for me to just tell her, but she even bought books in related fields and asked me to summarize the entire contents.

Moreover, the topics weren’t limited to general social issues.

I don’t know where she heard it, but she even asked me to tell her about the contents of a book called ‘Principles of Geology’ written by Charles Lyell a few years ago.

Thanks to that, I suddenly had James look through all the books Victoria had requested and create a summary to show her.

Still, if I could gain her favor by putting in this much effort, it would be a bargain, so I had no complaints.

Fortunately, Victoria also thought well of me and acted very faithfully in front of the Duchess.

Thanks to that, after visiting a couple more times, she completely trusted me and stopped assigning guards to watch me.

Of course, I don’t forget to check every time I go, just in case I get blindsided after being so careless.

In any case, there’s no way even I would know the contents of a book like ‘Principles of Geology,’ so I have to diligently finish this week’s homework that Victoria gave me.

After investing about three hours to perfectly understand the contents of the book, I decided to hurry with the next plan.

* * *

“Hey, Killian. It’s hard to even catch a glimpse of you these days. Pay some attention to us too.”

“I heard you’re busy going in and out of Kensington Palace every week, meeting with the Princess? I’m amazed at how you broke through the Duchess’s ironclad defenses.”

“Some of us are struggling in Parliament, arguing with old geezers, while others are enjoying quality time with the future Queen every week. It’s enough to make me bitter.”

“You know it’s not like that.”

And what arguments? From what I heard, these days, the Tory party [a British political party, historically conservative] is all over you, praising you as Wellesley, our hope.

I hope you haven’t forgotten who’s responsible for that already?

“But, like Disraeli said, I’m genuinely curious, not joking. I met her once before, and the Duchess of Kent was no ordinary person. Even my father would shake his head. How did you manage to get in?”

“There’s no need to think of it as anything strange. I just made them realize that it’s more beneficial for me to meet with Victoria.”

“So, I’m asking how you did that… Well, considering you, it’s not that strange.”

Wellesley has now reached the point where he just naturally accepts that if I achieve something, it’s because ‘Killian did it.’

It saves me the trouble of having to explain everything in detail, so it’s a very good thing.

On the other hand, Disraeli was analyzing the current situation quite calmly, even while throwing jokes around.

“Master Killian, what was the future Queen like when you met her in person? Rumor has it that she has the wisdom of Athena, the beauty of Aphrodite, and the gentleness of Hestia.”

“What? What’s with that ridiculous rumor?”

Even if Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent, were alive, I’d bet my entire fortune that he wouldn’t praise his daughter like that.

Besides, even if everything else is true, gentleness? Hestia [the Greek goddess of the hearth, home, and family] would sue and have nothing to say.

“Let’s skip the subjective standards, but I don’t know about gentleness, but she’s definitely smart. First of all, she’s in a state where she’s eager to learn something new.”

“Then, her inclinations must be important above all else.”

“She’s very interested in social issues, but most of her opinions felt quite progressive.”

“So, she might become close to the Whig party?”

“If I had to guess, I think she’d like the Whig party [a British political faction, historically liberal] more than the Tory party.”

In fact, I know that Victoria in the original history had a close relationship with the Whig party at first.

The Prime Minister from the Whig party would have briefly educated Victoria, who had just become Queen, about political responsibilities and current issues.

Conversely, she didn’t have a very good relationship with the Tory party, which was developing into the Conservative party, and it was only somewhat improved after Disraeli took control of the Conservative party.

Even so, she had constant disagreements with various Conservative politicians, so if I had to guess, she’s more likely to be close to the Liberal party than the Conservative party.

“Even though the King’s authority is gradually decreasing, its influence can never be ignored. If the next Queen has a close relationship with the Whig party, won’t we inevitably become more and more difficult?”

“Isn’t that why Killian is working so hard to win over the Princess? Even if her inclinations are closer to the Whig party, if she talks to Killian every week, she’ll inevitably become emotionally closer to us.”

Even though the British Empire was developing into a constitutional monarchy and the King’s authority was continuously decreasing, the era still possessed immense power.

Even though cases of wielding official authority arbitrarily were rare, the King still had the power to appoint the Prime Minister, dissolve Parliament, consent to bills, and appoint judges and bishops.

Moreover, the King’s true power came not from these official powers but from unofficial influence.

As the head of state and the head of the Church of England, the King had a moral authority that no one could challenge, and public opinion was also greatly influenced by the King’s position.

For the Tory party, which was already being pushed back by the Whig party, if Victoria became close to the Whig party, they could fall into a dilemma.

“Master, is the real reason you approached the Princess to gain a slightly more advantageous position in the future political landscape?”

“That’s Killian for you. Frankly, we’re getting attention from the party right now, but that’s just a one-time effect. To gain long-term momentum, you need power or a background, and the Queen’s halo would be perfect.”

“That’s right. If the next King becomes close to Master, Master can easily enter the House of Lords [the upper house of the British Parliament]. And if we seize the House of Commons [the lower house of the British Parliament], in theory, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Royal Family can all move as one.”

“Wonderful. This is national unity, and this is democracy.”

Wellesley let out a soft exclamation, and Disraeli nodded, seemingly more than satisfied with the structure he had drawn.

In fact, the Conservative party’s monopolization scenario that Disraeli proposed was a method I had been planning for a long time.

Improving relations with Victoria would not only make it easier to enter the House of Lords, but also solidify my position within the Conservative party.

“You both grasped the core of the matter without me having to explain it separately.”

“Then, we’ll need to continue visiting Kensington Palace and somehow try to get on the Princess’s good side.”

“I’ll let you know right away if anything happens in the House of Commons, so don’t worry about us and work hard. I thought our Killian was finally starting a youth project, but I guess not. Well, she’s not exactly the right person for a youth project.”

“Wellesley, she’s going to be the next King of this country. If you approach her with impure intentions, you might not even be able to recover her bones.”

Of course, maintaining a good relationship with Victoria is the best thing to do considering future events, but is that the only reason?

I would have immediately said yes before, but what should I say?

Suddenly, I remembered the bright smile she showed when I said I would find out the contents of the book she wanted.

I’ve met countless people and experienced all kinds of emotions, but that smile felt like a complex emotion that was hard to define in just one word.

Joy, anticipation, and even a strange sense of relief that she was finally seeing the real world after being trapped for a lifetime.

Although it was only for a moment, I thought that if I could continue to see that smile, it would be worth it.

It was just a fleeting emotion, so there was no need to say it out loud.

* * *

About a month after Killian began regularly visiting Kensington Palace.

The royal officials at Buckingham Palace, who were monitoring the movements of the royal family, naturally received reports about this.

Moreover, this agenda was not about other members of the royal family, but about Victoria, who was currently first in line to the throne and receiving the undivided attention of King William IV.

Of course, due to the Duchess of Kent’s checks, even the King cannot freely meet Victoria.

However, that is why the King poured affection on his niece and received regular reports in case anything bad happened to her.

Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot, the King’s personal attendant, pondered for a moment how to accept this news he had received today.

“The Duchess of Kent is regularly inviting students from Eton [a prestigious British boarding school]?”

“Yes, it seems she is having them meet and talk with Princess Victoria on a regular basis.”

“Hmm… If it’s not just once but every week, it means there’s a deep relationship. This is a problem that cannot be taken lightly.”

It might be too trivial a matter for the Lord Chamberlain, the highest official of the royal family, to handle directly.

His job was to oversee the management of royal staff and royal ceremonies, as well as plan and host social events.

However, there was no choice since Victoria was directly involved.

“You must have investigated the student the Duchess is bringing into the palace, right?”

“Yes. It was a bit difficult because there was a lack of data, but I have organized it.”

“Lack of data?”

Considering the Duchess’s personality, she would never bring just anyone into the palace, so it doesn’t make sense that there is a lack of data.

I would have emphasized from the beginning not to use their lack of investigation as an excuse, but perhaps retraining is necessary.

The Earl of Talbot frowned for a moment and took the report.

“What is this? Is this all there is?”

“Yes. It’s just that there was really a lack of data…”

“If it’s an Eton student that the Duchess is even inviting to Kensington Palace, you should be able to get a report full of information with just a little investigation. What nonsense… Hmm?”

The Earl of Talbot, seeing the name at the top of the report, brought the paper closer to his eyes without realizing it.

“Killian Gore? This student is meeting with the Princess on a regular basis?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never heard of him before… Is he from a commoner background?”

“No. He is said to be an illegitimate child from an Irish noble family.”

“What? An illegitimate child?”

Upon hearing the answer, the Earl of Talbot quickly scanned the contents of the few reports.

It wasn’t his hearing that was wrong; he could clearly see that written there.

He is the heir to the Earl of Aaron’s family in Ireland, but a mixed-race with Eastern blood.

He was admitted to Eton College with a letter of recommendation from the Duke of Wellington.

“He is currently achieving the highest grades among the freshmen, and the teachers’ evaluations are all praises… He certainly seems to be a genius. Is that why the Duchess has her eye on him? But she wouldn’t introduce him to the Princess just because he’s excellent…”

His senses, honed over a long time in the royal family and high society, sent a warning that something was up.

But even if I wanted to find out more, I couldn’t derive anything with so little data to base my judgment on.

“According to what’s written here, his personality is also humble, he respects tradition and authority, and his inclinations are not biased towards one side… What is this? On the surface, he seems almost too perfect?”

“Yes. So, the Duchess may have brought him in because he is a student who can help with the Princess’s education…”

“No. There’s no way it’s just for that reason. If that were the case, she would have introduced other students to the Princess by now.”

No matter how outstanding and smart he is, he’s just a freshman.

There must be students who are more outstanding in terms of accumulated knowledge and abilities.

‘Then should I pay attention to the characteristics that only Killian Gore has? An illegitimate child of mixed race from Ireland… First of all, the Duchess may think she can handle him as she pleases. Besides that, he received a recommendation from the Duke of Wellington even before entering Eton… Hmm? The Duke of Wellington?’

Although he stepped down from the position of leader of the Tory party this year, the Duke of Wellington was the leader of the giant ruling party at the time.

If such a Duke wrote a letter of recommendation, then the child named Killian is likely to have a very close relationship with the Tory party.

“…Which party is the Earl of Aaron’s family, to which Killian Gore belongs, close to?”

“Before inheriting the title, the current Earl of Aaron ran for election as a member of the Tory party.”

“I see. Then this may be a bigger problem than I thought.”

It was a leap that skipped at least a few intermediate steps, but the Earl of Talbot trusted his senses.

The child Killian Gore is just a disguise.

The Duchess’s real purpose may be to exchange some secret deals with the Tory party.

Or it could be an intention to exert some influence on Victoria through Killian Gore, who is being educated as a future Tory talent.

Or the Tory party may have approached the Duchess first.

Judging coldly, this possibility seems a little higher.

‘Come to think of it, John Conroy, the Duchess’s advisor, was also of Irish descent, even though he was from Wales.’

Moreover, I heard that John Conroy is also politically close to the Tory party.

It is an undeniable fact that the current King William IV has been cooperating with the Whig party while suppressing his conservative nature, even though he has been creaking lately.

If the Tory party, feeling a sense of crisis here, tries to approach Victoria, who is likely to be the next Queen…

‘The Tory party’s sly old foxes have been quiet for a while, but they’re using such petty tricks!’

As the puzzle pieces fell into place to a chilling degree, the Earl of Talbot jumped up in excitement.

“This is not the time. I’m going to see His Majesty right now, so continue the investigation.”

“Should I investigate Killian Gore further?”

“No. Rather than Killian Gore himself, it would be better to investigate the relationship between the Tory party’s key figures and that student in detail.”

The Earl of Talbot, who had already completed a great conspiracy theory in his head, hurried to meet King William IV.

The quiet Buckingham Palace began to stir little by little with the wind blowing from Kensington.