I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 380

< The End of the Old Era (4) >

-The successful conclusion of the London Peace Treaty! Was the British Empire the biggest winner this time, too?

-America shows off its skills, and we reap the rewards! The Crown Prince’s diplomatic philosophy has a reason.

-The Grand Asian diplomatic strategy is in the hands of the Royal Family. Crown Prince. ‘I was just following His Majesty’s instructions.’

As the agreement was finalized and the results were announced, the public immediately responded.

Those who had been clamoring about the slow response to the commotion everywhere shut their mouths and showered praise, as if they had never criticized before.

It wasn’t just praise; they seemed to be exerting all their energy to praise the Royal Family in order to make up for their previous commentaries.

Of course, most of those who criticized were finding fault with the government rather than me.

This is because there was absolutely no one in the British Empire who could openly target the Royal Family.

Anyone who made bold remarks like, ‘Isn’t the Royal Family a bit incompetent?’ would simply end up as another corpse floating in the Thames that day.

Still, what is this country?

It is the British Empire, the home of hooligans.

There were many extreme fans in this era who would turn into fanatics once they were hooked on something.

In fact, fervent fan clubs and unofficial extremist groups that I couldn’t control overflowed throughout the British Empire and Canada.

Even now, there are probably people with embarrassing names like the ‘Killian Love Squad’ or the ‘Royal Family Defense Force’ marching around the streets of London, shouting cheers.

In fact, a few days ago, a commotion occurred when people calling themselves the Killian Love Squad set fire to a newspaper company that had published a critical article on Asian diplomacy and were arrested.

The reason for this was a masterpiece; they didn’t even mention the prince of the Royal Family or the ‘Kill’ in Killian in their critical editorials.

All they did was publish an editorial stating that too many resources were going into Asia and that government coordination was needed.

But they saw even that as criticism of the Royal Family.

Asian diplomacy is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Family, so criticism of Asian policy is criticism of the Royal Family, and criticism of the Royal Family is an insult to Killian—an absurd leap of logic.

“Criticizing the Royal Family is jealousy, and jealousy is a heinous sin! We will not stop working today, tomorrow, or even ten years from now to create a world where there are no people in the British Empire who are jealous of His Majesty!”

“That’s right! Who do they think they are, nitpicking at the Royal Family’s events? Let’s just smash their heads in!”

“Our Killian Love Squad is a traditional social club with 32 branches throughout the British Empire, a gathering of gentlemen and ladies who admire Victoria and Killian! If you would like to join, please inquire now!”

I’m not an idol, so is it right for a group with that kind of name to follow me around?

I could at least understand if it was called the Royal Family Love Squad, but why is my name in the group name?

Even though it was absurd, it wasn’t like they were impersonating the Royal Family, and they said they gathered because they liked it, so there was no legal basis to disband them.

Of course, anyone who committed illegal arson or violence was mercilessly thrown in jail, but they were still proud even while being punished.

The most infuriating thing was that Wellesley, no matter where he got the badge from that ridiculous group, would wear it every time he came to see me.

“Your Majesty, look at this. They say this is a limited edition badge that just came out.”

“From now on, the Killian Love Squad is banned from entering Buckingham Palace.”

“No way, where in the world is there such a law!”

“I just created a Royal Decree. It’s effective from this moment.”

“This can’t be… This is tyranny!”

“I’m tempted to show you what real tyranny is, so take off that badge and let’s talk. Why are you here today anyway?”

Thinking that he would suffer a real misfortune if he annoyed me any more, Wellesley put away the ridiculous badge that said ‘Killian Love’ and sat down.

“Didn’t Your Majesty say a while ago that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to take charge of Asian affairs?”

“I did.”

“He suggested that His Highness tour Hong Kong and Shanghai. But Qing China [the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912] is in the middle of a war right now, so isn’t it a bit much to send His Highness there?”

“Absolutely not. Who would take responsibility if something happened, even by chance?”

“But it seems that His Highness’s goal isn’t really to go to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Perhaps he’s trying to exert his presence by influencing the war in Asia in some way?”

Certainly, he had specifically said from the beginning that he was interested in the country where I was born, so that was a definite possibility.

“I’ll mediate over there later anyway, so how about considering sending him as one of the people in charge at that time to appease him?”

“I’ve already told him, but he refused, saying it would just be a repeat of this London Agreement.”

“He sure wants a lot.”

Now that he’s been recognized for his abilities, he must be eager to show them off and prove himself even more.

Is this what youth is?

“Oh, and according to intelligence from the embassy, Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] and Japan are discussing a marriage alliance. If they actually get to the wedding, shouldn’t we think about how we’re going to respond?”

“Joseon and Japan are in a marriage alliance? Okubo [likely referring to Okubo Toshimichi, a prominent Japanese statesman] did say there were signs of that, but… Are you sure? Are they really going to push it through?”

“Yes. It seems to be in the discussion stage, but it’s definitely reliable information for now.”

I’m experiencing such unbelievable things in my life, and I’m really feeling how great the butterfly effect of history is.

The moment I let out an exclamation mixed with admiration, I had a slight premonition that something annoying might happen.

If she hears this, she’ll react in some way… What should I do?

* * *

The successor to the Royal Family, who successfully proved his abilities as one of the main players in the London Peace Agreement.

He was praised as ‘like father, like son’ and had a lot of weight on his shoulders for a while.

Edward’s mood was slightly down after seeing the articles pouring in from all directions.

“Just two days ago, you were about to carve the sky with your nose, but why are you so gloomy today? Are you bipolar? Should I call a doctor?”

“Hey, watch your tone when you talk to your older brother.”

“We’re twins, what older brother? Would you like me to call you ‘my dear brother’?”

“If you did that, I’d worry that you had a terminal illness or that I’d done something I could never forgive, so please don’t.”

“Then it’s okay to call you that. Anyway, why are you so upset again?”

As his twin sister Adelaide crossed her legs arrogantly and sipped her tea, a sigh naturally escaped and his brow furrowed.

They were twins who shared the same blood, but every time he saw her, he sympathized so much with his mother’s heartache that he worried he was becoming a꼰대 [kkondae, a Korean slang term for an older person who is condescending or preachy] himself.

This was all because the business she had recently begged her father to hand over had become a huge success, making her already arrogant nose even higher.

If it was a business that used the name of the Royal Family, it would have no choice but to succeed, so he would have told her not to show off, but Adelaide had grown her business using a different name that had nothing to do with the Royal Family.

It dealt with dresses, jewelry, shoes, and accessories, so at first, he thought nothing of it, but before he knew it, it had expanded not only throughout the British Empire but also throughout Europe, and its size had grown enormously.

She was currently marketing directly using the British Royal Family, but that was only now; the expansion itself was purely due to her own abilities, so there was no way to find fault.

Thanks to this, her already rude and arrogant personality became unstoppable, and her mother’s plan to find a suitable royal to marry her off became an impossible dream.

Still, in any case, there was no denying that she had the ability.

It seemed that he had inherited his father’s political power, and Adelaide had inherited his business acumen.

There was no way that twins would inherit half of their abilities, but somehow it had turned out that way.

“Did you see this too? The article praising Father.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t seen it. I almost died laughing when I first saw it. Is that why you’re depressed? Because you, the Crown Prince of this country, aren’t getting as much praise as Dad?”

“Of course not. I just felt like the road ahead is too long.”

On the front page of the newspaper that Edward threw down, there was a ridiculous advertisement that was embarrassing to even mention.

[Join the Killian Love Squad

Our beloved Killian. Who is His Majesty?

To the blind, he is sight.

To the hungry, he is the cook. To the thirsty, he is the water of life.

If His Majesty insists, I agree.

If His Majesty speaks, I listen.

If there are 1.3 billion supporters in the world, I will be one of them.

If there are a hundred supporters in the world, I will still be one of them.

If there is only one supporter in the world, that will be me.

If there is not a single person in the world who supports His Majesty, I will finally return to the Lord’s arms.

Killian, my joy.

Killian, my rest.

Killian, my love.

Killian, me.]

The above phrase, ‘Join now,’ makes it look like an advertisement, but what kind of advertisement is this?

If this was a one-time thing, I wouldn’t care, but these days, these phrases are seen in London almost every day, so I’m just dumbfounded.

For the record, Canada is said to be even worse than this.

At this point, I was worried that the Church of England, unable to watch any longer, would designate them as heretics and cause conflict with the Royal Family.

“Dad almost grabbed the back of his neck and passed out when he saw this… You’re not jealous, are you?”

“I’m not, I told you. I just felt that it’s possible to receive that much absolute support and love from the citizens.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t be like that. Of course, neither can I. Maybe even Mom can’t? Honestly, that’s a bit abnormal. Let’s just prove ourselves with our abilities.”

“That’s true, but… I feel like that ability is still a long way off.”

It’s true that he did better than expected in the recent peace agreement.

But when you think about it, doesn’t that mean that Father had been planning this picture for a long time and had adjusted all the situations?

He had simply acted according to the script on a well-prepared stage.

And then he boasted that he had read the meaning well in front of the person who wrote the script.

How can he put weight on his shoulders and walk around as Father’s successor after doing this?

“Aren’t you too caught up in that successor position? I remember Dad repeatedly telling you not to be conscious of that.”

“You can say such comfortable things because you’re not the successor. Imagine you were succeeding your mother and becoming the Empress of the British Empire.”

“If it’s Mom’s successor, I think I can do it too. Maybe not Dad, though.”

“Tsk, yeah. I envy you, I envy you.”

They were born as twins on the same day, but one of them is rolling around and having fun making money, and the other is racking his brains over the duty to inherit the empire. Isn’t that too unfair?

“What’s there to envy? Do you want to live while hearing your mom ask you when you’re going to get married every time you run into her? No, am I the only one who’s not married? You haven’t either. Why is she only saying things to me?”

“Are you and I the same? I’m not doing it, and you can’t do it. My wife will be the Empress of the British Empire, so I have to choose her more carefully than anyone else, but you just can’t do it, right?”

“That’s not true? If you lined up all the noble men from all over the world who are eager to meet me, they’d go around Buckingham Palace several times. I’m just not meeting them!”

Fortunately, both twins inherited their father’s appearance, so objectively, their looks themselves were superior.

Although they were past the age of marriage, that could be more than covered by their status and appearance, so that confidence wasn’t just a bluff.

The problem is not now, but a little later in the future.

“That’s going to end in a few years. Listen to your mother and lower your standards a little. The person you want doesn’t exist in the world? You’ll be able to get married later, but you might not be able to do it with the person you want then.”

“You get married first and then nag others. I’ll think about it if you do.”

“Okay, okay, I understand. It’s like reading the Bible to a sheep anyway, so I shouldn’t say this anymore. Anyway, I’m thinking about how to be recorded in history as a successor to Father without being ashamed, so don’t just think about making money and think about growing your business with dignity.”

“I’m always thinking about that, whether I’m awake or asleep. But aren’t you too obsessed with Dad?”

He was about to retort immediately as always, but perhaps because he had been hit right on the mark, Edward tried to say something but then closed his mouth.

“Instead of doing that, why don’t you use the good head you inherited to establish your own philosophy? Dad is Dad, and you are you. You can’t be Dad even if you die and come back to life. You know you can’t be and shouldn’t be, right?”

“······.”

“I’m not saying the same old thing about knowing yourself, but think carefully about the fact that you are ultimately someone who can’t be anything other than you. No matter how much you repair and change these shoes, they can’t become a dress, right?”

Edward was stunned for a moment by his sister’s unexpected advice, then nodded.

In fact, it was a truth that he had been feeling for a while and had been gradually organizing in his head recently.

As she said, he was different from his father.

No matter how much he thought about it, it was impossible for him to use people’s hearts and play with them like his father to carry out schemes.

He needed too many skills in a different area than insight or thoroughness.

But he doesn’t necessarily have to be like his father.

There’s no need to be a lower version of Killian.

The point is to become a successor who is loved by the citizens of the British Empire and who puts the interests of the British Empire first.

Father’s method was clearly flawless and certain, but there were also areas that were out of reach in that it didn’t leave any room for criticism itself.

A ruthless realist who is only generous and benevolent to the citizens of the British Empire.

A reliable supporter who can wield the sword that Father cannot wield.

The path that Edward had to take began to become clear in his eyes as well.