I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 403

As Ambassador Bernstorff had assured, the Prussian royal family was almost in a celebratory mood upon receiving the British Empire’s proposal.

They had been worried about marrying off the Crown Prince, who was already in his mid-30s, as soon as possible, and now the British Empire had made the offer first.

In fact, King Wilhelm himself had his first marriage at the age of 33, so he didn’t push or pressure his son.

Still, as a king, he couldn’t help but wish for his son, the Crown Prince, to have a grandson as soon as possible.

If he were still young, it might be different, but Wilhelm was now over 70 and feeling the limits of his patience.

So he couldn’t understand his son’s lukewarm response to this golden opportunity.

“What? So you’re saying you’re going to reject this proposal?”

“It’s not that I’m rejecting it, but I want to think about it more carefully.”

“Carefully? What nonsense! If you’re too careful, you’ll be getting married for the first time when you’re 50!”

As the King raised his voice, Bismarck, who was next to him, cautiously interjected.

“Your Majesty, perhaps a bit more restraint in your language.”

“Restraint? You listen too! This crazy fellow still can’t distinguish his position. If you miss this opportunity, do you think you’ll be able to have such a blessed marriage again? What’s the problem that you don’t want to do it! Do you think the woman is too old? She’s almost twelve years younger than you, isn’t she?”

“That’s not it. That age difference is fine…”

“Then you don’t like her appearance? Even in the pictures, she’s beautiful, and the diplomats who have been to London say that all the princes and princesses of the British Empire are handsome and beautiful. What don’t you like about her?”

“Well…marriage is about choosing someone to spend your life with, and I don’t want to be pushed into it like this.”

In fact, Friedrich was incredibly embarrassed at this moment.

He was in the midst of criticizing the immorality of the British Imperial Family and trying to strengthen the royal authority by ousting the prime minister who had been complicit in all sorts of incompetent acts, and now this was like a bolt from the blue.

The Crown Prince himself didn’t want to be completely at odds with the British Empire.

However, he wanted to redefine the balance of power by firmly undermining their position, rather than being dragged along by the British Empire as he was now.

His grand plan was about to come to fruition, and now, out of the blue, there was talk of marriage.

Moreover, he had already summoned Chairman James from the south to Berlin, and the timing couldn’t be worse.

But he couldn’t postpone the marriage proposal for these reasons, so Friedrich tried to come up with excuses.

“I understand that you want to take your time, but neither you nor they are at an age where you can afford to be so leisurely about getting married. At least give them an answer quickly.”

“No… I mean.”

“Your Majesty is right, Your Highness. This marriage will not only be of great benefit to the national interest, but it will also be good for Your Highness. The authority of the British Imperial Family is increasing day by day, and the Emperor and Empress are known to be very loving parents.”

As Bismarck subtly expressed his opinion, Friedrich couldn’t suppress his rising anger.

‘Look at him.’

This country should belong to the king, but what right does the prime minister have to interfere in the royal marriage?

It’s one thing to express an opinion, but to the Crown Prince, who doesn’t like Bismarck, all of his actions seemed offensive.

Is it only the royal family that will benefit from this marriage?

It is a foregone conclusion that the prime minister, who already has a close relationship with the British Empire, will also gain a great deal.

Isn’t it obvious that Bismarck is planning to strengthen his position through this marriage?

But his father doesn’t know it, or he knows it but condones it, and he’s taking the prime minister’s side, which is frustrating.

However, with the king, the prime minister, and even the royal advisors in agreement, it would be absurd to continue to refuse here.

Unless there was a clear reason, just saying ‘I don’t like it’ might arouse unnecessary suspicion.

So, for now, he had to pretend to agree and buy time.

“It’s not that I’m rejecting the marriage outright. But at least I want to see the face of the person who might become my bride and have a conversation with her beforehand.”

“Alright. That’s fine. Then let’s see… we can’t ask them to come to Berlin, so how should we arrange a meeting?”

“Your Majesty, the agreement surrounding the Philippines and Qing Dynasty hasn’t been completely finalized yet, so I’ll take this opportunity to go there myself and finalize it. It would be a good look if the Crown Prince accompanied me.”

“That’s a good idea. Then Friedrich, go and have a good talk. If you meet her and really don’t like her, I can listen to your story, so at least have a conversation.”

“I understand.”

He was disgusted by Bismarck’s behavior, which was subtly trying to make himself stand out, but the days when he could act so presumptuously were numbered.

Soon, the British Empire would be apologizing to Prussia and begging for mercy.

When that time comes, he will personally dismiss Bismarck and correct the messed-up power structure of Prussia.

‘Now that things have come to this, I should tell James to come to London instead of Berlin.’

He ended up going to London, but on second thought, this wasn’t such a bad turn of events.

If the meeting place is the capital of the British Empire, no one will think it strange even if he meets Chairman James.

Since he’s going to London anyway, it would be neat to say that he’s going to meet the world’s greatest tycoon and hear about economic matters.

Now that things have come to this, he has to make a decisive move on this visit to London.

He felt sorry for the woman he hadn’t even seen yet, but it couldn’t be helped.

For the sake of the greater good, she would have to sacrifice a little.

* * *

October 1868.

“Nice to meet you. I am Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl.”

In the luxurious reception room of Buckingham Palace.

Originally, it was customary to start with letters and gradually talk before meeting at royal events or banquets, but this meeting skipped several procedures and proceeded quickly.

Crown Prince Friedrich maintained a gentlemanly smile and attitude even after the first meeting, and Adelaide also maintained an elegant and dignified posture.

At least to outsiders, the two looked like a well-matched couple.

“How do you like London? I heard that Berlin is also a big city, but the atmosphere is a bit different from London, isn’t it?”

“Berlin is not as big as London, but it is a good place to live. If you come to Berlin, I will prepare everything so that you have no inconvenience, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Oh, how kind. I don’t know how reassuring it is to hear Your Highness say that.”

The hypocritical conversation between two men and women who have no intention of taking each other or following each other.

Nevertheless, the picture that was shown on the outside was very plausible, so the smiles never left the faces of those around them who were watching this meeting.

“What hobbies do you usually do to pass the time, Princess?”

“I spend time appraising wine or admiring jewelry and dresses. I also study people’s psychology.”

“Studying psychology is novel. Do you analyze people’s joys and sorrows or their desire for power?”

“No. My father has a knack for that, and I’m more interested in other things. For example, what were the criteria for choosing the buttons on Your Highness’s shirt or the pocket watch you’re holding? Do you choose your own accessories? Or do you mainly use the ones that are chosen for you?”

“It’s the first time I’ve been asked such a question. My opinion doesn’t really go into things like clothes or medals. But I tend to choose the watches I like. As for the criteria, well… it’s hard to explain because I didn’t choose it thinking about what criteria to set.”

Friedrich smiled awkwardly at the unexpected topic, but Adelaide had already scanned him from head to toe from the moment he sat down.

She looked at the watch Friedrich was holding with an indifferent gaze and said.

“You have a great eye for things. A. Lange & Söhne’s pocket watch. The recently released three-quarter plate is a very attractive product.”

“You know it well. I heard that it’s a product that has recently started to gain fame, but I think that later on, it will become something that you can’t easily get even if you have money.”

“I heard that it took 20 years to make that plate. As you said, in about 10 years, it will become so famous that even wealthy people won’t be able to get it easily.”

‘I put so much effort into coaxing the founder’s sons to acquire that company, so of course it has to be a hit.’

Still, seeing that the Crown Prince of Prussia is already satisfied and showing off with a product that is making a splash, I can’t help but feel rewarded for my investment.

After that, Adelaide gave very detailed reviews of the jewelry, clothing, and shoe quality that Friedrich was wearing, praising his taste.

Whether this was quite a different experience, curiosity was evident on Friedrich’s face, who had only been making artificial smiles at first.

“I’ve seen many people who are knowledgeable about jewelry and accessories, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone with such professional knowledge. You must be very interested in it.”

“It’s my little hobby. And if you look at these tastes, you can roughly see the person’s personality.”

“That’s an interesting story. Can you tell me what my personality looks like based on my taste?”

“If I talk too much in detail, it will be boring and long, so if I just tell you the conclusion simply, you seem to value freedom and pursue practicality. Of course, it’s not a definite basis, so you can ignore it.”

In addition to this, Adelaide talked interestingly about various topics such as the culture and society of each country, and various topics that Friedrich had never heard of before.

The Crown Prince, who had received a liberal education and whose original personality was kind, was quite curious about Adelaide’s appearance, even though he had a great aversion to the Prime Minister.

Of course, more than 80% of the reason for his curiosity was due to her beautiful appearance.

Still, what man wouldn’t be interested in a woman with such a beautiful appearance who boasts much more extensive knowledge than he thought and expresses her favor for him?

“Do you have any desire to come to Prussia, Princess?”

“Of course. I would love to go if I have the chance.”

Adelaide said it with a completely different meaning, but Friedrich also accepted this as a favor towards him.

He heard it as a statement that she wanted to follow him and live her whole life as the Crown Princess and Queen of Prussia.

Of course, he was not a person who would ruin his great work because he was obsessed with women, so he took a breath and calmed his wavering heart.

Still, he decided to leave the thought that he might want to pursue the marriage proposal later if he achieved his purpose in a corner of his mind.

Of course, Friedrich had no way of knowing that the woman who was smiling at him with a look full of favor was full of completely different thoughts.

‘I roughly know the tastes of the Prussian royal family. Both the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister, who wouldn’t say that the country has deep-rooted militaristic culture, have to look practical first, right? It has to be practical and cool… I’m glad I came in person. Should I give them a gift next time to see their reaction?’

She came because of a deal with her father, but when she actually met him, there were many things to analyze, making it a more rewarding time than expected.

While wondering what kind of object could attract the Crown Prince’s heart, she suddenly saw her father talking to Bismarck in the garden below.

When this is over, her mother’s nagging will disappear, and she will be able to grow her business even bigger, so she has nothing more to wish for.

It’s clear that this side is acting to see the best interests for this side, but why do I get the feeling that the person who will laugh the most will be my father?

Still, it’s not like this side is losing anything, so who cares.

It’s fun and rewarding, so I’ll just dance as much as my father wants.

The smile on her face as she gracefully lifted her teacup grew deeper and deeper as time went by.