I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 406

When I was in my twenties, my mind could juggle ten tasks at once, but lately, I’ve felt my physical condition slipping.

I’m not trying to complain, but this body’s stamina is definitely something I’ve noticed, and it’s been disheartening at times.

I used to be able to pull two all-nighters and bounce back with a good day’s sleep. Now, after two sleepless nights, I need three days of rest to feel normal again.

It’s been like that recently.

On the surface, I’m busy with Adelaide’s marriage proposal, reviewing reports from Canada as always, handling imperial events and the children’s education, and even keeping an eye on Edward in Asia. It’s a lot.

And since Friedrich is acting strangely, I need to look into that too, which means giving James extra instructions…

“Hey, hey! You asleep already?”

“Huh? What?”

“Is he really that fearless? Dozing off during a case like this. Seriously, my heart’s pounding, and I’m checking my phone every 30 seconds.”

What nonsense is this? What am I looking at?

I instinctively reached for my smartphone, then stopped.

Smartphone? Do I even have one right now… hmm? Something feels off.

“Why are you so out of it? Can’t you see the situation? Well, it involves a whopping 10 billion [currency unspecified, but assumed to be a significant amount], after all. If this works out, we’re set for life. My commission alone is huge.”

“This isn’t a one-time thing, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The guy next to me, grinning like a fool, is my partner in money laundering and other shady tasks… well, not really a partner, more like a business associate.

Still, I’m pretty bold, aren’t I?

Sleeping soundly while dealing with a 10 billion fraud? They say promising talents stand out from the start. Am I destined to become the king of this industry after all?

King, huh? It feels familiar and sounds good. I guess I’m definitely going to be a big shot.

The 10 billion is like that too. It’s a huge amount that most people wouldn’t dare touch, but strangely, it feels trivial.

Is it because it’s money that’ll soon be mine? I don’t think I can do anything grand with it.

Even 10 billion is only enough to build a decent building with loans. If I tried to dig a canal with that, it wouldn’t even make a dent.

But why am I suddenly thinking about digging a canal instead of committing fraud? My mind’s been jumping around since I woke up.

“Woo-hoo! Hey, hey, look at this! It actually came through! Those idiots deposited the money! Divided into 100 accounts, 100 million each!”

“They must have thought it was safe to deposit into accounts since there’s a record. Moronic bastards.”

“So, I’ll start working on this right away and take my commission? What’s next?”

“Well, I don’t have anything in mind yet. As always, we should target people who won’t notice even if we rip them off.”

“But no one *never* notices. The more prey we catch, the more we expose ourselves to threats without even realizing it.”

Is there anyone in this world who *doesn’t* know that?

Of course, some people will take the loss and move on, but others will definitely investigate.

If we’re operating behind the scenes like this, noisy flies are bound to swarm around.

“We have to be careful. Even if I rip off guy A, guy B or C next to him might get caught in the crossfire and hold a grudge.”

“That’s true. But if something like that happens, what will you do?”

“I need to consider different scenarios. I definitely need to prepare in advance. Most importantly, I can’t let my guard down and get backstabbed. And I always have to remember that I could go from predator to prey…”

As I spoke, I paused, feeling that sense of incongruity again.

What is this déjà vu that’s been swirling in my head?

Have I experienced something like this before?

I turned to the guy listening to my long speech.

“Come to think of it, if you hadn’t leaked my information to those bastards, I wouldn’t have had to die like that… right?”

My former business partner, who sold me out because of a momentary lapse in judgment, turned to me like a character in a horror movie.

“I guess you know it well since you died like that once before?”

With a creaking sound, his mouth opened grotesquely, and he transformed into a zombie and lunged at me.

* * *

“This is bullshit! Get away! Aaaagh!”

“Y-Your Majesty! Are you alright?”

“Ugh, what kind of messed up nightmare was that… damn it.”

I haven’t had dreams like this since leaving Joseon [Korean kingdom, 1392-1897], but what the hell was that?

It wasn’t even a good horror movie. Suddenly, the person next to me turns into a zombie and attacks me. What an absurd dream.

I rubbed my eyes, looking at the tea set, whiskey, and wine glasses scattered around me.

I poured water into a whiskey glass and gulped it down, finally getting my bearings.

I was talking to James yesterday and had a bit too much to drink, so I must have fallen asleep in the chair.

To have such a terrible nightmare in that short time… is this a sign I’m getting old?

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Your Majesty have a nightmare. Or did you have them often after coming to the palace?”

“No way. That was the most messed up nightmare I’ve ever had.”

“What made it so bad?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

If I said I dreamed about my past life and that guy turned into a zombie and bit my neck, who would understand?

Still, after drinking a glass of water and clearing my head, I understood the context.

Why did I die in my past life?

Just like in the dream, it was because my identity was revealed due to someone’s betrayal in an unexpected situation.

I was talking about identifying foreign influences that might be affecting me when I dozed off, so it’s no wonder I had such a dream.

The sudden zombie… I’ll take it as a sign that the people who stab me in the back can completely change their expressions while doing it.

But I don’t intend to ignore it this time.

I’ll thoroughly shake them down to their souls and grind them to dust.

If I’m over 40 in this era and still having nightmares like that, it means those memories are a significant trauma in my subconscious.

I feel even more motivated, thinking I can completely shake off the nightmares of the past with this opportunity.

Ah, I’d forgotten about it and was living my life, but after dealing with it in a dream, I miss smartphones again.

So many things would be easier with one.

* * *

James left Buckingham Palace secretly, as he had arrived. The next day, he went straight to the agreed-upon location.

As expected, Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia was there.

“You’re not surprised, so you were expecting me.”

“The meeting was moved to London instead of Prussia, so only a fool wouldn’t know. Wouldn’t Your Highness be disappointed if I acted surprised?”

“That’s right. You need that much sense and ability to partner with us.”

“I’ve brought all the data Your Highness requested. But, as Your Highness said, if we’re partners, shouldn’t we know how things are progressing?”

The information I’m giving out is fake, with key parts manipulated.

However, since only the people involved know that, it’s almost impossible to find the discrepancies unless they go back and forth between the North, Canada, and London to piece everything together.

Friedrich smiled with satisfaction as he quickly reviewed the data James had brought.

“Yes, yes. You’re giving me this kind of data, so of course I trust you. You really are as capable as I’ve heard. You said you’re opposing the imperial family to prevent the anti-monopoly law from passing?”

“Yes. And I’d be grateful if you could offer some advantages when our business enters Prussia.”

“It’s concerning to have British capital encroaching on Prussia, but I’ll consider it in light of your sincerity. But looking at your abilities, you could probably find more weaknesses of the British imperial family besides this. Is there anything else?”

“There may or may not be. But as Your Highness’s secret comrade, I’m curious about something. Is Your Highness the ultimate decision-maker in this organization? And I want to know the specific goals of my comrades.”

Bakunin, Friedrich, and the mastermind presumed to be hiding behind them.

Even if they’ve united to attack the British imperial family, their ultimate goals are bound to be different.

James had already presented a believable motive and provided information, so he had the right to confidently ask about their purpose.

Friedrich didn’t show any particular resistance, but he also didn’t immediately reveal anything.

“Well, we’re not close enough for such candid conversations, and it’s not my place to tell you. But everyone has a desperate reason, like you. You can trust that.”

“I see. I understand. But it’s impossible to completely trust someone I haven’t even seen, so I’ll only communicate with and deliver information to Your Highness and Councilor Bakunin for now. I hope you understand.”

“Of course.”

Who would refuse someone who’s offering information, but only to them?

James, watching the satisfied Friedrich, began to cast a fishing line.

“But Your Highness, I need to know how you plan to move so I can keep pace. Your plan is to disrupt the wedding, right?”

“I was going to do that at first… but I wondered if there was a reason to.”

“If you turn the British imperial family into a vegetative regime, there’s no reason to take their eldest daughter, is there?”

“Even so, the British Empire is the strongest power in the world, isn’t it? On the contrary, I think it’s not bad to marry into them, in a way owing them a huge debt. What do you think?”

Is he serious, or is he testing me with sophistry?

Logically, it doesn’t make sense to marry the eldest daughter of the imperial family I’m trying to backstab, does it?

Or does it? If he’s into that kind of thing, maybe it’s possible?

“Ahem, it may sound strange, but I’m still considering proceeding with the wedding, so keep that in mind. I have my reasons.”

“…Ah, yes. I understand. I’ll work with that in mind. But Your Highness, do you have connections in Russia?”

“Hmm? Russia? Why?”

“I recently heard that the British imperial family did something shady, but I need to contact the Russian upper class to confirm it. I need to know if the information is true, but we haven’t invested much in Russia yet…”

At James’s question, Friedrich tapped the desk, clicked his tongue, and said,

“I can connect you with Russia. Would that be alright?”

“Yes. But… this is such a sensitive matter that Your Highness needs to be careful too.”

“Really? If it’s a big issue like the Civil War, maybe… but it’s alright, tell me.”

“The war in the Crimean Peninsula, which led to Russia’s decline. Emperor Killian was involved. But… someone in Russia had a big impact on it as well: the current emperor, Alexander II. To be precise, Emperor Killian unintentionally used the current emperor of Russia.

If this is revealed, it could be fatal to the Russian imperial family, so they’ll try to hide it.”

These temporary organizations operate on gains and losses, not trust.

Even the slightest suspicion or greed can break the gears.

A flicker of conflict crossed Friedrich’s face at the mention of seizing the weaknesses of the Russian imperial family, not just the British Empire.

Yes. That’s what I thought.

The reason he’s hesitating, even for a moment, even though they’re not official allies, is obvious.

Alexander II of Russia.

-No matter how careful you are, your identity can be revealed in an instant due to the mistakes of those around you.

Just like Killian used to say, people who do shady things always have to pay more attention to those around them.

Just like themselves.