I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 417

< The Imperial Family vs. The Imperial Family (7) >

A nation of true men that never betrays an alliance.

The embodiment of loyalty, deceiving the Russian Emperor, secretly gathering information, and passing it on to allies.

Friedrich, who became known as the ‘Likable Crown Prince’ not only in Great Britain but also in various European countries, was considered one of the clear winners of this incident.

However, instead of being proud, he stood respectfully with his hands clasped, unable to lift his head in front of the furious Prime Minister, unable to even lift his head.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince! Are you telling me that what I’m hearing is true?”

“…Well…”

“Is it true or not!”

“It’s… true.”

“Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind? Do you want to ruin Prussia?”

It was an unimaginable level of abuse to direct at the crown prince of a nation, but Friedrich couldn’t utter a word.

In fact, considering what he had done, it wouldn’t be strange if he were cursed at, so Bismarck was desperately trying to suppress his anger.

“Your Highness, His Majesty will never let this go. You know that, right?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m really asking just in case, but you don’t actually think you did well just because the result was good, do you?”

“Of course not.”

Friedrich survived this ordeal only because Killian valued Prussia as an allied nation.

“Be thankful to God that you are His Majesty’s only son. If you had younger brothers, you would never have gotten away with this so easily.”

This was a fact Killian had stated directly, so there was no room for doubt.

In other words, this meant that Killian had directly shown consideration, taking into account the circumstances of the Prussian royal family.

“The fact that His Majesty let you off like this means that the Prussian royal family owes the British imperial family a tremendous debt. Have you imagined how big this debt could become?”

“I have no excuse.”

“Of course you shouldn’t! Haa… This is driving me crazy.”

It was no joke; if Bismarck could, he wanted to kick this pathetic human being in the shins or punch him in the face.

The only good thing was that he didn’t think it was over just because he had been forgiven.

Still, considering it calmly, there was no possibility of ending up like Russia, so that was a relief.

Even if Friedrich becomes king, he will not be able to wield power.

After this happened, would the king trust the crown prince in the future?

Frankly, I didn’t expect the fierce battle for control of state affairs to end so absurdly.

“Your Highness. Because of external perceptions, we won’t openly restrict your authority, but please don’t try to do anything in the future. Do you understand? If you think I’m being too harsh, please tell me anytime.”

“…No. I have no objections.”

“First of all, I will tell His Majesty about this incident in detail. Really, just in case, even if it’s just a millionth of a chance, it shouldn’t be leaked, so I won’t send a telegram.”

Thinking of Wilhelm, who would be pleased in Berlin that his son had made a great contribution, I can only shed tears.

How much betrayal and chills will he feel when he returns to his home country?

Still, frankly speaking, from Bismarck’s personal point of view, this wasn’t something to lose sleep over.

As Killian said, Bismarck was able to stand in a clear winner’s position because of this incident.

If this incident reaches the king’s ears, Wilhelm will naturally not give Friedrich absolute authority, and Prussia will surely unite around Bismarck.

Even if Friedrich succeeds to the throne, it will be the same, so there were no complaints about this itself.

What was the reason Killian gave Bismarck and the king a hint of this fact without simply burying it?

This should be seen as Killian siding with Bismarck in the power struggle between Friedrich and Bismarck.

I was honestly grateful for that.

“Your Highness, I’ll say it again, please don’t do anything for the time being. To put it bluntly, I’m telling you to stay confined.”

“…I will follow the Prime Minister’s words.”

It’s strange to see someone who used to pick fights over everything become so docile.

Still, there’s no guarantee that this will last forever, so it’s important to gradually build a new foundation from now on.

Even though King Wilhelm is healthy, he is old, so you never know when the owner of the throne will change.

To start a major reorganization as soon as he returns to his home country, Bismarck began to carefully lay the groundwork in his mind.

* * *

The aftermath of Russia’s apology show shook London, and before its influence could subside,

Crown Prince Friedrich was busy preparing to return to Berlin, unable to resist Bismarck’s urging.

“So, you’re leaving London in just three days?”

“…Yes. That’s right. Unfortunately.”

“I see. I was hoping you could enjoy it a little longer, but it’s a shame.”

Friedrich smiled bitterly, looking at Adelaide’s calm face.

From the outside, it seemed that their relationship had progressed to the point of being almost engaged, but the reality was different.

In fact, looking at the current situation, it would be strange not to get engaged.

Since the Crown Prince of Prussia had greatly helped the British imperial family to subdue the Russian imperial family, it would be even stranger not to marry in the first place.

So, there was a good reason why Bismarck was rushing him to return.

– Your Highness. If we are connected to the British imperial family through marriage in this state, I don’t know how much control we will be giving to them. I would have agreed if it weren’t for this incident, but in the current situation, where we have already been caught with a weakness, I don’t think it will be an equal marriage no matter how I look at it.

It was hard to argue with that.

If they get married, their princess will come to Berlin, so originally, she should be thoroughly subordinate to us, but whether that will really happen remains to be seen.

As Friedrich, who had tasted both triumph and humiliation in this incident, he was now able to see the situation objectively.

The beautiful woman in front of him was definitely not a naive flower in a greenhouse.

I couldn’t figure out why she was rumored to be a spoiled princess who enjoyed a luxurious life and loved parties.

If that was also an intentional image making… wouldn’t she be an even more terrifying person?

It’s not that I don’t like her, but when I think about marrying this woman, I’m not confident that I won’t be easily swayed.

“Princess… May I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

“How much do you know about the truth of this incident?”

“That’s a meaningful question. Maybe I know as much as Your Highness does?”

Saying ‘I know as much as you do’ is a roundabout way of telling me that she knows the truth of this incident.

I roughly expected that.

“I guess you heard everything from His Majesty before you met me that day.”

“Was it obvious? Still, I’m glad Your Highness listened to what I said. Otherwise, I would have had to write a joint apology with the Russian Emperor.”

“……..”

“It seems like you were scolded a lot by the Prime Minister. It can’t be helped. So, did he tell you that it would be better to call off the marriage with me?”

“How did you know that…?”

The more I talk, the more I feel that Bismarck’s prediction was correct.

And what does it mean to openly show this side of her, unlike before?

The answer is obvious.

“Wouldn’t it be a problem if I didn’t know this? If you have basic intelligence and judgment, you can know it for sure.”

“I see. From the beginning, you had no intention of going to Berlin with me?”

Adelaide looked at the crown prince, who had now fully opened his eyes to the situation, and gave a dignified smile.

That appearance, which is completely different from before, is probably her true self.

She looked much more attractive than before, but at the same time, the feeling that I couldn’t handle her became even more firm.

The crown prince was now afraid of the city of London.

* * *

It was already expected that Friedrich and other Prussian dignitaries would rush back to Berlin.

Since the truth of what happened here must be conveyed to the king as soon as possible, at least Bismarck would want to return as soon as possible.

Here, Friedrich pondered and explained in a roundabout way for an hour that it would be difficult to marry Adelaide.

I guessed the reason, so I readily listened, but I didn’t forget to say that they should provide a good reason.

In the current atmosphere, it wouldn’t be strange to announce the engagement right away, but overturning this required a valid reason.

“I understand. I will create an appropriate reason.”

“Yes. If Your Highness’s will is so firm, then it can’t be helped. Still, since we’re in the same boat, I hope we can continue our good relationship in the future.”

“That’s what I want to say. I will never forget the grace you have shown me.”

Well, well, you shouldn’t forget.

In fact, I’m going to make sure you remember it so you can’t forget it even if you try, so you don’t have to worry about that.

“Then, I wish you a safe return to Berlin. Ah, but if possible, there is data I would like to receive from His Highness the Crown Prince. Could you hand it over to me?”

“Yes? Do I have something else to give you…?”

“Of course. Isn’t there one more person who needs to write me an apology?”

“…Ah!”

Everyone is focusing on the humiliation of the Russian imperial family and overlooking it, but there is clearly a guy across the Atlantic who tried to stab me in the back.

“I’ve heard that the South is also very noisy right now. I heard that Congressman Bakunin is desperately trying to cut off his tail…”

“There is already more than enough evidence that Bakunin is involved, so there is no problem in going after him. In the first place, what I want is not such a small fish [a pyramid scheme].”

“Bakunin is the second-in-command in the South, but if you call him a pyramid… do you intend to strike at the General Secretary? But General Secretary Engels has nothing to do with this incident.”

At first glance, it may seem that there is no involvement.

But indirectly, haven’t a lot of data already been released?

It’s a natural flow, but the conspiracy theory that I was shaking the world from behind has already concluded that it is a sophisticated slander based on facts.

Among them, what aroused great interest in the early days was the claim that I was involved in the birth of communism.

Of course, at this point, this was considered nonsense that was not worth considering, and I had no intention of affirming it.

However, isn’t it a completely different story to subtly change and reuse this?

Since the firewood is already prepared, even if you just light the fire, it will heat up so much that it will burn the whole world.

“I’m not aiming for General Secretary Engels alone.”

“…Yes? Then…”

“It’s no fun if I tell you everything. First of all, hand over all the data related to the South in addition to Russia. Anyway, you’ll know soon enough whether you like it or not.”

Looking back, I’ve benefited quite a bit from Engels so far.

Thanks to the establishment of a communist country, I successfully incorporated Canada into the United Kingdom, and I also got the title of king.

The labor market, which was a mess, was also stabilized a lot by blackmailing them with the fear of the communists.

Here, I successfully split the United States into two, effectively suppressing the growth of the United States, which would be the biggest competitor of the British Empire in the future.

Looking at each of these things, it seems like he only gave to me so much that there was no separate treasure goblin [a mythical creature that brings good fortune]?

But now, to be honest, there was not much more to gain.

Instead of gaining something, if communist ideas spread further and infiltrated Russia, which was already a mess, it could be really difficult.

So now… Shouldn’t we gradually dispose of it?

Of course, I had no intention of directly intervening in this.

Isn’t it the role of the old Heavenly Demon [a powerful and evil figure in martial arts stories] to punish the new Blood Demon [a demonic figure associated with blood and chaos] who betrayed the Demonic Cult [a fictional organization in martial arts stories] and arbitrarily grew his power?

The ideological dispute between Marx and Engels.

If it’s to show this, I think I can be forgiven for any aggro [aggravation or trouble] I pull. My heart is already pounding.