I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 469

“Your lives are in danger if you stay here! Evacuate the embassy immediately and move all your families!”

“Sir? But sir, we have so many important documents…”

“Then secure the classified ones as a priority! His Majesty Killian said he would send people right away, so we need to clear this place out completely before the morning papers come out tomorrow at the latest!”

Ambassador Ernst, whose foresight was proving accurate, had urgently summoned his staff as soon as he returned from the palace.

He worried about any who might have gone home not fully grasping the gravity of the situation. Fortunately, all the embassy staff were quick-witted.

With bloodshot eyes, they had been awaiting the ambassador’s return. As soon as the order was given, they packed up the classified documents and left the embassy.

[Insult to the Imperial Family! Outrageous Actions of the Danish Princess Exceed All Limits!]

[Attempted Cuckoo’s Egg in the Imperial Family? Unbelievable Marriage Scam by Denmark!]

[Does Denmark Think the British Empire Is a Joke? Denmark’s Atrocity and His Highness the Crown Prince’s Tears!]

The London newspapers, eager to capitalize on such a juicy story, began distributing their overnight print runs with fervor as soon as dawn broke.

Initially, the citizens were confused, but by breakfast, most understood the previous day’s events.

Newspapers tend to embellish, so the details of Denmark’s actions and the British Imperial Family’s reaction were inevitably exaggerated.

[His Majesty Killian’s Fury! ‘Those Who Insult the Crown Prince Will Not Be Forgiven, No Matter Who They Are!’]

[Her Majesty Empress Victoria to Attend the Upcoming Naval Event. Is This the Beginning of Retaliation Against the Danish Royal Family?]

[Why Did the Danish Princess Do This? Was It Coincidence or Intentional?]

Though only a day had passed, and the facts weren’t fully verified, most newspapers published anyway, the story being too sensational to ignore.

The citizens read and exchanged the newspapers, taking the insult to the Imperial Family personally.

“Wow, seriously! Is this for real? Are those Danish bastards crazy?!”

“They dared to insult His Highness the Crown Prince so openly?”

“Isn’t this basically declaring war? Where are these guys now? Let’s see that princess’s face!”

“Wow, I can’t stand this! Is factory work important now? I’m going to go set fire to their embassy!”

“Foreman! Are you not bothered by this? Are we just supposed to sit here and work?”

Even in the factory cafeteria, over their simple meals, the news dominated conversation.

“Wow, these crazy bastards! Are they out of their minds?”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“Didn’t you see today’s paper? Look at this. Those crazy Danes sent a pregnant princess to the marriage negotiations with our Crown Prince!”

“Huh? No way…”

“Look at this! It’s right here in the newspaper. Our Crown Prince must be so shocked. What should we do…?”

In simple diners and on the streets, everyone discussed the shocking event, unable to believe what they were reading.

As rumors spread rapidly, the situation was increasingly exaggerated, blurring the line between fact and fiction. The saying goes, ‘with three people, you can create a tiger out of nothing.’

By afternoon, the absurd rumor that the Danish princess was actively trying to pass off her child as a member of the British Imperial Family began to circulate. Unsurprisingly, an angry mob gathered at the embassy.

“Come out and apologize immediately!”

“The Danish Royal Family must kneel before His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince!”

“What, no response? Did these bastards run away?”

“That’s right, they ran! Is it okay to cause trouble and then run away? These bastards haven’t come to their senses!”

Bang! Bang! Clang!

Bricks, stones, and flaming whiskey bottles rained down on the embassy. Soon, the thick iron gate was breached, turning the Danish embassy into a scene of utter chaos.

The crowd’s fury was immense, and the police, equally outraged by the insult to their Imperial Family, did not actively intervene.

Or rather, they couldn’t.

“Kya~! It burns well.”

“They don’t even know their place. How dare Denmark provoke us?”

“But is it really okay to just watch? The order from above was to disperse the protesters…”

“Disperse? If we go there now and beat up the protesters, we’ll be photographed immediately. Tomorrow, the newspapers will be full of attacks asking whether the police are on the side of the Imperial Family or Denmark. How can we suppress them? It’s not too late to start suppressing them when there are casualties.”

Since all the key Danish figures had already been evacuated, the only real damage would be the complete burning of the embassy, no matter how much the protesters raged.

And it was clear that the police superiors were secretly hoping the protesters would rage even more.

No commander was foolish enough to act without understanding the situation.

“Alright, protesters! Please maintain order so that no one gets hurt!”

It wasn’t just the citizens caught up in the Danish whirlwind that swept through in a single day.

“Our Liberal Party expresses deep regret over this unfortunate incident and sternly urges the Danish Royal Family to provide an explanation. Furthermore, we would like to point out that the ruling party and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also bear some responsibility for not having grasped the situation until the Imperial Family, the pride of the British Empire, was subjected to such an insult.”

It was customary for the administrative branch to handle diplomatic protocol, so for the opposition party, this was a rare opportunity to seize a potent attack point.

The ruling party responded quickly, accepting some criticism while sharply criticizing Denmark and escalating their own offensive.

“What happened this time was a diplomatic tragedy that should never have happened, and the British government is taking this matter more seriously than ever. A detailed investigation is underway, and we declare that as soon as this matter is concluded, all organizations and individuals involved will be held strictly accountable.”

The Prime Minister himself held an official press conference in front of reporters, highlighting the intensity of the situation.

Wellesley immediately called the key figures of the ruling party to discuss future actions.

“…If we handle this poorly, the backlash could hit us too. Let’s contain the situation.”

“Has there been any word from the Imperial Family?”

“We have confirmation that it is okay to strongly hold them accountable for this matter. So we need to put Denmark down to save our face.”

The opposition party was specifically criticizing the ruling party’s lax foreign policy as one of the causes of this diplomatic disaster.

Their argument, that being too lenient had led other countries to take the British Empire lightly, surprisingly resonated with the angry citizens.

Wellesley felt the weight of their gazes.

If they didn’t take decisive action, their seats could be at risk. They were pleading for him to take a strong stance.

“First of all, I agree that we should take strong action, even if it’s just to shut the mouths of those opposition bastards. We have the justification anyway.”

“But surely you’re not suggesting we go to war?”

“Of course not. There’s not much to gain from going to war with the likes of Denmark in the first place. Of course, we need to put pressure on them.”

Since our pride has been tarnished, we need to retaliate sufficiently to recover our standing.

As a result,

The British Parliament officially sent a message to Denmark demanding they take full responsibility for the incident and pay a corresponding price.

However, Denmark did not respond appropriately.

The reason was simple.

King Christian IX of Denmark, upon hearing the full story, clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.

He fell from his throne, hitting his head on the floor and suffering a concussion. What could they do?

Wellesley almost felt sorry for Christian IX.

So the royal family can really fall apart like this.

It was another moment of realizing that anything is possible in the world.

* * *

Poor humans. They’re making such a fuss because no one wants to take the blame.

Not only the parliament, but also the officials of the Imperial Family who oversaw the matter were running around frantically, desperate to find a scapegoat.

And, of course, the Danish Royal Family was chosen as the final sacrifice.

-This is all because of you. You’re the root of all evil for not managing your daughter properly.

-How could we prevent something like this in the first place? We’re not at fault, so you take all the responsibility.

In reality, the working-level staff, the parliament, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who orchestrated the incident weren’t truly at fault.

However, in this world, sometimes accidents happen, and you have to take responsibility even if you haven’t done anything wrong.

The consensus was that they had to punish Denmark to avoid taking responsibility themselves.

People tend to get angrier when their pride is wounded than when they suffer real damage, and this was precisely the case.

One might wonder if this was even worth getting so worked up about. On the other hand, the incident was so egregious that public opinion could easily have demanded war.

And it was precisely at this time that Bismarck, with his uncanny sense of opportunity, arrived in London under the guise of offering condolences.

“Our Prussia, as the most loyal ally of the British Empire, has no intention of condoning this matter! An attack on the British Empire is an attack on our Prussia! Our Prussia will stand with the British Empire to the end!”

“Waaaaah!”

“Long live Prime Minister Bismarck!”

“Our Prussian Royal Family has immediately terminated the marriage talks that were underway with the Kingdom of Denmark! The reason is simple! Our Prussia considers the British Empire as family!”

It was unusual for the prime minister of another country to gather reporters in London and offer such blatant flattery.

In fact, it was quite effective, and Bismarck’s popularity skyrocketed in Britain.

Small wonder.

The British Imperial Family was insulted, so Prussia terminated its own marriage negotiations with Denmark. How satisfying would that be for the British citizens?

Articles poured out, calling him the Minister of Affability rather than the Iron-Blooded Chancellor. Bismarck, having achieved his initial goal, finally came to the palace to see me.

“You said you came to offer condolences, but you met the reporters first.”

“I thought there would be no better opportunity to demonstrate Prussia’s resolve, so I took a little initiative. But didn’t that convey our country’s intentions effectively enough?”

“That’s true. Has there been any particular response from Denmark?”

“I stated that we cannot become in-laws with an impolite country, and they were unable to offer any rebuttal.”

“You’re as quick as lightning. You have to move quickly to seize an opportunity.”

Since Prussia was taking Denmark’s side and publicly condemning them, there was no need for us to get directly involved.

Of course, I knew exactly what Bismarck wanted, which made him somewhat irritating, but that only proved his diplomatic skill.

Therefore, I had no intention of offering him the ultimate insult by suggesting he was playing the game poorly.

Besides, strictly speaking, weren’t we the ones who held the power to pull the trigger?

If I played this situation correctly, I might be able to get what I wanted without even lifting a finger.

“Prime Minister, I am deeply moved by Prussia’s anger on behalf of our country.”

“Haha, we’re simply doing what’s natural as allies.”

“Then you must be willing to wield the sword of retribution on behalf of our country.”

“…When you say retribution, do you perhaps have plans to mobilize troops against Denmark?”

“Of course. How can the Imperial Family endure such an insult? If you were to ask the citizens or the parliament right now, I’d wager that about eight out of ten would approve of war.”

Of course, that was a lie. Why would I waste money on a war against such a weak country that offered nothing to gain?

However, the justification was clear, so from an outside perspective, they could never dismiss those words lightly.

Good, good. I could feel his gaze as he stared at me, wondering what I was planning.

As always, I smiled kindly and dangled the prize that Bismarck coveted most right in front of him.

“Schleswig-Holstein, you want it, don’t you?”