I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 485

< London's Tumultuous High Society (3) >

The war between Russia and the Ottomans was a deeply rooted tradition, a conflict that had persisted since the 16th century.

Initially, the powerful Ottomans secured several victories, but those days were long gone.

The Ottomans, having become little more than Russia’s punching bag, were naturally unable to withstand the Russian offensive.

Moreover, this time it wasn’t just the Russian army marching south.

Independent armies rising up in Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Montenegro coordinated with Russia, significantly mitigating the challenges of the expedition.

The Ottomans urgently sent SOS signals to various countries, but this war was unlike its predecessors.

It was clear to everyone that Russia harbored ulterior motives, but the justification for the war was undeniably strong.

Nationalism was the prevailing trend, burning brightly not only in Eastern Europe but throughout Europe, and many people supported the establishment of independent states in the Balkans.

Besides, with Greece having already established a precedent for independence, there was little reason to deny independence to other European countries.

Even if the past was different, the center of global power had already shifted to Europe, so how much longer should the Ottomans be allowed to maintain a foothold there?

Furthermore, some began to frame the current situation as a triumph for Christian civilization.

“Dear brothers and sisters! The world is finally turning towards righteousness! Those evil Islamic infidels are falling day by day, and our Christian nations have truly become the rulers of this world! The modern holy knights, wielding the sword of the Holy Spirit, are punishing the unbelievers, and the weapons of the unbelievers cannot reach us, protected by the armor of faith! Do you know why?”

“Because Christ is with us!”

“That’s right! God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply and conquer to the ends of the earth! The time of that promise has now come!”

I wondered if such outdated religious rhetoric would have a significant impact, but surprisingly, it did.

Even though Charles Darwin had published ‘The Origin of Species,’ 19th-century Europe was still largely influenced by Christian values.

Even those who didn’t openly express it were secretly proud that Christianity had triumphed over Islam, and most people simply voiced that sentiment.

Of course, such public opinion could be manipulated if real national interests were at stake, but unfortunately, there was little opportunity for that this time.

Simultaneous with the outbreak of the war, independent armies rose up throughout the Balkans.

The Russian army, pressing forward relentlessly, repelled the Ottoman defense forces and marched south like a storm.

In just a few months, they advanced to the vicinity of San Stefano, not even allowing other countries a chance to intervene.

In the end, the Ottomans quietly admitted defeat and signed the Treaty of San Stefano with Russia, but they didn’t quietly relinquish their territory.

To ensure the agreement’s credibility, the Ottomans requested the direct intervention of the British Empire, Austria, Prussia, and France, likely preventing Russia from completely seizing the Black Sea, which had been its original objective.

But victory was victory.

Russia widely publicized this great achievement and tried to showcase the continued strength of the Russian Empire.

However, before the ink on the armistice agreement between Russia and the Ottomans had dried, news of the marriage alliance between the British Empire and Austria overshadowed everything, and Russia’s victory was surprisingly ignored.

Isn’t the world a fickle place that only remembers the victor? If you want to receive attention, you must have the credentials to match.”

* * *

As the union of the two imperial families, which had been generating excitement throughout the British Empire, was finally officially announced, all of London was in a festive mood.

With as many as five princes and princesses, and three of them over twenty, yet none of them had married.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely welcomed this marriage, as the crown prince, who would inherit the throne in the next generation, was finally making his first move.

Those who worried that the crown prince might be homosexual or have problems with his virility completely disappeared, and everyone was simply waiting for the wedding day to arrive as soon as possible.

This was because I had generously opened my wallet in anticipation of this monumental wedding.

Not only London but also most major cities held festivals to commemorate the Crown Prince’s wedding, and even distributed beer and food.

It cost quite a bit of money, but to create a welcoming atmosphere for Edward’s new beginning and the foreign Crown Princess in the British Empire, this level of expenditure had to be tolerated.

Once I scaled up the event like this, calls poured in every day.

Bismarck sent a letter saying that he would participate in person as promised, and congratulations were sent from the Spanish royal family, the nobles of the German Confederation, and even Russia and the Ottomans, who had just concluded their war.

But time flows fairly, and it is the way of the world that everyone ages equally.

Someone’s beginning is someone’s end, and if someone is born, someone else departs.

And while I was busy sorting out the list of distinguished guests attending the wedding with Wellesley.

I received unexpected news of a death.

-Your Majesty, former Prime Minister Guizot of France, who was scheduled to attend, passed away this morning.

“What are you talking about? I sent him my regards just a week ago.”

“I heard that his heart hasn’t been very good recently, and he fell asleep yesterday and couldn’t wake up this morning.”

“···I see. Prime Minister Guizot······.”

I knew in my head that he was old enough to die, but when I heard that someone I had known for a long time had passed away, my appetite was a little···no, very bad.

Wellesley, too, had a deep connection with Prime Minister Guizot, who used to rush to London at the drop of a hat, so his voice naturally carried a hint of bitterness.

“Still, it’s a relief that he didn’t go through a painful death. I hope I go like that later.”

“What are you saying so unlucky things when you’re still healthy?”

“Healthy? I’ll be retiring from politics in 10 years at the latest.”

Hearing this obituary ahead of Edward’s wedding makes me feel uneasy even if I don’t try to show it.

Still, as Wellesley said, it’s fortunate that he didn’t have his health ruined or suffer from cancer and die in pain.

If he fell asleep peacefully and went to the afterlife, it could be considered a good death.

Of course, even so, the death of an acquaintance is not something that can be easily dismissed as, ‘Oh, he’s gone.’

This is not a sudden death at a young age, and I can’t help but realize that I am also getting old.

Victoria is such a long-lived person, so there won’t be a problem, but what about me?

In all likelihood, I’m more likely to pass away first, so will Victoria be okay?

Wellesley’s words that he would retire in 10 years feel much closer than before.

When I think about it, I used France very effectively thanks to Guizot, and if I had known that the last greeting was the last, I should have taken care of him a little more.

Even though he was not from the same country and we were just people who gave and received help appropriately because our interests aligned, my heart feels this way.

He retired from the position of Prime Minister in his later years and was treated as a respected elder, so he probably had no complaints?

Compared to his life in the original history, it was still a good ending, but you can’t know what’s in a person’s heart until you hear it directly.

And the last conversation we had was a human exchange that went beyond politics and interests, so it bothered me even more.

-Your Majesty, I heard the news. I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is getting married soon?”

-That’s right. This son of mine has only been causing me trouble until now, but it seems like he’s finally trying to be filial.

-Congratulations. I will go and congratulate you, so would you allow me the honor of seeing Your Majesty after a long time? Huh huh huh.

-What honor are you talking about? If you come to London, I will make time for you anytime, so please come. I will send you an escort, so please relax and rest.

As a person who had retired from politics, he did not say anything complicated, and the conversation just ended there.

“Hoo···My heart is not good, but we still have to keep the living alive. Are the others all coming without any problems?”

“Yes. First of all, I have emphasized to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times to welcome the distinguished guests coming from abroad without any issues. It’s a little unfortunate, but the working staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs won’t be able to go home for the time being.”

“It’s because they’re working hard for the imperial family event, so please tell them that we’ll take care of the overtime pay. It’s a festival that everyone enjoys together, but it’s a pity that only they are being overworked. We have to compensate them even with money.”

“That would be the least bit of comfort. Oh, and the reason I came all the way here is to confirm the list of people you are inviting through your personal connections. Could you please take one more look to make sure that the people listed here are correct?”

“Let’s see···this should be fine.”

It’s a list that I’ve already checked twice, so there’s no way there could be anything wrong, and I nodded appropriately, and Wellesley handed the paper back to me.

“Then we can all meet together after a long time. How about having a drink on that day?”

“That would be great. I think I’ll be more in the mood for whiskey than wine that day, so let’s go for it.”

“Anyway, we’re working so hard, but James is enjoying his retirement in a resort. I’m beyond envious, and these days I’m getting a little angry.”

“Even last week, he took a photographer with him and sent me a picture of him lying on the beach. I regret retiring him for nothing.”

“Tsk tsk, he’s getting loose because he’s getting old. Let’s call him back on the pretext that there’s an urgent matter.”

Wellesley shook his head with eyes that showed he was truly envious to death.

Come to think of it, Wellesley has been involved in politics with me since he was in his 20s and has never taken a break.

He has been running for decades without ever looking back, so he deserves to be truly envious of such a leisurely retirement life.

In fact, I’m also jealous, so how much more would Wellesley be?

“Still, let’s leave him alone for the time being since he finished cleaning up the James Group and retired gracefully. When you think about it, he’s been working hard for us behind the scenes, hasn’t he?”

“I’ve worked harder. James gained the reputation of being the world’s richest man thanks to Your Majesty and lived a life of luxury, scattering money everywhere.”

“Instead, that’s not really his property, is it? Your Excellency’s position as Prime Minister is yours.”

“Well, that’s true.”

What James achieved was close to a kind of leased item that would all revert to me when he died.

I was planning to give each of his children a position, but still, the James Group is not James’s.

On the other hand, the position of Prime Minister of the British Empire was Wellesley’s no matter what anyone said, and he would go down in history as the longest-serving Prime Minister, so Wellesley was not at all inferior.

“By the way, James must be very happy. That man cared a lot about His Royal Highness Edward, didn’t he? He really adored him like a real nephew.”

“He’s as good as a real nephew. Edward probably thinks so too? He said so much that he benefited a lot from James when he was wandering around. He has been emphasizing periodically that he will definitely attend this wedding, so he will probably fly over more excited than anyone else.”

“Hahaha! I’m sorry to my son, but I’m looking forward to it more than his wedding.”

Wellesley left the room for a moment, saying he would hand over the confirmed list, and I sat on the sofa for a while, reminiscing about the old days.

When I think about it, my meeting with James was the real beginning of my new life.

I haven’t really seen him since he left the British Empire to enjoy his retirement life, and the thought of seeing his face again after a long time made me feel better again.

By the way, Wellesley, this man, was only supposed to give me the list, but why hasn’t he come back? Did he go all the way to Westminster [the location of the British Parliament] ?

“Prime Minister, are you going out of the palace now?”

“······.”

Judging from the sound of people talking outside, he didn’t go far, but strangely, Wellesley didn’t come in.

It was after I had personally brewed the coffee and set it on the table that he opened the door and came in.

“How dare you make the royal consort of the imperial family prepare such a thing? This is treason.”

“Your Majesty.”

“···Hmm? Is there a problem?”

“I just received a telegram···I’m afraid we’ll have to drink coffee some other time.”

He bit his lip as if trying to suppress the emotions that were about to burst out, with a gloomy look I had never seen before, and handed me the telegram.

“James has gone to be with the Lord [passed away].”

“······.”

My brain momentarily refused to understand the information that had entered through my ears.

And slowly, one beat late.

I dropped the coffee I was holding on the floor and collapsed into the chair.

Countless questions and doubts flashed through my mind, but no sound came out of my mouth.

I stared at the stain on the blackened carpet for a long time without saying a word.

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