I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 487

< Sunset (2) >

After much deliberation, James’s state funeral was scheduled to take place before Edward’s wedding.

There were concerns that holding a funeral before the Crown Prince’s wedding would create a gloomy atmosphere, but James’s will reversed the mood.

Almost all of the world’s richest man’s assets would revert to the royal family, and the next head of that royal family would be getting married.

James’s state funeral was, in effect, a ceremony marking the transfer of all the wealth of the James Group to the British Imperial Family.

From that point of view, it would be most efficient to raise the authority of the Imperial Family with James’s state funeral and then proceed with the wedding.

Since preparations had been underway for some time, no legal rights issues arose.

With his children all in agreement, the media favorable, and the citizens enthusiastic, what could be the problem?

Only one thing.

“The James Group is a corporate conglomerate with enormous authority and power even within the United States. If this falls under the British Imperial Family, wouldn’t a significant portion of our United States’ wealth belong to the British Imperial Family?”

The issue of the identity of the James Group’s businesses, which had already spread its tentacles haphazardly throughout the United States, came under scrutiny.

In steel and oil, the James Group, led by Carnegie and Rockefeller, had virtually established a monopoly, encompassing both the North and Canada.

In addition, they had long held a tight grip on locomotives, and the James Group was also the unrivaled leader in resource extraction, in which they had invested from the beginning.

With the recruitment of Edison, the nascent electrical industry was also taking off, so its influence would only grow, never diminish.

Moreover, unbeknownst to the politicians of the United States, the world’s largest detective agency, armed to the teeth like a military force, was also under the James Group.

At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that the James Group’s base was not the British mainland but North America.

Of course, that was just talk; many industries within the British mainland also belonged to the James Group.

“It’s only the corporate shares that are like that; professional managers will be in charge of management. We will hardly participate in the company’s operations.”

“But as the largest shareholder, you will be able to get deeply involved in the company’s management. Steel and oil are the most important industries that directly affect the country. If the British Empire intervenes for political purposes, the national interests of the United States could be severely damaged.”

“That’s true. You make a valid point.”

As I nodded readily, the tense face of United States Ambassador John Lothrop Motley subtly relaxed.

In fact, in any other country, this would have been an unacceptable act, and they would have intervened directly or forced the sale of shares.

As the ambassador said, the British Imperial Family taking over the James Group entirely meant that a part of the United States economy would be subordinate to it.

However, no matter how much the United States was rebuilding, it could not be so aggressive against Great Britain, of all countries.

If they forced the sale of shares or demanded the relinquishment of ownership, would the other side sit still?

Wouldn’t British citizens and nobles alike rise up and demand war?

And if the United States went to war with Great Britain again, just after recovering from the wounds of the Civil War, the United States economy would likely plummet.

Knowing this, they were trying to read the situation without provoking us as much as possible.

Frankly, it must be maddening. They had to take action, but they couldn’t say it outright, or a fight would inevitably break out.

“If the owner of the United States’ largest company is not the United States but the British Imperial Family, it would be difficult to accept, of course. I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then…”

“But it’s not easy to disregard the wishes of Chairman James, who has returned all his assets out of patriotism for his country. Just look at the newspapers here; there isn’t a single one that doesn’t praise Chairman James’s decision, is there?”

A loyalty to the country that no other entrepreneur in the world has ever shown.

Combined with James’s pro-commoner actions, which had been gaining popularity, his favorability in Great Britain was soaring through the roof.

I heard that quick-witted publishers were already contacting his sons to persuade them to publish James’s biography.

Objectively speaking, looking back on James’s life, he had all the qualities to be praised as a great entrepreneur even in the 21st century.

So how would it be in the 19th century?

“…So, Your Majesty, you intend to maintain this situation as it is…”

“Ah, you should listen to what people have to say until the end. Didn’t I say that I fully understand your country’s situation? So, why don’t we try to compromise appropriately?”

Frankly speaking, it is not desirable for the emperor of a country to be the major shareholder, let alone directly involved in the management of a company.

Isn’t this some kind of hybrid, neither a public nor a private enterprise, with an ambiguous identity?

“To be honest, even if I receive the James Group, I cannot physically manage it. I don’t have the time. Are there a few businesses there?”

“That’s right. Of course, everyone in the world knows that Your Majesty is a very talented person, but if you, who have to run the country, also manage a company, you would need to have two bodies.”

“Edward, who will inherit this position later, is the same. He can’t do it physically. So, we will create a law that strictly separates ownership and management. If we guarantee it by law, you can rest assured, even a little bit, right?”

“Hmm… I’ll have to see the contents of the bill to be sure… but I understand what you mean.”

Anyway, I’ve brought in people like Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Edison, so there’s no reason for me to manage the company directly.

But I don’t intend to just sit back and do nothing.

The management of the company should be left to the experts, and the management should be handed over to the most capable of the children who will not inherit the throne.

Of course, exceptions will be made for fields where it is better for the Imperial Family to reign as the direct owner.

The Suez and Panama Canals, and the Middle Eastern oil that will become the Imperial Family’s biggest source of income in the future, must be owned by the Imperial Family from beginning to end.

I’m a little tempted by the companies in the United States, but there’s no point in being too greedy, so I should at least show a compromise for the sake of image, right?

Anyway, once the antitrust law is passed, the company will have to be split up, so it would be a good strategy to pretend to concede here and incur debt.

“You can rest assured that I won’t try to deceive you with a law. It would tarnish the image of this Imperial Family, so would I do that?”

“Haha, that’s right. It’s Your Majesty who’s doing it, so that’s impossible. I understand. I’ll report that to my home country and then adjust our position accordingly. Thank you for understanding my home country’s situation.”

Judging that things were going surprisingly well, Ambassador Motley smiled and bowed deeply before leaving.

And on that day, when all of this was settled, the ship carrying James’s coffin arrived in London.

“It’s been a while. I heard you were with James until the very end?”

James’s second son, Albert, who had secured a good amount of steel stocks, bent over at a right angle and took my outstretched hand.

“Yes, Your Majesty! Thank you so much for decorating my father’s last moments so gloriously. My brother said that he will return home as soon as the legal procedures are completed in the United States.”

“Now that you’ve become a Count, you should also enter the House of Lords. I could have created an even higher title for you if you had wanted.”

“No, this is more than enough.”

“If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to tell me. I think of you as my own nephews.”

I patted Albert on the back and turned my gaze to the luxurious coffin being loaded onto the carriage.

Officially, James and I were friends when we were young, and we haven’t had much contact since then, so I can’t show my emotions noticeably.

“Albert, how were James’s last moments?”

“Father… actually, he wasn’t in such good condition even when he was exchanging letters with Your Majesty. Still, he said he would definitely attend His Highness the Crown Prince’s wedding, but unfortunately, his body couldn’t hold out.”

“He wasn’t feeling well? He wrote in his letters that every day was enjoyable and comfortable. Did he lie so as not to worry me?”

“It must have been true that he was comfortable and enjoying himself. He just didn’t lie. He used to say that no matter how clear-headed you are, you can’t help but get old and your body weakens.”

So, it wasn’t a sudden death, but a steady decline in health.

Was that why he left Great Britain and went to America, because he knew I would find out about his condition if he stayed here?

“Did he suffer a lot?”

“No. Fortunately, he passed away peacefully.”

“Besides the will, did he leave any other words for me?”

“…He said he wanted to drink the whiskey he had prepared together, but he was sorry he couldn’t. He told me to tell His Highness the Crown Prince to live happily, and he hoped that Your Majesty would follow him at least 30 years later. He said he would be resting leisurely in the meantime…”

“I see.”

I turned my back as James’s coffin, which was gradually disappearing from view, was completely out of sight.

I had already said my farewell in my heart, thinking that I would go as late as possible even if I wasn’t asked, so I’m glad that we agreed until the end.

Now that I’ve finished the cleanup, everything is really over.

But why are my eyes getting wet at a time like this?

If it were raining like usual, I could pretend to be getting rained on and say something cool.

Swish.

As if knowing my heart, a sudden downpour, a specialty of London, poured down, and the attendants rushed to put an umbrella over me.

Momentarily, I, who was about to get rained on on purpose, reflexively went under the umbrella in the face of the whisper of reason that the current rain was acid rain that would destroy all the pores of my scalp.

“Your Majesty. Let’s go in now.”

“…Okay. It’s raining a lot today.”

“Did you get rained on?”

“…No.”

I’m sorry, James. I guess I can’t be the main character in a movie.

For the dead, Westminster Abbey.

For the living, back to Buckingham.

I still had a lot to do.

* * *

New York, the economic center of the American continent.

It goes without saying that even after the disappearance of James, the center of gravity, the atmosphere within the group cannot be the same as before.

What’s more, if someone completely different from everyone’s expectations becomes the de facto owner of the group, there’s nothing more to say.

The fact that James’s coffin left America and went to Great Britain meant a lot.

There were even rumors that his funeral would be a state funeral and that his body would be buried in Westminster Abbey, so how could it not be?

Those who had been aiming for the second-in-command position in the group had to rack their brains to figure out where the power would lie in the future.

“What’s going to happen to the group’s governance structure in the future?”

“If the British Imperial Family has become the owner of the group, does that mean that Killian, the largest shareholder, will also serve as chairman?”

“The son-in-law of the British Empire is the chairman of the group? Does that make sense?”

“It says so in the will, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t, right?”

Rockefeller, who had made perfect plans in preparation for James’s death, felt like his head was about to break.

All the plans he had thought of so far were about to go straight into the trash, so it couldn’t be helped.

But if you think about it differently, such moments of great change always contain opportunities.

“But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think the British Imperial Family can directly intervene in the actual work…”

“I think so too. And in the first place, no matter how powerful the British Empire is, there’s no way the government of this country would allow it.”

“That’s right. Then, the Imperial Family is likely to appoint someone they trust as their agent, which means that the power structure within the group could change completely depending on who they like, right?”

Rockefeller, who had been constantly pondering since the will was revealed, finally came to a conclusion.

And that wouldn’t be much different for Carnegie, who was sitting on the other side.

To take control of the group, you have to get into the Imperial Family’s good graces.

‘First of all, I have to stay one step ahead of Carnegie no matter what.’

‘I can’t fall behind Rockefeller, no matter what.’

While London, the capital of the British Empire, was soaked in a festive atmosphere.

New York was burning hot with a war of nerves over who would be the keeper of the coffers of the golden empire.