I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 490

< The Taste of Authority (2) >

Born on November 25, 1835.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and his entire family moved to the United States.

From shoveling coal into a blast furnace to delivering telegrams at a post office, he worked his way up from a telegraph operator to a railroad company employee.

He gained experience little by little through all sorts of jobs and continued to rise in the ranks, eventually succeeding in becoming the president of James Steel.

“Carnegie, you are the pride of our family!”

“To think that someone from our family would meet with royalty!”

When he became the president of James Steel, he was the object of great envy, but his family and cousins reacted even more strongly when he first met Killian.

And that was the same for Carnegie.

He wondered if they were making such a fuss because he was from Scotland, but when he came to London, his rival Rockefeller didn’t seem to be much different.

After his audience with Killian, he was guided to his lodgings, and from the start, he was dumbfounded by the antique environment he had never experienced in the United States.

“This mansion has often been provided to local nobles when they came to London since the 16th century. Although it is old, it has been continuously maintained, so you should have no inconvenience using it.”

“So it’s a place with 300 years of tradition.”

The biggest issue for the *nouveau riche* [newly rich] in the United States was the absence of history and tradition, and people are naturally drawn to something they don’t have.

Carnegie knew that Killian had deliberately put him in such a mansion, but that made him feel even better.

‘The fact that they put me and Rockefeller in a place where nobles from outside stay means that they will treat us as being of that status, right?’

He had heard that James’ sons had publicly declared their support for their father’s decision and received a baronetcy [a hereditary title of honor].

If he becomes the right-hand man of Killian’s child in the future, it means that he can become the second-in-command of the group and a British Earl.

It would be beneath royalty to interfere in the group’s affairs, so the second-in-command would be in charge of practical management, which means that the second-in-command would have wealth, power, and honor all at once.

However, Carnegie was essentially a cold-blooded businessman, so he had no intention of being blinded by vanity.

“I need to keep my wits about me and be careful not to get too excited.”

He could easily guess what Killian was aiming for without even looking.

“Let’s just take what we can and get out. Yes. This kind of thing will be fine as long as I don’t get too deeply involved.”

They’re offering hospitality, so there’s no reason to refuse.

If I can take what they give me and stick to my beliefs, I have nothing to lose.

That’s what he thought.

Until yesterday.

“Haha, Lord Carnegie, Lord Rockefeller. I am Richard Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.”

“N-Nice to meet you! I am Andrew Carnegie! If you are the Duke of Wellington, are you perhaps the brother of Prime Minister Wellesley…?”

“Yes, I am Prime Minister Wellesley’s older brother. I heard that you are a precious guest personally invited by His Majesty, so thank you for accepting the invitation.”

“No, it is our honor!”

The Wellington family is the family of Arthur Wellesley, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and Prime Minister Wellesley, who reigned as the longest-serving Prime Minister in British history.

He can be said to be one of the most prominent nobles that everyone in the world knows, so to think that such a big shot would greet them from the start was astonishing.

When the invitation came from Apsley House, the Duke’s residence, he had some expectations, but coming here in person was beyond his imagination.

He thought they were just going to let him enjoy the noble atmosphere, but it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t a high-ranking noble around him.

“You are His Majesty’s guests? Then you are the same as our British Empire’s honored guests. Nice to meet you, I am the Earl of Sandwich.”

“Ah! The Earl of Sandwich… I have heard a lot about you.”

“Earl of Suffolk here. You said you were Lord Carnegie? Come visit my house sometime.”

“Yes. It would be an honor.”

Everywhere he looked, there were earls and dukes who had close relationships with the imperial family.

He was so burdened that his shoulders were shrinking, but surprisingly, they naturally treated Carnegie and Rockefeller as the main characters of the party.

Even if they were invited by the imperial family, they were clearly new capitalists from the United States, so how could they be treated like this?

At first, he stuttered while thinking that, but that was only for a moment.

People are creatures of adaptation, and after about a week, the two naturally mingled with them and felt as relaxed as if they had become nobles themselves.

Horse riding, shooting, and fishing were hobbies that American rich people enjoyed enough, but the taste of the original was different.

In particular, dinner parties and gentlemen’s clubs for high-ranking nobles were places where commoners could not easily set foot, no matter how rich they were, so their hearts could not help but flutter.

“Amazing. So, Lord Carnegie, you mean you are a businessman personally chosen by His Majesty?”

“Hahaha, I am not of a status to be called Lord Carnegie.”

“What does status matter? Lord Carnegie is from our British Empire and is a patriot who has further enhanced the prestige of his country across the Atlantic. If he is such a patriot, His Majesty may very well create a new title in recognition of his merits. It will probably happen within a few years.”

“Hahaha…”

It’s not just about spending money to imitate the lives of nobles, but high-ranking nobles who have truly maintained traditions for hundreds of years recognize him.

This is what it means to experience a luxury that *nouveau riche* who admire the nobles of the British Empire and forcibly imitate the noble life in the United States cannot even imagine.

And this was not limited to Carnegie.

“Lord Rockefeller’s insight is truly sharp. He certainly has a broader perspective than other *nouveau riche*. I think this is what aristocratic thinking is.”

“You flatter me.”

“Flattery? Even nobles are eliminated if they are not capable in this era. I think Lord Rockefeller is a person who is fully worthy of being called a noble of the new era.”

“…Thank you.”

At business discussions often held at gentlemen’s clubs, Carnegie and Rockefeller were as active as fish in water.

The nobles of the British Empire, who are known to be proud, paid attention to their words, admired them, and nodded repeatedly.

At night, they enjoy dinner with the nobles belonging to the House of Lords, and the very next day, they make plans to see a wonderful performance at a traditional theater.

As the crowning glory, they were assigned special seats for the Derby [a prestigious horse race], which was attended by nobles and even members of the imperial family, and they were able to meet the person they would serve in the future.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Carnegie and Rockefeller.”

“Yes! I am Andrew Carnegie, who will assist His Highness… no, the representative in the future.”

“My father and the nobles all say that you are excellent people who are comparable to any nobles in this country. I look forward to working with you. Let’s sit here and watch the game together.”

The second son of the British imperial family. When Alfred tapped the seats next to him, Carnegie and Rockefeller greeted him once before sitting down.

Sitting right next to the second son of the world’s most powerful imperial family and watching a horse race where the emperor’s horse is running?

This reality felt surreal, and the two spent their days without even being conscious of what they were saying or thinking.

‘Ah… I don’t want to go back.’

‘Is this what the life of a noble is like?’

Every time they went to bed in their lodgings, the two could not help but suppress the corners of their mouths from rising without their knowledge.

Born into a poor family, he rose through the ranks with his own strength and amassed enormous wealth.

Based on this, he was selected by the world’s most powerful person and became a confidant of the imperial family, reaching the high nobility.

In Carnegie’s mind, a panorama of his future self, becoming a Duke of the United Empire and fraternizing with Alfred, was flashing by.

* * *

Similar time.

Marlborough House, London.

“Thank you for taking the time. I am truly sorry for causing a disturbance at the wedding. I feel terrible for pouring cold water on your wedding, which should have been full of blessings. I don’t know what to say.”

“No. His Majesty already told me that the Prime Minister was so moved that he shed tears. Neither His Highness nor I mind, so you don’t have to worry too much. Rather, you only had to apologize to His Highness, but I am so touched that you even came to apologize to me separately.”

Bismarck looked at Crown Princess Gisela smiling brightly in front of him and clicked his tongue inwardly.

Touched, huh? Is he emphasizing in this way that the Prime Minister of Prussia apologized directly to the Archduchess of Austria?

To be able to subtly mock like this, my eyes were not wrong.

It was an unexpected humiliation to take up the front page of the newspaper for showing tears at the wedding, but a true winner uses a crisis as an opportunity.

Not only the British Empire, but also Prussia itself is making a fuss by giving all sorts of meanings to the Prime Minister’s tears and interpreting them.

It was a painful mistake, but before going back and dealing with the Junkers [Prussian nobles] who were running wild like crazy horses, he was able to solve one important task that had been bothering him until now.

“I am just grateful that you see it that way. I was worried that His Highness might misunderstand because the newspapers were saying so much nonsense.”

He asked Killian and Edward to come with the excuse of apologizing in person, so they couldn’t refuse.

As expected, Crown Princess Gisela, who he was finally able to meet alone, seemed truly pure and kind as he had heard.

To be able to hide such deep schemes with such an angelic mask, the real enemy may be the Crown Princess, not Crown Prince Edward.

“You don’t have to worry. The Prime Minister’s intentions are so clear that there is no way to misunderstand, right?”

-I know what you’re really paying attention to, so don’t bother acting.

Certainly not an easy opponent.

But Bismarck is a person who is second to none when it comes to speaking indirectly.

As if to prove his reputation as a master of diplomacy, he continued to speak softly with an expression that was not disturbed in the slightest.

“In fact, I was a little surprised when I first heard that the Archduchess of Austria had been confirmed as the Crown Princess of the British Empire. But now I know why. The Crown Princess fits this position so well, as if she was a member of the British imperial family since she was born.”

-You are now a person of the British Empire, so you know that you must be loyal to the position you are in, right?

“Do you really think so? That’s a relief. I was actually very worried. My family also has a prejudice that they are snobbish, so I was very worried that I wouldn’t seem to be integrating well here. But you really think I look like a Crown Princess of the British Empire without any flaws? Do you think the citizens of this country all think so? I’m still a little worried that they won’t.”

-Even so, I am a member of the Habsburg family, and even if I am the Crown Princess of the British Empire, the citizens of the British Empire will think of me as the princess of my hometown. So, if the citizens want, I can intervene in Austrian affairs at any time.

Bismarck, who read the meaning implied in Gisela’s words, smiled bitterly.

As expected, is that what it comes down to in the end?

“If the Crown Princess shows her sincerity, of course all the citizens will recognize it. I will also help as much as I can, even if it is insignificant.”

“Thank you so much. I will always pray for the Prime Minister’s health. Prussia can always stand tall only if the Prime Minister is strong, right? I am a member of the British Empire, but I will do my best to ensure that peace between Austria and Prussia continues in the future.”

What is the meaning of these words?

Does it mean to go back and keep the Junkers in check so that Pan-Germanism doesn’t spread further?

Such courage and ability to grasp the situation to say such things indirectly at this timing is truly extraordinary.

What was I doing at that age?

Bismarck, who suddenly remembered the past when he was punching Engels and Marx, scratched his head and stood up.

In a solo match that no one intended, Bismarck felt a kind of wall against Gisela.