I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 5

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire 5

The British Empire

The fact that I was leaving the stifling land of Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] for England was, in itself, wonderful, but there was one problem.

What do I want to do in the future?

I have never seriously contemplated what kind of existence I want to become.

In Joseon, I was someone who couldn’t do anything in the first place, so worrying about such things was nothing more than a luxury.

But not anymore.

The place where I will live from now on is not Joseon, where I couldn’t do anything because of the innate shackles of being a mixed-race slave with the blood of a barbarian.

Depending on what I do, I can have anything, and if my abilities are good enough, I can rise to any position.

So, what should I do?

Amass a huge fortune?

I can’t say for sure, but it’s not impossible if I make full use of my major [area of expertise].

However, if it’s just about money, I lived in my previous life manipulating more than 10 billion won [Korean currency, roughly equivalent to several million USD].

But the end was not good, to say the least.

The answer to why it ended that way is very simple.

Even if you only have money, if you don’t have the social power and position to support it, the limitations are too clear.

The reason why I suffered all kinds of humiliation in Joseon was essentially the same.

Because that was the position I was in to receive such treatment.

From that point of view, I have finally seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Even though I am an illegitimate child, as the only blood relative of a nobleman with a title, I can rise high enough depending on the situation.

Money and fame are merely means and tools for a purpose.

In this life, I will rise to a position where no one dares to shake me.

Of course, even a thousand-mile journey starts with one step. To do that, I need to prepare thoroughly from now on.

First of all, I need to clearly understand my position and play the best situation accordingly.

Honestly, until now, I was just listening to the conversation, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.

But now, I am in a position as a party concerned, not a bystander.

Regardless of the fact that I am a human being fluent in multiple languages, to those around me, I was just a 10-year-old kid who grew up in Joseon.

If a kid like that suddenly starts understanding or speaking English, wouldn’t it look too unnatural?

If I really tried to make excuses, I could convince them, but there’s no real benefit to doing so.

I know from my past life of manipulating people’s minds.

Looking smart and looking weird are only a hair’s breadth apart.

What I need to take is the image of an extremely bright child, and I must not cross that line.

In Joseon, I didn’t have the luxury, so I stirred up aggro [provocation] somehow, but now there’s no reason to do that.

In fact, the status of a child has many restrictions.

No one listens to you seriously, and you often need a guardian to do anything.

But that’s why, if you behave well, you can avoid being suspected by anyone.

What is the lesson I learned from suffering in my previous life?

I have no intention of repeating the same mistake this time.

Until I reach a position where I cannot be shaken by anything, no one should be able to clearly identify me as a person.

My superficial identity is just a nobleman’s son with a reasonably good head.

I have to hide other aspects somehow… I’ll have to think about the details after arriving in England.

As I was determined to become someone who no one could look down on in England, strength naturally entered my eyes.

Was it because that appearance looked like it was full of agony?

The middle-aged man who came to pick me up asked the interpreter carefully.

“He’s lived there for ten years, so it must be like a beloved hometown to him. He must feel complicated about leaving. What should we do in this case?”

“As far as I know, in Joseon, if the mother is a slave, the child is also a slave. If he lives in his home country for a few days, he won’t even think about Joseon, so don’t worry.”

“I guess so? But when I think about it, it’s still a long way to London, so how should we talk? Should we translate Joseon language into Qing language [language of the Qing Dynasty in China] like in Joseon, and then translate Qing language into English again?”

“That was possible because there was an interpreter from Qing… I can’t speak Joseon language. But in fact, even without me, James is fluent in Qing language, isn’t he?”

“I can only speak Qing language, but I don’t know Joseon language at all. And even if I’m fluent, I’m not as good as you, a professional interpreter. If I had known this would happen, I would have asked Qing for an interpreter who is fluent in Joseon language.”

I can hear everything they’re saying, but pretending not to understand is getting tiring.

But when I think about it, considering my position in England, I think it’s a good idea to show some intelligence in advance.

Even though the person called Father doesn’t have any legitimate children, I was clearly an illegitimate child.

To monopolize my father’s attention and love, I need to show intelligence to the point where I can be called a prodigy wherever I go.

If I pretend to know English, I’ll look beyond smart and weird, but Chinese is within the acceptable range.

Modern Chinese is based on the Beijing Mandarin used by the current Qing Dynasty with some modifications, so strictly speaking, it’s slightly different.

If someone who knows Qing language hears it, it will sound somewhat awkward, but that’s why it’s even better.

It’s not strange to make the excuse that I learned it on my own.

“Excuse me… I can speak Qing language. Could you possibly interpret for me?”

“Huh? Are you speaking Qing language now? How on earth?”

“The family I was in was the home of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites [government department in ancient China and Korea], so I often heard Qing language. There were many books in the house, too. So I learned it on my own.”

“You learned a language on your own? Just like that?”

“I tend to learn languages very quickly. I can also speak some of the language of the Wa people [ethnic group in Southeast Asia] in the south.”

The interpreter’s eyes widened.

I deliberately asked him to interpret to hide the fact that I understood English, but the gentleman named James must have understood me as well.

As expected, he was also staring at me with his mouth wide open.

“Language is not something that can be learned so easily, but you learned it to this level on your own… and not just one, but two.”

“Right? When I was in Joseon, I didn’t see anyone among my peers who was smarter and learned faster than me.”

Like a ten-year-old who likes to be praised, he doesn’t hide his pride.

They must be a little surprised that a ten-year-old can speak three languages.

No, it’s not just a little, they look incredibly surprised.

“Then that’s really fortunate. It’s still a long way to London, so I can teach you some simple alphabets in the meantime. If you can read even simple words by the time you arrive, your father will be very pleased.”

“Yes, I’m new to English, but I’ll study hard. I want to talk to many people quickly, too.”

In fact, this was half true.

I may be fluent in English like a native speaker, but the standard of that native speaker is only American.

The accent used by aristocrats or educated people in England today, commonly referred to as posh, was too different.

What if I go to England and roll my tongue like I did in my previous life? I’ll be cut off from society immediately.

Chinese or Japanese are okay even if they’re a little clumsy because they’re foreign languages, but not English.

I have to somehow change the American English ingrained in my tongue to a British accent.

But I wasn’t too worried.

Anyway, those around me see me as someone who is learning English from scratch.

It doesn’t matter if my pronunciation is a little awkward at first. After all, even that will be seen as a miraculous acquisition.

If I just correct my pronunciation like crazy, I’ll get used to it in a year or two at the latest.

The middle-aged gentleman, unaware of my inner thoughts, gave me various pieces of advice with a pleased smile.

“I’m not an interpreter, so I don’t know everything perfectly, but the languages of Asia, which are in the Chinese character culture, and our languages are completely different. It will probably be very difficult at first. But if you don’t know anything, feel free to ask me anytime. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After that day, the middle-aged gentleman who identified himself as James brought an interpreter and spent all day helping me with my English studies.

At first, I thought he was just very loyal, but when I heard the story, there was a reason for it.

“It will be very awkward and difficult at first when you arrive in London. Your Excellency only has you as his blood relative, but you are still an illegitimate child. In fact, even in Europe, where we are going, the treatment of illegitimate children is not good. It may be even worse than in the East.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. In the past, illegitimate children could not be their parents’ successors under any circumstances. They could not receive any legal guarantee or protection of their status.”

There were many cases in the East where illegitimate sons were more favored than legitimate daughters in terms of succession rights, but there were almost no such cases in the West.

The famous Duke William I of Normandy [William the Conqueror] is a good example.

Even he, who was called William the Conqueror, was plagued by numerous rebellions in his early days, saying that he was an illegitimate child without legitimacy.

“Then, even if I go to London, I won’t be able to enjoy any rights?”

“No, that’s not true. Fortunately, the treatment has been getting better little by little recently. The concept that everyone has rights that cannot be violated is spreading widely. If there are no legitimate sons or daughters, parents can declare that they will pass it on, and they can push it through somehow.

However, if you are not considered capable of inheriting the title, your relatives will rise up.”

“That’s fine. That means I can do it if I try, right?”

I was worried that I would be treated coldly in England, but this is fine.

So, all I have to do is make my father pass on the title to me, regardless of whether his relatives give him the eye, right?

Of course, I tried to make my expression look as determined as possible so that these inner thoughts would not be revealed.

“You don’t have to worry too much. Just the fact that you can already read simple words proves that you are brilliant. Unlike me, you don’t have any siblings…”

“Was James in the same situation as me?”

“It’s similar. My father is the current Earl of Westmeath, who has a seat in the British House of Lords. I’m an illegitimate child, and there were six legitimate children above me, so I couldn’t even dream of proper treatment.”

“But you’re acting as my father’s agent, right?”

“That’s possible because I’m a nobleman’s bloodline and the Earl saw my abilities in a good light. And as I said, the treatment of illegitimate children is much better than before. So you don’t have to worry too much.”

A nobleman’s butler who manages the estate on behalf of the owner can only be done by someone with a corresponding status.

In fact, it’s too obvious if you think about it a little.

Would anyone in their right mind hire someone to manage their estate and take care of the family affairs?

To become a butler of a decent noble family, you must be at least a descendant of a noble.

It was the same as having to give the title of at least Earl or Marquis to those who attend to the king.

So, the fact that James was in charge of his father, the Earl’s agent, was quite significant.

Even if you are an illegitimate child, if you have the ability, you will be given at least the minimum noble treatment.

So there’s even less reason to worry.

In the first place.

Even if the treatment is bad, it’s like heaven on earth compared to being a mixed-race slave in Joseon, so there’s no reason to feel heavy-hearted.

* * *

While taking the ship to London, I spent most of my time studying English with James.

In fact, I put almost all my effort into correcting my pronunciation, and the rest was just pretending to learn.

James, who had no idea of the truth, was amazed by my growth rate and gave me a thumbs up.

Of course, I had no intention of pouring all this precious time into just English.

In addition to studying, I made a lot of effort to gain James’ trust while coming to London.

Considering my status as an illegitimate child, I need to secure a reliable person in England who will be entirely on my side in addition to my father.

In that regard, James was the best person to go beyond this.

A butler who manages the Earl’s family and is fluent in Qing language is really rare.

Above all, he was someone who had suffered from the shackles of being an illegitimate child of a nobleman.

Where else would it be so easy to form an internal intimacy with someone like that?

With these conditions in place, forming a deep relationship with the other person was nothing to me.

The most important thing when it comes to scamming is what?

The first, second, and third is to gain trust.

No matter how good the conditions are, if the other person doesn’t trust you, it becomes useless.

The most important thing for a top-notch con artist was the ability to perfectly gain the trust of the target, rather than the meticulousness of designing the scam.

And I am a master in that field.

In fact, during the long and short time it took to come to London, I was able to perfectly gain his favor by sometimes stimulating sympathy and sometimes empathizing with him.

With this, I have secured at least one ally who will be entirely on my side while living in London.

As the ship turned around the Strait of Dover and arrived at the lower reaches of the Thames, the panorama of the 19th-century British Empire came into view.

“Wow.”

I remember visiting London several times in my previous life.

Even then, I was impressed by the wonderful city that retained both classical and modern aspects.

The current London was definitely shabbier compared to then, the air was dirtier, and the streets looked messier.

But somehow, it looks much more amazing and overwhelming now than it did then.

Maybe it’s because of the time I spent in Joseon.

Based on modern standards, there was not much difference between Seoul and London in terms of urban infrastructure.

No, when you think about it, London had more inconveniences than Seoul because the underlying facilities were so old.

This is not because Seoul is particularly superior, but because London was a city that had undergone modernization a long time ago.

The scene of industrialization unfolding before my eyes was proof of that.

Compared to the scenery of Hanyang [old name for Seoul], which is still vividly etched in my mind, the difference feels more extreme.

The London Bridge, which is being newly built beyond the steamship that is leisurely going up the Thames, can be seen.

The appearance of the complete form, which seems to be almost at the end of construction, was quite impressive.

James stuck close to me and pointed to various places in London, explaining them diligently.

“This river is the Thames. It passes through Oxford, divides London from west to east, and then flows into the North Sea. It used to be a clean river, but now the pollution is so severe that you should never bathe in it or drink it.”

“The smell coming up is unusual.”

“There used to be a lot of salmon returning from the North Sea, but the number is decreasing. Ah, that tall building you see over there is St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is also the place where the state funerals of great people who have made significant contributions to the country are held. In fact, strictly speaking, only the area near the cathedral is London, but now most people just call the surrounding area London.”

As I listened to James’s continuous explanation, I felt the ship’s speed slowing down.

The magnificent sound of the steam engine as the ship stopped signaled the start of my second life in earnest.

I have finally arrived.

In London, the capital of the world’s strongest power in the 19th century, the British Empire.

“Your Excellency, welcome to London.”

Before I could be immersed in emotion, James smiled kindly and held out his hand.

“Let’s go. The Earl is waiting.”

I grabbed his hand tightly without hesitation.

What kind of person will my father be in this life?

My heart is pounding with anticipation and excitement.