I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 55

Became a Hidden Tycoon of the British Empire Chapter 55

A Delightful Birthday Party (2)

After a round of toasts with low-alcohol wine.

“Viscount Whigdon doesn’t seem to think much of Lord Conroy.”

“I don’t like talking behind people’s backs, but frankly, I don’t think there’s a nobleman in this country who likes him.”

Lord Melbourne continued, still wearing a kind smile.

“But as for you, opinions are divided within the party on how to evaluate you. You seem to be close to Conroy or the Duchess of Kent, but you’ve also been seen having friendly conversations with Princess Victoria at official events.”

“Thankfully, I’ve been spending time reading books and sharing thoughts with the Princess since I was young.”

“Is that all? Well… Considering the Princess’s environment, that alone might be enough to feel a sense of friendship. You may or may not know, but former Prime Minister Earl Grey also spoke about you quite a bit.”

“I was just a child when Earl Grey was Prime Minister…”

“A person’s character doesn’t change much after childhood, surprisingly.”

The Viscount fiddled with the wine glass in his hand, watching my reaction.

I should feel pressured if I were told that someone like the Prime Minister had been keeping an eye on me since I was young, but I didn’t feel anything special.

I had already known for a long time through O’Connell that the Whig Party was trying to do something to me.

“It’s both embarrassing and pleasing that such a large party like the Whig Party, and even the former and current leaders, are paying attention to me. Hahaha.”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if they didn’t? I, for one, remember the paper you wrote during the Corn Law debate. It was a masterpiece that empirically and perfectly proved Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage. The content was beyond the level of what a student your age could write. Moreover, the Conservative Party is trying to nurture you as a talent who can replace Daniel O’Connell in the future. Given the situation, how could I not pay attention to you?”

“But if that were really the case, there would be no reason to say it so openly and provoke my wariness. The reason you came to me must be something else, isn’t it?”

No one who truly intends to be hostile would confess that fact in front of their opponent.

Lord Melbourne didn’t particularly deny my words and brought the wine glass in his hand to his mouth.

“You can’t know whether someone is an opponent to be wary of unless you see them in person. And above all, opinions were divided on our side, so you could say we had no choice. There were also things we wanted to confirm.”

“Confirm?”

“Earl Grey said that you are someone who clearly recognizes the limitations of being Irish. Therefore, you won’t be overly ambitious, and that’s why the Conservative Party cherishes you. But well… Even if you don’t have such intentions, will the situation allow it?”

Oh, so in short, he came to sow discord.

In fact, if you think about it calmly, it’s not a good move for the Whig Party to attack me out of the blue.

Having been crushed in Ireland, the Whig Party will inevitably carry a penalty in future general elections.

But here, they openly antagonize the Earl of Aaron’s family, whose popularity is growing day by day in Ireland?

This is like advertising that we won’t do business in Ireland anymore.

But it would be too unsettling to leave me alone like this.

Even if the Whig Party tried to win me over, Daniel O’Connell and I were too different.

O’Connell is a complete outsider, so if they set their minds to it, they can use newspapers to attack him with all sorts of propaganda and fabrications.

But I am of Irish descent, but I am clearly a nobleman on the side of the ruling Conservative Party.

If they carry out clumsy schemes, the Conservative Party will respond, so they have to bring a solid case to attack me.

But there’s no way there would be such a thing.

The best way is to separate me from the Conservative Party and then take action, whether it’s to attack or appease me.

“If the situation pushes me, I just need to firmly maintain my center. If I had any plausible ambitions in the first place, wouldn’t I have tried to wield more influence, even a little bit?”

“No. Right now, the Repeal Association led by Daniel O’Connell is rampant in the south-central region, so Irish public opinion is split in half. What if he steps down and an atmosphere arises where people want a strong leader to unite Ireland? Can you still slip away like you do now? Moreover, you won’t be able to use the excuse of being young anymore.”

“Then the Conservative Party won’t be able to mistreat me even more.”

“Not being able to mistreat you means your influence and power will grow that much. Of course, the Conservative Party wouldn’t be foolish enough to mistreat a collaborator from a huge region with as many as 100 seats. But they will definitely try to put a leash on you so they can control you as they please, right? This is a fact proven by history, so please be careful.”

He’s saying this in front of me, but he’ll probably leak words to Conservative Party figures that it’s difficult to control Ireland if it becomes too big.

Of course, it won’t work, but in the first place, these things are more than half successful if you just plant a little bit of unease in someone’s mind.

And the scary thing is that if I don’t prepare, the Conservative Party is likely to act according to Lord Melbourne’s warning.

Right now, they’re praising me as the main player in the Conservative Party’s victory, but to them, I’m just a well-trained hunting dog.

If a hunting dog tries to dine with the owner, they’ll just grab the leash and force it to go down.

“Thank you for your sincere advice. But I know my place well and won’t dream of anything presumptuous. It’s enough for me if I can protect the family and title I inherited from my father.”

“Tsk, tsk, it’s not pleasant to see a capable young man set limits for himself like that. Your thoughts may change when you get older, so don’t limit your possibilities yet. If you want to dream bigger, there will be plenty of people who will help you.”

“It’s an honor that you think so deeply for me, even though I have a different party affiliation.”

“Hahaha! Whether it’s Conservative or Whig, what’s really important is the future of this country, isn’t it? I’m thinking of it as an investment for tomorrow, so don’t worry about it.”

Lord Melbourne, who left an implication to consider defecting at the end, waved his hand and left.

It felt like he was probing and poking around everywhere to the point of being mentally exhausting, but in reality, there was nothing that could be called a valid hit.

But that’s why I could indirectly get a glimpse of how impatient the Whig Party is right now.

They want to bring Victoria, who is bound to hate Conroy, who is close to the Conservative Party, to the Whig Party, but they’re bothered by the fact that she’s close to me.

They want to compete in the next general election, but the current situation where Ireland has been devastated is too unfavorable.

In the end, no matter what they try to do, the existence of me is blocking the way in an unpleasantly strange way, so it’s no wonder that the opinion that Killean Gore must be dealt with is growing stronger in the party.

The fact that Lord Melbourne came in person should be interpreted as a prelude to the party’s movement in some way in the near future.

Fortunately, the wave of change will come faster and more violently than they think.

Even if they try to target me, they will have to properly deal with the rapidly changing surrounding situation for the time being.

* * *

After Lord Melbourne, who had brought a storm, left, not many people looked for me while the party was heading towards its end.

As I was exchanging stories with people I knew and waiting for the party to end, William IV began another long speech.

I know our King is excited, but isn’t he overdoing it?

His voice is so loud that it’s echoing even though I’m keeping some distance, which is a bit funny.

As I was watching the situation, I saw today’s party protagonist walking towards me with light steps.

“You were here~ Are you enjoying the party?”

“It’s fun in its own way, but I don’t think I’m having as much fun as the Princess.”

Perhaps because she was excited or because she had a little alcohol, Victoria was circling around me with three times more excitement than usual.

“Is that so? But I saw you talking with Lord Melbourne for quite a while, smiling.”

“Did you see all of that?”

“Of course… I mean, I was just looking around to see who came, and I happened to see it. It’s not like I was constantly looking to see where Killean was in the Grand Hall.”

“Princess, how many glasses of wine have you had…?”

“…I’m not drunk, okay? Do you think I would be drunk and show a disgraceful appearance on my monumental birthday when I become an adult?”

She’s not drunk, but it seems clear that she has a slight buzz.

Of course, if it seems dangerous, the managers who are watching with their eyes wide open will stop her right away, so there won’t be any problems.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like it’s okay to drink a little more on such a festive day.”

“Really? Then how about Killean joining us? Here, there’s a new glass, so let’s have a toast.”

“Shall we?”

Since I wouldn’t even get a buzz with this level of alcohol, I obediently took the glass that Victoria handed me.

Victoria, who was watching me bring the glass to my mouth, asked with shining eyes.

“To be honest, I thought you might not come today. Didn’t Killean hesitate a little about whether to come or not?”

“Me? There’s no way.”

“The party suddenly got bigger, and Killean originally feels burdened being with me in places with so many people.”

“It’s not a burden. It’s just that we shouldn’t show too intimate a 모습 [appearance].”

It’s okay to come and talk late like now when the party is coming to an end.

She clicked her tongue quietly as if she didn’t like my calm voice.

“That’s the same thing, isn’t it? No, well, to be honest, I understand. Even today, there were people around me talking about Ireland. Hearing those words, I know why Killean is being careful…”

Victoria glanced away and added in a small voice.

“But I don’t like what I don’t like.”

“Is this a situation where I have to apologize?”

“Of course! You have to apologize.”

“I’m sorry. But I will always do my best to ensure that the Princess gets the best results. I believe you know my sincerity.”

Victoria is a student I have taught with all my heart for four years, apart from personal friendship.

Since I’ve put so much effort into it, I honestly hope that she will become an even more capable and great queen than in the original history.

And it would be good for my future, not just hers.

Victoria narrowed her eyes and glared at my face.

“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not making that expression in front of other people, are you?”

“What expression?”

“If you look at me with those eyes, other people might misunderstand.”

Understanding what she meant, I chuckled and shook my head.

“In the first place, I don’t have that many people I maintain personal friendships with.”

“That’s desirable. I heard that people who are trying to do great things need to strictly distinguish between public and private matters.”

Watching Victoria’s noticeably improved mood, I felt a strange feeling inside.

In fact, I had met many women in my previous life, but I had never had a relationship in the true sense of the word.

At that time, my criteria for dating people were not based on the presence or absence of affection, but on whether they were useful or not.

Victoria was also approached based on the latter criteria at first, but I watched her grow up for a long time.

There are many realistic problems, but if she wants it that much, I have enough favor to say that there’s nothing I can’t grant her.

In fact, if you think about it seriously, the road after reaching there is more problematic than the road to get there.

No, to be exact, it’s right to see that both are hellfire difficulty.

The Queen of the British Empire cannot directly intervene in politics unless it is very unusual.

It’s my inevitable nature and identity to instinctively weigh risks and benefits.

At first glance, it seems like putting it on the scale doesn’t even make sense, but my eyes were looking at a slightly more distant future.

“Come to think of it, Victoria, I haven’t given you a birthday present yet.”

“A present? Did you prepare one?”

“Of course. This year’s birthday is a more special day than ever, so I should definitely prepare one for you.”

I took out an elaborately decorated locket from my pocket.

It’s a pendant that has become very popular among the European upper class recently, and the upper class people store things like portraits or hair of precious people here.

“Wow, you can tell right away that you put a lot of effort into it just by looking at the outside.”

“It was made by commissioning the best artisans and jewelers in England. I placed an order last year for custom production and received it recently.”

Victoria received the locket and looked at the artistically cut diamonds and the gold-crafted border with shining eyes.

“This looks very expensive… Weren’t you being too extravagant?”

“I had to pay a little attention because it’s a special day.”

It’s a very expensive piece of jewelry that even royalty can’t easily obtain, but Victoria seemed to be happier with the sincerity I showed to create that splendor than the splendor itself.

“What could be inside? It’s not a portrait of you, Killean, is it?”

“If that were the case, rumors would spread throughout Kensington and Buckingham tomorrow.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Then where…”

Victoria opened the lid of the locket and was momentarily speechless when she saw the portrait decorated inside.

She looked at the picture for a long time and then slowly continued.

“A portrait of my father… But this is a picture I’ve never seen before?”

“It was newly drawn with reference to the portraits of the Duke of Kent that have remained until now.”

I know that Victoria longed for the existence of her father throughout her life, even though she had no memory of having a conversation with her father even once since she was born.

I said to her, who was silently looking at the locket.

“Fathers are beings who protect and cherish their young children until they grow up. I believe that Victoria will become such a being in this country in the future.”

“…I will. I don’t know when it will be, but I will definitely become a great queen who does not disappoint expectations.”

Victoria may think that there is still some time left, but fate does not wait for people to be ready.

“Actually, I prepared one more birthday present, but I think I can give it to you tomorrow.”

“Ah, it seems like the item was a bit too big to bring here? But this alone is enough, so there’s no need to prepare another one…”

“No. The gift you will receive tomorrow will probably be more satisfactory than today.”

“Really? Then I’ll look forward to it and wait.”

Victoria smiled contentedly and continued to fiddle with the locket in her hand.

She seems to like it more than I expected, so I should pay more attention to preparing for tomorrow’s event.

The opening of a new era is just around the corner, so I have to pack up the humans who still can’t let go of their regrets so they can find their place.

It will probably be the best gift Victoria can receive ahead of her ascension to the throne.

Even I think I’m too kind.