I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 56

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire 56

Time to Step Down

How beautiful is the departure of one who knows when to leave.

Such people receive much praise in later generations, regardless of East or West.

In other words, isn’t it because most people in the world are not like that, that such actions are praised?

You have to know when to admit defeat and when to step back, but this is not as easy as it sounds.

Most people can’t leave when they’re being applauded and are forcibly removed from the stage only after the curtain has fallen and they’ve gone through act after act, even to the point of absurdity.

The atmosphere at Kensington Palace was not much different.

Yesterday’s celebration of Victoria’s birthday was nothing more than a closing ceremony, signaling the end of the Duke of Kent’s wife and Conroy’s show.

However, as Conroy himself said yesterday, he was not yet magnanimous enough to accept that his role was over.

“Princess Victoria, may I come in?”

A leisurely noon, when Victoria and I were in the middle of a conversation about what had happened at the party yesterday.

Victoria frowned openly at Conroy and the Duchess of Kent, who barged in without permission.

“When did I ever give you permission to come in whenever you pleased?”

“The Duchess has something to say to you, Princess. Does a mother need permission to see her daughter?”

“Amazing. I always thought Lord Conroy was a man, but apparently he’s my other mother. But I don’t remember having two mothers, so what’s going on?”

Victoria’s sudden outburst, who hadn’t said a single unpleasant word until now, left Conroy and even the Duchess of Kent speechless and momentarily unable to speak.

Conroy, who was the first to recover, cleared his throat and gave an awkward laugh.

“Ha… Haha, Princess, now that you’re an adult, your jokes have become much more… pointed.”

“Were Lord Conroy and I ever close enough to exchange jokes so intimately?”

“……”

Wow, that’s cold. Really cold.

The warm atmosphere in the room, which had been so friendly until just now, froze like midwinter in an instant.

The Duchess, who had been stunned by the unexpected situation, belatedly regained her senses and raised her voice.

“Victoria! What kind of rude behavior is that!”

“Mother. Should I remind you who is being impolite?”

It goes without saying that barging into a member of the royal family’s private room without permission is a serious breach of etiquette.

If the other person is a young man of the opposite sex, he would have no grounds to complain if he was called a pervert.

Victoria’s suddenly hardened attitude may have been embarrassing, but the Duchess did not back down and continued to retort.

“No, it’s not like this is a one- or two-day thing; you’ve been doing this all along, so I don’t know why you’re suddenly making an issue of it.”

“Mother, I’m an adult now. Do you think it makes sense for a man to barge into a fully grown woman’s room without permission?”

“Of course, but isn’t Lord Conroy like family? It’s perfectly acceptable.”

“I think there are certain courtesies that should be observed, even with family.”

“Oh, why is she suddenly acting like this? It would be one thing if it were late at night or early in the morning, but it’s the middle of the day. Besides, I knew you were talking to Killian inside, so I thought it was okay to come in, didn’t I?”

As the voices of the two mothers and daughters grew louder and louder, even the servant outside was surprised and came inside.

Normally, she would have left it to the Duchess to manage, but Conroy, who was upset by yesterday’s events, made no secret of his displeasure and added a word.

“Now that the Princess has become an adult, she seems to want to be treated accordingly. But Princess, you don’t need to attach too much importance to being an adult. It’s just a legal term.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. I see that Lord Conroy is also well-versed in the law.”

“Do you think that yesterday’s Princess and the day before yesterday’s Princess are very different? Don’t be mistaken. You are still young and not at all ready to bear this great burden!”

To be honest, it’s a bit disgusting to hear a man who has been determined to trap Victoria so that she can’t stand on her own two feet say such things.

I wonder how the person involved feels, since I, a third party, feel that way.

Thanks to the fact that I told her that she didn’t have to hold back today, she didn’t hesitate at all and could vent everything she had accumulated.

She scoffed and tilted her head.

“It’s true that I’m lacking [in experience]. Of course, I need the help of excellent advisors. But what does my being young and unprepared have to do with Lord Conroy?”

“…… What?”

“That’s right. I feel like I’m still lacking in many ways. But what changes if I admit that?”

“It should change! If you admit that you are not ready, then you should have people by your side who can make up for it!”

The Duchess, who was watching from the side, was startled by the threatening sight of him slamming the table, but Victoria didn’t even blink an eye.

Perhaps it was because her innate personality hadn’t gone anywhere, but the more Conroy got angry, the more Victoria seemed to enjoy it, rather than shrinking back.

“Someone to make up for it? Who?”

“Of course, it’s your mother who is by your side! Who in the world is more trustworthy than family! Make it clear that you will make the Duchess of Kent your regent and me your personal secretary!”

“Why should I do that?”

“Ha! Did you just say that you were not prepared enough, and now you’re going to pretend you don’t know?”

“No, what does that have to do with being a regent or a personal secretary? I’m telling you, I’m not going to entrust anything to you.”

I felt so relieved that I could see right through his scheme, but Conroy’s face was so distorted that it was impossible to describe in words.

He trembled, threw the documents he had brought down in front of Victoria, and slammed the table with his fist.

“I won’t say it twice. Sign here now. You are still young! You are too weak to bear the crown of this country.”

“Then I can prove my strength by not signing here, right?”

“Don’t play games! Duchess, are you just going to sit back and watch your daughter go astray like this? If this continues, she will be branded as the most unprepared queen in history.”

“Yes, yes. Victoria, you’ve always listened to your mother, why are you suddenly acting like this? Even if you’re an adult, what do you know about politics? Listen to your mother now.”

I thought she would have lost her mind by now after being openly humiliated in front of Viscount Melbourne yesterday, but she still has at least a minimum of reason left.

I thought I needed to provoke her more, so I gave her a signal with my eyes, and Victoria sighed as if to show off.

“Mother. The fact that I don’t know politics is only a relative comparison. I’m not so ignorant that I would leave it to you or Lord Conroy.”

“Wh-what?”

“Princess Victoria. Did you eat something wrong?”

“Mother. Do you know what the biggest issue was in the recent economic debate surrounding the Corn Laws [tariffs on imported grain]? Can you explain the comparative advantage theory of free trade that came out criticizing protectionism?”

Of course, there’s no way she can answer.

She left the Duchess, who was staring blankly like someone who had heard an alien language, and asked Conroy next.

“There’s an economic recession going on outside right now. Can you explain why this happened, what monetary policy the Bank of England is using, and how it’s affecting the economy?”

“…… What are you……”

“I’m very lacking, so you said I should make Lord Conroy my personal secretary. But why should I make someone who doesn’t even know this my personal secretary? Still, I have to say, you have great confidence. You were going to be my secretary even though you didn’t know this?”

Conroy’s eyes fluttered.

You could clearly feel the anger of being openly ignored again after yesterday, and the embarrassment of how Victoria, who should not have received a proper education, knew these facts.

“How in the world…… How does the Princess know such knowledge?”

Conroy looked at the Duchess, but there was no way she knew what was going on either.

Next, the two of them turned to me, but Victoria’s laughter echoed through the room even faster.

“It’s funny. Are you finally looking for someone to blame after only seeing what you wanted to see and hearing what you wanted to hear? I think you should start with self-reflection.”

“Princess Victoria. I know you’re excited about yesterday’s party, but shouldn’t you be more careful with your words?”

“Have you ever been careful with your words to me, Lord Conroy? I’m going to give back as much as I’ve received from now on.”

“…… Why in the world. It’s like you’ve changed overnight……”

“Overnight? The very fact that you think that way is proof that you don’t know anything about me. And what? A secretary? Pfft.”

I told her not to hold back, but I didn’t know she would be such an unstoppable runaway train, and I’m getting chills just listening to her.

Conroy, who had been driven mad by her last sneer, clenched his fists, trembled, glared at me, and shouted.

“It would have taken more than a day or two for a princess who is ignorant of politics and economics to have such knowledge! It’s you! You betrayed me!”

“Me? Do you have any reason to think so?”

When I tilted my head innocently, the anger in Conroy’s eyes crossed the threshold.

“There’s no one else who could have given the Princess such knowledge but you! You’re the one who put the wind in the Princess’s sails! You’re trying to steal my plan, my position! I’ve been so considerate to you, but you’re an ungrateful bastard! Even just yesterday, you said that when you were here today, you would pressure the Princess together……”

“He told me the same thing. He told me to enjoy watching Lord Conroy’s last struggle from the best seat in the house.”

“…… What……”

“Now you don’t even know what you’re saying. You just said that the knowledge I have was taught to me by Killian. Then it doesn’t make sense that Killian was on your side from the beginning. You said that it’s not knowledge that can be accumulated overnight, didn’t you?”

Unless you’re an idiot, you’ll understand what’s going on now.

Conroy, as well as the Duchess of Kent, stared at me with pale faces and moved their lips.

“You, you, you…… How dare you…… How could you betray me after all I’ve done for you?”

“I don’t want to be branded as a traitor either, so let me just correct one thing. Strictly speaking, I’m not a traitor. I’ve never been on your side for even a second. So wouldn’t it be a bit of a misnomer to say that I betrayed you?”

“You bastard! Shut your mouth!”

“I will not allow violence in this place.”

Conroy, who was half out of his mind, lunged at me, and Victoria, who had risen from her seat, stepped between Conroy and me as if to protect me.

But Conroy, who realized that he had been unilaterally manipulated from the beginning until now, for many years, had already lost sight of what he was seeing.

“Get out of the way! I’m going to crush that bastard’s mouth right now……!”

The moment he reflexively grabbed Victoria’s hand, who was blocking him, and tried to push her aside.

“John Conroy! Who do you dare to harm now!”

With a thunderous roar, the last actor to bring down the curtain on this play appeared.

My uncle and one of the residents of Kensington Palace.

Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the current king’s brother, glared at Conroy from the door, his neck veins bulging.

“Are you out of your mind because you’re favored by the Duchess of Kent? How dare you try to lay a hand on a member of the royal family? And the legal heir to this country!”

“D-Duke of Sussex…… How did you get here?”

“Now that you two can’t stop me from seeing my beloved niece, I came to see your faces. But I don’t know what I’m looking at right now. I never thought such an absurd thing would be happening here in Kensington. Ha! So you’ve been preventing the young princess from meeting anyone and committing such acts with impunity?”

What the Duke of Sussex, who had just entered the room, witnessed was Conroy grabbing Victoria’s arm and trying to push her aside.

And Conroy, realizing this fact, shook his head and arms wildly from side to side, his face pale.

“D-Duke. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not true. I wasn’t trying to abuse the Princess, but K-Killian, that guy……”

“That guy? I’ve never seen such an arrogant man. Just because you’re close to the Duchess, you’re mistaken for being a duke? My niece is clearly the heir to the earldom of Ireland. But how great are you that you call that child ‘this guy’ and ‘that guy’?”

“D-Duke…… That’s…… I mean…… Killian…… Earl Aaron deceived me! The Duchess of Kent here can testify. That man is a liar! I’m a victim!”

When the Duke of Sussex turned to me for confirmation, Victoria shook her head resolutely while the Duchess was stammering.

“Uncle, Lord Conroy’s words are nonsense that are not even worth mentioning. Killian has been my loyal friend from the beginning and has always shown me friendship that is commensurate with my trust.”

“That’s what my niece says.”

“N-No, right now the Princess is protecting Earl Aaron……”

“And if my eyes aren’t mistaken, the person you were trying to harm just now was Victoria, not Killian, right?”

Conroy’s complexion, which had been pale, gradually turned black beyond pale.

Why in the world. Why.

He looked like he was going to die of injustice as to why the Duke of Sussex had appeared at that timing.

“No! I swear I wasn’t trying to harm the Princess. I mean, in the sense that I was asking her to step aside for a moment……”

“Conroy, even if you’re old, do you think I’m some senile old man? There’s no need to say much, and I’ll tell Buckingham [Buckingham Palace, the royal residence] exactly what I saw here today, so be aware of that.”

No matter what excuses he made, the fact that Conroy had laid his hands on Victoria’s body in front of the Duke of Sussex was undeniable.

Even though the days when the royal family was absolute were long gone, harming the body of a member of the royal family was still a serious crime.

Besides, the picture itself is too plausible, isn’t it?

What would other people think if they heard about Conroy’s actions?

Of course, they would think that he was trying to use violence because Victoria would not listen to his pressure to appoint him as her secretary.

If this reached the king’s ears, Conroy would be as good as socially dead.

“D-Duke! Please listen to me! This is really a misunderstanding……”

“Then stay out of the way for now. I’ll listen to your stories separately and make a judgment. Duchess of Kent, please step out for a moment as well.”

“D-Duke…… Please have mercy. You’ll see it’s a misunderstanding if you listen to my story.”

“I said stay out of the way.”

After that, Conroy bowed several times and begged, as if he would grab the Duke of Sussex’s pants and cling to him.

The Duchess of Kent’s gaze trembled slightly as she watched Conroy’s typical behavior of being strong against the weak.

Is she finally starting to doubt whether her judgment of people was wrong?

But what can she do? It was her choice to turn her back on her daughter, trusting only in the words of a man who was only that capable.

* * *

When Conroy, Mrs. Kent, and the servant had all left, the Duke of Sussex slowly walked over and sat across from me.

“Hoo, that was really refreshing. I enjoyed it, thanks to you.”

“I agree. It was a realistic performance. You also have a talent for acting, Duke.”

“It was 100 percent genuine sincerity that I didn’t like that guy, so it’s ambiguous to call it acting. Hahaha!”

When the Duke of Sussex laughed heartily, the same smile appeared on my and Victoria’s faces.

Logically, how could the Duke of Sussex have happened to barge in at such a precise timing?

Of course, he had arrived long ago and was timing his intervention.

“What do you think, should we just accuse him like this? If we set me and you, as well as the servant, as witnesses, we can send Conroy away for good.”

“Still, it’s not a crime that would keep him in prison for the rest of his life. I don’t know if we should drag in the allegations that he abused the Princess when she was young, but if we do, the Duchess will have to get involved, so the Princess won’t be comfortable.”

Conroy alone is one thing, but I don’t want to recommend fighting a mud fight in court with her blood-related mother.

As expected, when I looked at Victoria, she was sighing, staring in the direction the Duchess had left with a complicated look.

“I can forgive everyone but my mother…… If she apologizes first, I’m willing to reconcile.”

“The more you see Conroy’s ugly side, the more likely that will happen. So let’s do this. Duke, tell Conroy that we’ll let today’s events pass appropriately, so he shouldn’t say anything about me or the Princess and keep his mouth shut.”

No one would seriously listen to the words of someone like Conroy, but even so, there was no guarantee that troublesome things wouldn’t happen if he went around blabbing outside.

Here, it’s most effective to grab him by the scruff of the neck and give him the pressure that if he even opens his mouth, he’ll be socially buried.

“Will that be enough?”

“Even a rat can bite a cat if it has nothing more to lose. And wouldn’t it be a much bigger pressure for him to live with the anxiety that he could be buried by this? The Princess will be much more comfortable with that.”

“I agree. It’s much cleaner than making a big deal out of it and going up and down everywhere.”

“Oh, but you should get a sincere apology from him, right? Go with the Duke and tell him that you’ll cover up the matter, so tell him to kneel down and beg for forgiveness, and he’ll do it right away. If you see Conroy like that, the Duchess will have no choice but to admit that she had no eye for people.”

The Duke of Sussex chuckled and nodded.

In particular, Victoria was more excited than I had ever seen her before and jumped up from her seat.

“Okay. Shall we go right now? I’m really looking forward to what that man will say when he apologizes.”

She stopped for a moment as she was about to leave the room with the Duke, then turned to me and smiled brightly.

“Thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday present as enjoyable as this in my life.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

The words that revenge is only empty or creates another resentment are only said by people who have never had a proper revenge or who have been buried in resentment and have crossed the line.

There are not many things in the world as refreshing and cathartic as a perfectly and thoroughly planned revenge.

Victoria’s footsteps, which were lighter than ever, were proof of that.