I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 58

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire Episode 58 (58/537)

The New Era (2)

A cool dawn in June 1837.

The world outside the palace, still cloaked in the pre-dawn darkness, remained untouched by the rising sun. A quiet stillness lingered within the palace walls.

Victoria, having recently gained the freedom to indulge in her favorite books, was still fast asleep, a consequence of her late-night reading.

Lately, she had been blessed with nothing but happiness, and a smile graced her sleeping face.

Even in her dreams, she had no doubt that this comfortable life would continue. Unfortunately, fate rarely waits for a person to be ready for its burdens.

“Victoria. Wake up.”

“Umm… who is it?”

Still drowsy, she groggily opened her eyes, feeling someone gently shaking her.

Judging by the lack of sunlight filtering through the window, it wasn’t time to get up yet.

Being woken up like this must mean something important had happened.

Victoria covered her mouth with a hand, careful not to be impolite, and yawned softly as she looked up at her mother.

“It’s still early. Is something urgent?”

“Well…”

Since Conroy had been banished from the palace, her mother’s attitude had changed noticeably.

She could no longer exert influence over her daughter, and she had to face the fact that Victoria was far more capable than she was, whether she liked it or not.

It was a small change, but any improvement was a good sign.

Victoria began to think that the day she could reconcile with her mother might not be too far off.

“I hope there hasn’t been some kind of accident?”

“You could say it’s an accident. Lord Chamberlain [the head of the royal household], the Earl of Cunningham, and William Howley, the Archbishop of Canterbury, are waiting downstairs.”

“Lord Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury… at this hour?”

“Yes.”

There was only one reason why the Lord Chamberlain, who oversaw all royal affairs, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest religious figure in the Church of England, would visit at this early hour.

Her voice trembled slightly as she guessed what had happened without needing to hear the details.

“Has His Majesty… passed away?”

“Yes. Get dressed and come downstairs. The Prime Minister and members of the Privy Council [advisors to the monarch] will be arriving soon.”

She had clearly met with him just last week, listened to his well-wishes for her to continue her education as heir, and now that was their last meeting?

So, from today, she would be the ruler of this country…

Her mind went blank with shock, but Victoria reflexively got dressed and hurried out of the room.

As soon as she entered the living room, the Earl of Cunningham and the Archbishop of Canterbury, upon seeing her, knelt respectfully on one knee.

“Today, at 2:12 AM, His Majesty King William IV, who was resting at Windsor Castle, was called by the Lord [passed away]. From this moment on, the Queen is the ruler of the British Empire. All officials of the Royal Household will assist Her Majesty and do their utmost to support her in managing the affairs of state.”

“May God bless the future of the Queen. All members of the Church of England will pray for Her Majesty and the future of this nation under her guidance.”

Not Princess, but Queen.

The weight of that title, which she heard for the first time, made her feel as if time had stopped.

As she took a deep breath to calm herself, Lord Chamberlain cautiously asked.

“Your Majesty, if you are ready, may I briefly explain the schedule ahead?”

“Please do.”

“Members of the Privy Council will be arriving soon. Your Majesty, you will take an oath before them, announcing your accession to the throne. They will bring the oath, so you can simply read it without any pressure.”

“I see. So, I really am… Queen now.”

When she was younger, she often imagined becoming an adult and inheriting the throne as soon as possible.

But now that reality had arrived, she realized how naive those thoughts had been.

The monarch of this country was not a transcendent being who could single-handedly control the nation.

They were a representative of the country, obligated to uphold the law, protect religion, and maintain political balance.

Was she truly prepared to bear the weight of this crown?

She was still studying politics, economics, society, and religion, but it was precisely because she was continuing to study that she knew.

There was still so much to learn, and none of it was at a satisfactory level, yet she was suddenly being asked to sit on the throne as Queen?

“Your Majesty, then…”

No sooner had the Archbishop of Canterbury opened his mouth than four men entered the living room.

It was Robert Peel, the Prime Minister of the ruling party, Lord Melbourne, the leader of the opposition party, and their respective aides.

“Your Majesty. The Royal Council, the Prime Ministers, the Lord Justices, other Archbishops, and members of the Privy Council, including the Lord Mayor of London, have all arrived in the conference room. Whenever Your Majesty is ready, we will escort you there. If you need more time, please do not hesitate to take your time to prepare.”

The Privy Council, which served as advisors to the monarch, was a committee comprised of influential figures from the political and judicial circles, and the new monarch was required to take an oath before them.

Of course, since the establishment of the parliamentary system, the committee had become largely symbolic, but its members were so distinguished that it still retained its prestige as an honorary position.

Victoria also knew, in theory, what procedures she would have to go through on her first day as Queen.

Nevertheless, her heart rate continued to rise and showed no signs of calming down.

If only she hadn’t gained proper knowledge, if only she hadn’t known that she was still lacking, she wouldn’t feel this pressure.

But just as she was about to chide herself for her lack of mental fortitude, Victoria saw the face of the young man who had accompanied Robert Peel as his aide and almost burst out laughing.

‘Wait, why are you here?’

It was natural for someone of the Prime Minister’s stature to have an aide, and Victoria remembered seeing him a few times.

But the man standing silently behind Robert Peel was someone she knew very well, a year younger than her.

It was Killian Gore, the Earl of Aaron from Ireland, her friend, teacher, and benefactor.

Could it be that he had asked the Prime Minister to bring him here as his aide, fearing she might be nervous?

-Killian told me he would never do anything that could harm you.

The words she had heard from William IV during their recent meeting flashed through her mind.

And miraculously, the heart that had been pounding with anxiety calmed down as if nothing had happened.

Right. All she had to do was read the oath brought by the Privy Council and have a casual conversation. How difficult could that be?

Her pride wouldn’t allow her to show a clumsy side to him, who had believed in her, supported her, and taught her so much.

Besides, if she showed a truly embarrassing side, he might see her as someone he needed to take care of even more.

No matter what, being seen in that light by someone a year younger than her wouldn’t be helpful for her future goals.

In any case, from this moment on, she was the Queen of the British Empire, and she had to go out there with confidence.

Completely free from tension, Victoria turned to the Prime Minister, who was bowing his head, and said in a gentle tone.

“Would you mind waiting while I change my clothes? I think my current outfit is too bright, so I should wear a black dress.”

“Understood. We will wait for Your Majesty to return after you have changed.”

Victoria gave the Prime Minister a relaxed smile and turned around.

‘See? I can do it.’

There was no need to make such a fuss just because she had gone from a Princess to a Queen.

The only things that had changed were the reactions of those around her and the way people treated her.

The essence remained the same.

‘Now that I think about it, Killian will call me Your Majesty now.’

He hadn’t said a word because of the place, but what should she say to him first when they were alone?

Victoria scanned the clothes she had to wear today and pondered.

* * *

“Therefore, as the Queen of this country, I once again solemnly swear to uphold the laws of the nation, protect the Church of England, and safeguard the rights and freedoms of the people.”

Despite the suddenness of the day, which she had not expected, her voice was steady, and her pronunciation was clear.

As the oath concluded, members of the Privy Council came forward one by one to pledge their allegiance to the new Queen.

After Robert Peel, who was the first to salute, returned to his seat, he whispered to me, standing next to him.

“She’s much more composed than I thought. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed. She seems to be handling it much more calmly than I expected.”

“She seemed a little nervous at first, but to regain her composure so quickly… I wondered if we were placing too much of a burden on someone who had just come of age, but it seems I underestimated her.”

“Didn’t I tell you? She has the qualities to be recorded as the greatest monarch in the history of the British Empire.”

“But the fact that she is still young cannot be denied. We should take advantage of this opportunity to gain some benefits. Otherwise, I don’t deserve to be the leader of the ruling party, do I?”

He watched as the Privy Council signed the proclamation officially declaring Victoria as the new Queen of England and slowly rose from his seat.

Strangely enough, Lord Melbourne, who rose at the same time, approached him and spoke in a friendly manner.

“Oh, Prime Minister, do you already have something to say to Her Majesty?”

“Of course. I suppose the Whig Party has a similar matter.”

“Then that’s good. Let’s go together and hear Her Majesty’s thoughts.”

The two men, who had been subtly vying for power, soon dropped their guard and approached Victoria, who was carefully reading the proclamation.

She, who had been receiving the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties simultaneously on her first day on the throne, looked up from the document.

“Is there any more schedule I need to attend to?”

“It’s not something that needs to be done today, but the sooner, the better, so it would be very helpful if you could give us your opinion now.”

“If it’s something that requires my help, I’m happy to give my opinion. What is it?”

“As you know, Your Majesty is now the monarch of this country. Naturally, it is necessary to bring in ladies-in-waiting and appoint a head lady-in-waiting.”

Among the royal ladies-in-waiting, the lady-in-waiting who directly served the Queen was of such high status that only women from prestigious families could even be considered as candidates.

They were also called Lady of the Bedchamber and were essentially the Queen’s secretaries, so their importance was quite high.

However, unless they were at least the wife of an Earl, they would not be chosen in the first place, and it was customary for the head lady-in-waiting, called Mistress of the Robes, to be a Duchess, so even being considered as a candidate was not easy.

These ladies-in-waiting were closely attached to the Queen, so they subtly promoted the policies of each party and served as a channel of communication with the monarch, making them very important figures.

Therefore, regardless of whether they were from the ruling or opposition party, each party invariably recommended those close to them as the King’s attendants, and this was, of course, no exception now.

No, it was even worse now.

The younger Victoria was, the more influence the ladies-in-waiting could exert.

The reason why Robert Peel and Lord Melbourne had rushed over was undoubtedly because of this point.

Victoria, who had been staring at the two men, nodded as if she agreed.

“That’s right. I have to start working from tomorrow, and it would be difficult if I didn’t have people to assist me. I should quickly narrow down the candidates and choose the ladies-in-waiting.”

“If so, please leave it to us. Originally, the ladies-in-waiting of the palace were mainly people close to the ruling party.”

“Oh, Prime Minister. That’s not true. Although the Conservative Party is the ruling party, our Whig Party has the most seats. The head lady-in-waiting should be a member of the Whig Party.”

“We should look at which party the Prime Minister came from, rather than the number of seats.”

If the party that won the majority had produced the Prime Minister, this would not have happened, but the parliamentary landscape, which had been twisted by O’Connell’s presence, would have such an impact.

What kind of verdict will our new Queen make?

“In any case, the current ruling party is the Conservative Party. It was a long-standing custom that the voice of the ruling party was given priority.”

“That’s because the ruling party had a majority. This needs to be seriously discussed.”

“I fully understand what you two are trying to say.”

Victoria cut off the two men.

“It’s a good thing. I can clearly show the direction I’m pursuing with this decision.”

“If you’re talking about direction…”

“I believe that the monarch of the British Empire should always strive for the future of the country and the promotion of the people’s rights and interests without political bias. The head lady-in-waiting should be recommended by the ruling party that produced the Prime Minister. And we should have eight or ten ladies-in-waiting, so we will decide by receiving recommendations from the ruling and opposition parties in exactly half. If you have any objections, please let me know.”

It was a quick and decisive decision, but neither Robert Peel nor Lord Melbourne made any particular response and watched each other’s reactions.

If the monarch advocated perfect impartiality, raising an objection to this would be seen as political selfishness.

“Then, if the parliament is structured in this way in the future, are you willing to decide on the recommendation of the party that produced the Prime Minister for the head lady-in-waiting?”

“Yes. And in the case of other ladies-in-waiting, we will distribute them fairly by receiving recommendations from parties with more than 200 seats. It would not be a good example to fill the royal family with people from specific parties. In particular, I am still young and have much to learn. I want to develop my own judgment while receiving as many different opinions as possible, so I would be grateful if you two could give me a lot of help and guidance in the future.”

If the young Queen, who had just ascended the throne, came out like this, what could the seasoned politicians do?

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“We will do our best to assist you, so please don’t worry too much.”

They had no choice but to cooperate if they didn’t want to be criticized as politicians who were trying to control the Queen by forcing their biased political views on her.

“Then, I’ll see you at the next meeting.”

As Victoria smiled brightly and turned her gaze to the document she had been reading, the Prime Minister and Lord Melbourne bowed their heads and stepped back from their seats.

The Prime Minister, who came out of the conference room, smiled bitterly and lightly clicked his tongue.

“I went there hoping to get some crumbs from the young Queen, but I was severely checked. Lord Melbourne, how did you feel?”

“I understood it to mean that neither the ruling nor the opposition party should interfere with the royal family.”

“I interpreted it that way too. Someone who has just come of age, who is about to take on the heavy responsibility of being Queen today, can draw the line in such a roundabout way in front of the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties. Killian, as you said, she may become quite a formidable person if she gains more experience in the future, don’t you think?”

Well, I’ve been sticking to her and educating her for almost five years, did you think she could be controlled so easily?

Of course, I didn’t think she would be able to express her opinion so clearly to the Prime Minister or Lord Melbourne from the first day, but is this what it feels like for a mother bird to send her chick away?

It’s more rewarding than I thought.

As they left the palace and walked to the entrance where the carriage was waiting.

“By the way, Prime Minister.”

Lord Melbourne, who had been stroking his chin silently, opened his mouth in a subtle tone.

“Now that the Queen has ascended the throne, the parliament will soon be dissolved and a new election will be held, won’t it?”

“That’s right. Are you perhaps declaring that you won’t lose this time?”

“Of course, I have no intention of losing, but before that, there is one thing I want to make clear. I don’t know if I have to go this far, but since the party line has been decided, I can’t ignore its voice.”

“Was there something we needed to make clear between us?”

It was not uncommon for the ruling and opposition parties to make some kind of agreement before the election, but at least at this point, there was nothing that would warrant it.

Lord Melbourne brushed off the questioning gazes of me and Robert Peel and said.

“If there is a variable called Ireland, O’Connell, there will be too many factors for both our side and the Prime Minister’s side to consider. If they become the kingmakers again this time, we will have to lower our pride and ask for their help.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, the Prime Minister is also receiving their help now, but they will gradually want more. Frankly speaking, now that the Corn Laws [tariffs on imported grain] have been successfully abolished, doesn’t the Prime Minister have the confidence that he can secure a majority in this election alone?”

The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes. He must have been hit where it hurts.

In fact, although they are continuing a cooperative relationship, it is the best situation for the Conservative Party to get rid of O’Connell and secure a majority on their own.

So, I can roughly imagine what the Prime Minister is thinking in his head.

He is calculating whether or not he can monopolize Ireland by using me if O’Connell disappears.

“So, what the Whig Party wants to say is that they want to blow away O’Connell’s Repeal Association [advocating for the repeal of the Act of Union] and return the parliament to a two-party system of the Conservative Party and the Whig Party?”

“Yes, you understood it right away.”

“What is your specific plan?”

“Some of our party members have already finished preparing. We will simultaneously expose scandals related to O’Connell through newspapers, so the Conservative Party just has to do nothing and stay still. Let’s compete fairly to see whether the Conservative Party or the Whig Party will take over central and southern Ireland by blowing away O’Connell.”

Wow, did the meaning of the word ‘fairly’ change while I wasn’t looking?

The Prime Minister, who had been lost in thought for a while, smiled and nodded as if he had finished calculating to some extent.

“Let’s do that. Originally, the two-party system is our British Empire’s long tradition, isn’t it? Conservatives must protect tradition.”

“Understood. Then, we will start working on the day Her Majesty dissolves the parliament.”

Whether a new Queen’s era opens or not, no matter who says what, this tenacity to do their own politics.

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as I watched the politics of the British Empire, which were moving forward on their normal course today.

That’s right. This is the British Empire I know.