Chapter 89
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Marriage Commotion (3)
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The morning at Buckingham Palace was as splendid as ever, regardless of the season.
Victoria opened her eyes in bed, feeling an unusual dizziness, unlike her normal self.
“...What is this?”
Her eyes open, she blinked blankly for a while, looking around the room, unable to grasp the situation.
Where was her familiar room at Kensington Palace, and why was she sleeping in a place like this?
“Ah, I left the ball with Killian midway through yesterday.”
She remembered that much clearly.
Having painstakingly created an opportunity for them to be alone, she had been fully prepared to get the answer she wanted.
But, as always, this damnable personality of hers was the problem.
Even though she knew it would happen, the moment she saw the marquess's wife subtly introducing her daughter to Killian, the reins of her reason had snapped.
To make matters worse, she had enjoyed talking and drinking with him alone so much that she had emptied the wine bottle far faster than expected. That was her fatal mistake.
“Hah... to waste such a hard-won opportunity like a fool.”
For every glass she drank, Killian should have had two to keep their tolerance levels even, but she had been the one downing glass after glass. How could she not get drunk?
“But setting that aside, why am I sleeping here?”
Clutching her throbbing head, she reflexively drank some cool water and tried to think, but her memory of yesterday was not coming back clearly.
She had definitely been trying to empty her wine glass while probing Killian’s true feelings, and when he kept avoiding a direct answer, her frustration had made her drink even faster...
As she wracked her brain, a voice suddenly surfaced.
- Your Majesty, you’ve had too much to drink. You should go to your bedroom and rest.
- N-no. I haven’t had too much. I’m not drunk. But if the Minister answers me, I’ll go to my bedroom. No, the Minister has to take me there.
“...Hmph.”
The moment she recalled the disgraceful scene she had caused yesterday, Victoria clenched her fists.
It was a feeling that made her whole body cringe and a shiver run down her spine.
She swore she had never once felt this way in her entire life.
“...I want to die.”
It wasn't an exaggeration; she meant it.
- No, we can do it so no one knows! Are you, hmm? Going to disobey the Queen’s command now? This is, this is that thing. Treason! No, treason is too much... uh...
“Argh! You crazy woman! What in the world have you done!”
She screamed at the foolish woman in the mirror, but it changed nothing.
“No, no, no. There’s no way I did something so crazy. That’s it. It was a dream, I had a dream. Ah, what a realistic dream I had. Haha... hahaha.”
She shook her head frantically, trying to deny reality, but there was no stopping the memories that grew clearer with each passing moment.
No, please, stop coming back!
It would be better to remember nothing at all. What is this?
But no matter how much she denied it, the facts remained unchanged.
The crazy girl who had been slurring her words, spouting nonsense that was somewhere between a cutesy plea and a childish tantrum, was undoubtedly the Queen of the British Empire, Victoria. Herself.
For the queen of a nation to get drunk and pass out while speaking alone with a man was simply unacceptable.
Normally, she would have to worry about tarnishing the royal family's dignity, but frankly, she couldn't care less about that right now.
“Hah. If I knew I was going to make such a scene, I should have just asked him honestly while I was sober.”
How utterly dumbfounded Killian must have been, seeing the Queen in such a state.
Or was he? On second thought, the look in his eyes didn't seem to hold any negative feelings.
And she seemed to recall that just before she blacked out, Killian had said they should have a proper conversation when she came to her senses, but she couldn't be sure if she'd heard correctly.
No, wait.
What if he was so put off by her behavior yesterday that he decides to marry another woman?
After all, there were plenty of women throwing themselves at him right now. Couldn't he decide he'd rather find a more elegant and demure woman than a queen who gets drunk and spouts nonsense?
If that really happened...
“Life is truly exhausting.”
Victoria flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Was there any way to turn back time to yesterday evening?
“...This damned queen.”
If she weren't the queen, but just a royal, she could have been like her uncle Frederick, declared "I'll do what I want regardless of what you say," and just gone ahead with the marriage.
Victoria was no fool.
Though she was still clumsy with relationships and prone to misunderstandings, she prided herself on her sharp, innate intelligence and her ability to grasp the essence of a situation was by no means poor.
The reason Killian wouldn't get any closer, no matter how much she pushed.
She knew it all too well. She knew, but it was beyond her control.
That was the nature of human emotion.
Even as the symbol of the world's most powerful nation, the Queen of the British Empire, she was learning the painful lesson that she was not free from these human aspects.
As she was briefly mulling over this sense of existential dread, she heard the voice of her head lady-in-waiting, Cecilia, from outside the room.
“Your Majesty. May I come in for a moment?”
“Yes. I’m awake, you may enter.”
“Then, excuse me.”
Cecilia entered the room cautiously and gave a wry smile at the sight of Victoria still lying face down on the bed.
“Are you perhaps suffering from a headache or an upset stomach?”
“No. I wish I were. Sadly, my body feels perfectly fine now. By the way, who brought me to this room yesterday?”
“Killian called for me. He said Your Majesty was in high spirits and had had too much to drink, and that I should escort you here before anyone else saw.”
“Hah. To be a nuisance to the very end...”
It would have been one thing if she were merely tipsy, but for the young queen to be seen completely wasted was something that should never have happened.
Killian’s judgment had been correct, and he had acted in the Queen's best interest until the very end before leaving.
Hearing that, she felt a strange sense of happiness, a feeling of something swelling up inside her chest.
“Did Killian say anything else to you, madam?”
“That boy never reveals his deepest thoughts. Ah, but he did say he would come to see if Your Majesty was alright today. He probably assumed you would remember your conversation from yesterday...”
“Today? Then he’ll be here soon!”
“Yes. He mentioned having a meeting with some Tory Party members, so I imagine he’ll arrive in about three hours. If you’re not feeling up to it, I can send word for him to come another day.”
“No, no, we can't do that. Please tell the staff to prepare to receive a guest immediately. Three hours should be enough for a bath, makeup, and dress selection. There’s plenty of time, so let’s just see him today.”
After all, isn't there a saying that if you have to get on stage, it's best to do it right away?
If it was something she had to face anyway, she might as well get it over with today.
After washing up with the help of her maids, she looked in the mirror and suddenly recalled Killian’s face, which seemed to be getting more handsome by the day.
She had lost even more weight than before, reaching a point where she would be called beautiful anywhere, but there was nothing she could do about her height.
‘I’d give anything to be just a handspan taller.’
When they first met, the height difference hadn't been this significant, but while she had barely grown, Killian had shot up to the point where she had to look up at him.
‘Come to think of it, it seems like he grew a bit more while he was in Asia...’
She glanced down at the ornate shoes, made by the finest craftsmen, that she would wear today.
They were beautiful enough, but wouldn't it be better to have shoes with thin, high heels to make her look taller and more elegant?
Victoria looked in the mirror, straightened her posture to appear even a little taller, and slightly raised her heels.
Why did all her dresses and shoes seem so inadequate lately?
Victoria scanned her vast wardrobe, lost in an unanswerable question.
***
As soon as the ball ended, I was summoned—under the guise of an invitation—by the Tory party elders without a moment's rest, where I whispered all sorts of sweet nothings into their ears.
After my schedule was finished, I had the carriage turn towards Buckingham Palace to meet Victoria.
I had expected she might ask to see me another time due to the aftermath of last night, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case.
It seemed that even though she drank until she fell asleep, she was fortunately free of a hangover.
Still, was it because she was embarrassed by the memory of yesterday, or was she enduring some discomfort?
Victoria, dressed in a splendid gown, sat in silence for a long time after we met in her private room.
“It feels a bit awkward, just the two of us in such a spacious room, unlike yesterday.”
“I sent the attendants away because I thought we might have a conversation they shouldn't overhear.”
“I see. Your Majesty, have you been feeling well today and yesterday? About yesterday...”
“Ah, yesterday? Right. What did I say? I can’t remember a thing. Did something happen?”
So she was planning to play dumb and brush it off.
To be fair, if I were in her shoes, I would have spent at least thirty minutes kicking my blankets and rolling around with my face in my hands. I could understand the sentiment.
Still, I couldn't let her just evade the topic.
“I see. In that case, since you don't remember what I said yesterday either, perhaps we should continue this conversation another time...”
“No, no! I remember! Haha, I do apologize for my behavior yesterday. I suppose I was just so happy to see the Minister after such a long time.”
“I understand. However, Your Majesty is the queen of this nation. You must be more careful in the future.”
“I know. And it was all because of... no, there’s no point in saying that.”
Victoria, who still couldn't look me straight in the eye, finally let out a deep sigh and continued.
“I know. Trying to get you to reveal your feelings by getting you drunk was certainly not an appropriate method. But since we both remember what happened yesterday, there's no use in pretending otherwise.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought as well. And since I made a promise to Your Majesty yesterday, let's try to reach some sort of conclusion today, even if it’s not a complete one.”
“...What? R-really?”
“Have I ever lied to Your Majesty?”
Just as I was about to begin, Victoria bit her lip hard and her gaze, which she had barely managed to meet with mine, dropped to the floor again.
To be honest, this kind of talk is a bit cringe-worthy for me too.
In my past life, I formed relationships based solely on necessity and benefit.
Of course, that basic principle hasn't changed much now.
Just yesterday, as I was leaving her with my aunt Cecilia, I had been thinking it over and over again.
It was a clear fact that I held favorable feelings for her.
She was amusing to watch, admirable at times, and I found her likable.
If asked if it was love, I honestly couldn't say for sure, but that might be because I'd never truly loved anyone in my past life, so I lacked conviction.
And I was well aware that the feelings Victoria had for me were far greater than the affection I had for her.
Yet, the reason I hadn't given her any certainty until now was because the realistic risks were too great.
And the reason I hadn't flatly rejected her was because the potential gains were just as substantial as the risks.
“Your Majesty. First, as you are well aware, the Queen of the British Empire cannot be with just anyone.”
“I know that too. But... Killian isn't just anyone, is he? You're not only an Irish noble but an English one too, and now a hero who has made a great contribution to the country.”
“Yes, that is true. If I were a typical high-ranking noble or another royal, I might have just barely made the cut. But the monarch is a different story. There will be many who dislike the idea of Irish blood mixing into the body of the person who will inherit this nation's throne, let alone an Asian? The praises directed at me now would vanish in an instant.”
“Of course, I’ve thought about all of that. But recently, there was a rumor that the Minister is royalty from a country in the Far East called Japan. Wouldn't that be alright then?”
Victoria’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Ah... so she was secretly hoping for that.
I was about to draw a sharp line and call it nonsense, but it could become a useful pretext later, so I decided to hold my tongue for now.
“That is something I cannot confirm. However, I personally believe the possibility is not very high. And there is another significant problem.”
“A problem... Is it that? If I become Prince Consort, you’ll have to step down as Minister...”
So she knew about that as well.
If I were to be with Victoria, I would face enormous restrictions not only as a minister but also in my activities as a member of the House of Lords.
Strictly speaking, there was no legal statute preventing the queen's husband from participating in politics.
But this was an era where age-old customs and traditions were applied more rigorously than the law itself.
- The queen's husband cannot hold an official government title, so as to not use his position for private gain.
Violating such a tradition would surely invite immense criticism, and for someone like me with a flawed background, it would be difficult to bear such a risk.
“This may sound disappointing, but I have no intention of giving up my current position.”
“I know. I know how fast the Minister is rising. That’s why I’m still wondering if pushing my own position like this is just selfish... a kind of despotism that doesn't consider the other person's feelings at all. So if the Minister gives me a clear answer... even if you reject me, I...”
Victoria couldn't finish her sentence, staring intently at the innocent table instead.
Her eyes were welling up with tears, and she looked as if she would burst into tears the moment I said no.
“I am not rejecting you. It’s just that I, too, was thinking only of myself and failed to consider Your Majesty's position. People around you must be pressuring you to think about marriage, and my silence must have been very frustrating.”
“...To be honest, it was.”
“But as I've said, I have no intention of giving up my current position. And even if I did, my foundation is too weak right now. I don't have the confidence to suppress those who would rise up like a swarm of bees to oppose it.”
“So. You're saying it can't be now, and asking me to wait a few more years?”
Becoming Prince Consort meant losing political power, but there was no law that said it had to be that way.
That meant if the country's situation and public sentiment were supportive enough, there were ways to circumvent it.
If I could just get to that point, the practical benefits of becoming Prince Consort could far outweigh the power I would have to give up.
But in the current situation, to put it bluntly, the losses were dozens of times greater than the gains.
“Everything depends on Your Majesty's heart. How could I dare ask Your Majesty to wait until my situation improves?”
“I can handle any nonsense from those around me about getting married. I just thought of a good excuse, as a matter of fact. But what I'm curious about is what kind of magic you plan to work to make the situation better in a few years. I thought that now, after the victory in the war with the Qing Dynasty, was the best time to gain the citizens' support.”
So her efforts to package me as a war hero were partly for that reason.
For Victoria, who didn't know what major events were to come, it was a natural assumption.
The fervor of victory would cool over time, so the peak of my value was right now.
Therefore, she must have felt this was the only time to push for the marriage, even if it was a stretch. But I had no intention of stopping here.
“Actually, for my work to be successful, I need to move the hearts of the people, and for that, I will need Your Majesty's help. The royal family's popularity is already soaring, so with Your Majesty’s assistance, things will be much easier.”
“If it’s something I can help with, of course I should. What is it?”
“This might sound completely out of the blue, but it will all become reality. I have proof.”
Having gained fame through war, it was now time to save lives and set that fame upon a bedrock.
I took out James's report, which began with 'I have found what you asked for,' from my coat and placed it on the table, adding one more thing.
“Within a few years, the worst disaster imaginable will strike Ireland.”
“The worst disaster... A plague? Like the Black Death or smallpox?”
“It is a disease, but not one that affects people.”
“If not people, then who gets it? Animals?”
Victoria's eyes, which had been reading the report on the table, filled with bewilderment and disbelief.
“Are you saying potatoes are what get sick?”
“Yes, potatoes.”
“The potatoes I’m thinking of?”
“The very same.”
What kind of disaster would a potato getting sick cause... Victoria, who had been muttering to herself, suddenly lifted her head as if something had occurred to her.
“The staple food for the Irish people is the potato, isn't it?”
“Yes, most of them are poor, and a significant number rely on potatoes and milk to survive.”
“Then if the potatoes get sick and the harvest fails...”
Although the potato is a representative crop for averting famine, other regions grow a variety of crops like barley, rye, and corn, so they don't rely solely on it.
But what if the potato blight spreads through Ireland, where people have nothing else to eat and depend entirely on potatoes, wiping out the crop?
“At least a million people will starve to death or flee their lands to escape the famine.”
At the prediction of a catastrophe far beyond imagination, Victoria’s eyes trembled.
The cause of the Great Irish Famine, which prevented Ireland's population from recovering to its mid-19th-century levels even 200 years later in the modern era.
James had already confirmed the existence of the potato blight fungus across the Atlantic.
Right now, no one was aware that this was a precursor to that terrible disaster, but I knew.
And the coming of the Great Famine was a signal that the time had come for me to reclaim all the support from central and southern Ireland that I had entrusted to Daniel O'Connell.
The preparations had been completed even before I left for the Qing Dynasty.
Before I ascended to become the hidden power of the British Empire, it was time to first become the savior of Ireland.