The Colonial Exhibition and a Hunter's Lesson
With the conflict surrounding Sophie's marriage finally settled, Waldemar finally had a moment to catch his breath.
He decided to take a vacation in England—not only to relax but also to strengthen his connections there.
He chose to stay with his aunt, Princess Victoria of Hesse, a relative in the British capital.
“I’m sorry to be imposing on you like this, Your Highness,” he said politely.
“Nonsense. We’re family.”
“If I don’t treat His Highness well, Alix will hear about it.”
Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria welcomed Waldemar with warm hospitality.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you,” Waldemar replied.
“Stay as long as you like. My husband enjoys a lively atmosphere, so I’m sure he’ll be glad to have you here.”
Waldemar enjoyed the lavish hospitality of the Battenberg couple while admiring the elegant landscape of Frogmore House.
The royal estate granted to the granddaughter the Queen cherished certainly possessed a refined elegance that money alone could never purchase.
It’s perfect for a quiet retreat.
Waldemar unpacked at Frogmore House and settled in quietly.
Of course, he did not simply lounge around doing nothing.
Throughout his stay, he worked diligently to win the favor of the Battenberg couple.
Why the Battenberg couple? Because...
Prince Louis is the future First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy.
This capable brother-in-law was one of the reasons Waldemar had chosen Alix.
He employed some of the older British humor (old by twenty-first-century standards) to entertain them.
“I once knew a man named Johnson. Johnson was a very calm person who never even blinked at minor matters. One day a typhoon struck, the roof of his house flew off, and the yard flooded. Do you know what he said?”
“Fix it, I suppose.”
“The wind is only a bit gusty.” That was his reply.
Waldemar did not understand why this was funny, but twenty-first-century Britons found it hilarious.
Indeed, Prince Louis of Battenberg—half-British—laughed, his British blood stirring.
“Johnson must be quite witty,” Princess Victoria said, smiling.
“I think I understand why Alix likes His Highness. His tongue seems sharper than my husband’s.”
Waldemar did not know why they were laughing, but he decided that if the other person laughed, the joke had succeeded.
He told them more of this kind of humor, and Prince Louis noted it down, finding it interesting.
Those servants of the prince who have to force themselves to laugh… poor things.
Waldemar displayed his refined sense of humor (refined by Battenberg standards) throughout the meal.
After a few days, he had left a good impression on the couple.
Since I’ve made my mark, I should visit Grandmother.
Waldemar stopped by Windsor Castle—eight hundred meters from Frogmore House—to pay his respects.
“Valdi, I didn’t expect you to just drop by like this. How’s your mother?”
“Mother will visit Grandmother separately.”
“I see.”
Queen Victoria gestured for Waldemar to come closer.
“You little rascal, you’ve grown up and even gotten engaged to Alix.”
“Thanks to Grandmother raising Alix so beautifully.”
“Yes, you grew up to steal her away.”
Queen Victoria smiled faintly and gave her grandson advice.
“Meeting love is always a beautiful thing. So, while Alix is by your side, treat her well. Don’t regret it later.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
The Queen rose from her seat with the help of an Indian attendant.
“Shall I assist you?”
“It’s fine. Valdi, since you’ve come to Windsor, you should see the events or sights here.”
“Events?”
“There will be a colonial and Indian exhibition.”
A colonial exhibition?
“Ah.”
Waldemar realized that the kind grandmother who had just given him warm words to his grandson was also the ruler of the world’s largest colonial empire.
Queen Victoria smiled warmly at her grandson.
“You’ll find much to learn and see at the exhibition.”
“Yes. I’ll follow Grandmother’s advice.”
Waldemar did not refuse her invitation.
The colonial exhibition was more spectacular than expected.
The exhibition was bustling with artifacts and people from around the world.
The crowds of visitors were enormous.
While touring the exhibition, Waldemar felt the barbarity of this era anew.
Human displays… so the Belgian human zoo started here.
Even though Waldemar himself was a fine imperialist who had adapted to this era, he thought human display crossed a line.
Even if it was the last remnant of twenty-first-century humanity in the imperialist world, the emotion he felt was that.
Will this era last another hundred years?
This exhibition’s human displays featured numerous races.
Waldemar pointed to the unfamiliar people huddled together on one side and asked.
“Where are these people from?”
“Asia, Your Highness.”
The staff in charge of the exhibition proudly introduced the empire’s spoils.
Among them was a young girl.
She was trying to cover her body with thin clothes, frightened by the unfamiliar situation.
Waldemar could not watch them anymore and left the hall.
But the sight of those people barely covered by a few rags lingered in his mind for a long time.
When Waldemar returned to the estate, he had a complicated expression.
Prince Louis noticed and asked his wife.
“His Highness seems displeased. Is there something bad that happened?”
“I saw the natives displayed at Windsor.”
“Ah. The colonial exhibition.”
Prince Louis understood why the prince felt unpleasant.
In fact, there were quite a few people in England who felt discomfort at human exhibitions.
“Your Highness has a softer heart than one might think.”
“That’s why Alix is so smitten.”
The Battenberg couple thought this incident showed that Waldemar had a kind heart.
In fact, just seeing the way he acted around Alix showed the prince was gentle.
Prince Louis felt the need to manfully sharpen this innocent youth.
The next day, Prince Louis summoned Waldemar early in the morning.
What could this be about suddenly?
Waldemar, who had been planning to build a slow friendship with the prince, was rather taken aback when the prince approached first.
“Your Highness, how about we go hunting today?”
“Hunting?”
Waldemar hesitated for a moment and agreed.
“If Your Highness invites me, I’ll follow.”
Prince Louis took the innocent youth to Windsor Park.
They went hunting for deer with the guidance of the royal huntsman.
While walking through the quiet forest for a while, Prince Louis spoke.
“I heard His Highness saw the human exhibition yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“Did it make you feel uncomfortable?”
Waldemar answered honestly.
“Probably.”
“I don’t particularly like it either. But I don’t feel discomfort when I see it. Do you know why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because we are the rulers, and we are aware of that fact.”
Prince Louis raised his gun and aimed at the deer.
With a sharp gunshot, the deer ran away into the distance of the forest.
“Your Highness, as a prince of the empire, you should know now. Politics is a monster that can do anything if it’s beneficial. There are reasons why the gentlemen of London bring in natives and display them for expensive money.”
“To show the poor in the city that you are not the bottom and to make them conform to the system. Even if it looks disgusting to Your Highness, it’s an act necessary for the empire’s rule.”
Waldemar knew this logic too.
But knowing and understanding are different.
“I know that too. Just…”
“Just?”
“I just don’t want to understand that.”
Waldemar had crossed the moral line of the twenty-first century in many ways, but he did not want to compromise even on human display.
Prince Louis headed with Waldemar to where the deer had disappeared.
After walking for a while, they found the carcass.
“There it is. Do you have a knife?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll use mine.”
The prince taught Waldemar how to dress the deer.
Waldemar had tried dressing deer before, but this was the first time he had handled it from start to finish.
The prince cleaned the deer's head neatly and said to Waldemar.
“How does it feel to handle life?”
“It’s not very pleasant.”
“Living in the world is like that. You can’t live doing only pleasant things to get meat.”
While spending a long time together at the hunting ground, Prince Louis shared many stories with Waldemar.
As they chatted in the hunting ground, their relationship grew closer.
When Waldemar and the prince returned to the estate, Princess Victoria asked her husband.
“How is His Highness?”
Prince Louis told her the impression he had.
“He’s not bad. His temperament isn’t as weak as I thought.”
“Is that so?”
“He has a kind and manly side, and he’s quite a trustworthy boy.”
“He’d make a good match for Alix.”
“If you polish him a bit more, he’ll become a really good man.”
Waldemar and Heinrich are both fine, and the Hohenzollern relatives seem generally good people.
People worth interacting with often in the future.
The future head of the British Navy, Prince Louis of Battenberg, gave Waldemar and Heinrich a favorable evaluation.