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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Eye of the Storm
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After making a secret pact with William IV, my daily life didn't change all that much.
On weekdays, I enjoyed school life while managing my businesses, and on weekends, I went to the palace to chat with Victoria.
The only addition was the task of sending regular letters to the King as he had requested.
Of course, there were many minor changes.
First, when I leaked the King's intentions to the Duchess as I'd told him I would, her reaction was quite a sight to behold.
"What? He told you to watch me to make sure I don't negatively influence Victoria?"
"Yes. So, I agreed to it for the time being. But after all the grace you have shown me, how could I possibly be of two minds? That is why I am telling you this."
The Duchess fanned her face repeatedly to quell her anger, and I poured her a cup of black tea.
Although she was trying to maintain her composure, the slight tremble in her hand was enough to tell me how furious she was.
"That old man, just waiting for his coffin... To pull such a pathetic stunt. Killian, what do you think the King's objective is?"
And he's the king of this country. Just listen to that tirade.
"Perhaps he intends to gather evidence that you are abusing the princess? If he were to then press the matter legally, it wouldn't be impossible to neutralize the Kensington System."
"Just as I thought, isn't it? If you're going to get old, do it gracefully, not hatching such insidious plots..."
"Don't worry. There's nothing His Majesty can do anyway. You haven't done anything that breaks the law, and the letters His Majesty receives from me will contain nothing but perfectly normal words. Just in case, I will have you review the letters before I send them."
Even if he tried to find illegal evidence, the Duchess's actions toward Victoria could hardly be considered illegal.
In modern times, treating a child like that would be an open-and-shut case of child abuse, but this was the romantic 19th century.
It was a sentimental era where if a parent was a little hard on their child, people would just say, "What's the big deal?" and move on.
"Hmph, yes. Killian, you're right. No matter what the King does, nothing will change, will it? Still, it puts my mind at ease that you told me beforehand."
"Yes, at the very least, this is not a matter you need to trouble yourself with. After receiving a few reports, His Majesty will likely give up when he sees there's nothing more to dig into."
"You speak truly. This isn't centuries ago; even a king can't do the impossible. At times like this, I must show that I'm not paying him any mind."
"On the contrary, this is also proof that His Majesty has no other means of interfering with you. As you just said, if you continue to act with confidence, I will do my utmost to assist you from the side."
As I continued to reassure her, the Duchess of Kent's complexion brightened noticeably.
Taking a deep breath, she leisurely folded her fan and set it down.
"Come to think of it, Sir Conroy was also praising you, saying what a trustworthy and clever boy you are. Thinking back, I don't know how fortunate it was that I found you at Eton."
"You flatter me. I believe it was I who was incredibly fortunate that you came to Eton that day."
If nothing else, this was 100 percent pure sincerity, with no exaggeration.
As if the Duchess recognized my genuine feelings, she smiled at me with eyes full of trust.
With this, it seemed safe to say that the Duchess's trust in me would not be shaken by any trivial matter in the future.
It wasn't William IV's intention, but thanks to him, I had received a fine gift.
I suppose I could repay him by helping Victoria faithfully receive her education as an heir, just as the King wished.
After all, if she became an even more capable queen than she was in the original history, there was no downside for me.
* * *
The unforgettable year of 1833, marked by a series of major events, drew to a close, and a new year dawned.
Just as in the history I knew, not only the Factory Act but also the bill for the immediate abolition of slavery was successfully passed, causing significant social ripples.
Originally, the prevailing opinion was for a gradual abolition with a grace period, but after repeated debates, public opinion ultimately sided with immediate abolition.
A law was enacted to free all slaves within the British Empire within a year, and articles and literary works commemorating it began to pour out.
-A Farewell to a Barbaric Era.
-The British Empire's Decision, Always One Step Ahead of the Times.
-While some nations still build their wealth by exploiting the sweat and tears of black people, the British Empire has chosen human dignity over blood-soaked money.
Wow, look at them spin this.
An unbelievable change of tune for a country that, just a century ago, was the world's largest slave-trading nation, with 5% of its economy propped up by the trade.
Still, thanks to this bold decision, I had made a tidy sum of money myself, so I had no complaints.
In fact, to be honest, I felt like shouting, "Long live the British Empire for passing slave emancipation!"
"This is surprising. So many plantation owners panic-sold?"
"Yes. It seems they didn't believe the bill to free all slaves within a year would actually pass."
"It seems they only saw what they wanted to see and believed what they wanted to believe. They could have easily predicted which way the decision would go a few months ago, though perhaps not at the start of the year."
"Thanks to them, we were able to make a handsome profit."
As I had told James beforehand, even a large-scale plantation that relied on slaves wouldn't go bankrupt just because the slaves were gone.
Of course, it depended on the region and soil, but many places could easily switch to other cash crops.
In reality, plantation owners with business sense would have had a Plan B and C prepared in case slavery was abolished.
But the people I focused on were not those, but the ones who had been making money off slaves out of sheer inertia.
"Let's see... The farms and lands we picked up for practically half-price amount to over 200,000 pounds, right? Just reselling them will bring a profit at least equal to the initial investment, so we can call this a great success."
"We could operate the more profitable ones for a few years before selling."
"We could, but... no. It's better to be satisfied and sell once we've reached our target profit. Since this isn't our last chance, there's no need to take on more risk. Besides, I was planning to start pulling our money out of America soon anyway, so let's deal with it all then."
James nodded without any particular objection, but Wellesley, who had been lounging on the sofa next to them, shot up.
"What? Are you really going to sell off all the land you bought in Chicago?"
"I'm not selling it right this instant, but we'll need to start preparing to liquidate from next year. I'll convert all the land you've bought into cash as well, Lord Wellesley."
"Ah... but it's still appreciating. Isn't it a bit of a waste?"
"We're reaping nearly ten times our initial investment. Don't get hung up on trivial amounts. With real estate especially, if you miss the timing, you can get stuck for years without being able to get out."
No matter what, I had to pull all my money out of the American market before 1837, so it was right to start the process now, even if it meant taking a small loss.
I had invested such a large amount that I couldn't sell all the land at once.
Still, land prices were rising slightly even now, so if I started liquidating next year, I should be able to cash out all the real estate by '36.
If I combined that with all the money I'd saved up until now, I would have the means to put whatever I wanted in my pocket when the time came.
I had been growing my wealth like mad for that very moment, so from now on, I couldn't afford even the smallest mistake.
"Lord Wellesley, if you really don't want to sell, I won't force you. But you know, don't you? So far, by listening to me..."
"Yes, yes. I've never lost anything. Alright. I'll trust you with it this time, too. To be honest, with all the issues in Parliament right now, I don't have the capacity to worry about anything else."
"Why? Has another problem come up?"
"That's why I came all this way to find you, even in the middle of all this. You looked busy, so I was waiting for you to finish. Is it okay to talk now?"
"Of course."
Even though I knew some things about the future, I wasn't a perfect expert, so I wasn't privy to every single political issue.
To put it simply, I knew that the Conservative Party led by Robert Peel would retake power at some point, but I didn't know exactly when.
Therefore, every minor movement in Parliament that I heard about through Wellesley or Disraeli was incredibly valuable information to me.
After all, I had helped them enter the House of Commons and gain attention precisely so they could bring me such information.
"So, where should I begin? It seems fitting to say that long-simmering resentments have all exploded at once."
"Even if you explain it in a convoluted way, I can understand well enough, so just tell me whatever comes to mind."
"Ah, right, okay. So, to put it simply, the epicenter of the problem erupting now is..."
Wellesley looked at me with a meaningful gaze and revealed the location of the source that would soon send a massive earthquake through British politics.
"Ireland."
"...?"
What is this about? Why is that name coming up now?
* * *
Nearly all British politicians were in unanimous agreement that the Irish problem needed to be resolved one way or another.
The issue was that the "Irish problem" wasn't simple enough to be summarized in a single phrase.
The people of Scotland, which had joined the United Kingdom a bit later, had their fair share of complaints, but Ireland was, without a doubt, on a different level.
The discrimination they faced and the unfair treatment they received were incomparable to other regions.
It was so bad that Irish politicians openly claimed England was treating them like a colony.
One of the reasons Ireland was so alienated was that the majority of its people were Catholic.
Although the Duke of Wellington's administration had passed an emancipation act allowing Catholics to hold public office, it was a stopgap measure at best in resolving the conflict.
Even that minor concession had triggered a storm of criticism against the Tory Party throughout England, making it a thorny issue for politicians.
If they treated Ireland well, the Church of England, the state church, would have a fit. If they did the opposite, the Irish would rise up.
Faced with this dilemma, British politicians had mostly evaded the decision by siding with the Church of England.
After all, blood is thicker than water.
But accumulated discontent was bound to lead to catastrophe.
The year 1834 was particularly fraught, as the Irish leader Daniel O'Connell had won 42 seats in the general election and entered Parliament, fanning the flames of controversy even higher.
And the ruling Whig Party, which had been pursuing a series of reforms, decided it was time to resolve the Irish problem.
Prime Minister Charles Grey, having successively passed the Reform Act, the Factory Act, and the Slavery Abolition Act, had a certain degree of confidence.
If he could solve the Irish problem here and win Ireland over as a support base, a twenty-year reign was not just a dream.
However, an unexpected division arose from within his own party.
"Prime Minister, I cannot agree to meddling with the Church of Ireland, no matter the circumstances."
"That's right. The Church of England, not to mention the Tory Party, will oppose it with all their might and stir up dissent."
"His Majesty has also been openly showing his intent to keep us in check lately. This would be handing him a perfect excuse."
"I agree with the Prime Minister. To be honest, although we've passed a series of reform acts recently, it was the young Tory politicians who unexpectedly received more attention. Therefore, we need to take an even more reformist stance to firmly establish our presence."
The Irish Church Reform Bill that Charles Grey intended to pass sparked even fiercer controversy than he had anticipated.
In truth, the contents of the bill itself were quite commonsensical.
The majority of people in Ireland were Catholic, but the Church of Ireland was Anglican, so not many Irish people were fond of it.
However, by law, Irish Catholics were required to pay tithes to support the Anglican Church.
Charles Grey sought to resolve this issue by reducing the number of Anglican bishops in Ireland and drafting a bill to distribute surplus funds regardless of denomination.
The problem was that there was no consensus on this, not just in the opposition but even within the ruling party.
"Gentlemen, why do you see only one side of this and not the other? This bill is not being proposed simply out of compassion for the Irish people. Considering the future political landscape, don't you see that we must embrace Ireland to decisively crush the Tory Party?"
"But if we alienate the Anglican faithful in our own country just to embrace all of Ireland, the losses will outweigh the gains."
"Hmph... that's not it. The only votes we would definitively lose are those of the Anglican faithful in Ireland. The Anglicans on the mainland might feel displeasure at this bill, but since it has no effect on their daily lives, they will forget about it in a few years."
On the other hand, the Irish people would feel a tremendous, tangible impact as the tithes they had been unjustly paying would disappear.
If played right, the Whig Party could achieve absolute dominance in Ireland, where three parties were currently engaged in a chaotic scramble.
This meant they could snatch up an enormous constituency that held 105 of the total 658 seats.
He couldn't let this opportunity slip by, but with his own party divided, he was utterly frustrated.
"Prime Minister, I still think you are proceeding too hastily. This is something that should be observed for a few more years before..."
"I'm doing this precisely because it might be too late if we wait."
"Even so, this concern arises because the opposition is likely to be too strong."
Having met the Irish student named Killian Gore at the last commemoration, Charles Grey saw right through the Tory Party's intentions.
Why would a figure as prominent as a duke pay so much attention to a mere Irish student?
They, too, must have realized that the Irish region could become the casting vote that would determine the ruling party in the House of Commons.
So, they intended to nurture a bright Irish student and use him as a propaganda tool.
Perhaps Killian Gore wasn't the only one.
If it were him, he would have educated at least ten such students, given them decent positions, and had them act as rabble-rousers.
"We must not be complacent just because we have an absolute majority in the House of Commons. No, there's no use arguing here. I have an appointment to attend to, so I'll be leaving. You all should discuss this with a greater sense of urgency."
"Pardon? Who are you meeting with...? Is it related to the current bill?"
"Of course. Do I look like someone who would waste time meeting an irrelevant person at a time like this?"
If he didn't have enough votes due to a split in his party, he just needed to pull votes from somewhere else.
If the Tory Party had started investing early for the future, he could simply buy the present with the power of parliamentary seats.
"I am going to meet with Daniel O'Connell to discuss this. I will return after, so you all know to wait for me."
Without waiting for a reply, Charles Grey rose from his seat and left the meeting room.
'Come to think of it, I wonder if Daniel O'Connell is aware of the Tories' scheme. If not, I should tell him.'
Would the political leader of Ireland be aware of a student who might one day grow to become his rival?
Though treated as an outsider in England, he came from a traditional, well-established comital family in Ireland, and he had the full backing of the Tory Party.
At least within the confines of Ireland, it was a foregone conclusion that Killian Gore would grow into a politician of considerable influence.
'In that case, a strategy we could pursue is...'
Charles Grey's steps quickened as he headed for his carriage.
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