Marrying Victoria would not simply mean pledging to spend my life with one woman.
It meant becoming the husband of the Queen of the British Empire.
It meant living as the royal consort of the most powerful empire on earth—where every movement, every word, every gesture could become a matter of public fascination.
Especially now, when the monarchy enjoyed immense popularity and genuine affection from the people, even the smallest action would be scrutinized.
Still—
in truth, that had always been my life.
To survive among the deeply conservative upper classes of Britain, I had spent years carefully managing every aspect of my conduct.
From the beginning, I had been someone who could never afford a mistake.
If I slipped even slightly, there would always be whispers.
Of course… he's Irish mixed-blood.
Wasn't that precisely why, in my youth, I had stayed in the shadows behind Arthur Wellesley?
I took the practical gains while allowing the public honor to fall on him.
My background had demanded it.
So perhaps marrying Victoria would not change things as much as one might expect.
All I had to do was help make her the most beloved queen in British history—
and remain beside her as the respected husband of that queen.
Of course, life might become slightly less comfortable than before.
But that was hardly a serious problem.
"If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up."
Queen Victoria covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes shining.
"What should I do? I'm so happy I might die."
"That would be rather dangerous," I said with a faint smile. "Considering you'll only become happier from here."
Victoria shook her head quickly.
"I knew you probably wouldn't reject me… but still… I kept worrying. What if you said you liked me but not enough to marry me? I had prepared so many things to say, but I couldn't say any of them properly…"
Even if she had known the answer, anyone would be nervous in that situation.
Frankly, I doubted I would have managed any eloquent speech either.
In the end, what mattered was not clever words.
It was the feelings behind them.
Seeing the radiant smile blooming across her face made me feel that any minor inconvenience in the future would hardly matter.
"It's strange," Victoria murmured. "A moment ago my heart was racing from anxiety… but now it's beating for an entirely different reason. You might think I'm exaggerating, but it feels as if we were born for each other from the very beginning."
"To be honest," I said quietly, "this is the first time someone has given me such profound love. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make my heart race."
"Th-then…"
Victoria stepped closer, moving stiffly like a wooden puppet.
The awkward motion nearly made me laugh.
But I understood what she wanted.
When I gently drew her into an embrace, her body trembled faintly in my arms.
"…This is the first time I've ever been this physically close to a man," she whispered.
"Come to think of it," I said, "have you told anyone else about our engagement?"
"No, of course not. You're the first."
She smiled shyly.
"I'll tell them after you leave. Lehzen, Cecilia… and Mother. I suppose I should tell her as well."
"Of course. I imagine she'll be very happy."
Victoria nodded.
"Yes. My relationship with Mother has improved a great deal lately. You were right—once Conroy was removed, everything changed."
She paused thoughtfully.
"Still… I'm curious how she'll react when she hears I'm marrying you."
I was curious as well.
Years ago she had taken in a mixed-blood Irish boy because he seemed useful.
Later she discovered he had outmaneuvered her.
And now—
that same boy turned out to be of Asian royal descent and was about to marry her daughter, the Queen of Britain.
Anyone would be stunned.
"Do you think she might oppose the marriage?" I asked.
"No," Victoria replied immediately.
"She knows she treated me poorly before. She's been trying to make up for it. If anything, she'll probably support the marriage enthusiastically. I'm more worried about how to explain it to my uncle… and to Cecilia."
Cousin marriages were hardly unusual in this era.
But when the families were extremely close, the situation could still feel awkward.
Especially since Cecilia was Victoria's lady-in-waiting.
Announcing, I'm marrying your son, would certainly be… delicate.
"I suspect she'll be delighted," I said.
"That's true," Victoria admitted with a laugh. "She'll probably be very proud. Still… Killian is legally Cecilia's son, so…"
She waved a hand.
"No matter. I'll just tell everyone today."
"If it feels awkward, I could accompany you."
"No," she said quickly, her face turning red. "That would only make it more embarrassing. I'll speak to them first. Besides, the one who proposes usually announces it. Killian, you should go tell the people waiting for your answer."
That was true.
Charles Wellesley was probably waiting impatiently for news.
"I understand," I said. "I'll inform the prime minister that I will be marrying Your Majesty and arrange for Parliament to proceed with the recommendation."
"Yes… then…"
As I bowed and turned to leave, Victoria hesitated for a moment before shyly waving her hand.
"Please take care of me from now on… my Killian."
"Yes, Your—"
I stopped myself.
Then I gently took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Until tomorrow… my Victoria."
She froze.
"W-what did you just say?"
"Ah—my apologies. I got carried away."
It occurred to me that this was the first time I had spoken her name directly.
Even in private, I had always addressed her formally.
Perhaps that had been too forward for someone as traditional as Victoria.
But if we were going to marry, continuing to call her Your Majesty in private felt strange.
"No—don't apologize!"
Victoria grabbed my sleeve in panic.
"From now on, when no one else is around, you must always call me that. Actually… before you leave, say it ten more times."
Ah.
So I hadn't gone too far.
Quite the opposite.
In the end, I spent nearly half an hour repeating her name affectionately before I was finally allowed to leave Kensington Palace.
It seemed the Queen's restraint had completely collapsed.
I would probably need to start maintaining my stamina more carefully.
Though for now, I supposed I could manage.
After all—
I was still in my early twenties.
"Good heavens… so it really happened?"
Charles Wellesley stared at me in disbelief.
"You're telling me the Queen herself proposed to you?"
"Yes," I replied calmly. "And I accepted."
"I once joked about this possibility… but I never imagined it would actually happen."
Because I had warned him to prepare yesterday, Wellesley handled the news with surprising composure.
Still, he continued shaking his head.
"And this was William Gladstone's idea? That man must be insane. What kind of lunatic recommends his political rival as royal consort to reduce his influence?"
"I told you before," I said lightly. "He's a capable man."
"So we made a mistake letting him drift toward the Whigs? If we had kept him firmly in our party, none of this would have happened."
"Even if we had, he and Benjamin Disraeli would eventually have fought each other and one of them would have left the party anyway. We could never keep both."
I shrugged.
"And honestly, having a capable opponent is useful. The party had grown complacent."
"Complacent?" Wellesley snorted. "More like endangered. You're about to lose your ministerial post."
From his perspective, the Whigs had landed a devastating blow.
Not merely scoring points—
but delivering a knockdown.
"Still," I said calmly, "their proposal does benefit the national interest. As I've said before, a politician should always ensure that what benefits the nation also benefits himself."
Wellesley sighed.
"I admit it was brilliant. I saw the move and realized we had no grounds to oppose it. But we can't simply accept defeat either."
"That's true."
I smiled faintly.
"Do you think I want to resign from the ministry while preaching political neutrality? If anyone dislikes that outcome, it's me."
"Exactly! And you said before there was a small chance the Queen might propose. You also hinted you had some kind of plan."
Wellesley was only managing his composure because of that earlier remark.
And it hadn't been a lie.
I had indeed prepared something.
Though strictly speaking, the plan had been designed for myself rather than for the Conservative Party.
Still—
if I prospered, Wellesley prospered.
And if Wellesley prospered, so did the Conservatives.
In the end, the result was the same.
Which meant I could ask for his help without the slightest guilt.
"First, we shouldn't drag this out," I said. "As soon as possible, you should raise the issue in Parliament. Ask whether the Whigs truly intend to recommend me as consort."
"They'll naturally request our cooperation. So we agree?"
He paused.
"Wait… what if we agree but stretch out the engagement period? If the wedding is delayed, you could remain minister while still technically engaged."
Among aristocrats of the era, announcing an engagement long before the wedding was perfectly normal.
But this was not an ordinary aristocratic marriage.
"It's not a terrible idea," I said. "But it's not a good one either."
"Why not?"
"Because it gives the Whigs endless opportunities to attack. They can argue the nation needs an heir quickly. If we delay the wedding, how do we respond?"
Wellesley exhaled heavily.
"…You're right. Public opinion would favor them."
"So instead, we move quickly. The Whigs may have proposed it, but the Conservatives should lead the process."
"And that will catch them off guard?"
"They think they've already struck a blow," I replied. "The faster we move, the less prepared they'll be."
In truth, this was almost accidental fortune.
But I had prepared numerous justifications long ago in case I ever married Victoria.
Gladstone and Palmerston could never predict my actions.
Not when they didn't know the true relationship between Victoria and me.
"The tradition that the consort must remain politically neutral is correct," I continued. "If the monarch and consort openly intervened in politics, parliamentary government would collapse."
"…That may be true," Wellesley muttered. "But it still feels like a waste. You're far more capable than half the fools in Parliament."
"That assumption is the real weakness," I said quietly.
Why should I retire?
Maintaining neutrality publicly while working quietly behind the scenes would be more than enough.
And in fact—
there were even ways to remain active in public life.
Just as I was about to explain—
"Oh, by the way," Wellesley suddenly interrupted, "did you propose to the Queen?"
"…Pardon? She proposed to me."
In this era, men normally proposed marriage.
But Victoria was the Queen.
Naturally, she had to take the initiative.
Who didn't know that?
"Ah," Wellesley said knowingly. "You've never been married, so you wouldn't understand."
"Understand what?"
"She may be the Queen—but she's still a woman. Because of circumstances she had to propose first. But every woman hopes to experience that moment at least once."
"…I see."
That made an uncomfortable amount of sense.
"So if you want to become a truly beloved husband," Wellesley continued, grinning, "you should prepare a proper proposal yourself."
"You're right."
I rubbed my forehead.
"I can't believe I overlooked something so obvious."
Wellesley laughed.
"You owe me one for this advice. Trust me—after a few years of marriage, you'll realize how valuable it was."
So this was why experience mattered.
No matter how clever I was, I had never been married.
And yet—
here I was receiving the most valuable advice imaginable from Arthur Wellesley.
I had nearly made a serious mistake.