The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1986 - 174: Queen Victoria: The Duchess of Kent Reborn_3

Additionally, he is now the Party Leader of the Whig Party, the Prime Minister of the world’s dominant power, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

Therefore, despite being an old man in his fifties, there are still quite a few young ladies who are enamored with him.

Even if they cannot become Viscount Melbourne’s lovers, it does not prevent him from easily, naturally, and inevitably becoming their friend.

If we talk about social connections in women’s circles, even adding up Palmerston, the "Cupid from Ireland," Metternich, the "Mrs. Levin’s lapdog from Vienna," Arthur Hastings, the "rising star with both black and white connections," and even Eld Carter, the "famous adventurer from Leicester Square," and Heinrich Heine, the "romantic failure who couldn’t win over either cousin," the total doesn’t match up to Viscount Melbourne.

Of course, if we also include Alexander Dumas, the "entertainment circle rule manipulator from Paris," and Victor Hugo, the "superpowered individual who can fight fourteen at once," then the outcome might still be uncertain.

Viscount Melbourne gets along well with the Queen, and the one who hates him most isn’t Arthur but a gnashing Conroy.

After all, Melbourne currently holds the position that Conroy has dreamed of.

Recently, Parliament just passed the Queen’s annuity budget, allocating an annuity of three hundred eighty-five thousand British Pounds to Victoria, roughly equivalent to 9.62 middle-class annual incomes as defined by Earl of Dalmo. Even after deducting the Royal Family’s expenses, Victoria still receives sixty-eight thousand Pounds annually, alongside at least twenty-seven thousand Pounds every year from the Royal Family’s direct-ruled territories.

In an instant, Victoria transformed into the highest-earning woman in Britain, which surely makes Conroy gnash his teeth with resentment.

Without Viscount Melbourne, this money would have been entirely at his disposal.

And the first thing Victoria did with the money was to immediately repay all the debts left by her father, Duke of Kent.

The second thing was to allocate three thousand Pounds from the Treasury as Sir Arthur Hastings’ salary for serving as a non-resident Attendant, even though this position usually doesn’t require payment.

However...

Even so, Arthur still wasn’t confident in persuading Victoria to transfer the authority to approve death sentences to the Home Office.

But his concern wasn’t about Victoria, rather it was about Viscount Melbourne. Although this suggestion was proposed by Home Secretary Lord John Russell, and in principle, the Prime Minister shouldn’t oppose, Melbourne himself didn’t bring it up, leaving Lord Russell to plead on Arthur’s side...

Although Arthur hadn’t fully understood the situation’s ins and outs, he couldn’t ignore the previous example of the Cold Bath incident. He could definitely sense the reluctance to take responsibility hanging in the air.

As the carriage entered the edge of St. James Park, Arthur pulled the curtains down. He didn’t want the guards to see his expression before entering the palace.

There are always many informers around the Royal Palace; what you say or do here will spread like wildfire.

For an intelligence officer, this is the most intolerable situation.

When the carriage stopped at the west side entrance of Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family’s messenger was already waiting on the stone steps.

They bowed respectfully without unnecessary words, just leading Arthur through the familiar corridor all the way to the sunlit reception room by the garden.

This is Victoria’s favorite room at Buckingham Palace, with a whole east-facing glass window. From here, one can see the roses she personally designated and a row of small laurel trees.

Today, Victoria wore a lavender satin morning gown, her hair loosely tied, with a light touch of powder on her face, yet no trace of fatigue in her eyes. Her spirits were very high, a symptom that hadn’t waned since her coronation and even showed signs of intensifying, as if she were venting eighteen years of pent-up energy from Kensington Palace.

When she saw Arthur, she couldn’t help but smile slightly, the smile having lost the excitement and nervousness of her coronation day, instead carrying genuine warmth from the heart.

"Sir Arthur, I almost thought you wouldn’t come today. I heard from Viscount Melbourne that affairs at Whitehall always seem to keep one occupied, right?"

Arthur slightly bowed and smiled playfully, raising an eyebrow: "Perhaps, but if anyone at Whitehall truly dared to stop me from coming to the Palace, I would suggest you reconsider their appointment."

(To be continued, there should be another Chapter before noon).