Chapter 22: The Earl's Inheritance
William led Gareth Mallory into the Hilton's restaurant, and after they had ordered, Gareth began to speak.
"The Devinshire family has served a special branch of the English government for more than 140 years," Gareth said. "I never expected that all that would be left in the hands of a nineteen-year-old boy."
Gareth sighed. "You must be curious why MI6 has allowed the W group to remain dormant for ten years without trying to activate it."
William nodded.
"Truthfully, it's not that M doesn't want to; it's that she *can't*. For 140 years, your family's group has been exclusively controlled by the Devinshires. Not even the chairman of the committee knows who the members are, only that the person in charge is a Devinshire. The complete files are backed up in only one location: the Dark Castle, just outside Buckingham Palace."
"Dark Castle?" William rolled his eyes. It sounded a bit dramatic.
"Sounds dramatic, doesn't it? Haha. The royal family and the nobility had their own intelligence agencies hundreds of years ago, and all information was backed up in the Dark Castle. That tradition has continued to this day, but times have changed. Now, most intelligence powers have been handed over to Downing Street. The Dark Castle is the nobility's last bastion of intelligence power."
Gareth Mallory took a sip of the wine William had poured for him and continued.
"Group W was originally an action group designed to investigate and eliminate traitors within England's own government. But no one wants to hand over that kind of power to others. The heads of various departments preferred to handle their own internal problems, so they established their own supervisory units. For a time, Group W became useless."
"It was only revived during World War II, after it was discovered that internal traitors were leaking secrets to the Germans. That was when the independent W group was put to use again."
"But how much power can a group that has been dormant for decades truly have? And traitors are not so easily rooted out. Families like yours had to make great sacrifices."
"After the war, Group W's responsibilities changed again. For the past few decades, with the approval of the Security Committee, it has been responsible for special security affairs, such as protecting the royal family from credible threats. It is only dispatched in times of special crisis, and it answers only to the committee."
"Furthermore, judging from the few tasks it has completed, the members of this group are all elite masters. That's why M has always wanted to get her hands on them."
William nodded, his expression unchanged.
"Heh," Gareth chuckled. "What little M has never known is that the members of the committee have always been, by tradition, nobles. We pick our own successors, and we only pick those who are not hostile to the aristocracy. Therefore, it's not so surprising that a group controlled by the noble Devinshire family answers to us, is it, William?"
William was taken aback. He thought silently, *This bastard is deliberately playing up the nobility, trying to evoke some longing for that class. But for what purpose?*
The English nobility was a shadow of its former self, constantly suppressed by public opinion and Downing Street. A title was useful outside of England, but inside? "And now you're telling me it still holds this much power?" William asked skeptically. "Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"
Gareth Mallory looked at William as if he were an idiot, and seemed to restrain an urge to slap him. He hissed in a low voice, "You idiot! How do you think your grandfather, his father, and your three great-uncles died? They died serving England. It's because of the sacrifices of nobles like them that the committee has always remained in our hands. This is a legacy our ancestors bought with their blood. No one is going to take it from us."
"So you're a noble too?" William asked, catching on.
"Nonsense, of course I am! Otherwise, do you think just anyone can be chairman of the committee? You're a noble by birth. We're in the same boat. And don't think you can get out of it just because you don't currently hold a title. That's impossible. The Duke of Devonshire wouldn't allow it."
"The Duke is very optimistic about you. Otherwise, do you really think a man who makes only a few public appearances a year would just happen to be 'caught' by reporters to sing your praises?"
"The title of Earl of Oxford has been kept for you. It all depends on what you want to do. Many people are watching you now, William. You'd better think carefully about where you stand. Hahaha."
Being a newly minted billionaire, William didn't actually care that much about becoming a noble. But he saw an opportunity. "Is it really what I want?" he said dismissively. "The title has already been inherited. No one can do anything about that. I don't believe you can just change the laws of England."
Gareth rolled his eyes. "Suddenly I'm questioning if you're worth the investment. How can you ask such an idiotic question? How do you think the current Count inherited the title? Your grandfather arranged it all. Although the current Count is a Devinshire, he has no children. Henry signed a contract, witnessed by the Earl himself, the royal family, and the peerage."
"As long as he has no children, the title *must* be returned to you. The Count is now sixty-five. After ten years of trying, it's no use. I hear his last visit to the hospital confirmed it's impossible for him to have children now."
"So, you haven't just been on some people's attention list for a long time; it was always our intention to appear before you once you came into your own. Understand?"
William was secretly delighted but kept a skeptical look on his face. "That's still impossible. I have no right of inheritance. The Earl's other male relatives can inherit the title. It would never fall to me." Since his mother, Lina, was a woman and couldn't inherit the title, William, by extension, had no direct claim.
"Haha, there's a reason people called Henry a cunning fox," Gareth said. "I don't know if your branch of the Devonshire family has been cursed these past few decades or what, but Henry only had your mother, and the current Earl has no children at all..." Gareth trailed off, looking at William meaningfully.
The implication made William's heart beat a little faster.
A sudden, frightening idea popped into his head.
"You and the current Earl of Oxford are the only ones in your branch with bloodline proof registered in the House of Lords."
"When there are no other heirs, according to the law of aristocratic succession, the only heir registered with the peerage is you. You are the sole and only heir."
"As long as you don't refuse, it won't be long before you are the Earl of Oxford. I suggest you start setting aside some money to pay the inheritance tax."
"No noble family in England today would be foolish enough to leave their entire estate outside of a trust fund like yours. Henry was truly ruthless. It seems he was afraid someone from another branch of the Devonshire family would try to snatch the inheritance."
"Now, even if someone had the idea, they couldn't inherit. First, they couldn't afford the tax. Second, even if they could, they have no bloodline proof registered with the Lords. The Duke of Devonshire was worried you wouldn't have enough money yourself. Honestly, wasn't Henry afraid you wouldn't be able to afford to inherit the title and property?"
"What's there to be afraid of?" William pouted. "If I can't inherit it, the title just goes back to the Crown."
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