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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Victoria
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Victoria
Kensington Palace, the residence of the British royal family, adjoins Hyde Park, one of London's largest parks.
Compared to other palaces, it has a slightly modest feel, but that thought quickly vanishes when one beholds the panoramic view of the vast Hyde Park stretching out behind it.
The very fact that it was home to Britain's most distinguished royals gave it a unique gravitas.
Inside a charming drawing room of Kensington Palace.
The sound of two women chatting echoed through a room filled with the sweet aroma of black tea.
To be precise, the elegant, middle-aged lady was doing most of the talking, while the young girl was mostly listening.
The sight of the middle-aged lady, Cecilia, conversing so warmly with the girl would likely have been the envy of countless people.
And for good reason.
The line of nobles wishing for a single word with the girl would be long enough to circle Kensington Palace.
Alexandrina Victoria of Hanover, first in the provisional line of succession to the British throne, listened to Cecilia's continuing story as she gently tilted her teacup.
"...Really? How interesting."
"It's true. Isn't it fascinating?"
Though she was mostly listening, it wasn't because Victoria found the conversation with Cecilia uninteresting.
On the contrary, she greatly enjoyed listening to Cecilia's stories.
Although this lady had not been formally accepted as a member of the royal family, Victoria secretly considered her family.
Cecilia's husband, the Duke of Sussex, was regarded as an eccentric within the royal family, but to Victoria, there was no uncle quite like him.
The Duke had been one of the few to openly voice his opposition to the so-called 'Kensington System,' an absurdly strict regimen of education and discipline.
The Kensington System was a set of rules created by Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her comptroller, John Conroy—a system that was called education but was, in practice, confinement.
The official reason sounded plausible enough.
—Victoria is the likely heir to the throne of the British Empire, so she must be educated under strict discipline from a young age.
For this reason, Victoria had been forced to grow up under her mother's dreadful oppression and surveillance since childhood.
It was so extreme that Victoria was never allowed to be alone; even when she slept, her mother or a governess had to be present in the same room.
Privacy was nonexistent, contact with other royals, including the King, was severely restricted, and even meeting a tutor required the approval of her mother or Conroy.
It was called education, but it was, in truth, a form of child abuse, designed by the Duchess of Kent—who dreamed of becoming regent—to make the young Victoria completely dependent on her.
"By the way, I heard you're going on a trip to the Thames Valley? It will be a nice change of pace, being your first outing in a while."
"My mother will be tagging along, so I'm not sure how much fun it will be."
"Still, you'll be able to get out of this stifling place for a while. That alone should ease your mind."
Victoria let out a soft laugh.
"To be honest, Hyde Park is plenty spacious. But what does physical space matter when I'm not allowed to wander freely?"
"..."
Instead of offering clumsy words of comfort, Cecilia simply poured her another cup of delicious tea.
This was why Victoria liked her.
Of course, at first, Victoria had considered Cecilia just another sycophant, in league with her mother.
It was an unavoidable prejudice. Without exception, everyone granted a private audience with her was a power-hungry ghoul who fawned over her mother.
Cecilia must have earned her place here by flattering her mother, telling her she was the most suitable candidate for the future regency of England.
She even heard later that Cecilia had used her Irish origins to build a sense of camaraderie with her mother, who was also from a foreign land.
Contrary to her appearance, she was a surprisingly meticulous and deeply calculating person.
And yet, after going to all that trouble, the first thing she said upon meeting Victoria was, 'The Duchess of Kent will never be regent, so you should live your own life, Princess.'
Victoria could still vividly recall the burst of incredulous laughter that had escaped her upon hearing those words for the first time.
"But will the Factory Act really pass so smoothly?"
"Of course. My nephew has never been wrong."
"Come to think of it, you said he was the one who taught you how to win my mother's favor, didn't you?"
"Yes, Killian Gore, as I've mentioned before. He is a truly, truly handsome, brilliant, lovely, kind, and gallant boy. And he's so considerate, you know, the other day..."
As wonderful as Cecilia was, she had one flaw.
Perhaps because she had no son of her own, whenever the topic of her nephew came up, she would uncharacteristically lose all reason and go on a tangent.
Still, thanks to her, Victoria learned many interesting things.
Because of the cursed Kensington System, she was unable to properly learn about domestic politics and social issues.
Thanks to her governess, Baroness Lehzen, who taught her about the constitution and politics, she wasn't a complete blank slate.
But Victoria had a keen interest in newspapers, politics, and social matters, so she couldn't help but feel that her education was lacking.
Therefore, the stories Cecilia occasionally shared about her nephew were like precious gifts that quenched that frustrating thirst.
Take the Factory Act, for instance.
Victoria had never even imagined that such terrible things were happening in her own country.
And it wasn't just politics; Cecilia would sometimes recount mystical tales of the Orient that Killian had told her.
These strange and wondrous stories, the likes of which she had never heard before, were a great comfort to Victoria in themselves.
"Oh, my. I was so distracted, I almost forgot the most important thing."
"There's plenty of time, so please, take it slow."
"It's about your upcoming trip. I heard a visit to Eton College is on your itinerary?"
"Yes. I believe there will be time to meet some of the students. They say it's the school attended by the nation's brightest minds, so I'm rather looking forward to it."
"The nephew I mentioned has been attending Eton College since last year. As I recall, he should be about a year younger than you, Princess. If you're lucky, you might get to see him."
Victoria's hand, raising her teacup to her lips, paused mid-air.
"I remember now. You did say your nephew attends Eton College."
"Yes. I've always said he's clever, but he's also an upstanding and wonderful boy. From the very first day we met, he was so concerned for my well-being. He even said he wouldn't mind forfeiting his inheritance of the earldom if it meant my marriage would be recognized."
She had heard that story so many times she'd lost count.
Still, she must have been deeply moved to gush about it every single time.
Victoria naturally grew curious about the student named Killian Gore.
What kind of person was this nephew, whom Cecilia, one of the few people who brought her joy, cherished like her own son?
If she was lucky, she might just find out on this trip.
"But, my lady."
Victoria could no longer hold back and finally asked what she was truly curious about.
"Is your nephew really that handsome?"
"Of course!"
Seeing Cecilia's reaction, a nod so swift it was almost a spinal reflex, Victoria smiled faintly.
It was her nature, an undeniable part of her since childhood, to show more favor to those with handsome features.
Still, Victoria didn't think it was particularly strange.
After all, doesn't everyone like handsome and pretty things?
She was just a *little* more honest about it.
* * *
Today, I had taken more care with my uniform than ever before.
The collar was starched to a perfect point, and the white cravat was impeccably clean, without a single speck.
This was an event for a visit from the most revered woman in the land, the one most likely to become queen.
It wasn't just me... actually, I was being rather modest.
The students of Eton College were all preening and primping, more so than ever before.
"Killian, how do I look? Am I alright? What if the Princess sees me and takes a liking to me?"
"Wouldn't that be an honor? You're a member of a ducal family, so hold your head high, senior."
"Hey, hey, Princess Victoria isn't just any princess. You know this. She's first in the line of succession! If the current king doesn't produce an heir, the princess visiting today will become Her Majesty the Queen."
"Indeed. To be honest, I'm also quite curious to see what she's like."
The reason Robert had been up for two hours, meticulously arranging every single strand of his hair.
The reason I'd hired a private cricket tutor and trained like a madman.
It was all for today's event.
Fortunately, the various things Aunt Cecilia had told me about Victoria's personality were a great help.
If not for that, I might have wasted my energy on pointless things like most of the students here.
"...Phew. All done. Shall we head out? You seem awfully relaxed, though."
"I've made all the preparations I can."
"Honestly, this is why I hate handsome guys. The world is so unfair."
I followed Robert outside.
It was a clear, blue-skied day without a single cloud.
The sight of the town street where the boarding houses were located, filled with Eton students in their crisp uniforms, was quite a spectacle.
Of course, it wasn't just the Eton students; the town's residents had also poured out to line the streets, eager for a glimpse of their future queen.
"By the way, Killian, you're the top student among the new boys, right? Doesn't that mean you might get to meet the Princess later?"
"Even if I'm a top student, there are five blocks. The Princess won't meet all five of us, will she? I'm not getting my hopes up."
In this era, Eton College divided its students into five 'blocks' according to their curriculum, with each block essentially corresponding to a single grade level.
The blocks were designated F, E, D, C, and B, with F block being the youngest students and B being the oldest.
As a new boy, I was naturally in F block, and I had maintained the top score in every exam throughout the year.
There were rumors that Victoria might have a brief tea time with the top students, but those were just rumors.
More importantly, the overbearing Duchess of Kent would never allow Victoria to meet and converse with the top student from every single block.
So, I needed to stand out somehow, and this wasn't a thought unique to me.
Every student was burning with the hope that they might somehow catch the eye of the future queen.
The inter-block cricket tournament Victoria was scheduled to watch would likely resemble a battlefield.
Boys of this age are often simpler than one might think.
Even Robert, who pretended to be uninterested, had been secretly practicing his swing as the day drew near.
"Wow, were there always this many people in this town? I can't even move forward properly."
As we tried to make our way to the area designated for our boarding house, we saw an enormous crowd filling the street.
Robert and I struggled, barely managing to push our way through the dense throng.
"Killian, Robert! Our house will be waving flags over here!"
Just in time, our House Master, who had been waiting, rushed over and helped us avoid being crushed by the crowd.
Still, thanks to my status as the second son of the Duke of Rutland, the spot Robert and I secured was a prime one, offering a perfect, head-on view of Victoria's carriage.
A quick glance around showed that the welcoming preparations were complete.
The faculty members stared anxiously at the road where the carriage would appear, while the students held their breath, ready to unleash a world-shaking cheer at any moment.
*Thump!*
A single drumbeat sounded, followed by a flourish of instruments announcing the arrival of the distinguished guest.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Princess Victoria!"
"Long live the Princess! Long live the Princess!"
Even before the carriage had appeared, a reflexive roar of cheers shook the town street.
Then, in the distance, a magnificent yet elegant carriage could be seen slowly approaching.
As the carriage drew nearer, the crowd's cheers grew louder, and eventually, the slowly moving carriage came to a halt at the town's entrance.
Simultaneously, Eton's headmaster, John Keate, stepped forward and offered a respectful bow to the carriage. Soon, the carriage door opened.
Three women descended from the carriage with an escort.
The Duchess of Kent, Baroness Louise Lehzen, and finally, a young Victoria.
She was slightly small for her age, but she exuded an air of elegance and resolve that belied her years.
Her fair skin contrasted with her not-yet-darkened reddish-brown hair and her two deep blue eyes.
The young girl, destined to be the next queen of the British Empire, smiled and waved at the lined-up students.
"Waaaaah!"
"The Princess! The Princess looked at me!"
"She wasn't looking at you, she was looking at me!"
So much for elites; kids will be kids. Getting competitive over something so trivial.
While others let out near-frenzied cheers, knowing her circumstances made her smile seem somewhat pitiful to me.
It was as if I could feel the relief of someone who had always been confined, finally getting a moment to breathe.
Come to think of it, what if Aunt Cecilia has praised me too excessively?
That aunt of mine has a tendency to be a bit doting...
Suddenly, Victoria turned her head as if searching for something.
Her eyes, moving slowly so as not to be obvious, stopped on my position, where I was vigorously waving a flag alongside Robert.
I expected her to look away, but she continued to gaze in our direction.
What? Is she actually looking at me?
Just as I had that thought, she turned her gaze back toward the headmaster as if nothing had happened.
No way, right?
I nearly stooped to the same level as the fools I'd just been mocking internally.
As I let out a secret sigh of relief, John Keate began his welcoming address, reciting the day's schedule.
Victoria listened to his long-winded speech, her expression unchanged from when she had first arrived.
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