The Shadow of Great Britain

At the end of the arched corridor, the Earl of Liverpool stood by the half-opened French window, draped in a silver-gray evening cloak, with his ever-present cane in hand.

Without turning around, he spoke calmly upon hearing footsteps: ”You came just in time, Sir Arthur.”

Arthur stopped beside him, nodding slightly: ”Is there something you wish to instruct?”

The Earl of Liverpool gazed at the night outside the window, the garden below shrouded in mist, leaving only outlines: ”Tonight, we finally completed a daunting task. Conroy... finally agreed to take a step back.”

Arthur smiled faintly: ”I believe that step of his was not taken willingly.”

”Of course not willingly.” The Earl of Liverpool finally turned his head: ”But he had no choice, he had no other path. It’s just that...”

He paused, taking a folded piece of paper from the inside of his cloak and handed it to Arthur: ”You can more or less guess the content inside: Requesting the Cabinet to consider appointing Conroy as the Royal Treasury manager, plus providing him a decent but non-controversial pension.”

Arthur was not surprised by the content of the paper, but he still took it and glanced over it.

However, he was not reading the content, but checking whether the Earl of Liverpool’s signature was present on it.

As expected, Arthur did not find his signature on this letter.

Yet, even with an unsigned petition, the Earl of Liverpool was not willing to hand it to Arthur rashly. He preferred to have Arthur relay the results of his negotiation with the Earl of Liverpool to Victoria orally.

When the Earl of Liverpool saw Arthur refolding the unsigned letter, he slowly spoke: ”You see, this is not an earth-shattering arrangement, nor is it humiliating, but merely granting him a British-style political dignity.”

At this point, the Earl of Liverpool shifted the subject, probing subtly: ”How is the Princess’s mood lately?”

Arthur returned the paper to the Earl of Liverpool: ”It’s been a while since I met with the Princess in private. But, as I understand her, her mood always depends on the environment. And whether the environment is stable often depends on whether she is treated as an independent person.”

”Well said.” The Earl of Liverpool smiled slightly: ”The Princess’s independence is already within reach. Now, she just needs to express an attitude, even if only indirectly or symbolically, it’s good enough.”

Arthur did not wish to be a clear-cut arbiter on this matter; he merely turned his head to look at the Earl: ”What do you mean?”

”A nod, a noncommittal word, a gesture of willing to take the envelope.” The Earl of Liverpool’s tone was light: ”As long as the Princess is willing to display such a stance, I can then tell the Cabinet she has tacitly agreed to this.”

He deliberately paused here, pretending to add carelessly: ”Sir Arthur, you understand her habits better than any of us... Do you think the Princess now has this intention?”

This was a test.

Arthur certainly could hear it.

The Earl of Liverpool’s task was to maintain the balance between the Duchess of Kent, Conroy, and Victoria, ensuring that neither side fell into a deadlock, thereby ensuring Britain’s royal succession could proceed smoothly.

At the same time, the Earl of Liverpool had heard some inside stories about the Ramsgate incident, understanding Victoria’s headstrong nature. Hence, persuading her to take a step back is no easier than persuading Conroy to do so.

He looked around the world, and now the only ones capable of achieving this would be, other than Belgian King Leopold I, Sir Arthur Hastings and Lady Leisen.

However, given Lady Leisen’s irreconcilable relationship with Conroy, she was actually impossible to take on this task.

And as for Sir Arthur Hastings...

The focal point of their conflict mainly centered on last year’s Ramsgate incident, and before Ramsgate, at least on the surface, their relationship was still acceptable.

Therefore, the Earl of Liverpool understandably regarded him as the breakthrough point.

Just as the Earl of Liverpool thought Arthur was about to start laying out conditions, he unexpectedly saw Arthur lightly leaning back, as if to distance himself from this topic.

”If you wish to know the Princess’s intentions, I suggest you ask her yourself.”

The Earl of Liverpool blinked, his smile containing a hint of elusive meaning: ”If I could ask, I wouldn’t trouble you, Sir Arthur. The Princess currently trusts very few people, but I hear she never turns her back on you. Some words, when written down, become a declaration of war. However, when spoken at the right time by the right person, can defuse a conflict. As someone who has been a diplomat, I’m sure you understand this principle.”

As a former diplomat who orchestrated the ”Caucasus incident,” Sir Arthur Hastings did not take this as a compliment. If the Foreign Secretary Palmerston had said this before him, Arthur would most likely take it as a mockery.

But given that the Earl of Liverpool is a Conservative Party member, Arthur decided to tolerate this as inadvertent slip-up: ”Are you planning to have me persuade the Princess to accept your suggestion?”

”No.” Liverpool immediately denied, his answer sounding extremely appropriate: ”How dare I have a potential future monarch agree with my opinion? That would be too impolite.”