Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Funeral
"Block all exits from London, the murderer must not get away. I want to hear good news from the government within three days." Queen Victoria said coldly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Robert Selby responded solemnly.
Prime Minister Roberto Selby knew that if he couldn't capture the murderer within the time limit set by Her Majesty, his days as Prime Minister would most likely be numbered.
Although the United Kingdom is one of the most representative constitutional monarchies in the world, the power of the British monarch has been greatly restricted.
But no one can deny that Queen Victoria, who single-handedly created the glorious Victorian Era, has regained a great amount of power, and the appointment and removal of the Prime Minister is merely a matter of a simple command.
"Where is Arthur now?" Queen Victoria asked sadly.
"At the Royal Hospital, Princess Louise is also there." Prime Minister Robert Selby replied.
Princess Louise, the Duchess of Arthur, is the niece of King Frederick IV of Prussia and Emperor William I of Germany, and the first cousin of the current Emperor William II of the German Empire, as well as Arthur's mother.
"Let's go, let's see Arthur for the last time and take a look at my poor child." Queen Victoria seemed resigned as she sighed; her already aging body seeming even more hunched over.
The Royal Hospital is an ancient hospital built in the last century and is also the private hospital for the entire British Royal Family.
It gathers famous doctors from all over the United Kingdom and even the world, and is considered one of the top hospitals globally.
A procession of horse-drawn carriages slowly set off from Buckingham Palace, heading straight towards the Royal Hospital.
In the Royal Hospital,
Two hours had passed since Arthur was rushed to the hospital for treatment, and his breath and heartbeat had been lost forever just one hour earlier.
Sitting in front of Arthur's body were his wife Princess Louise and two daughters Margaret, Patricia.
Even the youngest daughter Patricia was fourteen years old, already past the age of innocence.
Seeing their once kind and gentle father suddenly lying on the bed with pale breathless face, both Margaret and Patricia could hardly accept it and they sobbed loudly on Arthur's remains.
Princess Louise, on the other hand, was slightly better off, managing to hold back her somewhat collapsing emotions, instead of completely losing control like her two daughters.
However, the redness of her eyes and the haze of tears in the corners of her eyes proved that Princess Louise was not feeling well either.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the sound of noisy footsteps, Princess Louise looked at the door and immediately saw Queen Victoria, who was slowly walking in holding Arthur's hand.
"Your Majesty, Arthur." Princess Louise tried to control her emotions and said.
In the West, both sons and daughters-in-law generally call their parents-in-law by their names.
Given Queen Victoria's esteemed identity, Princess Louise naturally could not directly address Queen Victoria by name and had changed to an honorific title.
"Louise, Margaret, Patricia." Queen Victoria slowly nodded to Princess Louise and then shifted her gaze to Margaret, Patricia, and finally to Duke Arthur on the bed, struggling to say, "Arthur!"
"Arthur!"
Calling Duke Arthur's name again, Queen Victoria quickly stepped to his bedside.
Caressing Duke Arthur's gradually cooling face, Queen Victoria slowly said, "Arthur, rest assured, mother will avenge you. I will also take care of Louise and the three little ones, and never let anyone hurt them. May God guide you to heaven, my son."
"Prime Minister Robert!" Turning her head, Queen Victoria, who was still a grieving mother, became that reigning monarch of decades, coldly saying, "Investigate for me! Whether it's London or the UK, or even Europe or the Americas, as long as anyone related to the assassin is found, arrest them all! And announce to the world that any participation or assistance in the murder is an act of war against the British Empire! Even at all costs, uncover everything!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go immediately." Prime Minister Robert Selby hurriedly responded.
Queen Victoria's anger was an existence that the entire British political scene had to avoid, and no one dared to challenge her majesty's authority nor question her rights.
"And prepare Arthur's funeral immediately. Don't make my child wait too long. The sooner I send Arthur to heaven, the more at ease I'll be." Queen Victoria instructed.
The funeral rites of the West are somewhat complicated, especially for someone like Duke Arthur, who is to be buried in the style of a prince, making the process even more intricate.
Not only is it necessary to hire a local bishop to pray for the deceased's soul to ascend to heaven, but also to wash the body and perform communion, among other things.
This whole series of preparations would take at least a few more days, which was intolerable for Queen Victoria.
"I understand, Your Highness." Prime Minister Robert naturally could not refuse and quickly agreed.
It was not until after Queen Victoria had given a long series of instructions to Princess Louise, Margaret, Patricia, and the others that she left with Arthur and the rest.
January 7, 1900, Burke County Windsor Royal Cemetery.
This private cemetery of the royal family contains the remains of many dignified kings and members of the royal family over the past centuries. And now, there was to be another body laid to rest here, Duke Arthur.
Early in the morning, Queen Victoria attended the funeral with all the royal family members, accompanied by a procession of royal guards for ceremonies and vigilance.
The noble and distinguished Duke had had a short and colorful life serving in South Africa, Canada, Ireland, Egypt, and India as an officer, and was now the Commander-in-Chief of Ireland and the holder of the title of "Chief of the Six Nations" and United Kingdom Army Marshal.
As a result, many citizens volunteered to send Duke Arthur off at his funeral.
Duke Arthur's coffin left the Royal Hospital and slowly proceeded on the royal-exclusive horse carriage, arriving at the Royal Cemetery.
With the farewell of many British people, all royal family members and government officials, Duke Arthur's coffin was placed in a pre-prepared tomb, with the bishop giving the final blessing.
Arthur looked at everything, feeling somewhat at a loss.
He had traveled through time for just over three months when he lost his father, the kind Duke Arthur. What should he do next?
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: I Want to Go to Australia!
January 9, 1900, the third day after Duke Arthur's funeral.
It was the third day since Queen Victoria had issued orders to the government, and five days since the assassination of Duke Arthur.
Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria's office.
Early in the morning, Queen Victoria sat at her desk with a pale face and red eyes.
The files that were piled up on her desk had been thrown aside in her anger.
The reason for her fury, at the age of eighty-one, was the recent assassination of her favorite son, Duke Arthur.
Thanks to the British Empire's vast intelligence network, within just a few days, a list of all those involved in the assassination plot and their detailed information had made its way to Queen Victoria's desk.
Because the information pertained to royal secrets, no one else knew of its existence.
"Arthur! My poor Arthur, I have failed you." Queen Victoria's eyes brimmed red as she looked at the list, which stated that Duke Arthur had been killed by a loyal gunman under the command of Crown Prince Edward.
"Albert, I have doomed our child. Arthur never wanted to compete with Edward, yet he still died in the midst of the struggle for the throne," said Queen Victoria, tears filling her eyes with regret.
Prince Albert was the true love of Queen Victoria's life, and even after nearly 40 years since his death, she still missed him dearly.
Duke Arthur was Queen Victoria's favorite son.
Since Prince Albert had died while visiting Crown Prince Edward, Queen Victoria, who deeply loved Prince Albert, had never been fond of Edward and had not allowed him to participate in government affairs.
It was only in recent years, as Queen Victoria's health had deteriorated, that Edward had gradually been given the opportunity to handle various government affairs.
At the same time, Duke Arthur, as the only prince currently residing in the British mainland, not only held high positions in the military but had always been favored by Queen Victoria.
This glaring disparity was the reason behind the persistent rumors that Queen Victoria wanted to appoint a new heir to the throne.
Perhaps it was due to Crown Prince Edward's dissatisfaction with Queen Victoria's favoritism towards Duke Arthur, or the loyalties of those serving Edward who wanted to clear the way for their master, but either way, Duke Arthur had indeed died at the hands of Edward's supporters.
Although the assassination plot had been well-hidden, with several stages used to dissolve any suspicion towards Edward and his supporters, it was ultimately discovered by the intelligence agency.
"Edward..." Queen Victoria's gaze flickered over the word 'heir' on the documents in front of her, and her emotions surged, but she found herself at a loss for words.
After a long time, Queen Victoria finally regained her composure from her extreme grief. She spoke to those in the hallway, "Beatrice, call Little Arthur in."
Princess Beatrice was Queen Victoria's youngest child and her main support during the 40 years since her husband's death.
Now that Princess Beatrice had also lost her husband, she had been a constant companion to Queen Victoria, serving as her unofficial secretary and closest confidante.
"Yes, Mother," replied Princess Beatrice as she hastily left the room.
Before long, Little Arthur was escorted by Princess Beatrice into Queen Victoria's office, with Old Hunter Butler accompanying them to the door before waiting patiently outside.
As she observed the young boy approaching, Queen Victoria finally revealed a long-lost smile and whispered softly to Little Arthur, "Arthur, come to your grandmother."
Arthur quickly quickened his pace and helped Queen Victoria back to her seat, saying, "Grandmother, Arthur is here."
"Arthur, how have you been sleeping these past two days?" Queen Victoria tried her best to maintain her usual appearance, but her slightly trembling voice gave away her emotions.
"I've been sleeping well, Grandmother. But you mustn't be too sad. Even without my father, our country still needs you, as do I and the rest of the royal family," Arthur said, aware that losing a beloved son had been a cruel ordeal for the elderly queen.
"My dear child, don't worry about your grandmother. I'm doing well. In due course, we shall officially hold a ceremony for you to inherit the titles, and if there's anything you need, just let your grandmother know," said Queen Victoria with a smile, gently patting Arthur's head.
"Grandmother..." Hearing Queen Victoria's words, Arthur wanted to speak up but wasn't sure where to start. Perhaps his request would be too much for the elderly queen to bear, and seeing how much she cared for him, Arthur hesitated to voice his thoughts.
"What is it, child? Don't worry, you can tell me anything. I'm here," Queen Victoria seemed to understand Arthur's hesitation, and with a reassuring smile, she comforted him.
"Grandmother, I don't want to stay here any longer. I want to leave and clear my mind," Arthur finally managed to voice his request, clenching his teeth.
Queen Victoria didn't react as angrily as Arthur had expected; instead, she remained silent.
After a long time, the queen hoarsely asked, "Where would you like to go, Arthur?"
"I'm not sure, maybe Australia or New Zealand. I've heard they have beautiful ocean views, so maybe they would be good places to clear my mind," answered Arthur.
It was clear to the queen that this lie couldn't deceive her. There was no need for him to travel thousands of miles to Australia just for the ocean views, since there were already beautiful coastal sceneries in Britain.
However, considering the reason why Arthur needed to leave, Queen Victoria didn't know how to address the issue.
"Arthur, will you ever come back?" she asked.
Would he return? Arthur questioned himself. If there were no compelling reasons, he probably wouldn't.
While Queen Victoria held power, Little Arthur could travel freely throughout the lands of the British Empire.
But how much longer could Queen Victoria hold on? In the original history, she had died in January 1901.
Now, having once again experienced the pain of losing a child, it would be hard to say whether she could make it to January of next year.
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