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.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Queen's Decision
"I understand, Arthur. I approve of you going, but not now." Queen Victoria remained silent for a long time before she finally nodded with difficulty and spoke.
"Thank you, Grandmother." Arthur breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, gratefully looking at Queen Victoria.
"Once things are settled in this period, I will accompany you to Australia for a visit!" Queen Victoria suddenly proposed, her words startling.
"You want to go to Australia?" Arthur was taken aback, then thought of Queen Victoria's arduous journey to White Island in northern New Zealand in late 1900, just to reminisce about the good times spent with Prince Albert and their children as her life approached its end.
"Yes." Queen Victoria seemed to be lost in the pleasant memories, taking a while to regain her composure. She looked at Arthur and smiled, "At that time, I can spend some more time with Arthur before we might not see each other again."
Hearing Queen Victoria say this, Arthur's nose suddenly felt sour, and it seemed as if tears were welling up in his eyes, but he forcefully held them back.
"That won't happen, Grandmother. You will still be with Arthur for a long time, and you must live to be at least a hundred years old," Arthur hurriedly said.
Indeed, Queen Victoria had learned of her health condition during her trip to White Island, but she still chose to make the arduous journey to remember her husband and children.
Now, having experienced the pain of losing a child once more, Queen Victoria might have felt that her body was not as strong as it used to be and was considering drawing a satisfying conclusion to her life on White Island.
"Ha-ha, fine, I will live to be a hundred." Queen Victoria laughed, nodding her head without contradicting Arthur's words, but her slightly sad eyes and trembling hands revealed that she did not believe it.
"Arthur, do you really want to go to Australia?" After regaining her composure, Queen Victoria looked at Arthur seriously and asked.
"You should know that Australia is not the same as the United Kingdom. It used to be our penal colony, and although it is no longer so, there are still a large number of Australians who cannot be domesticated." Queen Victoria explained, "If you want to go to Australia, you must always be prepared. The people there are not submissive, and you must hold tight to your guns and wealth to ensure that you and your most important people are not harmed."
"Yes, I am ready, Grandmother," Arthur nodded, his tone equally serious.
"Alright then, Arthur," Queen Victoria touched Arthur's head and said, "I will tell the government that the territories you have inherited will be exchanged for Australia, and your title will also change to Duke of Australia. Of course, if you cannot stand the life in Australia, you are always welcome to come back to your grandmother."
"Thank you, Grandmother," Arthur gratefully nodded.
After all, Queen Victoria was not bad to her family, especially to Duke Arthur and Princess Beatrice, to whom she was the most beloved mother.
Now, Arthur could feel Victoria's love for him, especially after the unexpected death of Duke Arthur, whether intentional or unintentional, Queen Victoria's care for him increased.
Queen Victoria moved quickly, and the very next day, the British government announced the merger of several Australian colonies into the territory of the Duke of Australia, to be ruled by Arthur.
As for the original titles that Arthur inherited from his father, they would be returned to the British Empire.
This territorial swap on the surface was a huge loss for Arthur, as although his two original dukedoms were not large, they were indeed located in the core areas of the British Empire.
Australia, on the other hand, was once a penal colony of the British Empire. It now only constituted a colony with vast land but a sparse population and a lagging economy and industry.
Even though the integrated territories formed a complete land, the lack of infrastructure made them unable to catch up with Arthur's original dukedoms for decades to come.
Although both the British government and the common people were surprised by this territory swap, they understood something when considering the recent assassination attempt on Duke Arthur.
January 31, 1900.
By this time, 20 days had passed since Arthur's territory swap, and everyone, including Queen Victoria and Arthur, had come to accept it.
During this period, besides the occasional care shown by Queen Victoria to Arthur, Princess Louise, Margaret, and Patricia, Princess Beatrice and Prince Edward had also paid a visit.
Perhaps aware that after exchanging territories with Arthur, there would be no more trouble securing his own inheritance, Prince Edward was very kind to Arthur, even promising to provide him with funds when he went to the territories.
Because Queen Victoria deliberately concealed the truth, Arthur did not yet know that his father's killer was his own uncle, Crown Prince Edward.
Regardless, Arthur would not refuse the generosity from Prince Edward.
After all, the future development of Australia would require both time and a substantial amount of funds to support.
Although Arthur possessed a method to obtain a large amount of funds, possibly enough to support Australia's development for the next several years, he could not access this unexpected wealth in the short term — at least not before fully mastering Australia.
After 20 days of preparations, Queen Victoria announced to all her children and the government that she had chosen to drag her weary body to White Island, New Zealand, for rest and recuperation.
The Queen's decision caused turbulence in British politics, as once before in 1861 when Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria had gone into seclusion for over ten years.
Although Queen Victoria later became active again and received a great reception from the British public during the 50th and 60th anniversary celebrations of her ascension to the throne, it did not mean that her seclusion had little effect on British politics.
On the contrary, the current Queen Victoria, both in the realm of British politics and throughout the entire British Empire, played an irreplaceable stabilizing role.
Queen Victoria was considered the unique and great monarch in the hearts of both the British political arena and all its common people.
This phenomenon would also appear in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, where long-term rule greatly raised the prestige of the queen and royalty among the people. Furthermore, given the great rise of the British Empire during the Victorian era, Queen Victoria was even more crucial for Britain.
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