章 22: Chapter 22: The Inheritance of the Earl
William led Gareth Mallory into the Hilton hotel's restaurant. After they ordered their food, Gareth began, "The Devonshire family has been serving England's special departments for over 140 years. It's surprising that such a prominent family now only has you, a 19-year-old, left."
Gareth sighed and continued, "You must be curious why MI6 hasn't activated the W Group for ten years."
William nodded.
"Hehe, it's not that M doesn't want to activate the W Group; she can't. The group has always been under the control of the Devonshire family for the past 140 years. Even the heads of the committee don't know who is in it. The complete records are only kept in a secret vault outside Buckingham Palace."
"Secret vault?" William rolled his eyes, finding it somewhat fanciful.
"Isn't it fascinating? Hundreds of years ago, the royal family and nobility controlled intelligence agencies. All records were backed up in secret vaults outside Buckingham Palace. This practice continued, but times have changed. Now, intelligence power is in Downing Street's hands. The only intelligence power the nobility still holds is the secret vault."
Gareth took a sip of the wine William poured him and continued, "The W Group was initially an action team to root out and eliminate traitors within England. But no one wanted to hand over incriminating evidence, so each department formed its own oversight units, rendering the W Group unnecessary for a time.
During World War II, when the Germans repeatedly broke our secrets, and many traitors were found within, the independent W Group became valuable again. However, after being dormant for so long, it had lost much of its power, and traitors were not easy to eliminate, leading to many sacrifices within your family.
After World War II, during peacetime, the W Group's role shifted again. For the past few decades, it has operated as an independent unit within MI6, assigned by the Security Committee to handle special security tasks, primarily protecting the royal family, and only deployed in times of crisis. They only answer to the committee.
Based on their completed missions, it's clear the members of this group are super-skilled individuals, which is why M has always wanted control over them."
William nodded without changing his expression. Gareth continued, "Hehe, M has never realized that the heads of the committee are all of noble birth. They elect the members, and we choose people who don't despise nobility.
The W Group, an elite team, has always been controlled by the Devonshire family, born of nobility. So it's not surprising, right, William?"
William was genuinely surprised. He silently pondered Gareth's intentions in glorifying the nobility. Was he trying to incite William's ambition for the aristocracy? Nowadays, English nobility had to maintain a low profile due to public and media pressure. Their status had some value outside England, but within the country, Downing Street had been suppressing them for years. Was there really such significant power left for the nobility?
"Are you serious?" William asked skeptically.
Gareth looked at William as if he wanted to slap him. "You idiot. How do you think your grandfather's father and three uncles died? They died for England. It's because of many nobles like them that the committee remains under our control. This is our forefathers' legacy, and no one can take it away."
William quickly asked, "So you're also of noble birth?"
"Of course I am! Otherwise, how could I be the chairman of the committee? You are also of noble birth. We're on the same side. Don't think you can avoid this because you don't have a title now. The Duke of Devonshire won't agree to that. The Duke has high hopes for you. Otherwise, do you think he would have been caught by reporters, answering all those questions? The Earl of Oxfordshire's title is still reserved for you; it's up to you if you want it. William, many people are watching you, so think carefully about whose side you want to be on. Hahaha."
William, more interested in being wealthy than noble, decided to probe for more information. "Can I just claim the title if I want it? The title has already been inherited by someone else. It's out of my hands."
Gareth rolled his eyes. "You really are dense. The current Earl was arranged by your grandfather long ago. Although he's from the Devonshire family, he has no children. Henry made a contract with him before the royal family and major nobles, stipulating that if he remains childless, the title must revert to you. The Earl is now 65 and has tried for ten years without success. Two years ago, he was confirmed infertile by a hospital. So, you've been on certain people's radars for a while. That's why we approached you before you became truly successful. Do you understand?"
William was secretly pleased but kept a skeptical facade. "It's still impossible. I have no inheritance rights. The Earl's other male relatives can inherit the title. It wouldn't come to me."
"Ha, Henry really was a cunning fox. For decades, the Devonshire family has seemed cursed, with Henry only having your mother and the current Earl having no heirs," Gareth paused, giving William a meaningful look that made his heart skip a beat. "Your family has dwindled to just you and the current Earl. With no other heirs, according to noble inheritance law, you are the only recorded heir in the noble council. You're the rightful inheritor. If you don't refuse, you'll soon be the Earl of Oxfordshire. You might want to set aside some money for inheritance tax."
Gareth laughed. "In England, there's no other noble family like yours that hasn't placed their assets in a trust. Henry was really ruthless. He must have feared other Devonshire branches would claim the inheritance. Now, even if someone wanted to, they couldn't. Without the money for taxes or proof of bloodline, no one can challenge your claim. The Duke of Devonshire is also troubled by the lack of wealthy heirs. Didn't Henry fear you wouldn't have the money to inherit the title and assets?"
William smirked, "If I can't inherit the title, I'll just let it revert to the Crown."
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