章 15: The Meeting of In-Laws
In the mid-19th century, the German states were still predominantly rural. Yet, thanks to the persistent efforts of Prussia and the North German Confederation, the industrial revolution had breathed new life into this land. Modern ports and railways connecting major cities were no longer novelties, and fast steamships speeding across rivers, lakes, and seas, along with trains hurtling along iron tracks, had become a common sight. These advances tightened the internal connections within the region and significantly reduced its distance from the rest of the world.
Thanks to these marvels of modern technology, by the afternoon of the third day after Smith's mishap, a sleek black carriage bearing the insignia of the Hanoverian dynasty made its way down Berlin's Unter den Linden Boulevard. Correction—a sleek, black horse-drawn carriage. It sped along briskly before coming to a sudden stop outside Charlottenburg Palace. Moments later, a tall, slightly stooped figure stepped out of the carriage, followed shortly by a petite, stout woman.
There was no mistaking their identities. From the insignia on the carriage and their distinctive statures alone, it was clear that the visitors were none other than Queen Victoria of the British Empire and her husband, Prince Albert.
Standing at the palace gates not far from the carriage was an elderly man with a snow-white beard, surrounded by guards. This was unmistakably Prince Regent Wilhelm. Upon seeing the arriving dignitaries, he hastily stepped forward and greeted them in English:
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, I deeply regret that I could not personally receive you earlier. Please forgive my neglect!"
Queen Victoria spoke, her tone humble but unmistakably tinged with authority, befitting her status as the monarch of the world's most powerful empire:
"Your Highness, the Regent, it is we who should apologize for this unexpected visit. The burden of state affairs weighs heavily upon you, and our arrival must seem most abrupt."
Although Prussia was among the stronger German states and could hold its own against Austria, it paled in comparison to the British Empire. Aware of the disparity, Prince Regent Wilhelm, despite being the host, tempered his demeanor in the face of Victoria's imposing presence. However, his role as host compelled him to maintain decorum. He gestured politely and said:
"Your Majesty gracing us with your presence is an honor to our nation."
He stepped aside and extended his arm in a welcoming gesture. "This way, please."
Victoria responded, "There's no need for that formality. As I mentioned in the telegram I sent yesterday, the main purpose of our visit is to see little Willy. Would Your Highness kindly take us to him?"
"Of course, Your Majesty, of course!" replied the Regent without hesitation. As Victoria mentioned, they had indeed sent a telegram a day earlier, so he was prepared for this visit. In fact, he had anticipated it even before receiving the telegram. Little Willy was their grandson, after all, and it was only natural for his grandparents to check on him after such an incident.
Eager not to delay, Wilhelm led the couple to a carriage bound for the Crown Prince's residence. Charlottenburg Palace and the Crown Prince's residence were both situated along the Unter den Linden Boulevard, making travel between them swift. Before long, the group arrived and entered to find Smith.
In the past few days, Smith had been in considerable discomfort. Although a court servant named Michel hadn't dislocated his left arm as Edward Martin had done in history, he had caused a severe soft tissue contusion. Initially, Smith didn't realize the severity of his injury. He recalled childhood experiences in his previous life where such bruises had been relatively minor.
However, his left arm soon swelled and began throbbing with pain that seemed to emanate from deep within. The agony was so intense it nearly drove him to writhing in bed, leaving him in a state of semi-consciousness for most of the past two days.
During his fleeting moments of clarity, Smith came to a stark realization: his current body was far too fragile. His resistance to impact, immune system, and recovery rate were all underdeveloped—a natural consequence of being barely a month old.
"When will I grow up already?" he lamented inwardly, though he knew there was little he could do but endure the pain. And in this era, without antibiotics, recovery from such injuries would undoubtedly take time.
As fate would have it, Smith was nestled in Queen Victoria's arms that afternoon, enjoying his "milk tea." The combination of a drowsy post-lunch haze and the inflammation-induced exhaustion soon lulled him to sleep. When he awoke, he found the room unexpectedly crowded with people.
Among the newcomers, he immediately recognized his "grandfather," Prince Regent Wilhelm. The other two figures were unfamiliar, but a quick recall of memories left to him by Wilhelm II revealed their identities—they were none other than his "grandmother" and "grandfather," Queen Victoria and Prince Albert!
"Well, well... looks like both the British and Prussian royal families have been alarmed by this. Hopefully, this will prompt the Time Management Bureau to back off for a while," Smith mused. His top priority was to rid himself of the Bureau's meddling, and this unusual visit from Victoria and Albert might serve as a stern warning to them. Smith figured he might at least enjoy some peace in the coming days.
With this thought, a sense of relief washed over him. Despite the pain in his arm, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"God, Albert, our little Willy is smiling at us!"
Queen Victoria, seeing Smith's smile, felt her heart melt. Her tone softened as she spoke to her husband.
Prince Albert, standing beside her, was almost moved to tears. They said boys often took after their mothers, and indeed, this newborn grandson bore a striking resemblance to his daughter when she was born. In an instant, a flood of memories of his daughter's childhood overwhelmed him, including the harrowing recollection of her near-fatal illness.
A pang of guilt gripped Albert's heart. As a man who had always held himself to the highest moral standards, he now felt he had failed both as a father and a grandfather by allowing his daughter and grandson to face such perils.
"What kind of father am I? What kind of grandfather?" he thought, his voice choked with emotion as he muttered, "Oh, my little Willy... my poor little Willy..."
Prince Regent Wilhelm, seeing Albert's distress, hurried to console him:
"Your Highness, please don't blame yourself too much. The doctors have conducted thorough examinations. Thanks to prompt rescue and medical care, Willy's injury is merely a contusion. Though it will cause him some discomfort, it is not serious overall. With proper care, he should recover fully within a month."
Though reassured, Albert's self-reproach would take time to subside. Meanwhile, Queen Victoria had gently lifted Smith into her arms.
And so, just days after his close encounter with Bismarck, Smith now found himself face-to-face with the most powerful figures in Europe, if not the entire world.
Much like his interaction with Bismarck had revealed the Iron Chancellor to be far more complex than the usual "blood-and-iron" caricature, his proximity to Queen Victoria unveiled a figure far more multidimensional than the textbook image of the matronly monarch.
Indeed, Queen Victoria herself was just as described in historical records—short and stout. Due to frequent childbirth and her lack of restraint in diet, Victoria, only three months older than Prince Albert, had already noticeably gained weight. Even in her youth, the queen had been known for her plump and round figure. Though as royalty, she could enjoy the best self-care of the era, in an age where raw beef was used as a face mask, "self-care" didn't necessarily produce positive results. Coupled with the stresses of governance, the forty-year-old queen showed faint traces of aging.
Yet, compared to the visibly fatigued Prince Albert, the queen was in her prime. Smith, currently cradled in her arms, could sense this most vividly. He could feel the short yet firm and powerful arms holding him, the strong, rhythmic heartbeat within her petite and rounded frame, and the untamed vitality emanating from her slightly unshapely face. All of this proclaimed that Queen Victoria was a quintessential Hanoverian royal:
Wild and brimming with life, never bowing to misfortune.
However, this characteristic didn't render the queen indifferent to the misfortunes of others. At least in her treatment of Wilhelm II, historical records showed that the queen gave her grandson the best love a grandmother could offer. She loved little Willy unconditionally, without the slightest reduction in affection due to his disabled left arm. Only in her presence could Wilhelm II momentarily forget the sorrow and pain his arm had brought him.
Such love was absent from his parents, unattainable from his stern and rigid grandfather, impossible for his gentle but reticent grandmother to express, and cut short by the premature death of his doting grandfather.
To Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria was irreplaceable. If there was any familial warmth in his ostensibly glorious but truly miserable early life, its source was undoubtedly his grandmother.
This also explained why, as Queen Victoria lay on her deathbed and Anglo-German relations continued to deteriorate, Wilhelm II—by then the German Emperor—remained at her bedside, holding her hand until the very end. When the queen departed this world, the middle-aged Wilhelm II broke down, cradling her body and weeping uncontrollably.
Now, Queen Victoria held her grandson lovingly in one arm while gently soothing his injured and swollen left arm with the other. Even though Smith had no actual connection to the queen, he could feel the affection radiating from her touch.
But this was no ordinary family; before the queen was a grandmother, she was a queen. Similarly, before the Prince Regent was a grandfather, he was a regent. Although Smith's peril was a family matter, it was also a matter of state. Addressing the issues underlying this incident was one of the reasons the royal couple had come to Berlin.
Thus, after a tender moment, political discussions finally commenced. Naturally, young Smith wasn't present at the negotiations. After his brief and intimate encounter with Queen Victoria, he was returned to another Victoria—his mother—to continue enjoying his "afternoon milk." Meanwhile, not far away in Charlottenburg Palace, Queen Victoria and the tear-streaked Prince Albert, now fully in their statesperson roles, prepared to have a serious conversation with their in-laws.
"The violent extremist activities within Prussia have reached an alarming level!" declared Prince Regent Wilhelm with a grave expression and earnest tone.
"This time, we were fortunate to avert a greater tragedy, but we can't rely on luck every time!"
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert listened quietly. They knew that this was merely the preamble; the real message was yet to come.
"I don't care what reasons those scoundrels claim to have or what ideologies they follow. Children are innocent! My God! Could anything be more innocent than a newborn child?" The Prince Regent's eyes reddened as he spoke, but everyone knew that the crux of his speech was still ahead:
"Every time we cast our net to catch these scoundrels, they slip away like barracudas to other places. And because we can't cast the net every day, once we reel it in, they return. This cycle goes on and on! In the past, I might not have been so resolute, but now I sincerely beg for your assistance—save the children!"
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