The Rise Of Australasia
作者: Mad Artistic Jionglong© WebNovel
章節 1: Chapter One: Just After Time Traveling, My Father Dies
"His Royal Highness Arthur, His Royal Highness Arthur, wake up! Something terrible has happened, the Duke has been assassinated! Her Majesty the Queen wants to see you!" The door to the lavishly decorated room was suddenly pushed open, and a gentleman, who appeared to be reliable and steady, rushed in with red eyes, shouting at the top of his voice.
"Hmmm, what?" Connaught Arthur, who was fast asleep, was instantly awakened and climbed out of bed, hastily asking the elderly gentleman, "Hunter Steward, what has happened?"
"There's no time to explain, Your Highness Arthur, go quickly to Her Majesty the Queen. The Duke was assassinated this morning on the streets of London, and now the royal family and the entire government are investigating the matter." The steward, called Hunter, with red-rimmed eyes and a slight sob in his voice, explained.
"Ah? What's going on? How could my father be assassinated?" Connaught Arthur was greatly shocked and asked incredulously.
Connaught Arthur's father, Arthur William Patrick Albert, was one of the greatest monarchs in the history of the British Empire, the third son of Queen Victoria, and the esteemed Duke of Connaught and Strathern and Earl of Sussex.
Connaught Arthur could hardly believe that such a distinguished prince and duke would be assassinated in his own country's capital city.
"I'm not sure, everything was fine at first. Who could have imagined that assassins would suddenly come to kill the Duke? There's no time to think too much about it now, Your Highness. First, go to Her Majesty the Queen, where at least everything is absolutely safe for now." Hunter, the steward, spoke with sadness and concern.
Speaking of the background of the old Hunter Steward, although it was not spectacular, it was profound.
Ever since Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, had been granted his title in 1874, the Hunter Steward had been overseeing the entire duchy and the Duke Arthur, a role now spanning more than twenty years.
During these more than twenty years, not only had Duke Arthur been supervised step by step by Steward Hunter to become a competent Duke, but also Connaught Arthur himself had been raised under the steward's watchful eye.
That was why Hunter Steward was so grieved after hearing the news of the assassination of Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught.
"So what do we do now?" Connaught Arthur had been in this body for just a few months and still didn't know much about his current environment during this time.
In addition, his previous understanding of the British Empire had been only superficial, knowing only that Queen Victoria was one of the greatest monarchs in British history, and that she was known as the grandmother of the European royal family.
Under these circumstances, he didn't know what to do after learning that the father of his original body, Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, had been assassinated.
"First, go to Her Majesty the Queen. The most important thing now is to ensure your safety, Your Highness." Hunter Steward spoke decisively.
After losing Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, who was like a son to him, Hunter Steward could not bear the thought of any harm befalling Connaught Arthur, whom he had also watched grow up.
"Alright, Hunter Steward." Connaught Arthur also understood the importance of the matter and nodded his head.
Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria's meeting room.
At this time, the meeting room was filled with high-ranking officials and royal family members from the United Kingdom, all of them at least at the ministerial level.
"Your Majesty, please accept our condolences. It is a great pity that the Duke of Connaught has passed away, but now the most important thing is to find out the cause of the assassination and identify the real culprit behind it," said Robert Selby, the current British Prime Minister, with a look of sorrow on his face.
Regardless, the assassination of a Prince and an esteemed Duke of the British Empire in the capital was a great humiliation for both the royal family and the government.
This not only challenged the dignity of royal family, but also the dignity of the British Empire.
It should be noted that the British Empire was now the undisputed world superpower, with its navy far surpassing that of the second and third strongest countries.
Under these circumstances, anyone daring to plot the assassination of a British Empire duke and prince in the capital of London, London, was openly slapping the British Empire and the British Royal Family in the face.
"The Prime Minister is right. Start the investigation immediately! Within three days, I want all the information about the culprit and whether there is anyone behind him. Arrest all those involved in the assassination and only release them after confirming they have no suspicion. I will make sure that those who dare to harm Arthur understand that the dignity of the royal family is not easily provoked," said the eighty-year-old Queen Victoria, her face marked with sorrow and anger from the head of the table.
Arthur William Patrick Albert, Prince of Wales, had been Queen Victoria's favorite son since his birth. Although his younger sister, Princess Beatrice, shared some of his mother's affection, he remained Queen Victoria's favorite son.
Especially after her second son, Prince Alfred, went to Germany to inherit his title and her fourth son, Prince Leopold, died of hemophilia in 1884, Prince Arthur received even more attention from Queen Victoria.
In addition, her eldest son, Prince Edward, had never been loved by Queen Victoria, and after numerous scandals about his private life, she was even less concerned about him.
That's also why there were rumors circulating in the British political and public circles that Queen Victoria wanted to appoint Prince Arthur as Crown Prince.
Although Queen Victoria did not take any action to depose Crown Prince Edward, it was not known whether she had privately considered such a move.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
There was suddenly a knock on the door, interrupting Queen Victoria's angry outburst.
Everyone turned their attention to the door, trying to figure out who dared to interrupt Queen Victoria's anger at such a time.
"Grandmother." Arthur walked slowly in, his eyes red, and called out.
With that one word, "Grandmother," Queen Victoria's anger was instantly quelled. Looking at the face so similar to her favorite son, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she choked out her words.
"Good child, come to your grandmother. Don't worry, with your grandmother here, no one can hurt you." Queen Victoria stepped forward, took Arthur's hand, and led him to the head of the table.
"Your Highness, Arthur." Government officials bowed to Arthur one after another.
"Send the order. All of Arthur's titles shall be inherited by little Arthur, including all castles and property. Arthur shall be buried with the treatment of a prince, and the nation shall fly the flag at half-mast for three days." With tears in her eyes and sorrow in her voice, Queen Victoria lovingly caressed Arthur's face.
章節 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?
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