In the nineteenth century, the true center of power in the British Empire—no matter what anyone said—was Parliant.
And among its two chambers, the House of Commons, increasingly proud of its status as the nation's true representative, was not the sort of body that would sit quietly while being politically attacked like this.
Naturally, press conferences were not a weapon reserved only for the House of Lords.
"This is nothing more than a sar campaign by the House of Lords against the Commons—the true representatives of the people!"
The MPs speaking at the press conference used unusually harsh language.
And it was not only mbers of the Whig Party.
Because by now this was no longer a conflict between the Conservatives and the Whigs.
It had beco a direct confrontation between the Commons and the Lords.
Of course, figures like Charles Wellesley or Benjamin Disraeli did not appear in front of reporters themselves.
The reason was simple.
We are politicians known to have a personal relationship with the Prince Consort. If we step forward publicly, it could worsen public opinion.
So MPs argued that the Pri Minister should take the lead in defending Parliant.
But Wellesley refused.
If he stepped forward personally, he would imdiately be attacked as a traitor.
That did not an he was doing nothing.
"The true masters of betrayal are not the Commons—but the Lords! Especially when it cos to matters involving the Prince Consort, the Lords have no right to criticize the Commons!"
After all, which body had once tried to "discipline" Killian Gore Hanover after his heroic performance in the war against Qing China?
Many of those responsible had originally been senior Conservative MPs in the Commons.
But they had already lost their seats.
The Lords were different.
Their positions were lifelong.
The nobles who had once encouraged Robert Peel to act against Killian—and then abandoned him when things turned sour—were still comfortably seated in the House of Lords.
Wellesley quietly passed their nas to the Whigs.
William Gladstone and Lord Palrston imdiately seized upon the information.
They began attacking the Lords day after day.
"Is it truly appropriate for the very people who once attempted to expel a war hero to criticize us now? The MPs in the Commons who tried to drive away the Prince Consort at that ti have already taken responsibility and left Parliant. But those who created that situation in the House of Lords still sit comfortably in their seats. And yet they have the audacity to accuse us?"
From a purely logical standpoint, this was not a particularly effective rebuttal.
But in the world of public opinion—
Dragging your opponent into the mud with you often worked surprisingly well.
Instead of defending their own innocence, the Commons dragged the Lords down with them.
And Wellesley's strategy proved effective.
Citizens who rembered Robert Peel's downfall began realizing that the Lords had also played a role in that political disaster.
Soon the public began criticizing them as hypocrites.
"So those noble gentlen aren't any better after all?"
"They're all the sa—shit or diarrhea, what's the difference?"
"Boo! Resign! Politicians are all filthy scum!"
It was not a strategy that created a clear winner.
Instead, both sides ended up looking worse.
But the important thing was preventing the other side from winning.
Both the Commons and the Lords understood perfectly well that they were destroying their own reputations by exposing each other's scandals.
But if both outcos were humiliating—
Then at least it was better to be the winner among fools.
The endless mudslinging succeeded in exhausting the public.
Political fatigue spread through London.
At least—
Until the Morning Post released a massive scoop.
[Confession of Conscience by a Powerful mber of the Commons — "Parliant Has Already Lost Its Soul!"] ["This entire affair is indeed a sche by the Commons. Parliant has been plotting for years to weaken the Prince Consort's political influence."] ["Even recomnding the Prince Consort as a marriage candidate was part of the plan. The Whigs knew that the Queen and Killian loved each other deeply, so it was easy to present the marriage as romantic support while secretly cutting down his political influence."]
Anonymous whistleblower stories in newspapers were usually fabricated.
But this one included detailed tilines and evidence.
The claim that the Whigs already knew about Killian and Victoria's relationship was false.
However—
Everything else was true.
After all, the marriage proposal had indeed been made partly to restrain Killian.
"Mr. Disraeli… are you really giving us these valuable materials for free?"
"Of course. But rember—my involvent must never be revealed. The article must describe the source as an anonymous MP."
"Of course. Our circulation will soar again. Mr. Jas will be delighted."
At a ti when British politics had already beco a contest of betrayal, the Morning Post's explosive revelation sent shockwaves across the nation.
"They used the Queen's marriage for political purposes? What on earth is Parliant thinking?"
"This has nothing to do with the Conservative Party! It was the Whigs who proposed it first—"
"But the Conservatives agreed to it!"
"No matter how dirty politics becos, there should still be lines that must never be crossed!"
The revelation that the Queen's marriage had been used as a political tool shattered the fragile balance of public opinion.
The Queen and the Prince Consort had indeed loved each other.
So the outco itself was not wrong.
But that did not excuse Parliant's thods.
The tactic felt deeply cynical and distasteful.
"Whigs explain yourselves!"
"Gladstone and Palrston must apologize imdiately!"
"The Pri Minister also bears responsibility for failing to control the opposition!"
"We elected you to govern—not to destroy those who serve the nation!"
"If you have any conscience, resign and call new elections!"
The long, exhausting stalemate finally ended.
The House of Commons, once proud to represent the people, had now been completely abandoned by them.
* * *
[Public outrage continues to grow. What will the Commons do?]
[Could Queen Victoria dissolve Parliant? Experts unanimously say yes.]
[The Royal Family Finally Responds — Buckingham Palace Announces Press Conference.]
Good.
The fire was burning nicely.
There was nothing more effective than controlling public opinion through the press.
The battle between the Lords and Commons had ended with a clear victory for the Lords.
But letting them crush the Commons completely would only inflate their arrogance.
So I had Wellesley quietly attack the Lords as well.
Partly it was to prevent suspicion about his relationship with .
The real goal was simple.
Make the public think:
The Commons are terrible.
But the Lords aren't much better.
Judging from the current atmosphere—
The plan had succeeded perfectly.
The Morning Post, which received information from both sides first, had now firmly beco the most powerful newspaper in Britain.
And with that—
I had secured control over the country's dia.
The forr owner who sold the Morning Post to Jas was probably regretting it deeply now.
Still, this delightful dia war had gone on long enough.
People were growing tired of politicians fighting like dogs.
Across London, political cynicism was spreading.
They're all the sa.
Every politician is trash.
What the public needed now—
Was soone who could lt their anger.
A figure above politics.
Soone everyone had been waiting for.
When the royal press conference was finally announced, the entire British Empire turned its attention to Buckingham Palace.
What would Queen Victoria say?
What criticism would Prince Consort Killian deliver against Parliant's misconduct?
The public expected the royal family to deliver the final blow to the already collapsing Commons.
The citizens watched with anticipation.
The MPs of the Commons waited in fear of dissolution.
And when the press conference finally began—
Victoria spoke first.
Her voice was calm.
"Inviting reporters into the palace like this is unprecedented. However, recent events have caused such turmoil in society that I felt remaining silent was no longer acceptable. Because this matter involves the royal family, I believed it appropriate that I, as Queen of this nation, express my opinion directly. That is the only reason you have been summoned here."
The reporters' pens raced across their notebooks.
In the silence, broken only by scratching ink, Victoria continued.
"When Parliant—responsible for governing this nation—spends its ti exchanging accusations instead of conducting productive debate, it harms the entire country. At a ti when Britain must focus on improving the lives of its citizens and advancing the Empire, I feel deep sorrow that such matters have consud our ti. Therefore, my husband Killian, whose position has beco the focal point of this issue, will now present his own view. I hope this unfortunate situation will be resolved as quickly as possible."
A true Queen.
Even in the midst of political chaos, she spoke of the people first.
As I stepped forward after Victoria's speech, reporters bombarded with questions.
"Your Highness! What do you think of the Commons' bill?"
"Both the Lords and Commons have reportedly attempted to restrain your influence—were you aware of this?"
"When Parliant recomnded you as a marriage candidate, did you realize it was ant to limit your power?"
"Gentlen, please calm down," I said. "I will answer one question at a ti. First—yes. It is true that both the Lords and the Commons have attempted to restrain . But is that not natural in politics? Every politician both restrains others and is restrained in turn."
The reporters looked visibly confused.
They had expected to crush Parliant completely.
"But the thods used were disgraceful and crude," I continued. "And the public anger is understandable. Especially the use of the royal marriage as a political tool—many citizens have found that unacceptable."
"Then you must be furious?"
"If I said I was not offended, I would be lying. However, I love Her Majesty. My greatest wish has always been to make her the happiest woman in the world. That is why I accepted Parliant's proposal. If I had not loved her, I would never have resigned my ministerial office. Still, I agree that such political manipulation should not happen again. Politics may be ruthless, but private lives must be respected."
"What a magnanimous response. Perhaps it is because the love between you and the Queen is so deep."
After frantically recording my words, a reporter asked the final question.
"You have not yet answered the first question. What is your opinion of the bill defining the Prince Consort's powers?"
If I denounced the bill now—
This governnt would collapse instantly.
The bla could easily be shifted entirely onto the Whigs.
Wellesley would escape with difficulty.
In fact, he believed that was exactly what I would do.
Everyone did.
Even the MPs of the Commons, waiting nervously outside.
Public support was overwhelmingly on my side.
With it, I could easily open the path to participating in dostic politics.
No politician in the world would refuse such an opportunity.
Anyone who did—
Would have no interest in power.
Everyone knew Killian Gore Hanover.
The youngest minister in British history.
A man who had wielded enormous influence in Canada and Asia.
His answer was obvious.
Or so everyone believed.
Which was exactly why—
"My view," I said calmly, "is that regardless of Parliant's intentions, the traditions of this country deserve to be respected."
The answer I gave—
Was the exact opposite of what everyone expected.
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