The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1849: Chapter 121: The King Who Avenged His Great Grievance (2)

Therefore, King William IV’s malice was primarily directed at Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent.

He still harbored resentment towards the Duchess of Kent for looking down on his illegitimate child ”FitzClarence.”

King William IV always had an open attitude regarding the issue of illegitimacy in the Royal Family, treating both his own ten illegitimate children and his brothers’ as his own nieces and nephews. He never considered illegitimacy a disgrace to the Royal Family, but rather believed it would make others admire his fertility.

However, the Duchess of Kent was completely on the opposite side of King William IV regarding this matter. Not only did she look down on William IV’s illegitimate children, her attitude towards other royal illegitimate children was also quite disdainful.

King William IV had clashed with the Duchess of Kent on this issue more than once, but Victoria’s clandestine affair with Elphinstone clearly gave him an opportunity.

The Duchess of Kent’s pride before was her daughter’s legitimate inheritance. However, now her daughter might give birth to an illegitimate grandchild...

Arthur’s doubts were resolved, and this sailor king, flushed with drink, actually didn’t care whether Victoria had committed a wrongdoing.

In fact, he probably didn’t believe his well-behaved niece would do something so absurd.

What he cared about, from beginning to end, was whether the arrogant and self-righteous face of the Duchess of Kent would lose its former pride and composure due to these rumors.

No wonder he looked so happy today...

Thinking of this, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic toward the Duchess of Kent.

Because he knew, His Majesty the King certainly wouldn’t easily let her off this time; even if he couldn’t drive her nervous, he’d at least keep her worried.

Arthur quietly lifted his head and cautiously responded, ”Your Majesty, based on my investigation, these rumors are completely unfounded. It is impossible that Lord Elphinstone had any improper interaction with Her Highness the Princess, let alone pregnancy.”

King William IV, hearing this, unexpectedly showed a hint of disappointment on his face, ”Is that so... Are you sure, Sir Arthur?”

”Absolutely sure, Your Majesty.” Arthur nodded solemnly, then added, ”If this were true, it would have long since caused an uproar, and a young woman’s pregnancy is something that can’t be hidden. I go to Kensington Palace to teach every week, and as of last week, I haven’t noticed any significant change in Her Highness the Princess’s figure.”

Standing in front of the fireplace with hands on his hips, King William IV’s face gradually showed a contemplative expression.

After a while, the King suddenly turned around, with his trademark bright smile reemerging on his face, ”Haha! Now that the matter has been clarified, I can rest easy! That’s right, Lord Elphinstone was raised by Viscount Keith, he’s a man of honor from the Elphinstone Family, how could I easily doubt Lord Elphinstone’s honor, that was truly a mistake!”

Speaking of this, in high spirits, King William IV inevitably fell back into the habit of reminiscing about past glories, ”Sir Arthur, do you know Viscount Keith? Back when I was acting as a lieutenant, I interned on his Warwick Ship, and old Viscount Keith was a skilled warrior. Whether it was the landing at Charleston or the Battle of Delaware Bay, which one wasn’t fought beautifully?”

Of course, Arthur knew who this Viscount Keith King William IV was talking about. The first Viscount Keith, George Elphinstone, was not only Lord Elphinstone’s guardian but also his actual uncle.

More importantly, he was an Admiral of the Red in the Royal Navy, having fully experienced the fires of the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. In North America, he captured a Dutch 50-gun battleship and a French 38-gun escort ship. During the Anti-France War, as the Commander of the Detached Fleet, he captured an entire Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay. And during the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, he was the deputy to Horatio Nelson, the symbol of the Royal Navy, and later served as Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet and Commander of the Strait Fleet.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that within the Royal Navy, there are no more than ten higher-ranking officers than Viscount Keith, apart from prominent figures like Horatio Nelson, Richard Howe, Samuel Hood, and John Jervis, comes Viscount Keith.

King William IV muttered, ”Since the truth is clear and Lord Elphinstone has acted appropriately, then compensation is due. Here’s what I’ll do: to compensate Sir Elphinstone and express my appreciation for his years of court service, I have decided to immediately award him the Royal Guelph Grand Cross Medal!”

Upon hearing this, not only did Arthur furrow his brow, but even the King’s secretary, Sir Herbert Taylor, couldn’t help but advise, ”Your Majesty, isn’t this a bit hasty?”

”Hasty? Not hasty at all! This medal should have been awarded to Viscount Keith, but unfortunately, he’s been gone for ten years now, so I can only award it to his nephew.” King William IV waved his hand and continued cheerfully, ”Not only that, I have decided to recommend him for the Privy Council! You know, the Elphinstone Family has served the Royal Family for many years, and I always intended to commend them, just struggled to find the right opportunity, now’s the chance.”

Arthur couldn’t help but advise him as well, he could already imagine how the news would drive the Duchess of Kent and Conroy crazy when it reached Kensington Palace, ”Your Majesty, are you sure you want to do this?”

King William IV grandly waved his hand, ”Of course I’m sure! Since it’s all just a misunderstanding, I should give Sir Elphinstone an explanation. I can’t shortchange anyone loyal to the Royal Family!”

The words were righteous, but Arthur saw clearly that the eyes of this sailor king unmistakably sparkled with a hint of schadenfreude.

Taylor saw King William IV’s firm attitude and couldn’t say much more about the medal awarding.

If the King intended to award other medals, perhaps Taylor could bring up various approval procedures.

But the Royal Guelf Medal is not part of the British medal system, being issued by the Kingdom of Hanover. King William IV couldn’t go against Parliament in Britain, but in the Kingdom of Hanover, he, the actual monarch, ruled with absolute authority.

King William IV, if he wished, could confer a Hanoverian baron title upon Elphinstone, and even Westminster Palace couldn’t interfere. Lady Leisen, for example, received a Hanoverian baron title from King William IV two years ago as a reward for her loyal service.

The medal awarding couldn’t be easily opposed by Taylor, but...

Taylor hesitantly added, ”Your Majesty, awarding the medal is fine, but shouldn’t the Privy Council matter be discussed later? At the very least, we should consult with Viscount Melbourne?”

”My dear Herbert, when did you become so indecisive?” King William IV casually glanced at him, ”Such matters require speed, while the rumors haven’t dispersed, we should quickly send out the writ of reward, this is most powerful, and best aids Delina and Elphinstone in vindicating themselves!”

Seeing King William IV in high spirits, Arthur promptly seized the opportunity to invoke his agreement with Stockma, ”Your Majesty, there’s another matter, which I think you should have prior knowledge of.”

”Hmm? What are you referring to? It shouldn’t be about the brawl between University of London and King’s College, right? Young men are fiery, there’s bound to be some fisticuffs, don’t worry, I won’t hold it against them.”

Arthur chuckled, ”Your Majesty, you don’t need to intervene in the affairs of young men. But, you must save Lady Leisen.”