The Shadow of Great Britain

The Duchess of Kent has always firmly believed that Victoria could succeed as king.

The reason for this belief includes a touch of mysticism.

Back when Victoria was just born, her husband, the Duke of Kent, disguised himself as a commoner and secretly took Victoria’s birthdate to a reputedly prophetic Gypsy witch for a reading.

The wrinkled old Gypsy woman merely glanced at the birthdate, asked a few simple questions, and then confidently proclaimed, while stroking her crystal ball, that this child was destined to become king, her future majestic beyond words.

Of course, if the old woman had merely uttered a few auspicious words, the Duchess of Kent might not have taken it seriously.

What made her believe was that the Duke of Kent returned to tell her that the Gypsy witch also predicted the death of a member of the royal family within the month.

At that time, the couple thought the witch was referring to the then King George III. Who would have thought that the Duke of Kent, who had never been ill in his life, would precede his father George III in passing, and King George III himself died just a few days later.

This story of destined royalty spread widely in London, but whether it was true or not remains unknown to anyone but those directly involved.

Arthur thought it could not be ruled out that it was a ”fairy tale” concocted by Kensington Palace to create momentum for Victoria’s succession.

Thus, as a natural philosophy researcher, Arthur, with an attitude of seeking truth and reality, privately visited several Gypsy gatherings in London and re-calculated using Victoria’s information.

As for the result, it was barely satisfactory.

But perhaps it wasn’t really that Victoria’s birthdate was so exceptional, but rather the frighteningly sour expressions on the faces of Officer Cao Li and Officer Hoot, who were following the reputable gentleman.

As the greatest invention in Sir Arthur Hastings’s lifetime, the Police Intelligence Department aptly followed the tone set by their first director.

Though no one in the department ever said it outright, the officers were not blind. Since last year, any colleague involved with affairs related to Princess Victoria had consistently been promoted and reused.

Officers Cao Li and Hoot, who cracked a significant early romance case concerning Her Highness the Princess, needn’t be mentioned. Although their ranks had not been upgraded due to not meeting seniority standards, both were soon transferred to influential departments, with bright futures ahead.

And Thomas Plunkett, who risked his life alongside Arthur to protect in Ramsgate, was promoted to Police Chief in the personnel adjustments at the beginning of the year, transitioning from Ghost Team captain to the second-in-command of the Police Intelligence Department. Moreover, those from the 95th Regiment who barged into Albion Villa with him all received the rank of Chief Inspector.

Furthermore, not only Scotland Yard but even Ramsgate’s Mr. Murphy, the Sheriff, reaped considerable benefits.

Oh, maybe it’s no longer appropriate to call him Mr. Murphy, as he was recently conferred the title of Junior Knight, so he should now be addressed as Sir Colin Murphy.

However, despite the allure of titles, they are ultimately just superficial.

The real substance appeared when, at the first meeting of the Police Commissioner Committee held a couple of days ago, Secretary Sir Arthur Hastings proposed that to aid in establishing modern police systems across the country modeled after Scotland Yard, we should first select some affluent areas for pilot reforms. Among this first batch, apart from new industrial cities like Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, there were also tourist towns with significant foot traffic and economic development, like Ramsgate in Kent County.

Of course, considering Britain’s traditional local autonomy, to prevent unnecessary local backlash and protest, the appointment of local Chief of Police will temporarily follow the sheriff elected by the city council. Whether to continue the appointment after the term should depend on further reform resolutions and the public order assessment results during the term.

In addition, as Britain’s most experienced modern police institution, Scotland Yard should actively support local police reforms, selecting a group of capable, experienced, and responsible mature officers to be dispatched to newly established police stations across the country to assist local governments in building a high-standard police force efficiently.

Among the first batch of external officers designated by Scotland Yard was the very same names of the officers who charged into Albion Villa with Plunkett.

Chief Inspector Hamilton, Chief Inspector Moore, Chief Inspector Biggs, and Chief Inspector Wayne were respectively transferred to serve as assistant chiefs at the police bureaus in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Bristol.

This series of personnel adjustments brought unprecedented shock to the officers at Scotland Yard.

It must be noted, before being transferred to the Police Intelligence Department, these four veterans were merely chiefs in various peripheral districts of London.

Though their income increased somewhat after joining the Ghost Team, few considered they had much future back then.

In merely a year, they were promoted from Chief to Chief Inspector, then from Chief Inspector to local police bureau assistant chief, taking the top seats at each city’s police bureau.