The Shadow of Great Britain

The most important thing is that Conroy does not currently have sufficient evidence to prove that his wife Elizabeth is actually the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Kent. If he rashly exposes this, it may instead bring a lot of trouble upon himself.

Conroy slowly stood up, gritting his teeth. After thinking for a long time, he could only mutter to himself, ”Since she is unwilling to leave me even a shred of dignity as her brother-in-law... then I can only impose the necessary discipline on her.”

...

It was late at night, but the Duchess of Kent’s room was still lit.

She sat on the sofa, draped in a deep red velvet robe, holding an ivory nose snuff bottle in her hand. Her expression appeared to be both tired and vigilant.

Her daughter, Victoria, had already gone to bed according to her usual schedule. But the Duchess knew that while the girl lying before her had her eyes closed, in reality, just like her mother, she was far from asleep.

But even so, she preferred to lie in bed pretending to sleep rather than saying another word to her mother.

The bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Conroy walked in.

He did not bow but stood by the door, glancing at the sleeping Victoria on the bed, then gestured to the Duchess.

Understanding his meaning, the Duchess stood up and followed Conroy out of the room.

As soon as the two left the room, the Duchess couldn’t wait to speak, ”The Earl of Liverpool came looking for me this evening. He said he has done everything he can, but unfortunately, he still can’t change Delina’s intentions. I heard he also brought a letter, which was said to have been written by Delina? Could it be that she rejected your request in that letter?”

”Worse than rejection,” Conroy replied word by word, ”She has excluded me from any arrangements made by the Royal Family, rejected appointments, refused collaboration, and disregarded decorum.”

The Duchess’s expression changed slightly, but her tone remained gentle, ”But... she is already eighteen. We can’t keep doing things as we did in the past...”

”She’s still living under this roof,” Conroy interrupted her calmly enough to send chills down one’s spine. ”Her finances are not independent yet, her residence is still with you, and the servants are still supplied by Kensington Palace. She is the future Queen, but not now. For now, she is still living under her mother’s protection.”

The Duchess lowered her eyes and did not respond immediately.

”Your Highness,” Conroy paced the corridor with his hands behind his back, ”you certainly know what she’s planning. She is distancing herself from us, conspiring with that policeman, with Arthur Hastings, and with Leisen in affairs we cannot see. She has already started regarding us as enemies.”

”She is still young,” the Duchess sighed, ”She’s been instigated... she misunderstood our motives.”

”She did not misunderstand,” Conroy leaned closer and whispered, ”She is doing it on purpose. She’s trying to get rid of you, Your Highness, not just me.”

The Duchess suddenly lifted her head, her eyes filled with uncontainable pain and panic.

”I know you don’t want to admit it, but you can’t allow her anymore,” Conroy’s tone softened, ”We can’t watch her fall into their hands. We must act, this is our last chance.”

”What do you plan to do?”

”It’s not what I plan to do,” Conroy’s face turned cold, ”it’s what you, Your Highness, should do. You are her mother, so you have the right to claim her health issues and require her to rest. You can suspend her interactions with the outside world, restrict Leisen’s access, and replace the servants to ensure her life is free from external influence.”

”Isn’t that like imprisoning her?” The Duchess of Kent appeared somewhat afraid. In front of Conroy, she never showed the usual noble authority; she was just like a regular German housewife, ”Just like that time in Ramsgate...”

She still remembered Ramsgate.

At Ramsgate a year ago, she watched helplessly as her weak and just-recovered daughter curled up on the bed.

At that time, what appeared in Victoria’s eyes was not obedience, nor fear, but alertness, hatred, and deep-seated resentment, like the instinctive resistance of an animal cornered, a scenario known as desperate struggle.

At that moment, she realized for the first time that she might have truly lost her daughter’s heart.

That memory was like a needle wedged between bones. Although the Duchess often wanted to forget it, even buying many things Victoria wanted afterward to ease their relationship, Victoria agreed verbally, but her actions no longer showed the intimacy of a mother and daughter.

Every time the Duchess fell asleep thinking about it, she felt a dull pain, even in her breathing.

She bit her lip, her eyes moistening involuntarily: ”John, I can’t... I don’t want to see her look at me like that again.”

”She won’t look at you like that again,” Conroy’s voice was light, yet carried an irresistible coldness, ”She no longer sees you as a mother, she now prefers to regard Leisen as a mother, Hastings as a father or brother, and Leopold as a guide. And you, do you still expect her to come to you for a hug, calling you ’mom’?”

”When she calls me ’mom’, it’s never been very natural...” The Duchess stammered in explanation: ”There’s some misunderstanding between us...”

”Misunderstanding?” Conroy almost scoffed, ”What kind of education has she received since childhood? What kind of life has she led? Her food, clothing, shelter, the books and teachers, every aspect of her arrangements—we’ve painstakingly considered... How could she misunderstand? Not only did she not misunderstand, but she also understands very well your love for her. Yet now, she no longer cares. Your Highness, she is punishing you.”