Bad News from the Queen

New Zealand, Isle of Wight.

The first session of the Lower House went smoothly, but that did nothing to cheer Arthur. News had come from Queen Victoria: Her Majesty the Queen's health had deteriorated further, and she might not even make it to winter.

Arthur had actually anticipated this situation long ago, but he still could not accept it.

In recent years, Queen Victoria's health had grown steadily worse, and some of the state affairs had been transferred to the Crown Prince for handling.

On top of that, she had recently suffered the loss of another child. Although Queen Victoria appeared incredibly strong in public, Arthur knew all too well that Duke Arthur's departure had dealt her a tremendous blow. What kept Queen Victoria going, besides Arthur and her other princes and grandchildren, was her longing for Prince Albert and her deceased son. That was also why Queen Victoria had traveled such a long distance to the Isle of Wight.

After learning the news, Arthur urgently dispatched a warship and headed to the Isle of Wight to visit the Queen.

After a full two days of sailing, Arthur finally reached Queen Victoria's residence, the Isle of Wight.

Princess Beatrice came to receive Arthur. She was also Arthur's aunt.

When she saw Arthur, Princess Beatrice's eyes were red. She said to him, "Arthur, go on. Your grandmother is waiting for you."

Arthur entered the plainly decorated room and immediately saw Queen Victoria lying in bed.

Compared with when he had last seen her, the Queen had clearly lost a great deal of weight. Her eye sockets were sunken, making her look as though she had aged more than ten years.

"Arthur! My child, come over to Grandmother." Queen Victoria immediately spotted Arthur as he entered through the door and spoke with delighted surprise.

"Grandmother!" Arthur replied as he stepped forward and took the Queen's deeply wrinkled hands.

"Arthur, how have things been in Australia lately? Have you adapted?" the Queen asked with a smile as she gently stroked Arthur's forehead.

"I've been well, Grandmother. Thanks to the Guard Army you gave me, I was able to take control of all Australia fairly smoothly. Under my guidance, Australia has now established a Dual Monarchy government, elected the Lower House, and is preparing for the Cabinet Election," Arthur replied with a smile.

"Hmm, a Dual Monarchy? Are there no people in the government who oppose you?" Queen Victoria had been listening quietly, but she was somewhat surprised when she heard Arthur mention the words "Dual Monarchy" and asked the question.

"Not as far as I can tell. The prime ministers of the former colonies had no military authority, and I gave them positions in the Temporary Cabinet. So far, there have been no officials who have openly opposed the country's system," Arthur replied solemnly after thinking for a moment.

"Hmm. Did you leave the Guard Army in Australia?" Queen Victoria asked again.

"Yes, Grandmother. Although I have used speeches and various policies to ensure that most Australians support me, I left the Guard Army in Australia just in case," Arthur said, nodding again.

"Hmm, well done. As the ruler of a country, no matter how favorable your circumstances are, you must never lose that final trace of caution. The smooth progress of your reforms in Australia is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing. Although everything seems fine now, just as you envisioned, once an accident occurs, no one can guarantee in which state an opposition faction might suddenly emerge." Queen Victoria nodded in satisfaction, finally bringing her barrage of questions to an end.

"You came at just the right time, Arthur. A group of servants recently arrived from the homeland. You and Luís and the others are living in Australia, so you need more servants to take care of your daily lives. When you return this time, take some more cooks, doctors, and servants with you. As Australia's ruler and a member of the royal family, you mustn't lose face in that regard." Queen Victoria seemed to have thought of something and spoke.

"Yes, Grandmother." Seeing the earnest look on Queen Victoria's face, Arthur truly could not bring himself to refuse.

"Grandmother, how has your health been lately?" Arthur hurriedly changed the subject and began asking about Queen Victoria's condition.

"About the same, Arthur. I'm old now and can no longer walk very far. I had been planning to take a walk along the beach at the edge of the island, but who would have thought I would lose my strength before even leaving the estate? My legs kept hurting, too. Still, perhaps that is for the best. Maybe I will be able to see your grandfather and your father sooner." Speaking of her health, Queen Victoria sighed in frustration, then seemed to accept her fate and spoke with a hint of teasing.

"Don't say that, Grandmother. You will definitely live to be a hundred. When the time comes, I'll bring your great-grandchildren to visit you again." Arthur hurriedly cut off Queen Victoria's dispirited words and comforted her with a smile.

"Heh." Queen Victoria chuckled softly and shook her head, but did not continue the subject.

"Grandmother, shall I take you around the island?" Arthur rose to his feet, intending to take Queen Victoria for a walk and let her get some fresh air, easing both the physical and mental exhaustion weighing on her.

"Sure. Let's go to the West Beach. Albert and Arthur liked that place, too." Unexpectedly, Queen Victoria did not refuse. Instead, she smiled and nodded.

While Princess Beatrice helped Queen Victoria into her wheelchair, Arthur summoned Queen Victoria's personal doctor, Doctor Makoto, and asked in a low voice, "Doctor Makoto, how is Grandmother's health, really?"

Doctor Makoto glanced around, then carefully moved several yards away before speaking softly. "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen is not suffering from any illness, but that is precisely what makes this so troublesome. Every diagnostic result shows that Her Majesty the Queen is at the end of her life, with her bodily functions already nearing their limits. Conservatively speaking, Her Majesty the Queen should only be able to hold on until autumn."

Until autumn—and it was already early June.

That meant Queen Victoria had roughly three months left to live. Although that was shorter than in the original history, after she had endured the additional pain of losing a child, it could still be considered a fairly reasonable outcome.

Although Arthur had anticipated it, when he truly heard Doctor Makoto say it, his heart still gave a heavy thump and instantly sank to rock bottom.

"Isn't there any other way, Doctor Makoto?" Arthur asked, unwilling to give up.

"No. Her Majesty the Queen is undergoing normal aging. With current medical technology, there is absolutely nothing we can do." Doctor Makoto shook his head again, sighed softly, and spoke.

I owe everyone an apology. I suddenly realized that I have been padding things too much lately. This chapter was originally supposed to cover the Lower House meeting, but after thinking it over, a meeting would have taken several more chapters and been both padded and boring. So I pushed the plot forward in a hurry. We are about to enter the main storyline of national development—please show your support!