Arthur was deeply moved. In the final stage of her life, Queen Victoria was concerned not with the British Empire she had governed all her life, nor with the many children and grandchildren gathered around her, but with Arthur.
Queen Victoria had poured all her love into Prince Albert. After losing Prince Albert, she had transferred all that love to Duke Arthur.
After losing Duke Arthur once again, Queen Victoria had transferred that love, unchanged, onto Arthur.
Perhaps the successive deaths of her husband and son had caused enormous problems with Queen Victoria's mental and physical condition, but no one could deny that her love for Prince Albert, Duke Arthur, and Arthur was so pure and so single-minded.
At that moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on Arthur. Everyone knew that, apart from Queen Victoria, Arthur had become the protagonist of the day—and might even soon become the most watched nobleman in the entire world.
One must not underestimate Queen Victoria's influence. In the original history, it was precisely because William II had held Queen Victoria's hand tightly throughout the final stage of her life that the British public, who had originally felt little goodwill toward Germany, came to view William II favorably. If William II had not become obsessed with defeating France and challenging the British Empire at sea, perhaps there might still have been a turning point.
Now, during the crucial stage of Queen Victoria making her will, the first person she had mentioned was Arthur, and Arthur had remained at her side the entire time.
Under such circumstances, who would dare overturn any condition Queen Victoria had granted Arthur afterward?
Given Queen Victoria's towering prestige in Britain, together with Arthur's tragic circumstances—having lost his father and his grandmother—even Crown Prince Edward would have to weigh carefully whether he could bear the consequences of threatening Arthur.
"Arthur." After giving Crown Prince Edward his instructions, Queen Victoria turned her gaze toward Arthur once more. Struggling to maintain her smile, she said, "I'm giving British New Guinea and New Zealand to you. I hope you can govern these two regions well and combine them with Australia to create a powerful nation, one that will never again need to fear any danger. Grandmother may not be able to accompany you in the future, Arthur. You must keep walking forward. Grandmother will watch over you from heaven."
"Grandmother, don't say that." No matter how mature Arthur was inside, faced with such a situation, he was already moved to tears, his nose running as he tightly clasped Queen Victoria's hands, revealing the turmoil and tangled emotions in his heart.
"Child, don't cry. You are the Duke of Australia, an outstanding nobleman of whom I am proud. No matter what you face, don't cry, all right? Remember, you still have millions of subjects waiting for you to manage and rule them. You cannot look like this in front of them." Queen Victoria smiled as she gently wiped Arthur's tears away and spoke softly.
The next stage was Queen Victoria's formal confirmation of her will. Throughout it, Arthur remained dazed and muddle-headed, failing to hear all of Queen Victoria's testament.
Fortunately, this was a stage that everyone could listen to together, and someone had been assigned to record everything specifically, preventing any tampering with the will.
Only after Queen Victoria had finished reciting the entire will did Arthur gradually return to his senses. Looking at Queen Victoria, whose strength had been completely exhausted, Arthur felt both moved and reluctant to part with her. But death was not something ordinary people could stop. As Queen Victoria's condition grew worse and worse, everyone understood that today might truly be her final day.
"Arthur, Arthur!"
Amid the silence, Queen Victoria's feeble cries sounded so hoarse and desperate that they seemed to tear her throat apart.
"I'm here, I'm here! Tell me, Grandmother. Arthur is here." Arthur hurriedly tightened his grip on Queen Victoria's hand and answered her.
"Live well. Your grandmother and your father will pray for you in heaven. Arthur, you are a good child. Grandmother is proud of you." Queen Victoria's gaze gradually dimmed. With the last wisp of her strength, she forced out a few words: "Albert, Arthur, I'm coming."
It was over. Everything was over.
The great monarch who had borne the British crown for sixty-three years and controlled the Indian throne for twenty-four; the sovereign who had been immensely important to both the British Government and the British people; Queen Victoria, who had single-handedly forged the Victorian Era of the British Empire—had just said goodbye to everyone.
The moment Queen Victoria's hand fell completely limp, Arthur understood that he had lost the grandmother who loved him most. Perhaps Britain would truly have nothing more to do with him in the future.
"Mother!" "Grandmother!" "Grandmother!" "Your Majesty!"
One after another, the frantic and heavy cries all reflected the feelings of those present.
When everyone surged forward, even pushing Arthur facedown beside Queen Victoria's bed, Arthur gradually came back to himself. Everything was so unbelievable, and yet everything was so real.
"All right, everyone. Her Majesty the Queen's departure is something no one wanted to see, but at least Her Majesty left with a smile and without any worries or anguish. Let us pray for Her Majesty, everyone. Do not shout loudly here." William II stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
Although it was understandable that everyone felt heartbroken and shattered by Queen Victoria's departure, continuing to howl at the top of their lungs in such a setting seemed somewhat disrespectful to Queen Victoria.
"Everyone, none of us wishes to see Her Majesty the Queen leave us, but this is not something we can decide. Her Majesty's departure was a happy one. She had all her children and grandchildren at her side, and she fulfilled all her wishes. But Her Majesty's departure is a heavy and unacceptable loss to everyone, to the entire British Royal Family, and even to the whole British Empire. I suggest that every country hold commemorative activities for Her Majesty, and that every country fly its flags at half-mast for a week in memory of Queen Victoria." Crown Prince Edward certainly would not let William II steal the limelight under such circumstances, so he spoke up immediately afterward.
Considering Britain's position during the Victorian Era, it was entirely acceptable for the major European nations to lower their flags to half-mast in memory of Queen Victoria.
Crown Prince Edward had said this partly to showcase the status and power of the British Empire, and partly to remind William II indirectly that although William II was now an emperor of the highest rank among the nobility, with the most exalted status, he should not forget that this was still British soil—for the moment—and that he, Edward, would soon become the King of the United Kingdom and the Emperor of India.
First update—please show your support! The Victorian Era has come to an end. From here on, it's time to focus on development.
Before you continue