shadow of britain

Chapter 866 Hastings is Archina, is Seth Hey

Arthur clutched the sheet music, silently cursing the bastard who arranged the seating order for eight generations, but as a mature politician, he did not let these emotions show.

Although he wanted to change positions, asking directly would likely only make things worse.

After all, in Victoria's view, having the Duchess of Kent sit behind Arthur was a way of showing off to her mother.

Regardless of what others thought, perhaps in her heart she simply wanted to tell others that Sir Arthur Hastings held a more important place in her heart than the Duchess of Kent, and that the Secretary of the Commissioner of Police had provided more assistance to her in her ascension to the throne than her mother.

Although Arthur still doesn't understand who tricked him, he's no longer the young man who got shot under the Tower of London. After traveling across Europe, he's learned a lot of tricks.

“Your Majesty, I know I cannot persuade you. The Duchess of Kent and Conroy, whatever their reasons, should bear the consequences of what they have done in the past.”

Victoria didn't say anything, but her unpleasant expression softened considerably.

“I understand that your feelings towards the Duchess of Kent are not something that can be resolved overnight. To be honest, if I were you, I probably wouldn’t forgive them either. But…” Arthur paused, slowing his pace, “You have been on the throne for less than a month, and during this time, the whole country has been praising your virtues. Yesterday, when I was at the Olmarkt Club, Lady Cowper said, ‘It is truly a rare blessing that I have never heard anyone utter a single word of criticism against the Queen, or find a fault with her.’”

Victoria's eyes lit up slightly when she heard the name "Mrs. Cowper." She had a good impression of this lady, not only because Mrs. Cowper was the sister of the Viscount of Melbourne, but also because she was one of the seven mistresses of the Olmarkt Club. Even before she ascended the throne, she had often heard her mother talk about Mrs. Cowper's influence in London's social circles.

For Victoria, being praised so highly by the ladies of the old-fashioned aristocratic club, the Olmark Club, filled her with an inexplicable sense of pride: "Did Mrs. Cowper really say that?"

Arthur nodded and casually added, "Mrs. Cowper is very sincere; she doesn't seem like one of those opportunists. She said that your calm and composed demeanor is quite similar to that of Princess Charlotte when she was young."

Victoria was so happy she almost stood up: "When I was little, my uncle often told me about Princess Charlotte. People said she was smart and decisive, and if she hadn't died in childbirth, she and my uncle would be sitting in this palace now."

Arthur did not respond. He was always cautious in his remarks on matters of royal family intrigue, and bringing up Princess Charlotte was merely to please Victoria and pave the way for the next topic.

“Your Majesty,” Arthur finally spoke, his tone tightening, “It is precisely because the world praises you so highly that you must be even more cautious. Every little thing you do now, even just a seating arrangement or the wording of a sentence, will be written into the newspapers and interpreted as part of the national will. The people on Fleet Street will scrutinize you with a magnifying glass, and the British people will interpret you as carefully as they would the constitution.”

Victoria's expression changed slightly; she thought Arthur was trying to persuade her to reconcile with her mother.

“And…” Arthur suddenly changed the subject, leading Victoria into a topic she hadn’t considered: “If you intend to make a clear statement in the area of ​​family relationships, such as maintaining distance from your mother, then in other areas you must cultivate a reputation that balances that. If a monarch can be cold to her closest relatives and still win the hearts of her people, then she must have demonstrated extraordinary kindness and tolerance in other areas.”

“You mean…” Victoria didn’t quite understand Arthur’s meaning. She frowned slightly and hesitated before asking, “I can keep my distance from Mom, but I shouldn’t let her sit behind you?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Arthur said gently. “That’s your family matter, and it’s about your dignity. As your subject, I will not and cannot interfere with the power God has given you, and I also suggest that you insist on refusing any interference from others, after all, the example of Sir John Conroy is there for all to see. But…”

Arthur paused, as if choosing his words carefully: "I think you may not have heard about a case that the Central Criminal Court recently concluded."

Victoria frowned: "What case?"

“According to the ruling of the Central Criminal Court, this is a case of burglary,” Arthur said. “Thomas Lane, a fourteen-year-old boy, broke into a pharmacy at night to steal. When he was discovered, he struck the shop owner with an iron bar in a panic, causing serious injury. Under current law, the criminal court sentenced him to death by hanging.”

Victoria's eyes flickered slightly; judging from her expression, it was clear she was hearing this for the first time: "Then... hasn't the court already delivered its verdict?"

“Yes,” Arthur nodded. “Now we just have to wait for the final verdict. According to tradition, a death sentence must be presented to His Majesty and signed by him personally before it can be carried out. But that’s why, whether you sign it or not, there will be some people who are dissatisfied.”

Victoria, who had been standing straight, suddenly slumped down, her expression complex: "If I understand correctly, that means... just by signing that document... just one signature, someone... will die like that?"

Arthur nodded slightly: "This is one of the highest judicial powers reserved for the monarch in our traditional laws, which has continued from the Tudor dynasty to the present day."

Victoria slowly came to her senses and stared at Arthur, asking, "You just said that if I sign, some people will be dissatisfied. But if I don't sign, some people will also be dissatisfied... What does that mean?"

Arthur sighed and shook his head slightly. "This boy, Thomas Wren, is fourteen years old, from an extremely poor family, and an orphan. He did do something wrong, but after the incident, the local parish priest and charitable organizations jointly signed a petition asking for leniency for him. They said that the pharmacy usually mistreats the poor, and while Thomas did commit a crime, he didn't take the money; instead, he wanted to steal some medicine for the few street beggars he depended on. He injured someone, and he did seriously injure them, that's true, but Scotland Yard's investigation report concluded that Thomas did not commit premeditated murder."

"On the other hand..." Arthur continued, "Although the pharmacy owner was not in mortal danger, he was left with a lifelong disability. His family complained to the newspaper, arguing that the law should not tolerate robbers. It was because of their strong demands that the Central Criminal Court had to make a final verdict on July 1st."

Victoria became increasingly confused; legal matters were clearly far more complicated than family affairs. "Why must a ruling be made before July 1st? Is there some reason behind this?"

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "Do you know why I was promoted from the position of Scotland Yard patrolman?"

“Of course I know,” Victoria blurted out. “I’ve seen that speech in court, the movement to repeal the Bloody Act, in the newspapers before.”

"That's right, this is where my life began."

Arthur calmly recounted his illustrious resume, which had stood the test of history: "In fact, the movement to repeal the Bloody Acts was not just a speech, and the abolition of the death penalty was not achieved overnight. Generally speaking, before the Whig Party came to power, this series of repeal bills could be collectively known as the Peel Acts. During Sir Robert Peel's eight years as Home Secretary, he passed a series of bills that abolished more than 200 capital offenses and also eliminated the death penalty immunity of clergy. And even when the Whig Party came to power, the movement to repeal the Bloody Acts did not stop after Sir Peel stepped down."

Arthur paused: "The Currency Crimes Act 1832 abolished the death penalty for currency crimes, and the Forgery Act 1832 abolished the death penalty for all forgery crimes except for forgery of wills and specific powers of attorney. And this April, Home Secretary Lord John Russell introduced the Offences to the Personal Rights Bill. If this bill passes, then only four or five capital offenses will remain in British law in the future."

Victoria paused, then said, "The remaining capital offenses don't include... burglary and assault?" "Exactly." Arthur nodded. "If this case is delayed by a few days, even just until mid-month, until the House of Lords passes the amendment on its third reading, then Thomas Lane's crimes will no longer be punishable by death. Based on my limited understanding of the case, he might be sentenced to at least fifteen years of exile."

Victoria remained silent.

Her fingers gently rubbed her knees, as if trying to calm the rising anxiety in her chest with this subtle movement.

Her voice lowered, no longer carrying the eager joy of before, nor the youthful excitement of wielding power, but instead a hint of hesitant caution: "So... whether he is sentenced to death depends solely on... a difference of just a few days?"

“That’s right.” Arthur’s voice was calm, but his demeanor was more solemn than ever before. “It may sound absurd, but this is the situation we are facing now. Your Majesty, if the Ministry of the Interior presents the death sentence to the Emperor tomorrow, have you decided whether to sign it or not?”

“I… I understand now why you were telling me this,” Victoria murmured to herself. She turned to Arthur and almost instinctively blurted out, “This isn’t the law, this is murder! A child, even if he did something wrong, shouldn’t be… rushed to the gallows like this, just because Parliament didn’t have time to finish reading a bill!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Arthur’s expression remained unchanged: “That’s why we say that law and time are never fair.”

Victoria looked at Arthur in silence. After a few seconds, she slowly looked down at her hands, her fingertips folded on her knees. For the first time since ascending the throne, she felt the pressure from the power of the state.

“If I sign…” she whispered, “I’ll be seen as heartless…”

“And if you don’t sign…” Arthur continued, “Fleet Street might dedicate an entire page tomorrow to satirizing your soft-heartedness, indecisiveness, emotionalism, and even your tolerance of crime. The victims’ families might also stand at the entrance of St. Paul’s Cathedral to petition and protest, believing that you have interfered with the judicial system.”

Victoria's lips were slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something, but the words remained unspoken.

She hesitated for a moment, but in the end she couldn't help herself and habitually asked Arthur for help, just like when she was lying on Ramsgate's sickbed.

“Arthur…” She looked up at Arthur, her voice low and somewhat uneasy: “Then what should I do?”

This statement lacked the majesty of an emperor and the authority of a monarch; rather, it resembled an actor making his stage debut, yet to learn how to wield the spotlight, whispering a request for guidance from a seasoned veteran backstage.

Arthur did not answer immediately. He lowered his eyes, as if he were considering the matter, or as if he were sifting through the conflicts between royal power and human sentiment, law and public opinion that had existed for thousands of years.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, smiling, his gaze unusually clear yet gentle.

"Your Majesty, you should not do anything."

Victoria was taken aback, seemingly not understanding what he meant.

“At least for now, you shouldn’t be deciding the fate of this case directly,” Arthur explained. “You’ve just ascended the throne, and your identity hasn’t completely shed the image of a pure young woman, nor are you yet officially regarded as a monarch independent of the cabinet. The people’s goodwill towards you is based on this. Therefore, at this stage, any move to directly interfere in the judiciary or dictate the verdict will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass.”

Arthur paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back: "The royal pardon you hold is a very useful power. In many cases, it's a good way to win public favor. If public opinion overwhelmingly supports a pardon, that's the perfect time for you to step forward and claim all the credit. However, in most death sentences, there are many gray areas. If you rashly intervene in such cases, you'll only end up wasting your time and effort."

At this point, Arthur paused for a moment, giving Victoria enough time to grasp the weight of his words, before continuing, "If you want to avoid this situation, I suggest you set up a systemic barrier for yourself."

Victoria looked up, her gaze refocusing: "A barrier?"

“Yes,” Arthur nodded. “Rewards and favors are what the people like, and you can administer them yourself. But killings and punishments are what the people abhor, so it’s better to delegate them to others. In this way, the responsibility doesn’t fall directly on you, but on the Cabinet, on the Minister of the Interior, or if the Minister of the Interior is unwilling to take on this responsibility alone, the Commissioner of Police can conduct a preliminary review first, and after it passes, it can be transferred to the Ministry of the Interior for adjudication. In this way, the cases don’t come directly to you for judgment, and you can use your ignorance to avoid public resentment. If there are cases that are indeed profitable, and everyone thinks the verdict is inappropriate, you can also use the royal pardon power to directly pardon the suspect’s crime. You are still the final arbiter, but you no longer have to bear all the direct impact of morality and law.”

“No decision means no responsibility…” Victoria murmured. “Uncle Leopold seemed to have said something similar in his letter: never make decisions lightly…”

“Indeed, it is an art of compromise,” Arthur nodded with a smile. “But it is also a strategy of power. Before you have a solid foundation, sharing risks through institutions is an art that all wise monarchs should master.”

"But what will the public think?" she asked. "Won't they say I'm irresponsible?"

“They will say you are moderate, rational, and trust the system, not dictatorship.” Arthur shook his head with a smile. “Besides, this is not a permanent abdication of responsibility, but a postponement of intervention. When you are fully capable and when everyone truly accepts the prestige and authority behind the name Queen Victoria, you can naturally choose more direct methods. But not now, now is not the time.”

“You’re right.” Victoria let out a soft breath. “I can’t sign someone’s death sentence like a judge. I… I’m not ready. I haven’t even… seen what Thomas Lane looks like.”

Arthur nodded, and he too breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, it was extremely difficult for him to present the poison of royal power as a merit in front of the monarch.

Victoria suddenly asked, "Could you draft a reply to the Ministry of the Interior for me?"

“Of course.” Arthur smiled and bowed. “I will use the most appropriate words to express your respect for the rule of law and your expectations for institutional reform. In this way, no matter how it is ultimately implemented, you will be firmly in the top position.”

(End of this chapter)