The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1838 - 117: Ants on a Hot Pan (Part 2)

Victoria’s behavior when lying, her demeanor when anxious, and what she does when excited, are all well understood by Leisen.

It’s not that Leisen has never seen Victoria sympathize with others, but today, Victoria is obviously overly concerned.

Couple this with Victoria’s frequent disappearances lately for a few minutes at a time...

Lady Leisen looked at Victoria’s anxious and fearful appearance and had some vague suspicions in her heart, but she didn’t dare to be certain.

Therefore, not only did she refrain from exposing her suspicion on the spot, but she also gently probed, "Since this gentleman was injured while protecting you, it certainly counts as a worthy act. I think instead of sending him to the hospital, it would be better to take him directly to Kensington Palace and have Dr. Clark look after him, wouldn’t it? Just as Baron Stockma is also here today. Their medical skills are far superior to those at St. George’s Hospital."

When she spoke, her tone was utterly natural, and she even specifically glanced back at Colly: "You two officers should come with us to Kensington Palace later as well, so if the Duchess asks about the details of the case, you can help explain."

Lady Leisen’s suggestion seemed both reasonable and dignified, even Colly almost nodded in agreement, yet Victoria’s expression subtly stiffened at that moment.

"There’s no need." Victoria quickly replied, "There are too many eyes in the palace, which isn’t good. If my mother and the others find out about this, it would only worry them. After all, I wasn’t hurt, and moreover..."

Victoria continued speaking, but fearing she sounded too harsh, hastily added, "Moreover, he’s only lightly injured, just a scratch on the head. It’s quieter at the hospital, and easier to take care of. Baron Stockma has just arrived from Belgium and hasn’t even settled his luggage, disturbing him over such a trivial matter would indeed be impolite, they would think Kensington Palace is not good at hosting guests."

The more Victoria explained, the more certain Lady Leisen became that she was covering something up.

"You’re right." Leisen smiled, nodded, and said, "Then let’s go to St. George’s Hospital. I’ll immediately have someone send him over to ensure the gentleman receives proper care."

She casually beckoned a strong servant: "You, lift this gentleman into the car, gently, avoid touching his head. Tell the driver, directly to St. George’s Hospital."

Victoria finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded lightly.

But Leisen seemingly casually added, "By the way, what is this gentleman’s name? At least we should record it so people in the palace can follow up."

Victoria was stunned, then hesitantly said, "I... I can’t quite recall, seems it’s... John?"

Victoria was fully focused on watching the carriage soon to load the "injured civilian," completely unaware that Leisen behind her quietly leaned down.

Lady Leisen’s gaze slowly fell on that young, pale yet well-defined face.

As soon as she saw that face clearly, her mouth couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

She recognized that face.

Even though the other party had changed his attire, had blood streaming from his head, and his breath was weak, this bedroom attendant’s face was never unfamiliar to anyone in the palace.

After all Lord Elphinsone was a frequent sight at various balls and salons hosted at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, and St. James’s Palace, even often seen at tea parties in Kensington Palace.

Yet, here he lay, in this damp and shabby back alley, blood on his head, injury on his face, while Victoria was so nervous she almost blurted out to send him to the hospital.

How could there not be something amiss?

But Leisen said nothing and quietly, as if she saw nothing, gently lifted the coat slipping off Elphinsone’s shoulder to cover his face.

Victoria thought she had hidden well enough, but when she inadvertently turned back and saw Leisen’s movements, her heart was right back in her throat.

Leisen stood straight, patted off a clump of dust on her palms, and with some reproachful gaze shook her head at Victoria.

Victoria lowered her head in shame, yet just when she thought Leisen might reprimand her, she heard Leisen’s voice speaking as usual.

"Alright." Leisen turned around, "Everything’s settled down, we should head back to the palace. Your Highness, it’s cold here, we shouldn’t stay long."

...

London, Kensington Palace.

With a crack!

The Duchess of Kent’s bone china cup fell to the ground, and the velvet scarf wrapped around her hand was instantly torn off.

"What do you mean she’s unharmed? You tell me, how could she appear alone in an alley! Who allowed her to leave the convoy? Who allowed her to get out of the car! Where were her attendants, servants, and Leisen? Is everyone dead?!"

The attendant replied with trepidation, "Your Highness, the Princess said she just wanted to get some air. Besides, the theater wasn’t really stifling tonight, Lady Leisen was also afraid she might get sick from the stuffiness, so she agreed..."

"Think?" The Duchess of Kent interrupted through clenched teeth, "If any of you had a single shred of sense, you wouldn’t let a heir to the throne wander freely without protection!"

Standing behind the Duchess was Conroy, also with a sullen face: "Leisen! What a nerve! Even privately allowed the Princess to get out of the car, let alone trying to conceal things afterward!"

After speaking, he turned to the Duchess and said, "Your Highness, in my opinion, Leisen might be in league with those who attempted to attack the Princess, this matter must be thoroughly investigated."

The Duchess of Kent was shaking with fury, yet beyond anger, she felt terror.

Her entire life was dependent on Victoria; if anything should befall Victoria, what would she do?

The Duchess was red with anger, her chest heaving as she pointed towards the door with trembling fingers, "Go, summon Leisen for me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

While waiting for Leisen to arrive, Conroy leaned over to the Duchess and whispered, "Your Highness, I beg you to pardon my frankness, but this isn’t the first time Leisen has acted like this. She has been in the palace for many years, acts without regard to rules, and presumes to interfere with the Princess’s upbringing thanks to her closeness. If she hadn’t treated the Kensington System like child’s play, how could today’s trouble possibly have occurred?"

Slowly bending, he picked up a shard of porcelain from the ground: "Consider, if it weren’t for good fortune today, with kind civilians assisting initially, and Scotland Yard protecting subsequently, the final consequences would be unimaginable. Furthermore, even if the Princess wasn’t hurt today, the rumors of her being seen with unknown gentlemen in a dark alley circulating, what stories might those tabloid papers concoct? At this critical moment, we shouldn’t hand our political opponents any knives."

Upon hearing this, the Duchess’s face grew even more unsightly.

Gripping Conroy’s hand, she shook her head painfully, "Do you think tonight’s incident was arranged by the Duke of Cumberland? Or did it originate from that old sailor? Help me, John, I really don’t know who else to trust anymore. On this little island, there always seem to be so many trying to harm my lonely daughter and me."

"Your Highness, I venture to say, this situation probably isn’t a mere discipline issue anymore."

"You mean..."

"Leisen has been derelict for some time. For months now, she’s repeatedly hidden instances of the Princess sneaking out or going missing briefly. And today’s incident doesn’t seem just a matter of oversight." Conroy paused, "She must either be knowingly covering for certain people or colluding with outsiders to sway your Highness’s judgment. I believe we should at least suspend all her duties, thoroughly examine her letters and accounts in recent months to avoid larger risks."

At this, Conroy feigned magnanimity stating, "Of course, these issues ought to be discussed once this turmoil passes. For the moment, our priority should be suppressing this event, ordering discretion among Kensington Palace attendants. As for those two officers from Scotland Yard, perhaps we should have Sir Arthur Hastings speak on our behalf at Scotland Yard to ensure their confidentiality."