"His Royal Highness Arthur, His Royal Highness Arthur, wake up! Something terrible has happened, the Duke has been assassinated! Her Majesty the Queen wants to see you!" The door to the lavishly decorated room was suddenly pushed open, and a gentleman, who appeared to be reliable and steady, rushed in with red eyes, shouting at the top of his voice.
"Hmmm, what?" Connaught Arthur, who was fast asleep, was instantly awakened and climbed out of bed, hastily asking the elderly gentleman, "Hunter Steward, what has happened?"
"There's no time to explain, Your Highness Arthur, go quickly to Her Majesty the Queen. The Duke was assassinated this morning on the streets of London, and now the royal family and the entire government are investigating the matter." The steward, called Hunter, with red-rimmed eyes and a slight sob in his voice, explained.
"Ah? What's going on? How could my father be assassinated?" Connaught Arthur was greatly shocked and asked incredulously.
Connaught Arthur's father, Arthur William Patrick Albert, was one of the greatest monarchs in the history of the British Empire, the third son of Queen Victoria, and the esteemed Duke of Connaught and Strathern and Earl of Sussex.
Connaught Arthur could hardly believe that such a distinguished prince and duke would be assassinated in his own country's capital city.
"I'm not sure, everything was fine at first. Who could have imagined that assassins would suddenly come to kill the Duke? There's no time to think too much about it now, Your Highness. First, go to Her Majesty the Queen, where at least everything is absolutely safe for now." Hunter, the steward, spoke with sadness and concern.
Speaking of the background of the old Hunter Steward, although it was not spectacular, it was profound.
Ever since Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, had been granted his title in 1874, the Hunter Steward had been overseeing the entire duchy and the Duke Arthur, a role now spanning more than twenty years.
During these more than twenty years, not only had Duke Arthur been supervised step by step by Steward Hunter to become a competent Duke, but also Connaught Arthur himself had been raised under the steward's watchful eye.
That was why Hunter Steward was so grieved after hearing the news of the assassination of Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught.
"So what do we do now?" Connaught Arthur had been in this body for just a few months and still didn't know much about his current environment during this time.
In addition, his previous understanding of the British Empire had been only superficial, knowing only that Queen Victoria was one of the greatest monarchs in British history, and that she was known as the grandmother of the European royal family.
Under these circumstances, he didn't know what to do after learning that the father of his original body, Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, had been assassinated.
"First, go to Her Majesty the Queen. The most important thing now is to ensure your safety, Your Highness." Hunter Steward spoke decisively.
After losing Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught, who was like a son to him, Hunter Steward could not bear the thought of any harm befalling Connaught Arthur, whom he had also watched grow up.
"Alright, Hunter Steward." Connaught Arthur also understood the importance of the matter and nodded his head.
Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria's meeting room.
At this time, the meeting room was filled with high-ranking officials and royal family members from the United Kingdom, all of them at least at the ministerial level.
"Your Majesty, please accept our condolences. It is a great pity that the Duke of Connaught has passed away, but now the most important thing is to find out the cause of the assassination and identify the real culprit behind it," said Robert Selby, the current British Prime Minister, with a look of sorrow on his face.
Regardless, the assassination of a Prince and an esteemed Duke of the British Empire in the capital was a great humiliation for both the royal family and the government.
This not only challenged the dignity of royal family, but also the dignity of the British Empire.
It should be noted that the British Empire was now the undisputed world superpower, with its navy far surpassing that of the second and third strongest countries.
Under these circumstances, anyone daring to plot the assassination of a British Empire duke and prince in the capital of London, London, was openly slapping the British Empire and the British Royal Family in the face.
"The Prime Minister is right. Start the investigation immediately! Within three days, I want all the information about the culprit and whether there is anyone behind him. Arrest all those involved in the assassination and only release them after confirming they have no suspicion. I will make sure that those who dare to harm Arthur understand that the dignity of the royal family is not easily provoked," said the eighty-year-old Queen Victoria, her face marked with sorrow and anger from the head of the table.
Arthur William Patrick Albert, Prince of Wales, had been Queen Victoria's favorite son since his birth. Although his younger sister, Princess Beatrice, shared some of his mother's affection, he remained Queen Victoria's favorite son.
Especially after her second son, Prince Alfred, went to Germany to inherit his title and her fourth son, Prince Leopold, died of hemophilia in 1884, Prince Arthur received even more attention from Queen Victoria.
In addition, her eldest son, Prince Edward, had never been loved by Queen Victoria, and after numerous scandals about his private life, she was even less concerned about him.
That's also why there were rumors circulating in the British political and public circles that Queen Victoria wanted to appoint Prince Arthur as Crown Prince.
Although Queen Victoria did not take any action to depose Crown Prince Edward, it was not known whether she had privately considered such a move.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
There was suddenly a knock on the door, interrupting Queen Victoria's angry outburst.
Everyone turned their attention to the door, trying to figure out who dared to interrupt Queen Victoria's anger at such a time.
"Grandmother." Arthur walked slowly in, his eyes red, and called out.
With that one word, "Grandmother," Queen Victoria's anger was instantly quelled. Looking at the face so similar to her favorite son, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she choked out her words.
"Good child, come to your grandmother. Don't worry, with your grandmother here, no one can hurt you." Queen Victoria stepped forward, took Arthur's hand, and led him to the head of the table.
"Your Highness, Arthur." Government officials bowed to Arthur one after another.
"Send the order. All of Arthur's titles shall be inherited by little Arthur, including all castles and property. Arthur shall be buried with the treatment of a prince, and the nation shall fly the flag at half-mast for three days." With tears in her eyes and sorrow in her voice, Queen Victoria lovingly caressed Arthur's face.