Even if the British royal family did not wield overwhelming practical power, the British Empire of the 19th century was still unmistakably a monarchy.
For a member of the royal family to personally invite a particular household to the palace was considered an extraordinary honor. The invitation itself was often treated as a privilege.
Those who enjoyed such honors were usually prominent nobles, senior military officers, or influential politicians.
Occasionally, though rarely, the invitation might extend to a famous individual who had made a notable impact on society.
Especially now, when the popularity and influence of the royal family were higher than ever, many people regarded Buckingham Palace with admiration.
So when an entire family was invited to the palace, there was no way the news would fail to reach Victoria's ears.
"I hear you've invited some guests?"
"I was just about to tell you. Seems the news reached you first."
"It's not a family name I recognize. Are they acquaintances of yours?"
"Well… I did speak with them recently, so I suppose you could say that."
Even by my standards, this invitation was rather unconventional.
Victoria's curiosity was entirely understandable.
I had invited individuals to the palace before, but rarely an entire family.
"Knowing you, there must be some reason behind it. That… Nightingale, was it? Do you think he has a promising future? Someone worth investing in early?"
"I invited them because I wanted to see if that's really the case."
"Now I'm curious. You must have seen remarkable potential if you're willing to invite even his daughters and treat them so generously."
Hmm?
There seemed to be a misunderstanding.
Come to think of it, she had no way of knowing that the person I actually wanted to meet was the daughter, and the father was merely incidental.
Anyone reporting this to her would naturally assume I had invited William Nightingale, not Florence Nightingale.
But now that I tried to explain it, the words were oddly difficult to arrange.
I hadn't even met her yet, so Victoria had no reason to misunderstand—but that made explaining it even harder.
"Uh… Victoria? The person I actually wanted to meet this time isn't the father. It's the daughter."
"…The daughter? You said two daughters would be coming. Which one?"
"The younger, apparently. I thought she might be useful for something I'm planning… well, 'useful' sounds a bit harsh, but she might become a very valuable figure."
"You mean she could help improve the medical conditions within the army? How?"
Fortunately, that was the part that caught her attention.
Considering the level of trust Victoria placed in me, she likely didn't even consider any other possibility.
"Originally I just intended to greet the sponsors briefly, but William Nightingale had an unusually interesting background, so we spoke for a while."
"He's a member of the gentry, right? It is unusual for someone with no current ties to politics or the military to sponsor something like that, even if he once ran in a gubernatorial election. And if his goal wasn't political, then he certainly wasn't donating simply to curry favor with you. The amount wasn't large enough to attract your attention either."
She was correct.
Most of the sponsors had clear motives.
A few genuinely wanted to support the soldiers, but most approached simply because I was the one organizing the effort.
The royal family's prestige was rising endlessly, and they hoped to establish some sort of connection.
Unfortunately for them, that level of money wasn't enough to attract my attention.
William Nightingale's donation, by itself, wasn't remarkable either.
Even if he was a wealthy gentleman, I personally had far more wealth than all the sponsors combined.
If someone wanted to attract my attention with money, they needed to be on the level of the Rothschilds or Baring Bank.
Victoria felt the same way.
What interested her was the simple fact that a wealthy member of the gentry had chosen to support something like this.
"As you said, I spoke with him about it. Apparently his daughter has turned the household upside down by insisting she wants to become a nurse. That caught my attention. At first I thought it might be childish naïveté, but that wasn't the case."
"Really? That is unusual. A young lady from a wealthy family becoming a nurse… it's such a harsh profession she'd never last long."
"She's been rejecting the advances of a noble-born poet for years because she's determined to become a nurse. She's studying while trying to persuade her family."
"That's admirable. So you invited her to encourage her to keep pursuing it?"
"Since nursing is such a difficult profession, the father hopes his daughter will choose a more comfortable life. Which is understandable from a father's perspective. So I told him we should talk first. If Miss Florence truly lacks the aptitude to become a nurse, I'll persuade her to give up. But if the opposite proves true, then we should make use of her talents."
What interested me about Florence Nightingale in the original history was not merely her devotion as a nurse.
Of course she had been an extraordinary nurse, deserving of all the respect and admiration she received.
But her true contribution to society lay in how she used statistical analysis to dramatically improve the entire medical environment.
People capable of working effectively on both the micro and macro levels were exceedingly rare.
If she received the proper education from now on and her abilities were fully developed, perhaps she could become an even greater figure than she had been in the original history.
"More importantly, it would also be excellent for our public image. Right now nurses are seen as little more than servants, so no properly educated woman wishes to pursue the profession. Unless that perception changes, improving the system and establishing training institutions won't attract anyone."
"Ah, I see. So you intend to make use of the Nightingale family's status. That's a good idea."
Yes—exactly.
Victoria always understood quickly.
"But status alone won't create much impact. If she's going to become the face of this policy, she must have the ability to back it up. Only then can she succeed continuously and change society's perception."
"Florence Nightingale…"
Victoria, who had been sipping her milk tea, suddenly set her cup down with a cheerful smile.
"I'm interested now. I'd like to meet her as well."
"…Hmm?"
Wait, how did the conversation end up there?
Then again, perhaps it was natural.
A young woman from high society dedicating herself to helping the poor would naturally attract a queen's attention.
And if we were going to support her properly, Victoria's involvement would be far more effective than mine alone.
They were close in age, and both had forward-looking personalities.
Perhaps they would get along.
So far, everything felt promising.
* * *
"William Edward Nightingale, Parthenope Nightingale, Florence Nightingale. Is that correct?"
"Yes, yes. I am William, and these are my daughters, Parthenope and Florence."
"Very well. Please come in. His Highness and Her Majesty are waiting."
"…Her Majesty?"
They had been told they would simply have tea with the Prince Consort.
Why was the Queen suddenly involved?
The Nightingale family had hoped they might glimpse the Queen, but they had considered it little more than wishful thinking.
Now their expressions were filled with shared bewilderment.
"Ah, originally His Highness arranged the meeting, but after hearing about it, Her Majesty became curious and said she would like to meet you as well. Would that be too burdensome?"
"N-not at all! Burdensome? It's an honor—an honor indeed! Ha ha!"
William had once run in a gubernatorial election and was a respected figure in his region.
But compared with the Queen of the Empire, he was no more than a candle before the sun.
Florence Nightingale had never seen her father so flustered.
For a moment, she wondered if this might be an opportunity that would never come again.
No matter how she thought about it, the Prince Consort had not invited their family simply because of her father.
Even now, her father was visibly shaken merely by the prospect of meeting the Queen.
Florence loved and respected her father more than anyone, but she was also objective.
Her father was not someone the Prince Consort of the Empire would personally invite to the palace.
So what was the real reason?
She didn't have a clear answer yet, but it seemed certain that it was connected to the charity event her father had attended.
If she could somehow catch the attention of the King Consort or the Queen today, it might greatly help her pursue a career in medicine.
Of course, saying such things in front of the Queen herself would not be easy.
Social hierarchy might not be as rigid as it once had been—but that applied only to the usual interactions between nobles, gentry, and wealthy capitalists.
If the other party was the monarch and the monarch's spouse, it was an entirely different matter.
Still…
If she hesitated now, she might never have another chance.
If she kept persuading her father, perhaps he would eventually relent after five more years.
But wasting five years on persuasion alone would be far too costly.
Some might call her mad for thinking that way.
But she had always been like this.
Once she believed a path was right, she would not abandon it—no matter who stood in front of her.
Even if that person was the ruler of the Empire.
"We greet Your Majesty! It is already more honor than we deserve to set foot in Buckingham Palace, yet you have granted us the privilege of meeting you in person. We hardly know how to express our gratitude."
"This isn't an official audience, so there's no need to feel so pressured. Was the journey to London comfortable?"
"The excitement of being invited to Buckingham was so great that we hardly noticed the fatigue of travel. I believe my daughters feel the same."
"Is that so? Both your daughters are quite lovely and seem very bright. It is a pleasure to see."
Being personally praised by the Queen left both the father and the elder sister bowing deeply, utterly overwhelmed.
Florence herself felt slightly dazed.
To think she was standing in Buckingham Palace, meeting the Queen of the Empire in person.
Despite living on the finest cuisine prepared by the Empire's greatest chefs, the Queen appeared surprisingly slender—and beautiful.
And the man sitting beside her required no further comment.
Her sister, pretending not to stare, kept stealing glances at the Prince Consort's face.
Objectively speaking, he was indeed very handsome.
But that wasn't what caught Florence's attention.
Unlike most royalty, both the Queen and the Prince Consort seemed genuinely concerned about the medical conditions faced by soldiers and ordinary people.
Perhaps she was mistaken—but she sensed unmistakable curiosity in the Queen's gaze as well.
If that was the case…
Perhaps this was the moment to take a gamble.
She needed to attract their attention.
It might appear somewhat improper, but she cast aside all signs of timid gratitude and met the Queen and the Prince Consort's gaze directly.
The Queen seemed intrigued by her expression and soon addressed her.
"You are Florence Nightingale, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am honored that you remember my name."
"Is this your first visit to London? If you don't mind, I would like to hear your impressions of Buckingham."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Well…"
Had an opportunity really appeared so soon?
Most people would hesitate.
But if she were the sort of person who hesitated, she would never have insisted since childhood that she would become a nurse.
"I was surprised to see so many sick people."
"…?"
"..."
"I thought it might be dangerous if they cannot receive treatment in proper conditions."
Her father's mouth fell open in shock.
Her sister's eyes trembled violently.
Ah.
She had really said it.
But what could she do?
If one wished to achieve something, a certain amount of boldness was necessary.