"Y-Your Highness! This is not what we discussed beforehand—!"
Several startled members of Parliament sprang to their feet and raised their voices, but the moment I turned around and looked at them, they quickly shut their mouths and sat back down.
Different from what we discussed beforehand?
As far as I remembered, I had simply told them to trust me and watch as I handled things.
If they just kept their mouths shut, I'd spoon-feed them the outcome anyway.
So they could sit there quietly and swallow whatever I served.
If they didn't like it, they were free to come up here and give the speech themselves.
"Our honorable members of Parliament seem rather startled as well. But this is the tide of the times. Didn't the previous electoral reform increase the number of voters nearly tenfold? Everyone here would likely agree that suffrage will inevitably expand. The real issue is the speed."
This was the critical moment.
One wrong step and I might be dismissed as a smooth-talking opportunist who said much but meant nothing.
But thanks to the reputation I had already built, people wouldn't immediately view me with suspicion.
Facing the hopeful gaze of the Chartists, I continued slowly.
"Before sharing my opinion, I must clarify one thing. I did not come here to make empty promises, nor to incite you for the sake of some political goal. I will make no promise that cannot be kept. That means every word I speak here is something I am prepared to take responsibility for. I ask you to keep that in mind as you listen. And since this gathering is meant for communication, I will occasionally allow questions from the audience."
"Now then, I will begin with the conclusion."
"I am sorry to say that implementing full universal suffrage immediately is not realistically possible."
From the MPs behind me came audible sighs of relief.
From the intellectuals sitting in front came unmistakable disappointment.
Many of them looked as though they wanted to boo if they dared.
"Everyone seems to have something to say, so let us pause here. Is there anyone who wishes to ask a question?"
Several people leapt to their feet immediately.
But when someone stood up near the front, the other young men quietly lowered their hands.
Apparently that man held some authority among them.
I pointed to him.
He bowed politely before speaking in a firm voice.
"Your Highness, my name is George Julian Harney, merely an insignificant young man of this country. But what you just said—that it is unrealistic—is something Parliament has repeated countless times. Forgive my bluntness, but to my ears it sounds as though Your Highness is saying exactly the same thing."
"I see. Then allow me to ask you a question in return. What do you consider the scope of universal suffrage?"
"All adult men, of course."
"And why is that universal suffrage?"
"…Pardon?"
Harney blinked in confusion.
The young men beside him looked equally puzzled.
In this era, even demanding universal male suffrage was already considered radical.
But precisely for that reason, they had overlooked something.
Something that was obvious to someone raised in the twenty-first century.
"Universal suffrage means guaranteeing the right to vote to all citizens above a certain age without discrimination. There is no country on earth that currently practices such a system. Yet you believe the British Empire should adopt it immediately."
"That is correct."
"But then your proposal is only half of universal suffrage."
"Literally half."
"Because half of humanity is female."
"If it is truly universal suffrage, then gender distinctions should not exist. Why do you not demand women's suffrage as well?"
Research had shown that a few Chartists did support women's suffrage.
But they were a minority.
Even universal male suffrage was considered absurdly radical.
Demanding the vote for women as well would be completely unacceptable to society.
"W-Well…"
"You argue that promises of gradual expansion are merely excuses. That we should leap from zero to one hundred immediately. But if that is your standard, then universal suffrage must include women. What do you say?"
"It might be possible someday, but that—ah!"
Harney stopped mid-sentence as he realized the contradiction.
If gradual expansion was unacceptable, then excluding women from suffrage was itself contradictory.
Male suffrage alone was not truly universal.
It was merely another intermediate stage.
"Policy decisions must consider reality and circumstances. Expanding suffrage is inevitable. One day, as you wish, every adult will vote and choose their representatives."
"That day will come."
"Today, science and technology are advancing rapidly. Machines already allow women to work in factories. If this trend continues, women may someday work in military industries. And eventually they too may obtain suffrage. When that day arrives, true universal suffrage will exist."
"…."
"That day will come. Earlier I promised that I would not speak irresponsibly. Let me repeat it clearly."
"Suffrage will expand."
"But not tomorrow."
"Not the day after tomorrow."
"And most likely not next year either."
"However, I am not telling you to remain silent and wait."
The intellectuals' expressions softened somewhat.
Harney sat down awkwardly after losing the exchange.
I continued calmly.
"The desire to secure one's rights is a natural instinct for every human being. And bold claims are often necessary to make those rights heard. In that sense, I do not view your movement negatively. Voices like yours remind Parliament of what citizens truly think."
"But when demands and actions cross a certain line and become extreme, the result is rarely good."
"The most famous example is Napoleon Bonaparte."
In Britain, attacking France was the ultimate rhetorical shield.
Insult France, insult Napoleon, and people would instinctively sympathize.
Even the young intellectuals here were no different.
"Although I myself am royalty, I deeply respect the noble ideals of the French Revolution. Yet extremist forces distorted those ideals. Under the pretext of protecting the revolution, Maximilien Robespierre sent countless people to the guillotine."
"The atmosphere of terror that followed eventually produced Napoleon."
"And the result was war across all Europe—and ruin."
"Radical demands may seem exhilarating at the time, but they inevitably provoke a powerful backlash."
No one present was foolish enough to miss the implication.
The reaction in the room confirmed that.
"Some of you may now ask why I came here at all."
"I came to communicate."
"To hear your voices."
"To incorporate what can be incorporated."
"To explain what cannot."
"And to share what I personally believe is the right direction."
"Everything in this world has its season. When you plant a tree, you must wait for it to bear fruit. If anyone here knows a method to harvest fruit immediately after planting, please tell me. I will gladly pay a fortune to learn it."
Silence filled the hall.
"Running a country is no different. Sudden revolution may seem refreshing, but it always produces side effects. Let me give a real example."
"Does anyone here know what is happening in Ireland this year?"
"The potato harvest has failed."
"Despite precautions, potato blight has reached Ireland. This year's harvest is practically ruined."
Thanks to earlier warnings about potato blight and preparations for alternative crops, the crisis had not become catastrophic.
Over a million people had emigrated to Canada, and grain imports stabilized prices after the repeal of the Corn Laws.
"Yet the damage is smaller than expected. Alternative crops were planted years in advance. Over a million people crossed the Atlantic to Canada. Grain prices remain stable thanks to earlier reforms."
"Even preparing for a potential famine required years of planning."
"Slowly, but surely."
"That is the promise I can make."
"This year, Victoria Hospital, named after Her Majesty, will open. My own institutions—the Killian Medical College and Killian Nursing College—will begin training doctors and nurses."
"We will improve labor laws."
"We will ensure legal working hours are enforced."
As my speech continued, the hall grew completely silent.
I had promised not to make empty pledges.
That meant every word was effectively a declaration.
Technically this could be called political interference.
But Parliament had already granted permission.
"Before I stood here today, the Prime Minister promised that Parliament would consider these matters positively. So you need not worry."
"But none of these things can be done overnight."
"One thing, however, is certain."
"During the time you continue your struggle—and during the time I remain Prince Consort of this nation—the future you seek will arrive."
"Suffrage alone will not truly secure your rights."
"As Prince Consort of the British Empire, and Duke of Dublin, Kent, and Canada, Killian Gore makes this promise."
"The society you desire—and more—will one day exist."
"Trust me, and walk toward the future together with me!"
The moment the speech ended, thunderous applause erupted.
Even the MPs behind me were calm.
Technically I had promised nothing with a deadline.
To them, it sounded like empty political rhetoric.
The intellectuals would realize the same soon enough.
After a few more exchanges of debate, they would probably accept it.
For now, the immediate crisis was over.
I took a drink of water and prepared for the upcoming discussion with the young intellectuals.
Among the audience, Karl Marx felt something close to shock.
Not merely because the speech was persuasive.
But because he sensed genuine sincerity within it.
In truth, Marx himself agreed with part of the Prince Consort's argument.
The Chartists believed that securing voting rights alone would guarantee workers' rights.
That was a serious misconception.
The Chartist movement focused on political reform rather than economic reform.
Killian had clearly recognized that limitation.
That was why he had subtly introduced the subject of labor rights.
In other words, he too understood that capitalism contained deep contradictions.
He was fundamentally different from economists and politicians who blindly praised the market.
Yet if someone with that intelligence chose to use it to strengthen exploitation, he could become the most dangerous figure imaginable.
Perhaps it was still too early to judge.
"Friedrich, what did you think of that speech—"
Marx turned toward his friend Friedrich Engels.
And froze.
Engels' eyes were blazing.
"Karl! You heard that speech, didn't you?"
"That's why I'm asking your opinion."
"It's him. It must be him."
"…What do you mean?"
"The key figure who will bring about true socialism—true communism!"
"Killian Gore is the man destined to lead the communist revolution!"
Marx stared at him.
What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
"A prince of the British Empire leading a communist revolution?"
Marx shook his head slowly.
His friend had clearly eaten something strange.