How beautiful is the figure of someone who knows when it is time to step down.
Across all ages and cultures, such people are praised by generations that come after them.
Which, in other words, probably means that most people in this world are incapable of doing it.
Knowing when to admit defeat and withdraw sounds simple enough, but in practice it rarely is.
Most people fail to leave while the applause still echoes. Instead they remain until the curtain has long fallen, dragging things out again and again until they are finally forced off the stage.
The atmosphere at Kensington Palace was no different.
Yesterday's birthday celebration for Victoria had effectively served as the closing ceremony for the Duchess of Kent and Conroy's show.
Yet, as Conroy himself had made clear yesterday, he was not a man with the grace to accept that his role had come to an end.
"Princess Victoria, I'll step inside."
It was a quiet noon. Victoria and I were leisurely discussing the events of the previous night's party when the door burst open without permission.
John Conroy and the Duchess of Kent stepped in.
Victoria frowned openly.
"When did I give permission for you to enter?"
"The Duchess wished to speak with you. Surely a mother does not require permission to see her own daughter."
"How surprising. All this time I thought Sir Conroy was a man. Yet it seems he is my mother instead. Though I must say, I don't recall ever having two mothers."
Victoria's sudden sharpness stunned both Conroy and the Duchess of Kent into silence.
Conroy recovered first, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"H–haha. Now that you've come of age, Princess, your sense of humor has certainly become sharper."
"Were we ever close enough to exchange jokes, Sir Conroy?"
"…."
Cold.
The warm atmosphere in the room froze over in an instant.
The Duchess finally snapped out of her shock and raised her voice.
"Victoria! What kind of tone is that?"
"Mother, must I really remind you who here is failing to show proper manners?"
Entering a royal private chamber without permission was an extreme breach of etiquette.
And if the occupant happened to be a young woman while the intruder was a man, it would be scandalous at best.
The Duchess seemed taken aback by Victoria's sudden firmness, but she pushed back anyway.
"We've done this for years. Why are you suddenly making an issue of it now?"
"Mother, I am an adult now. Do you really believe it is acceptable for a man to walk into the room of a grown woman without permission?"
"Well… John is practically family."
"I believe even family should observe basic courtesy."
"What has gotten into you today? It's not the middle of the night—it's broad daylight. And we knew perfectly well you were inside talking with Killian."
Their voices rose higher and higher until even the attendants outside hurried in, startled by the commotion.
Normally Conroy would have let the Duchess handle matters, but yesterday's humiliation had clearly soured his mood. He added sharply,
"It seems the princess wishes to be treated as an adult now that she has come of age. But Princess, you shouldn't place too much importance on that. It's merely a legal phrase."
"That's an interesting claim. I didn't realize you were so well-versed in the law."
"Do you truly believe you are any different today than you were the day before yesterday? Do not be mistaken. You are still young—and utterly unprepared to carry such an immense burden!"
Hearing that from the very man who had spent years deliberately preventing Victoria from becoming independent was frankly nauseating.
If I felt that way as an outsider, I could only imagine how Victoria felt.
Fortunately, I had already told her she didn't need to hold back today.
She let out a faint laugh and tilted her head.
"I know I'm lacking. Of course I'll need capable advisers. But what exactly does my lack of experience have to do with you?"
"…What?"
"I admit I have much to learn. But if I acknowledge that, what changes?"
"It changes everything! If you admit you're unprepared, then you must keep people beside you who can compensate for that!"
He slammed his fist against the desk.
The Duchess flinched at the sudden violence, but Victoria didn't even blink.
If anything, Conroy's anger only made her fiercer.
"Compensate? Who exactly?"
"Your mother, of course! Who could be more trustworthy than family? Declare the Duchess of Kent your regent—and appoint me as your personal secretary!"
"And why should I do that?"
"You just admitted you're unprepared!"
"That has nothing to do with appointing a regent or a secretary. Let me make this perfectly clear. I will not entrust anything to you."
Watching from the side, I felt an almost refreshing sense of relief.
Conroy, on the other hand, looked as though his face had been twisted beyond recognition.
His hands trembled violently.
He threw the document he had brought onto the desk in front of Victoria and slammed his fist down again.
"I will not repeat myself. Sign this immediately. You are still young! Too weak to bear the crown of this nation!"
"Then I suppose I can prove my strength simply by refusing to sign."
"Stop playing word games! Duchess, are you simply going to watch your daughter behave like this? At this rate she'll go down in history as the most unprepared monarch this country has ever seen!"
"Y–yes, Victoria. You've always listened to your mother before. Why are you acting like this now? Even if you're technically an adult, you're still far too young to understand politics. Listen to your mother."
After yesterday's humiliation before Melbourne, I expected Conroy to have lost his mind completely by now.
But apparently a shred of restraint remained.
Which meant we needed to push a little harder.
I gave Victoria a subtle signal.
She sighed deliberately.
"Mother. My lack of knowledge is only relative. I'm not ignorant enough to entrust things to you or Sir Conroy."
"W–what?"
"Princess Victoria… are you feeling quite well?"
"Mother, do you know what the central issue in the recent economic debate over the Corn Laws was? Could you explain the theory of comparative advantage that critics of protectionism have been discussing?"
Of course she couldn't answer.
Leaving the Duchess staring blankly, Victoria turned to Conroy.
"The country is in the middle of an economic downturn. Can you explain why it happened? What monetary policy the Bank of England is using? And how it affects the economy?"
"…What are you—"
"You said I'm unprepared and need you as my secretary. But if you don't even know these things, why would I appoint you? Honestly, the confidence is impressive. Were you planning to become my secretary without understanding any of it?"
Conroy's eyes trembled.
He was furious at being mocked again—and clearly baffled at how Victoria could know such things.
"How… could you possibly know all that?"
He looked to the Duchess.
She had no idea either.
Both of them finally turned toward me.
But Victoria laughed before I could speak.
"How amusing. After seeing only what you wished to see and hearing only what you wished to hear, you're now searching for someone to blame. Perhaps you should start with self-reflection."
"Princess Victoria, perhaps you should mind your words."
"Did you ever mind yours when speaking to me? From now on, I'll simply return what I've received."
"…How can someone change so completely overnight…"
"Overnight? The fact that you think that proves you never knew anything about me. And you want to be my secretary? Please."
Conroy's fists clenched.
Then suddenly he turned toward me and shouted.
"For the princess to know such things, it couldn't have happened overnight! It was you! You betrayed me!"
"Me? And why would you think that?"
When I tilted my head innocently, his anger finally exploded.
"You're the only one who could have given her that knowledge! You filled her head with nonsense! You're trying to steal my plan—my position! After everything I did for you, you ungrateful bastard!"
"Your behavior grows uglier by the minute. Who exactly is stealing whose plans?"
Victoria laughed again.
Conroy froze.
"…What?"
"What would Killian possibly gain by copying your plan? That's pure delusion."
I could practically hear his mind shatter.
Even now he could still salvage some dignity by leaving.
But Conroy had never been capable of that.
"Princess Victoria! You've been deceived by this bastard! Do you know what he's been saying behind your back? He's been flattering us all this time—and now that he thinks your era is coming he's switched sides like a bat! Just yesterday he even said we should pressure you together while he was still present—"
"He said something similar to me," Victoria replied calmly.
"…What?"
"He suggested we watch your final desperate struggle from the best seats in the house."
"…What…"
"You're contradicting yourself now. Just a moment ago you claimed Killian taught me everything I know. If that were true, he could never have been on your side to begin with. After all, you said yourself this knowledge couldn't be learned in a day."
Even fools would understand the situation by now.
Conroy and the Duchess both stared at me in shock.
"Y–you… how dare you… I trusted you…"
"I'd rather not be labeled a traitor, so let me correct one thing. I was never on your side—not even for a second. So calling it betrayal is rather inaccurate."
"You bastard!"
"I will not allow violence in this room."
Conroy lunged toward me.
Victoria jumped up and stepped between us.
But the moment Conroy realized he had been manipulated for years, he completely lost control.
"Move aside! I'll smash that bastard's mouth right now—!"
He grabbed Victoria's arm to shove her away.
Then—
"John Conroy! Who do you think you're laying hands on?"
A thunderous voice roared from the doorway.
The final actor had arrived to bring the play to its end.
My uncle—and one of Kensington Palace's residents.
Prince Augustus Frederick, the Duke of Sussex, stood in the doorway glaring at Conroy.
"Have you lost your senses because the Duchess favors you? You dare raise your hand against a member of the royal family? Against the heir presumptive of this kingdom!"
"Y–Your Grace… how did you—"
"Now that the two of you can no longer block me from seeing my beloved niece, I came to pay her a visit. But what exactly am I witnessing here? To think such madness was happening inside Kensington Palace."
The scene he had entered was Conroy grabbing Victoria's arm.
Realizing this, Conroy paled.
"N–no, Your Grace! This is a misunderstanding! I wasn't trying to harm the princess—I was trying to—"
"'That one'? What insolence. Just because you're close to the Duchess you think you're a duke yourself? My nephew holds an earldom in Ireland. Who exactly do you think you are, calling him 'that one'?"
"Y–Your Grace, that's not what I meant! Killian deceived me! The Duchess can testify! He's a liar—I'm the victim!"
The Duke looked toward us.
Before the Duchess could speak, Victoria answered firmly.
"Uncle, Sir Conroy's claims are complete nonsense. Killian has always been my loyal friend and has never betrayed my trust."
"My niece has spoken."
"B–but the princess is simply protecting—"
"And unless my eyes deceive me, the person you were manhandling was Victoria—not Killian."
Conroy's face drained of color.
Why.
Why had the Duke of Sussex appeared at that exact moment?
"I swear I meant no harm! I was only trying to move her aside—"
"Conroy. Do you think I'm a senile old man? I'll report exactly what I saw here to Buckingham Palace."
That was enough.
Even in modern times, laying hands on royalty was a grave offense.
And the scene itself was far too convincing.
Anyone hearing the story would assume the obvious:
Conroy had attempted violence after Victoria refused to appoint him secretary.
If the king heard of this, Conroy's career—and reputation—would be finished.
"Your Grace! Please hear me out! This is truly a misunderstanding!"
"Then wait outside. I will hear everyone's account separately. Duchess, you as well."
"Your Grace, please—"
"I said wait outside."
Conroy continued begging and bowing repeatedly.
The Duchess watched him with a trembling gaze.
Perhaps she was finally beginning to doubt her judgment.
But it was far too late.
Soon the room was empty except for the three of us.
The Duke of Sussex walked over and sat down across from me.
"Ah… that was satisfying. I enjoyed that immensely."
"I must say, Your Grace. Your performance was remarkably convincing."
"Well, my dislike for that man was entirely genuine, so perhaps it wasn't acting after all."
He laughed heartily.
Victoria and I smiled as well.
There was no way his entrance had been coincidence.
He had clearly arrived earlier and waited for the perfect moment.
"So," the Duke said, "shall we report him properly? With our testimony—and the attendants as witnesses—we could bury Conroy completely."
"That would be excessive. Unless we also brought forward the accusations that he abused Victoria in her childhood. But that would inevitably involve the Duchess as well."
I glanced at Victoria.
She was staring toward the door with a complicated expression.
"…If my mother apologizes," she said quietly, "I would be willing to reconcile."
"The more she sees Conroy's disgrace, the more likely that becomes," I said.
"So let's do this instead. Tell Conroy that today's incident will be overlooked—on the condition that he never again spreads rumors about either of us."
Better to keep a leash around his neck.
The Duke nodded slowly.
"That might actually be the better punishment."
Victoria stood up eagerly.
"Then let's go. I can't wait to hear what kind of apology he comes up with."
She started toward the door with the Duke—
then paused and turned back toward me with a bright smile.
"Thank you. Of all the birthday gifts I've received, none has been as enjoyable as this."
"I'm glad you liked it."
People say revenge is hollow.
That it only breeds more resentment.
But those words are usually spoken by people who have never carried out revenge properly.
Few things in this world are as satisfying as revenge that is carefully planned and perfectly executed.
The lightness in Victoria's steps as she left the room proved that well enough.