Chapter 22: Return to the Country
In the ship's cabin, Arthur sat quietly, holding the small, lightweight suitcase in his hands, lost in thought.
To be honest, he had a good idea of what Queen Victoria had placed inside the suitcase she'd given him.
For it to be delivered personally by Princess Beatrice, along with strict instructions not to open it for five years, it had to be something extremely important—both to Arthur and to Queen Victoria herself.
Combined with the conversation they'd had earlier that day, the contents of the suitcase were almost self-evident.
Sigh
Arthur exhaled softly, his heart filled with gratitude toward Queen Victoria.
The fact that she entrusted something so critical to Arthur clearly meant that between her son and grandson, she had chosen the latter—even if his future actions might shake the very foundations of the British Empire she had built with her own hands.
It had taken two days to sail from Australia to New Zealand. But on the return trip, it took Arthur four full days.
Not because he took a longer route, but because he had rushed to New Zealand—yet now he was in no particular hurry to return.
Unlike Australia, which could be described as a nation riding on a minecart of resources, New Zealand was a kingdom of livestock—a land of sheep.
Its unique geographical location also made it a natural eastern shield for Australia.
Whoever controlled both Australia and New Zealand essentially controlled all of Oceania.
The only other major territory in the region was New Guinea, which had been divided between Britain and Germany.
The British portion would officially be handed over to Australian administration in 1906. From Arthur's perspective, that timeline could now be moved up.
As for the German side, if Germany entered World War I, Australia could seize the opportunity to occupy it.
In other words, New Guinea was a prize almost guaranteed to fall into Australia's lap. It would serve as a northern shield and a strategic springboard.
Controlling both New Zealand and New Guinea would instantly establish Australia as the undisputed hegemon of Oceania.
Arthur had deliberately slowed down his return to study the distance and geography between New Zealand and Australia.
Unlike British New Guinea, New Zealand had remained under the tight grip of the British Empire. Even when it became a dominion in 1907, its politics, economy, and foreign affairs stayed under British control.
It wasn't until 1947 that New Zealand gained full independence—at the cost of joining the Commonwealth and still recognizing the British monarch as head of state.
All of this stemmed from Britain's long-standing continental balance strategy: to ensure at least two evenly matched powers existed on any continent.
But now that Arthur had been given Queen Victoria's "ace card," perhaps he could take New Zealand out from under Edward's control—unless Edward was willing to risk losing the throne.
The four-day voyage passed quickly. By the time Arthur finished his assessment, the warship was already entering Sydney Harbor.
To keep things low-key, only a few people were waiting for him.
Butler Hunter and Governor Evan stood at the port, braving the sea breeze.
"Your Grace!"
As soon as they saw Arthur disembark under the guard of his escort, both men stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Butler Hunter, how are my mother and Patricia?" Arthur asked with a smile.
Hunter had been looking after Arthur's family since the days of Duke Arthur and was a trusted aide.
"They're very well, Your Grace. The young ladies have been wanting to explore Sydney, but per your earlier order, they've only been allowed to move around near the administrative building," Hunter replied with a warm smile at the mention of Patricia and Margaret.
"Let them go out and enjoy themselves, then. Australia is stable now—but they should still have guards with them.
Give them each a monthly allowance of £1,000. Let them have a proper tour of their new home," Arthur said with a smile.
Previously, due to the instability and unfamiliarity of the situation, Arthur had restricted his sisters' movements for safety.
But now that Australia was stabilizing and its economy was flourishing, it was time to lift those restrictions.
"Yes, Your Grace," Hunter nodded.
"Governor Evan, how is the Lower House vote going?" Arthur turned to Evan, who had been quietly waiting for his turn to speak.
Before Arthur's departure, he had tasked the Lower House with selecting the first cabinet members.
To ensure fairness and legitimacy, the process had been divided into two rounds: the first to choose three candidates for each post, and the second to determine the final appointments.
"Everything is going smoothly, Your Grace. Two days ago, we finalized the list of final candidates.
All that's left is for you to oversee the final vote and confirm the new cabinet," Evan replied with a smile.
Forming a cabinet was a major step in the nation's development. Even though Arthur had ordered the process to move quickly, the Lower House had delayed final decisions out of respect—they dared not proceed without him.
"Good. The process must move faster. Notify all members: the final vote will be held in three days.
We must determine the cabinet immediately so that national development can begin," Arthur instructed with a nod.
Australia was entering its golden period of growth.
But without a functioning cabinet, nothing could move forward.
The cabinet needed to be finalized as soon as possible so the government could begin executing plans.
Ultimately, Arthur was the one making all strategic decisions.
The cabinet's main role was to execute his orders.
Therefore, for Arthur, loyalty mattered more than competence when selecting officials.
"Yes, Your Grace," Evan quickly responded.
For Evan, this was his best shot at entering the cabinet.
As both governor and acting prime minister, his political reputation was among the highest.
And with Australia's capital located in New South Wales, Evan had been in close contact with Arthur all along.
If he could earn Arthur's trust and favor, his chances of becoming an official cabinet member would greatly improve.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997