Chapter 2394 - 314: The Most Gentlemanly Knight (Part 3)

"Sir Arthur." His voice regained its calm, even tinged with a hint of compassion, "Do you regret it?"

Arthur remained silent for a long time.

So long that Conroy thought he would not answer.

So long that the Duchess couldn’t help but lift her head to see his expression.

"Sir John." Arthur’s voice was flat, yet full of weight: "I believe you misunderstand."

Conroy’s smile stiffened slightly: "Misunderstand?"

"Because I have never regretted."

This sentence was like a nail, driven into Conroy’s chest.

"What did you say?" His voice suddenly rose: "You damned fool, you ruined the chance to protect Flora with your own hands! How dare you say you don’t regret it?"

Arthur’s gaze passed over Conroy, landing on the woman behind him with reddened eyes: "Your Highness, back then, the reason I forced my way into Albion Villa at Ramsgate was not because I opposed the Regency Agreement, nor was it because of any personal grudge against you, or my disdain for Sir John Conroy. It was not even because I had any special favor for Her Majesty the Queen. It was because I was fulfilling my duty, living up to the expectations this country had placed upon me."

The Duchess’s lips moved slightly.

"I know." Arthur began: "You love Her Majesty the Queen, just as every mother loves her daughter. You want to protect her, you believe yourself more suited than anyone to wield power before she matures. Perhaps you are right, perhaps with you as regent, the country would be more stable than it is now. However, Your Highness..."

He paused: "Because that is not the law, and even more so, it is not the rule. Her Majesty the Queen is the heir to the throne, and if she is not competent in this position, the matter of who should be regent should be decided by Parliament, by law, by the system of this country, and not by a Regency Agreement. Two years ago, I believed the Regency Agreement did not comply with the rules. Today, I still believe so. If time could be turned back, bringing me to that night in Ramsgate, standing in front of Albion Villa, I would still do the same thing. Because that is the right thing to do. Just as I believe Her Majesty the Queen, upon ascending the throne, should not subject her mother to such cold reception."

Conroy’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.

He wanted to refute, to say he was hypocritical, to say he was merely making excuses.

But before he could speak, he saw the Duchess of Kent raise her hand.

"Enough, John, say no more."

"Your Highness!"

"I said enough, John! You have let hatred cloud your judgment!"

Conroy’s Adam’s apple rolled intensely several times.

"Your Highness." Conroy’s voice was very low, so low that only the two of them could hear: "Do you know what you are doing? You are..."

"I know." She looked at Conroy, at the face she had seen for more than twenty years: "John, all these years, I have listened to you so much I can’t even count myself. But on this matter, do not persuade me anymore."

She turned around, came before Arthur, bent down, and attempted to help him up: "Arthur, rise, you have knelt long enough."

Arthur was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.

The Duchess looked at him, at this young man a head taller than her, at this White Hall official who commanded the Home Office.

She took a brooch from her chest, held it in her palm, and handed it to Arthur.

The silver-framed brooch gleamed softly, the engraved F.H. on the back worn and blurred by time, but still distinguishable.

"This was given to me when she first came to Kensington Palace." The Duchess’s voice was gentle, as if recalling something from long ago: "She was only nineteen then, just arrived from Scotland, knowing nothing, standing before me at a loss. She clutched this little thing in her hand for a long time before daring to hand it over. She said, Your Highness, this is from my mother for you..."

At this, the eyes of the Duchess of Kent reddened again: "Actually... even if you hadn’t come to Kensington today, I still planned to wear this brooch to Buckingham Palace as usual. Although this might not help her in any way, at least it can show those who slander Flora that I do not intend to abandon her."

The Duchess sighed lightly, her eyes filled with tears, looking at Arthur with some confusion.

Her fingers trembled slightly, the brooch glowed softly in her palm.

"Arthur, what should I do? She has been so wronged, I know you want to defend her, and so do I. But what else can I do for her?"