The cruise ship slowly sailed out from the mouth of the Thames River, accompanied by the low rumble of the ship’s whistle, the prow plowing through the water to create milky ripples.

This is a mail ship that can accommodate three hundred people. Although not exclusively for the Royal Family, the ticket price is beyond what the working class can afford.

According to Conroy’s travel plan, this summer cruise from Kensington Palace maintained a moderately approachable stance on the surface, with royal attendants and some public mingling, but inside the ship, several zones were demarcated solely for Kensington Palace staff.

The rear cabin is equipped with a partition curtain reserved for Kensington Palace, while the front cabin and open deck are shared by ordinary passengers.

Arthur sat in a semi-enclosed observation cabin.

In front of him was an open porthole, through which he could hear the screams of children, the exclamations of the middle-class ladies at the scenery, and a few young men with thick accents secretly discussing who among the Kensington Palace crew was actually Princess Victoria.

Unfortunately, no matter how they guessed, they were wrong, because Victoria had not once left her cabin since boarding today.

Currently, Victoria no longer had the radiance she possessed six months ago; her complexion was pale, her lips were dry, and her once shiny chestnut long hair had lost its luster. As Flora had said, she had been seriously ill over the past six months. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She had spent a significant amount of time in Kensington Palace without speaking to anyone other than Leisen, but this was not because others did not talk to her; rather, Victoria actively refused all greetings, including those from her mother, the Duchess of Kent.

The last time she spoke was yesterday, at Uncle William IV’s birthday banquet at Windsor Castle.

She still remembered when a hundred royal guests sat in a row before the table, ready to enjoy the birthday feast, shadows flickering in the candlelight.

Her mother sat to Uncle William’s right, while Aunt Princess Sophia sat to his left.

Uncle William emptied his glass of wine, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his large stomach tightly constrained by a corset.

Then, in front of everyone, he stood up to speak: "I wish God would allow me to live another 12 months. When the time comes, should I pass away, there will be no Regent King. I will be satisfied to transfer the royal authority to the young lady who is the heir to the throne personally, rather than to the person beside me. She is surrounded by advisers with ulterior motives, and she herself is incapable of fulfilling the Regent King’s demands. I can say without hesitation that I have suffered immense and sustained humiliation from this person, but I have determined not to endure such disrespect any longer. Among the numerous actions that dissatisfy me, I am particularly discontent with the fact that the young lady, my niece, my dear Delina, has been forced to keep her distance from my court. She has repeatedly been forbidden from entering my drawing-room, where she rightfully belongs... I am the King, and I am determined to have my authority respected. In the future, I will insist upon and command that Princess Victoria appears in my royal palace on all occasions, as it is both her duty and her right."

As soon as King William IV finished speaking, Victoria couldn’t help but burst into tears. She admitted she used to be somewhat afraid of this seemingly rude royal uncle, but she also had to acknowledge that Uncle William’s heart was always warm.

During her most difficult times, it was Uncle William who stepped forward to make decisions for her.

And King William IV’s explosive speech naturally attracted the attention of the guests, all of whom were sneaking glances at the flushed Duchess of Kent, who was apparently pondering her rebuttal but could not find the words to express it.

Not long after, the Kensington Palace entourage swiftly left the table under the direction of the Duchess of Kent, leaving the strawberry jelly, sponge cake, and alcohol-soaked fruit pudding untouched.

Then, early this morning, they boarded the summer cruise ship with Victoria.

Arthur, of course, also heard from Miss Flora Hastings about the events at Windsor Castle last night.

To be honest, he didn’t expect King William IV to publicly humiliate the Duchess of Kent in such a manner.

But in other words, King William IV might have truly realized that his days were numbered, so he didn’t plan to leave even the last bit of restraint and royal dignity to Kensington Palace.

And from how the Duchess of Kent hurriedly called Flora to his house early this morning, it was evident that the Duchess was genuinely perturbed because, apart from their own family at Kensington Palace, she suddenly realized that no one seemed to be on her side.

Over the past six months, she had tried numerous times to ease relations with her daughter, even going so far as to call her son, Victoria’s half-brother, Prince Karl Leiningen, from Germany to London to help mediate.

However, the 32-year-old Prince Karl Leiningen was deeply shocked upon learning of his sister’s experiences, and he was equally stunned by Conroy’s vehement hatred and rough treatment of Leisen. Yet, since his mother, the Duchess of Kent, repeatedly praised Conroy, Prince Leiningen also tried to mediate between Conroy and Leisen and did his utmost to comfort his sister Victoria.