Chapter 6

The first morning that the nursery opened at Kensington Palace was nothing short of chaos.

“Waaah! Mommy!”

“W-Waaah! Go away! That’s my rattle!”

“Waaah! Waaah!”

The east annex of the palace had become like a bustling marketplace, filled with the cries of children, shouts, and the voices of nannies and mothers desperately trying to calm them down.

Watching the scene unfold, Baroness Lehzen and Comptroller Lord Abernethy’s faces had gone completely pale. However, within only a few days, order began to return.

The children adapted to their new surroundings, and the nannies became more skilled at caring for them.

But the biggest change could be seen among the palace workers who had entrusted their children to the nursery.

“Mary, Jack called me ‘Mommy’ for the first time today! The nanny taught him!”

“Really? Oh my, congratulations, Ann! I saw my baby playing with another child and sharing toys for the first time. At home, they were always alone…”

The young maids who used to leave their children behind on their way to work with tears in their eyes now came to the palace holding their children’s hands.

During lunch breaks, they stopped by the nursery to see their children’s faces, laughing with their coworkers and exchanging childcare advice.

Since they no longer had to leave their children alone or give them Godfrey’s Cordial, it was only natural that the dark shadows disappeared from their faces and their work efficiency improved.

The atmosphere of Kensington Palace had changed beyond recognition.

The children’s laughter softened the rigid air of the palace, and those cheerful voices brought energy even to the adults.

And the most important change was this.

“No one talks about that cordial anymore.”

“Why would we use it? We have the nursery now.”

Godfrey’s Cordial naturally disappeared from the palace.

The sweet poison known by the horrifying name “Mother’s Comfort” had lost its power in the face of children’s laughter echoing beneath the sunlight.

I watched the scene from beyond the window of my office and smiled with satisfaction.

‘Yes, this is it. This is the power of a K-workplace daycare center.’

Instead of banning something and punishing people for using it, create an environment where they no longer need it.

Wasn’t that the most effective problem-solving method I had learned in 21st-century South Korea?

“Your Majesty, Royal Physician Sir James Clark has arrived.”

At Baroness Lehzen’s words, I stood from my seat.

“Let him in.”

A moment later, Sir James Clark entered and politely bowed.

“Your Majesty.”

“It has been a while, Sir Clark. I am perfectly healthy.”

I had Sir Clark sit on the sofa and went through the usual routine of a simple examination and a few questions.

“There appears to be no issue with your health, Your Majesty. However, you have been working tirelessly with matters of state, so you must make sure to get enough rest.”

“Thank you for your concern. But, Sir, there has been a very interesting change in our palace recently. Would you like to take a look?”

At my sudden suggestion, Sir Clark looked puzzled.

“An interesting change?”

“You will understand once you see it. As a physician, I believe it will be something quite fascinating to witness.”

With a playful smile, I led him out of my office.

The place I took the bewildered Sir Clark was, of course, the palace’s newest attraction.

The nursery.

As we approached the annex, the lively sounds of children grew louder and louder, and a faint look of confusion appeared between Sir Clark’s brows.

“Your Majesty, what is that sound…?”

“Come this way.”

Instead of answering, I opened the nursery door wide.

The moment he saw what was inside, Sir Clark froze.

Because what lay before his eyes was something he likely had never even imagined in his entire life.

A spacious room filled with sunlight.

Babies were gathered together on soft carpets, playing with toys.

The nannies read books to the children or sang songs for them, while some children peacefully napped in small beds.

There was not a single child here who was limp and dazed from being drugged with Godfrey’s Cordial.

Instead of the haze caused by medicine, the room was filled only with lively energy and good health.

“W-What exactly… is this, Your Majesty?”

Sir Clark seemed so shocked that he stumbled over his words.

“This is a nursery for our palace workers.”

“A… nursery?”

“Yes. Our palace workers no longer need to put their children to sleep with a terrible poison before coming to work. They can simply leave their children here, in a safe and warm place.”

As I continued explaining, Sir Clark’s eyes carefully examined every corner of the room.

The children’s clear eyes.

Their rosy cheeks.

The way they played freely with the nannies.

Through the eyes of a physician, the children’s health was nothing short of excellent.

“My goodness…”

He let out a quiet gasp, then suddenly looked back at me with eyes filled with a mixture of shock and admiration, as if he had realized something.

“Your Majesty, then… Godfrey’s Cordial… you dealt with it this way…?”

“Yes. It is a truly horrible thing, isn’t it?”

I shrugged and answered casually.

“So I ordered everything inside the palace to be thrown away. And instead of that poison, I created this.”

“……!”

Sir Clark was speechless.

He had spent his entire life as a physician understanding why the poor relied on Godfrey’s Cordial.

It was not because of ignorance or moral weakness.

It was a desperate matter of survival.

However, all he had ever been able to do was warn people about the dangers of the medicine and lament the situation.

But this young queen had approached the problem in a completely different way.

Instead of banning the medicine, she created an environment where the medicine was unnecessary.

She did not treat the symptoms of the illness.

She removed the root cause itself.

“Truly… truly remarkable, Your Majesty.”

Sir Clark’s voice trembled, as if his words came from the bottom of his heart.

“I only ever spoke of the dangers of the medicine and blamed those who used it. But Your Majesty… you understood why they had no other choice. You solved the problem not as a single physician, but as the mother of an entire nation.”

The mother of a nation?

That was a little too much praise.

‘I would have to actually give birth to a child to know what that’s like.’

Even while grumbling inwardly, I could not stop the corners of my lips from rising slightly at his praise.

“I hope this small attempt can spread throughout Britain.”

“If that is Your Majesty’s wish, then I am certain it will be possible.”

Sir Clark’s eyes shone with respect toward me.

Meanwhile, the small revolution at Kensington Palace quickly spread beyond its walls.

At first, it was merely gossip among servants, but soon the whispers began to circulate throughout London’s high society.

“Have you heard, Mrs. Stanley? About Her Majesty’s… strange act of charity?”

“Of course, Mrs. Ashburton. I thought I had misheard when I first heard it. Taking care of servants’ children… inside the palace! She must have lost her senses!”

In London’s most glamorous salons, where sharp tongues moved more fiercely than the clinking of noblewomen’s teacups, the nursery established at Kensington Palace became the hottest topic of conversation.

An elderly lady covered her mouth with a feather fan and whispered.

“To give servants such excessive privileges. It is like giving wings to those who do not know their place. What will happen if they begin to have ideas above their station?”

Several sighs of agreement came from around the room.

“Exactly. These days, if you are even slightly kind to them, they immediately try to climb above their position.”

To these women, the queen’s actions were not a compassionate gift.

It was nothing more than a dangerous gamble that threatened to destroy the hierarchy ordained by God and shake the very foundations of society.

Class was the religion of this era.

Servants were meant to act like servants, and masters were meant to act like masters. Maintaining one’s assigned place was the order given by God.

The nursery inside the palace was a direct challenge to that order.

“A mother abandoning her home and leaving her child in someone else’s care!”

A young noblewoman spoke passionately, her face flushed.

She then spent a considerable amount of time showing off her knowledge of Separate Spheres (the social belief that men belonged in the public world while women belonged in the private world of the home).

The era’s strict rule that men and women each had their own assigned roles was not something one could simply defy.

“What else could it be but abandoning the sacred duty bestowed upon women?”

The queen’s nursery was seen as a crack in that sacred wall.

Caring for children was considered the mother’s sole responsibility, and a mother leaving her child behind to work was viewed as moral negligence. A nursery that encouraged such behavior was, according to their logic, a device that would corrupt society.

“It seems Her Majesty has… become far too immersed in sentimental ideas.”

“Perhaps she has encountered some radical beliefs somewhere? I heard she has been reading books constantly these days.”

“Could it be that her judgment has become clouded…?”

Criticism disguised as concern, and suspicion disguised as worry, rose like steam above teacups.

She was only eighteen.

A young queen who still knew nothing of the world had merely fallen into some strange idea for a moment and acted on a childish impulse.

Most people came to that conclusion and clicked their tongues.

I had no idea any of this was happening.

I was simply satisfied that the nursery was operating successfully and was busy thinking about my next plan.

‘Good. The laudanum problem inside the palace has been solved. Now I need to start dealing with the pharmacies around London… But how should I approach it naturally?’

However, peace did not last long.

I soon realized that a storm was brewing beneath the calm surface.

“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lord Melbourne has arrived.”

An unexpected visit.

The moment Lord Melbourne entered the audience chamber, I noticed it immediately.

The usual playful ease he carried was gone, replaced by deep exhaustion and worry that hung over his face like a shadow.

A politician’s face was like the weather.

Clear skies meant good news was coming, while cloudy skies meant bad news.

But today, Lord Melbourne’s expression was the sky right before a storm.

“Lord Melbourne? You do not look well.”

At my question, he let out a deep sigh first.

“Your Majesty. I apologize, but I have come to ask about your… nursery.”

“Ah, the nursery? It has been a great success. The palace workers are very satisfied, and the children are healthy as well. I actually wanted to show it to you.”

I smiled brightly as I proudly explained.

However, Lord Melbourne’s expression became even more serious.

“Your Majesty, I fully understand the kindness behind your intentions. However…”

He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words before continuing in a firm tone.

“Are you aware that this measure… has caused a tremendous reaction?”

“A reaction?”

‘How can creating just one workplace nursery cause such a huge uproar?’

When I looked genuinely confused, Lord Melbourne continued speaking with a troubled expression.

“The nobles are furious, claiming that Your Majesty’s actions are destroying the class system. They believe servants will forget their place and become arrogant.”

“What? That makes no sense…”

“Furthermore, many people believe that a woman’s place is in the home, and that caring for children is a sacred duty. Your Majesty’s nursery is being seen as a direct challenge to those beliefs.”

Hearing that, I was completely dumbfounded.

So I had simply helped people who were working to survive, and somehow that meant the class system was collapsing and I was going against God’s will?

I barely held back a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it.

Lord Melbourne carefully placed a piece of paper on my desk.

It was a copy of a sermon delivered personally by the Bishop of London the previous Sunday.

[…For a woman to leave her household and devote herself to work outside the home, while entrusting the sacred duty of raising children to another, is a moral failing that goes against the will of God. This will lead to the collapse of the family and the corruption of society…]

“The bishop himself stepped forward…?”

“This is not all, Your Majesty.”

Lord Melbourne spoke in a tired voice.

“The Parliament has been overwhelmed with letters of protest from nobles day after day, and the Home Secretary is deeply troubled. Your Majesty’s good intentions have unintentionally begun affecting the affairs of state.”

His words were polite, but the meaning behind them was as sharp as a blade.

[Your reckless decision has created chaos in the country and placed the government in difficulty.]

“So… what exactly are you trying to say, Lord Melbourne?”

I looked directly into his eyes.

I was no longer interested in hearing things wrapped in polite words. I wanted to hear what he truly thought.

Lord Melbourne remained silent as the second hand of the clock moved once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

“I apologize, Your Majesty, but… would you consider withdrawing the nursery?”

“……”

“It is to prevent further confusion and preserve Your Majesty’s dignity. I humbly ask that you make the wise decision.”

He lowered his head slightly.

His manner was polite, but the pressure behind his words made it clear that refusal would not be easily accepted.

For a moment, my mind turned cold.

Withdraw it.

That meant removing the carpets, taking away the cradles, packing the toys into boxes, and sending everything back into storage.

It meant allowing that room, once filled with children’s laughter, to become filled with dust and silence once again.

The very place where children had clear eyes and rosy cheeks, the place Sir Clark had praised as proof that I was the mother of the nation…

He wanted me to destroy it with my own hands?

‘After I finally got rid of Godfrey’s Cordial inside Kensington Palace? Don’t make me laugh.’

The same anger I had felt when fighting against unfairness at my old company rose inside me.

The anger I felt when someone said, “Just stay quiet and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

The unfairness of refusing to admit a mistake and instead trying to silence the person who pointed it out.

That was exactly what Lord Melbourne was doing now.

He was not asking me to solve a problem.

He was trying to silence me for bringing the problem to light.

“Lord Melbourne.”

My voice lowered.

Even I was surprised by how firm it sounded.

“What if I refuse?”

Lord Melbourne’s eyebrow twitched.

The voice coming from the eighteen-year-old girl who had always acted foolish and naive clearly surprised him.

“Your Majesty, this is…”

“I only wiped away the tears of my people.”

I stood from my seat.

Then I pointed toward the nursery building visible in the distance outside the window.

“Is that not my duty as queen?”

Lord Melbourne remained silent.

I continued.

“Do you know that ever since the sound of children’s laughter began coming from that place, the name Godfrey’s Cordial has disappeared from inside the palace?”

There was no answer.

Because silence could sometimes be heavier than agreement.

“I saved my people from poison.”

I slowly walked toward him.

“The pressure coming from an experienced politician no longer frightened me.”

“But now you are asking me to push them back into the pit of poison.”

I took another step closer.

“Lord Melbourne.”

One more step.

“Are order and tradition truly more important than the lives of my people?”

For the first time, Lord Melbourne looked away.

A wavering gaze was a sign that somewhere inside, he had begun acknowledging the possibility that the other person might be right.

Lord Melbourne lowered his eyes toward the floor.

His gaze fell upon the old carpet in the audience chamber.

The fabric had absorbed years of dust and time.

After a moment, he turned his head away.

Of course, I knew this conversation would not end here.

It was probably only the beginning.

Lord Melbourne would return and think.

He would calculate.

His political instincts would search for his next move.

But one thing was certain.

Today, I had not backed down.

Perhaps from now on, Lord Melbourne and I would clash over every matter.

But Lord Melbourne must have realized one thing as well.

The queen was not someone who would retreat when pushed.

When it came to matters of conscience, she would not compromise.

In the end, Lord Melbourne bowed his head to me and left.

The door closed, leaving me alone in the audience chamber.

The laughter of children could be faintly heard from outside the window.

Instead of the cries of people suffering from opium, the sound of everyone singing filled the air.

It was a pure and beautiful sound that could only be heard inside Kensington Palace, where Godfrey’s Cordial had disappeared.

And as I listened, I hoped for the day when those children’s voices would leave the palace walls and spread throughout London, throughout all of Britain.

Because if the laughter of children became louder than the clinking of noblewomen’s teacups, the bishop’s sermons, and the complaints sent to Parliament…

Then evil would eventually become good, the unreasonable would become common sense, and order would finally become guided by conscience.