January 26th, 1650
In a luxuriously built French mansion:
"Your Highness, they are ready," a man wearing a ceremonial robe said to a young man of 20 years of age. This young man wore a red gown, which was fit only for the best of nobles. He had the emblem of the House of Stuart embroidered on his luxurious gown with exquisite materials like silk and satin.
He had long black hair which dropped to his shoulder and a small moustache on his mouth, completing his facial features. His figure was lean, and his face, although childish, had the prerequisites of a handsome man.
"I am coming right away, Robert," the young man said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
Robert Manscel, witnessing the struggles of the Lord he swore to serve, couldn’t help but sigh in frustration, feeling powerless to alleviate the situation. With a solemn nod, he quietly exited the room, leaving Charles II alone to contemplate his circumstances.
Left alone in his room, the young noble, whose name is Charles II, had made his will firm. He had gone through a lot of suffering and pain for him to be at this place, so he wasn’t going to just stop his endeavours like a coward.
Only a year ago, his father was executed by the rebels of the Parliament of England. Those bloody Roundheads had rebelled against the monarchy and beheaded his father, Charles I of the Stuart dynasty. On top of that descent, his mother, Henrietta Maria of France, who was pregnant, was sent into exile. Because of this, he couldn’t even properly see his sister, little Henrietta.
"I swear I will bring an end to these traitors and eventually take back what is mine," the boy in the room said to himself, his fists clenched.
He was currently in the Parliament of Scotland, where he would be declared the king after he had made the deal with the Scots.
He removed the gloomy expression from his face and replaced it with a brave and fearless one. His eyes also brightened as if they were burning with passion, but deep inside, you could see that this was just a front. Charles then entered the Stone Abbey at Westminster, the designated location for the coronation ceremony.
A red carpet had been laid down for his procession, and upon his entrance, the ceremonial proceedings commenced promptly.
The assembled nobles, comprising both distinguished gentlemen and women of high society, rose from their seats to extend congratulations for his succession to the throne, their applause resonating throughout the hall. The atmosphere was further enhanced by the adornment of flowers, which embellished the ceremonial hall, imparting an ethereal ambience to the occasion.
The soft music from the choir filled the air before the coronation ceremony, featuring the three songs: "Magnificat anima mea," "Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen," and "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied," the soothing sounds brought joy to those in attendance. Despite the uplifting atmosphere, Charles struggled to muster genuine happiness.
He forced a smile for the crowd, but deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness amidst the celebrations.
Charles reached the end of the red carpet; he was finally near the stage, with only the stares standing in the way of his goal. On top of the stage, the white-robed cardinal named Parolin, who was the eminence of his excellency the Pope himself, was awaiting to present him with his rightful property.
*Step*
Charles took his first step onto the stairs.
*All present, please stand.*
The soulful choir suddenly shifted with the involvement of lute, theorbo, harp, harpsichord, organ, madrigals, baba nes, and galliards.
The song suddenly became "Alla breve in D" by Bach, intensifying with every step Charles took.
The flowers fell on his face as the people all stood up to witness the birth of their new monarch, the King of Scotland.
Charles, now on the stage, placed a foot on top of the footrest and slowly seated himself on the throne. A feeling of fulfilment washed over him as he sat on the throne. Even the depression and trauma he had acquired from the separation of his mother and the killing of his father seemed to fade, at least for the moment.
His eyes actually brightened this time as he felt that he enjoyed the feeling.
Seeing that it was the right time, Cardinal Parolin lifted the crown from its tray and slowly placed it onto the head of Charles II, the king of the New Kingdom of Scotland.
All the nobles cheered, and flowers were thrown with excitement. The music shifted again, becoming the majestic tone of Sarah Class’s ’Sacred Fire.’
Similar to the music, Charles felt like he was burning with holy radiance, the chosen son of God to restore his kingdom back to glory.
He got up from his throne, unsheathed his knight’s sword, and declared with a brave and fearless expression, "By the teaching of the king of kings, I doth followeth his every will and command, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus, I, as the king of the Kingdom of Scotland, come not to be served but to serve." which was his oath to the people of this kingdom.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Robert Manscel, his loyal servant, stood in a corner of the event, hands joined in devotion, eyes brimming with tears. He felt a deep sense of gratitude towards the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for rescuing His Majesty Charles from the clutches of evil forces.
After this, Cardinal Parolin declared, "God save the king."
All the nobles present responded, "God save King Charles."
Charles was then presented with the relic of the True Cross of Christ, which was gifted to him by Pope Francis.
After that day, the Republic of Scotland had become the Kingdom of Scotland, with its king, Charles II Stuart.
After Charles ascended to the throne of Scotland, unlike in the previous timeline, he refrained from immediately mobilizing the Scottish Army to invade England. With the Commonwealth of England faring better in this alternate timeline, Charles hesitated, unsure whether it was the right moment to launch an attack on the Commonwealth.
So the event where Charles II was defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 did not occur; on the contrary, Charles decided to act covertly.
1652
With the help of Robert Manscel and some of his important retainers in the Scottish nobility, Charles was able to beef up his ears and eyes in the Commonwealth of England as the first step.
Then he began to buy the hearts of the nobles of the Commonwealth. Although militarily the Commonwealth of England was successful, socially it was a disaster due to its political instability and unequal distribution of interests among all parties. It was only kept together because of the military might of Oliver Cromwell.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
1653
"Your Majesty, our hunch was spot-on: both the citizens and nobles of the Commonwealth of England are harbouring doubts about the stability of their government. They feel uneasy without a king, unlike the other powerful nations in Europe," Robert Manscel, now Charles’s full-time captain of the guards and personal assistant, said, his expression brimming with Happiness.
Upon hearing this news, Charles felt a surge of confidence in his course of action. He realized that even without his direct intervention, the Commonwealth’s stability was already faltering, and his involvement could Only quicken the pace of the death of the parliamentary system in England.
Seizing the opportunity, Charles began to win over the hearts of the nobles and elites of society, while also accumulating more resources to further strengthen his position.
1654
If there was anything that Charles did not resent Oliver Cromwell for, then it was the victory of the Commonwealth of England against the Dutch, which resulted in gaining a few trade routes rich in resources, especially in the Asian region.
Charles took advantage of it and sent a lot of the elites who were supporters of his plan to do business in various regions of Asia, especially in the Indian subcontinent.
Charles was momentarily stunned by the amount of returns he had gotten. He couldn’t help but scold the old bastard Oliver Cromwell for not utilizing such a good opportunity to take over this barbarian’s kingdom.
Over the last few years, Charles had increased his attention on the trading routes of England. He had arranged for spies to infiltrate these operations, which took place along the various trading routes of the empire. The various representatives of the Commonwealth of England to various small powers were also monitored.
After spying on the British ambassador to India, Thomas Bartholomew, he came to know about the profits and potential of this South Indian Empire. He was really greedy for this place, which had limitless potential.
P.S. I forgot my mouse at the college today, so I’m sorry I cannot upload more chapters for the day. I have split this chapter because it became too big to be added in a single chapter. Apparently, with the help of the fast pass, you can read both chapters for free, somehow I was told, so enjoy.