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 ck hair which dropped to his shoulder and a small moustache on his mouth,pleting his facial features. His figure was lean, and his face, although childish, had the prerequisites of a handsome man.


    "I aming right away, Robert," the young man said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    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 contemte 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 ce, 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 Ennd. 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 Scond, where he would be dered the king after he had made the deal with the Scots.


    He removed the gloomy expression from his face and reced 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 beenid down for his procession, and upon his entrance, the ceremonial proceedingsmenced promptly.


    The assembled nobles,prising both distinguished gentlemen and women of high society, rose from their seats to extend congrattions for his session to the throne, their apuse 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 asion.


    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 "A 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 Scond.


    Charles, now on the stage, ced 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 ced it onto the head of Charles II, the king of the New Kingdom of Scond.


    All the nobles cheered, and flowers were thrown with excitement. The music shifted again, bing the majestic tone of Sarah ss’s ’Sacred Fire.’


    Simr 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 dered with a brave and fearless expression, "By the teaching of the king of kings, I doth followeth his every will andmand, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus, I, as the king of the Kingdom of Scond,e 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 dered, "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 Scond had be the Kingdom of Scond, with its king, Charles II Stuart.


    After Charles ascended to the throne of Scond, unlike in the previous timeline, he refrained from immediately mobilizing the Scottish Army to invade Ennd. With the Commonwealth of Ennd faring better in this alternate timeline, Charles hesitated, unsure whether it was the right moment tounch 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 ur; 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 Ennd as the first step.


    Then he began to buy the hearts of the nobles of the Commonwealth. Although militarily the Commonwealth of Ennd was sessful, 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.


    1653


    "Your Majesty, our hunch was spot-on: both the citizens and nobles of the Commonwealth of Ennd 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 Ennd.


    Seizing the opportunity, Charles began to win over the hearts of the nobles and elites of society, while also umting 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 Ennd 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 n 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 thest few years, Charles had increased his attention on the trading routes of Ennd. He had arranged for spies to infiltrate these operations, which took ce along the various trading routes of the empire. The various representatives of the Commonwealth of Ennd 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 ce, 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.