Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

After nearly a week of speculation and debate about the late Earl of Oxford's death, the public finally settled down with the release of the medical certificate provided by his widow from Oxford Medical College. With no hint of foul play, attention shifted back to William and his impending inheritance of the title.

Once the Earl's death was confirmed as accidental, the House of Lords, after a few days of delay, officially notified William to register his claim and formally inherit the title of Earl of Oxford at 10 a.m. in three days.

Within half an hour of William receiving this notification, the news was already on air. Headlines immediately hailed him with titles such as "The World's Richest Earl," "The World's Most Handsome Noble," and "The Englishman with the Largest Landholding." 

Even details about the Devonshire estate surfaced, including the newly constructed 140-acre property with a stable of over 230 purebred Akhal-Teke horses. From those in the equestrian industry, it was revealed that purchasing these 230 top-grade Akhal-Teke horses would cost at least 50 million pounds, and William had spent another 50 million pounds building a luxury stable for them. Hearing this, many people were left in disbelief.

In an era when owning a dozen thoroughbreds was considered grand, William had casually bought hundreds, showing no regard for the expense. However, what surprised the English public most was that the entire Devonshire stable did not include a single English thoroughbred.

The only non-Akhal-Teke horse was a black Arabian horse owned privately by William's mother. This left many wondering just how deep William's love for these exotic Asian breeds went. He was instantly dubbed the world's most passionate supporter of Akhal-Teke horses.

Before the public could criticize William for being overly focused on appearance rather than performance, the British media resurrected stories of "Red Hare" (Chi Tu), William's prized Akhal-Teke horse, who had won two recent Group 1 speed racing titles. Suddenly, Red Hare, previously known only within English racing circles, gained global fame, especially when people learned that it had broken records at the prestigious St. Leger Stakes in September.

Within days, a desert-dwelling prince from the Middle East jokingly offered 20 million pounds for Red Hare, only to then concede in an interview, with a resigned shrug, that no one could buy a beloved asset from a billionaire worth over 30 billion dollars.

The interview immediately diverted public attention from the horses to the prince's casual mention of William's net worth surpassing 30 billion dollars. People were quick to check the newspapers from just two months prior, which stated William's wealth as around 14 billion dollars. Comparing it to the recent figure left many feeling a wave of disbelief.

Those with financial savvy recognized that 14 billion likely wasn't accurate, yet even the most skeptical could hardly accept that, within two months, this "foolish" prince implied William had somehow amassed an additional 16 billion dollars. Had they gone mad, or was the prince simply clueless?

As public discussion around William's net worth simmered, the days slipped by.

On the morning of the third day, dressed in a black tailcoat, white shirt, black vest, and black bow tie, William allowed his mother, Lena, who had returned to London days earlier, to take his left arm. Waving a somewhat strained goodbye to Abigail, they left the main hall of the estate and boarded a carriage adorned with the Devonshire family's stag-head crest, pulled by four horses.

But the carriage wasn't alone. To William's surprise, Philip had arranged for a procession: dozens of mounted knights dressed in ceremonial attire, shining metal helmets, and carrying banners bearing the Earl of Oxford's insignia rode ahead and behind.

William hadn't needed to arrange any of this; the royal staff had handled everything. All he had to do was show up, sign the papers, and proceed to Buckingham Palace for the formalities. These days, inheriting a title required only a simple registration with the House of Lords, followed by a brief audience with the king for the official documents. Any grand celebration would have to be done privately back on one's own estate.

For William, the estate land he would inherit included the 3,000 acres he had previously bought back. While he could claim the land, collecting taxes from it was a relic of the past and no longer feasible.

Nowadays, noble titles didn't bring much more than symbolic rights over the land, so William didn't mind. After all, it wasn't as though he lived off land taxes.

In fact, he knew that if he eventually advanced to a dukedom, he'd have to relinquish any tax rights over his 34,000 acres, which would only complicate the elevation.

The royal advisors had already warned him and his mother, Lena, that outside of formal celebrations, wearing the full ceremonial garb of an earl would be inappropriate and might provoke scorn.

At 8:30 a.m., the procession set off. The House of Lords was only a twenty-minute carriage ride from his estate.

To his surprise, as soon as the carriage left the estate, William saw that both sides of Kensington Gardens Road were lined with Londoners and tourists waving and cheering all the way to the House of Lords. Seeing their smiles and waving flags, William felt slightly less like a spectacle.

His mother, Lena, was clearly overwhelmed. She held onto William's arm with a trembling hand, visibly moved. For her, this moment had been nearly ten years in the making.

Thinking of the risks she had taken to ensure he could inherit this title, William felt a surge of gratitude and affection, patting Lena's hand to reassure her. "Mom, don't get too emotional; there are a lot of people watching."

"I know, I know. I'm just so happy," Lena replied, taking a few deep breaths. With a radiant smile, she added, "I'm so proud of you, my child."

"Haha, if anyone deserves thanks, it's you, Mom. Without you, I wouldn't be here," William replied, holding her hand with genuine appreciation.

As they waved to the onlookers along the way, the carriage finally arrived at the House of Lords. When a footman in traditional English livery opened the carriage door, William alighted first to help his mother out. He waved to the nearby cameras and the crowd on the street before following their guide inside.

Swearing the oath and signing various documents went on and on, but William made sure his personal lawyer, Anthony, and his team reviewed each document before signing.

Once the formalities were complete, he thanked the staff at the House of Lords and greeted several attendees who had come to witness the ceremony.

Leaving his mother in Anthony's capable hands, William approached the Earl's widow, a woman who appeared in her 30s but was visibly worn out. "Thank you for everything you've done, Lady Margaret," he said.

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