Her Majesty’s Secret Service

085. Final struggle

New Year’s Day, June 2nd

… So, thanks to Jonghyeong’s introduction, he had an audience with the queen at the banquet hall. She presented the gifts prepared by the government and vice ministers to the queen, and the queen really liked the celadon from Jeonjo, the white porcelain from Aguk, and the mother-of-pearl lacquerware.

* * *

While the Joseon delegation was meeting the Queen at Whitehall Palace, a serious conversation was taking place at the Seymour family residence near London.

“Whew. Did you hear, Count? Her Majesty the Queen’s trading ship in the Port of London… .”

“I heard it too. this… Should we stop supporting Princess Elizabeth now? “I heard Princess Catherine is in good health today?”

“Yes, as always, I heard you are in good health. Even if you ran around the garden… .”

“As expected, should I have abandoned Princess Elizabeth back then? Shit… “Who knew Princess Catherine would be so healthy?”

The person who said so was Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and was one of the few nobles who still supported Princess Elizabeth.

Until Princess Catherine was born a few years ago, I continued to support Princess Elizabeth, thinking about how healthy it would be for a child born to an old queen to be healthy.

Contrary to expectations that Princess Catherine would die before she could grow up, Princess Catherine was growing bigger day by day. I am so healthy that I don’t even catch the common cold.

As things went on like this, every year as Princess Catherine got older, the nobles who supported Princess Elizabeth turned their backs on her. Last week, when the rumor spread in London that the Eastern trade ship ‘Mary’ sent by the Queen to Portsmouth had arrived safely and had made more than ten times the profit, the nobles who supported Elizabeth began to quickly leave.

Even today, when the trading ship ‘Mary’ appeared in the Port of London, the gentry who supported Elizabeth sent a letter saying that they would no longer support Elizabeth, and even the few families who supported Elizabeth along with the Seymour family today. By attending the banquet, he had signaled that he would turn his back on Elizabeth.

“… It would be a good idea to attend the banquet now. “John, prepare your horse.”

“Yes, Count.”

In this situation, the Earl of Hertford of the Seymour family, who had been at the forefront of supporting Princess Elizabeth and the center of the nobles supporting Elizabeth, thought that he had no place in London politics if he continued to support Elizabeth. .

“First of all, let’s meet with Her Majesty the Queen, and support for Princess Elizabeth will begin tomorrow… .”

Just as the count was thinking like that, putting on his formal attire to attend the banquet and ordering his associates what to do, the count’s door suddenly opened.

“Count Edward, I have something to say… hmm? Count, where are you going at this hour?”

“go… princess.”

The person who opened the door and came in was Princess Elizabeth, the half-sister of the current Queen Mary.

Since the ban on Princess Elizabeth from London was lifted, she has been staying at the Duke of Somerset’s London residence, now inherited by his son, the Earl of Hertford.

“Are you planning on going to the banquet hall?”

“yes? Ah, that… .”

“Now it looks like he’s planning on abandoning me even if he goes to Seymour. What… “I think it’s better that way.”

“Princess, that’s not it… .”

“Not really. “Okay, can I just leave this mansion tomorrow?”

As she spoke, Elizabeth held several letters in her hands.

The Count glanced at the envelope and realized that the letter had been sent this afternoon by the gentry who supported Elizabeth. This is a letter that states that it will be difficult for her to support Elizabeth any longer.

“Now that even the Seymours have turned against me, I have no choice but to beg Her Majesty for mercy. “Thank you so much, Count.”

Elizabeth smiled brightly as she said that and added one more word.

“By the way, Countess, was Catherine healthy?”

“yes… ?”

“You probably found out how Catherine was doing today too. “Didn’t you find out about her at least once or twice a week?”

“I don’t know what the princess is talking about… .”

The Count, who guessed what Elizabeth meant by saying such a thing, played it off and changed the subject. Elizabeth was still looking at the Earl of Hartford with a smile on her face.

“is it so? If you don’t know, there’s nothing you can do. See you later at the Tower of London. “I think the guards will find out for me what the Count did.”

The Earl of Hertford’s expression hardened after hearing Elizabeth’s words.

“Princess, now, me…” Are you threatening me?”

“You mean to threaten me, the Count? I’m just giving the Count a choice. “Whether we die together or live together.”

The Earl of Hertford gritted his teeth and raised his voice at the attitude of Elizabeth, who threatened to run straight to the Queen and frame the Seymour family if she abandoned him.

“Can you do this to us who have devoted ourselves to the princess so far? “Don’t we have to survive too?”

“So, aren’t we going to live together?”

“together? “Did you say we’re together now?”

When Elizabeth, who had been talking about the guards in the prison tower secretly finding out about Princess Catherine’s current situation and making threatening remarks, uttered the words ‘let’s live together’, the Earl of Hertford couldn’t help but look dumbfounded. There wasn’t.

How can you say the word ‘together’ when you are making threats one-sidedly?

“I never dreamed that the princess was like this.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth without losing her smile at the Count who was glaring at her.

“Shouldn’t I find a way to live too?”

After saying those words, Elizabeth continued speaking in a voice that seemed to soothe a child.

“Count, think about it. Who knew that something like yours would happen to me too? You haven’t already forgotten, right? “The fact that her older sister, whom everyone except the Gray family had ignored, became her queen.”

“But back then… .”

“is it so. Things are different then and now. Her legitimate heir, Catherine, is healthy and, unlike Edward’s time, her older sister’s popularity is sky-high. So, didn’t all the other nobles abandon me and run to her older sister?”

“… You know very well. “Even though you know that, are you demanding our dedication?”

“Of course. “I can only become king if I have the count’s support.”

“What is that… Are you really planning to assassinate Princess Catherine and Her Majesty the Queen?! That makes sense… !”

“Earl, if such a thing was possible thanks to the power of the Seymour family, would the Earl and I be doing this? “It’s not the throne of England I’m after.”

“yes? “It’s not the throne of England.”

The Earl of Hertford looked at Elizabeth with a questioning expression. If she is not the crown of England, what country’s crown will she wear?

“Elizabeth I, Queen of Scotland. It really suits you, doesn’t it?”

At those words, the doubt on the Earl of Hertford’s face deepened. How are they going to take the throne of Scotland, which has a legitimate queen?

“… “No matter how weak Scotland is, would it be easy to take away the throne that belongs to its owner, especially the crown of a woman who is the princess of France?”

“It’s the crown of a woman who has thrown away her throne and is playing house in Paris, isn’t it? Why do you think it’s difficult?”

Elizabeth began to explain her plan to the Count one by one, as if the Count was strange. She said that it was rather good for her, since it was to tell this story that she found her count at this time anyway.

As Elizabeth continued her explanation, the doubts on the Earl of Hertford’s face began to gradually disappear.

Eventually, Elizabeth finished speaking, and a light of hope appeared on the Count’s face after hearing Elizabeth’s ‘plan’.

“I will send someone to Scotland immediately.”

“Not until now. Please send someone in a few days. “There should be time for the story of the trading ship to spread throughout Scotland.”

Following Catherine’s birth, Princess Elizabeth, cornered by the success of the Eastern trade, began to make moves to survive.

* * *

It was an afternoon, three days after the banquet, and I was standing in front of a luxurious mansion on the outskirts of London.

This mansion, located not far from Whitehall Palace, was a mansion attached to the Bishop of Ely, but has changed owners several times and is now owned by the Queen.

“Is this the mansion we will live in from now on? I quite like it. Richard, this is our family’s new home. Do you like them?”

“mind! listen! “Peck!”

Richard, who was in Jane’s arms, laughed and used clumsy vocabulary towards Jane.

Looking at that, I felt like my choice was not wrong, and a satisfied smile formed on my face.

“Huh… “Whitehall Palace was beautiful, but this place also has quite a charm.”

“Hmm, I was thinking about making a garden like this at my hometown when I go back to Joseon.”

“older brother! Is this really the mansion that was given to you by your brother? Wow, it’s a three-story building. “It is truly amazing.”

Following the voices of Jane and Richard, the voices of Joseon envoys were heard. Damn, I can’t even tell if this is a vacation or a job to entertain people.

I don’t know how it happened like this. Three days ago, should I have gone out of my way to throw away my position?

* * *

Three days ago. After meeting the Joseon delegation and the Queen at the banquet, I requested a private meeting with the Queen.

Fortunately, the Queen accepted my private meeting, and after meeting alone with the Queen, I expressed my intention to resign from all public positions.

“It is not permitted. There are so many things you have to do… ! With the money earned this time, other ships… No, yes. I fully understand that you have had a hard time on this voyage. Instead of doing that, let’s do it this way. He would rest for about half a year and then return to the palace.

Yes, you said you wanted to be faithful to your family, right? I will give you a mansion near my palace. This is the mansion that Steve gave me some time ago… .”

When the Queen heard me, she looked surprised, as if wondering why I would say such a thing, and then rejected my resignation, saying she would give me a six-month vacation and a mansion in the countryside.

The day after the banquet ended, I once again asked the queen for a private treat to resign, but she did not accept it at all.

“Logan, I’m on my way after hearing from Her Majesty the Queen. “Resignation?”

“Yes, that… .”

“There’s no need to say anything more. “Go to Her Majesty the Queen right now and tell her that you will follow Her Majesty’s wishes.”

“No Jane, that’s…” .”

“Quickly.”

I don’t know what I said to Jane, but Jane was so angry and urged me to follow the Queen’s will that I had no choice but to break my will.

“Okay, well thought out. Then, take a good rest for 6 months. Oh, and you said your relative was among her envoys, right?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“That’s good. Then, you will take care of the delegation while they stay.”

“Her Majesty the Queen, I just had a six-month break… .”

“No, are you going to leave your relatives who came from far away in the hands of others? “I plan to send them back on the next trade flight in half a year, so take good care of them in the meantime.”

In this way, the business of entertaining envoys under the pretense of vacation began.

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*Thomas Seymour is a nobleman who had a scandal with Princess Elizabeth. At that time, Duke Thomas was in his 40s and Princess Elizabeth was 15 years old. In fact, there is a story that Princess Elizabeth was sick for a while after Thomas Seymour was executed.