Her Majesty’s Secret Service

063. Forced embarkation

Is it because the meeting was convened urgently due to the visit of the Spanish ambassador? The court meeting, which would have ended a little after noon at the latest, continued until sunset.

Even after I expressed my opinion, the nobles continued to disagree over whether they should stick to Spain instead of France, or whether they should stick to Spain and keep France in check.

“I think Baron Grinstead has a good idea. After all, there are no insignificant warships in the lowlands!”

“No, let’s plunder the lowland merchants? After all, aren’t it the lowland merchants who buy our wool? Is there any need to touch them?”

“So, are you saying we should join hands with Spain and block Calais and antagonize France? If we comply with Spain’s demands, where do you think the soldiers occupying Bruges will go right now? “Do you think the French are idiots?!”

“So we must block Calais in time! If Spain and France block Calais when they face off in Bruges, how will the French attack Calais? Are the Spanish just watching the French vacate?!”

“Of course I’ll just watch the eviction! If the French move out and attack Calais, do you think the Spanish will start a fight in Bruges?! It’s obvious that we’ll be laughing and watching us fight against France! Now I see that you are a person who only knows one thing about the Lord and not the other. How can you sit here with such insight?!”

“What did you just say! Like that?!”

“why! “Did I say something wrong?!”

The Queen must have felt tired of this situation where Spain and France were criticizing each other, so she put her hand on her forehead and sighed slightly.

“Whoa… Looking at you, it seems like there will be no way to come to a conclusion within today. “We will disband at this point today and reconvene you tomorrow morning.”

In the end, only after the sunset had completely darkened did today’s court meeting come to an end. The nobles, who were in the midst of a disagreement, had already dispersed and returned to their homes, and I remained in the Westminster kitchen, supervising the preparation of the Queen’s dinner.

I’ve got a lot to think about, so I guess I’ll sleep in the Palace of Westminster today?

As I was sitting in the kitchen watching the chefs cook, a familiar face came up to me and started talking to me.

“Logan, Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you.”

“Well, today’s meeting must have been very long. So Anne, what did you want me to make?”

The Queen would always order a sweet treat to be served after a long meeting. It had been quite a long meeting today, so she guessed it would be the same this time as well.

Since I had been arguing with the nobles for this afternoon, I thought it would be natural to have a sweet tooth.

However, contrary to my expectations, Anne quietly shook her head from side to side. No, if not, why did she call me?

“Then why did you call me?”

Anne answered my question in her usual calm tone.

“I don’t know the details. “Please ask Her Majesty the Queen directly.”

“No, suddenly like this… ? If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be okay to call you separately after the meeting earlier?”

“Her Majesty the Queen had plans even after the meeting ended. Please follow me without saying anything. “Her Majesty the Queen is waiting.”

He didn’t hear any answer and was walking with Anne to the office where the Queen was staying. A man with a familiar face was walking out from the other side of the hallway leading to the office.

“Ah, Logan, it’s been a while. How many months has it been? Oh, why is it so hard to see your face? “It’s a bit late, but congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you, Ambassador Simon. “Are you on your way to see Her Majesty the Queen?”

“That’s right, I just finished the audience. ah. Are you also on your way to see Her Majesty the Queen?”

If the relationship between Spain and England had been the same as usual, I would have said the same thing, but given the current situation, I felt that I had to behave honestly.

That’s right, isn’t Anne, the head maid, watching me closely right now? It is an ugly situation in which the nobles are at odds with each other due to the news brought by the Spanish ambassador. I didn’t know what kind of rumor would spread if I answered the Spanish ambassador’s question straight away.

“No, I’m going to see my wife. Ambassador, I guess you don’t know. “Her Majesty the Queen has given us one room each in Whitehall Palace and the Palace of Westminster.”

In reality, all they did was give me a large room in Whitehall Palace, but how could the Spanish ambassador, who was not in England when I got married, know about that.

By the time I got married, Ambassador Simon had returned to Spain, saying he was helping Felipe with the succession process.

“ah. That’s kind of it. “I was mistaken.”

“Haha, yes, then I have a wife waiting… .”

“I’m sorry about this. We’ve only been married for less than a year, so we’re probably still in our prime.”

After talking like that, Anne’s eyes seemed to be urging me, and I politely said, ‘See you later, then.’ As she was about to part ways with Ambassador Simon and walk a few steps, she heard Ambassador Simon’s voice from behind.

“Baron Logan, I ask for your wise advice. “So that Her Majesty the Queen can make the ‘right choice’.”

As Ambassador Simon said that, a knowing expression appeared on his face. I didn’t respond to that voice, but quietly followed Anne to the Queen’s office.

* * *

After the court meeting, Mary, who had been pondering for a long time whether to hold Spain’s hand or France’s hand, finally decided to hold France’s hand.

“Prince Felipe, who will succeed your Majesty the King of Spain, the Low Countries, and other titles, has decided to set out in person to retake Flemish. He will soon arrive in the Low Countries with tens of thousands of German mercenaries.

Your Majesty the Queen, my country intends to spare no effort in fighting this war. Do you really think that joining hands with France is in England’s national interest? My home country is with England… .”

This evening, among the words that came out of the mouth of Simon Leonard, the Spanish ambassador who had requested an audience with him, ‘Felipe is coming to the Lowlands in person,’ brought back an unpleasant incident from the past.

‘Felipe, that scoundrel is coming to the lowlands?’

Mary had not forgotten Felipe’s actions during his past visit to England. Of course, she did it on her own behalf and took her funds from Carol, but she did not receive an apology from him.

‘I guess there’s no need to worry. It looks like the French sharpened their swords to avenge the humiliation of Pavia. It would be a sight to see if they were captured by the French in the Low Countries.’

There were pros and cons to both helping Spain and France, but as soon as she heard that Felipe was going to war, Mary erased the option of helping Spain from her mind.

After making that decision, I could only mechanically nod my head no matter what Simon said.

While Simon was talking nonsense, Mary was thinking about how to effectively inflict damage on Spain.

‘Dispatch of troops? No, I don’t have any money, so why are you sending troops… . Hire soldiers right away and ship them to Calais… Umm… No matter how obnoxious Felipe is, he can’t go overboard and help France. In moderation… There is a way to stop Spain without shedding too much blood… .’

While I was thinking about it, a method came to mind. Trade sanctions. That’s what Logan said.

‘Let’s plunder the lowland merchants. okay. There are almost no warships in the lowlands anyway, and they are all merchant ships. Although we only have 22 warships at our disposal right now, it is quite possible to ruin trade in the lowlands. ‘Nothing like cancer.’

With the war between France and Spain in full swing, it was clear that if the trade routes in the lowlands were blocked, it would be a huge disaster for Spain. Spain’s warships were busy fighting with pagans in the Mediterranean, and even if you looked carefully, there were less than 10 ships anchored in the lowlands.

‘Because of the immediate war with France, a special tax would have been collected from lowland merchants. That’s how we got the money every time. In such a situation, what if the trade route is blocked?’

Mary, who was so lost in her thoughts, took Simon to the next room under the excuse that she needed time to think about it.

“Anne, bring Logan in right away. “Give an appropriate reason and be quiet.”

“All right. “Her Majesty the Queen.”

After ordering Anne to bring Logan, Mary sent someone to call Simon. It was to get Simon out before Logan came.

“Ambassador Simon. I heard you well. Yes, please give us Spain’s hand, no, Habsburg’s hand… “Is this what you mean?”

“Umm… Her Majesty the Queen is truly a straightforward person. That’s right. “Isn’t it true that the Emperor’s Majesty provided only a penny or two to the Queen?”

“Wasn’t that money the price of Felipe’s rudeness? Come to think of it, have I ever heard an apology directly from Felipe himself? “No matter how much I think about it, I can’t remember.”

“Her Majesty, it is… .”

“It was an excuse. So, did you ask for an audience with me to force me to fulfill Spain’s demands?”

At those words, Simon waved his hand and spoke to Mary as if making an excuse.

“I am not that rude. It’s just that she hopes Her Majesty the Queen will make a wise choice… .”

“Hmm? “Did someone like that scream so loud the moment he met me because of this incident?”

“Haha, don’t you know it’s a formality?”

Mary uttered sharp words several times, but Simon could only ignore Mary’s voice with laughter. Looking at Simon like that, Mary thought that he was formidable, so she steadied her voice and opened her mouth.

“Hmm, I will organize my opinions and let you know the answer you want within this week. “I need to talk to Eric, and the number of nobles in attendance today was a little over half, so shouldn’t I listen to everyone’s opinions?”

Where she actually joined was in fact up to Mary’s will. When her co-king Eric musters an army, she needs Mary’s consent, which she did not need.

“All right. Her Majesty the Queen. Please make a wise choice… “Then I will leave now.”

I knew it was a ploy to avoid answering outright, but what could I do? It is said that the king will ask the opinions of his subjects and make a decision.

In this way, Ambassador Simon quietly bowed to the Queen and left the Queen’s office.

* * *

After Ambassador Simon left the room, Mary was waiting for Logan in her room at Westminster.

‘Now that I think about it, was this where I first noticed Logan’s value?’

This room was used after his accession to the throne until his main residence was moved to Whitehall. It was in this room that I was first introduced to Logan and was presented with Brian’s maps and drawings that were in Logan’s luggage.

From noble mtl dot come

‘And, first piece of advice. The advice Logan gave me was quite helpful. Every time since then. Yes, if you think about it, isn’t the person who was more loyal than anyone else during my reign to Logan?’

While waiting for Logan, Mary was able to look back on past events and think about the person called ‘Logan Lee’ once again.

‘It’s to keep a promise to Sir Brian, but the things you brought me are of inestimable value. They say they served under Eric, but they also defeated the traitors. Well, it’s just like wearing separate pockets… Yes, anyone can do that, so let’s say that. At least, it’s not stealing the country’s money.’

The billing industry that Logan was running with Robert was growing so fast that Mary could hear it. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this ‘Logan Lee’ is truly a loyal subject.

‘Ever since you were a chef, haven’t you been able to accomplish everything I’ve asked you to do? If Logan had experience as a sergeant, he would have been able to live comfortably where he lived, but he came all the way to this far away place out of loyalty to Sir Brian. Ha, how relieved I would be if my daughter also had such a loyal subject.’

When you become a mother of one child, everything ultimately comes down to worrying about your child. While I was thinking about Logan for a while, I heard Anne’s voice outside the door.

“Your Majesty the Queen, I have brought Baron Grinstead as you have instructed.”

“Let them come in,”

Mary’s voice was directed outside the door, and outside the door, Anne, the head maid, and Logan, Baron Grinstead, who was enjoying his honeymoon after marrying his niece, politely stood before her.

“Anne, you should go out for a moment.”

“I will do as you command. “Her Majesty the Queen.”

Following Mary’s orders, Anne left the room, leaving Logan and Mary alone in the office.

“I’m just sorry that I seem to be interrupting your time together. “You’re newlyweds, so you probably want to get back to Jane quickly.”

“no. Your Majesty, you are disturbing me. “By the way, may I ask why you called me?”

“Oh, right. “I have a few questions to ask, but let me get to the point first.”

Mary’s eyes sparkle as she looks at Logan as she says that. Her eyes were unwavering, as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Please ask, Her Majesty the Queen.”

“You certainly said that you traveled the world on a ship with Sir Brian, right?”

Logan’s expression instantly hardened at Mary’s words. That’s because the ‘Brian’ story was a lie created by Logan. Of course, Mary believed the lie to be true and she asked that question.

“That’s right. But, why are you suddenly bringing up that story? .”

In case Mary got suspicious, Logan quickly returned to his stern expression, hid his embarrassment, and spoke calmly. Mary looked at Logan with the same sparkling gaze as before, and revealed the reason she had called him.

“I really like your idea of ​​blocking trade in the lowlands. So… .”

Mary trailed off for a moment, but then continued speaking. Words that Logan had never even thought of flowed out of Mary’s mouth.

“Logan, I need you to board the royal flagship.”

Footer:

*The lowlands, today’s Netherlands, served as a source of money for Spain until the Potosi silver mine was developed. Whenever war broke out, a special tax was collected from the Dutch provinces and used as funds to hire mercenaries.

Even during the reign of Charles V, there were many complaints about such things, but the Dutch people thought that they could tolerate this much since the emperor was from our region, but when it came to the reign of Charles’ son Felipe, their dissatisfaction eventually exploded.