Her Majesty’s Secret Service

055. Princess

Mary’s screams, which had been ringing in the palace for nearly half a day, telling her to leave, stopped.

The midwives and maids in the room wiped away the blood and sweat that Mary had shed and supported her. Mary struggled to shake off the handmaids’ touches, but the pain that surged from her abdomen immediately after giving birth made it impossible for her to shake off their hands.

“sighe… My child, my child… ?”

“Your Majesty the Queen, the first thing you need to do is to take care of Her Majesty’s body… .”

“My child! “I asked what happened to my child!”

Mary, who was moaning in pain, felt uneasy when the maid told her to take care of herself first. Because she was worried that something might be wrong with her child, Mary screamed at the top of her lungs.

“uuu!”

Almost at the same time as Mary’s sudden shouting echoed throughout the room, the sound of a child crying filled the room.

“The child… I guess you were safe… .”

“Yes, Her Majesty. “The princess is in very good health, so it would be a good idea to start with Her Majesty’s body.”

As the child’s cries filled the room, Mary realized that her child was safe and muttered in a weak voice. Her maid, Jean Anne, wiped the cold sweat from her queen’s face and encouraged her to put herself in order.

“It’s healthy… ? I want to see my child’s face. “Bring the child, bring the child.”

Although I repeatedly advised her to get herself together first, no one could break Mary’s stubbornness to watch her child.

In the end, Anne looked at the maid who was wiping the blood off the child’s body and motioned for her to show the child to the queen.

“… Anne, look at those eyes. Doesn’t it look like me?”

“Yes, Her Majesty. “It seems so.”

Although he had just been born and had a wrinkled face, he seemed to look a little different in Mary’s eyes.

“I want to hold my child in my hands. “Bring him closer.”

“Your Majesty the Queen, as I’ve said repeatedly, first of all, let’s start with your body… .”

“I know my body well. “It’s no problem to just hold the child, so bring the child.”

Mary’s eyes as she looked at the child were full of affection. She seemed to have forgotten all the pain she felt a moment ago. The maid holding her child had no choice but to hand the child over to Mary because of her insistence.

A benevolent expression appeared on Mary’s face as she received the child. Her affectionate eyes and the corners of her mouth that rose up in happiness made me guess about the affection Mary had for this child.

Mary was having the happiest and most emotional time in the world.

“Mary! Is Mary safe? And what about the child? “Is it a prince or a princess?”

As soon as the door opened, Eric rushed in, and when she heard the urgent voice, Mary momentarily took her eyes off the child and looked at Eric.

“The child is safe. “Me too.”

“Mary, ah, I thought you were wrong… ! this child… Yes, this child is our… “Is this our child?”

“Yes, this child is yours and mine.”

“Are you a prince? Or is it a princess? It’s my first time seeing a newborn baby… .”

At Eric’s puzzled expression as he looked at the child’s wrinkled face and was confused as to whether it was a prince or a princess, Mary sighed softly and answered Eric’s question.

“She’s a princess. “How could the person who is the child’s father not know that?”

Hearing Mary’s slightly sharp voice, Eric looked embarrassed and slightly turned his head.

“Hmm, hmm. So, have you decided what your child’s name will be?”

Eric cleared his throat as Mary glanced at him and tried to change the subject.

“name… is it so. “We have to decide on a name for the child.”

Fortunately, Eric’s attempt seemed to have worked successfully. Mary’s gaze, which had been glancing at Eric with her coy eyes, turned back to the child.

“Catherine, what about Catherine? “She is so pure, don’t you think she is a fitting name for this child?”

“Um, I was thinking of the name Elizabeth… .”

“No way Elizabeth. “Never.”

In the end, the child’s name was decided to be Catherine according to the queen’s wishes.

Thus, in the last week of January 1555, as the chilly winter winds gradually subsided, a new successor was born in England.

* * *

It didn’t take long for news of the new heir, Princess Catherine’s birth, to spread throughout London.

The story that the princess was born and that the queen was also safe spread throughout London in less than three days.

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Princess Catherine!”

“Oh God! Please protect Princess Catherine! Long live Princess Catherine!”

In particular, the farmers, who were worried that something might go wrong when the queen gave birth, cheered more fiercely than any other class.

And three days later, the child was baptized by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer and officially given the name ‘Catherine’.

“Congratulations on the birth of Princess Catherine, who will be a blessing to England. Our Kingdom of France… .”

“I offer congratulations on behalf of His Majesty Emperor Karl. As an ally of England, Spain sincerely welcomes the birth of a successor to the English throne… .”

Unlike ambassadors from other countries, the Spanish and French ambassadors, who were still residing in London, unusually attended the christening ceremony, showing off the close relationship between England and each country.

The relationship between Spain and France, which had been at loggerheads since 1551, began to worsen. Previously, the soldiers in the border area were just bickering with each other, but recently the atmosphere between the two countries was so bad that small-scale skirmishes broke out.

As the atmosphere progressed like this, Spain stationed an ambassador in London to ensure that England was brought to their side, and France stationed an ambassador in London to prevent England from attacking them like they did during the time of Henry VIII.

Princess Catherine’s baptism ended with the blessings of so many people.

As soon as the baptism was over, Mary urgently convened a palace meeting, and the nobles who had been ordered to convene followed Mary’s orders and headed to the palace with puzzled expressions, not knowing what was going on.

“Everyone came well.”

Mary gave greetings to the thirty or so nobles who attended the court meeting according to her orders.

The nobles were very nervous as they wondered how urgent the matter was for the Queen to come out first and wait for them. They bowed to the Queen and took their seats.

The first to speak was Count William Herbert, who has recently emerged as a powerful figure.

“Her Majesty the Queen. What on earth is going on, calling a palace meeting so urgently even though it is the princess’s christening day? By any chance, has France declared war on Calais?”

Although Princess Catherine was only three days old, it was well known among the palace and nobles how much Mary loved Princess Catherine.

Even though it was the day of Princess Catherine’s christening, the Queen had convened a meeting to discuss state affairs, so Count Herbert, who guessed that it was not an urgent matter, opened his mouth.

“Count Herbert, when such a big thing has happened, how is it possible that the news would not reach your ears? That’s not it, I’ve summoned you because of the princess’s business.”

“Princess’s work… What do you mean? Anything happens to the princess… .”

“No, princess, you weren’t baptized today!”

“No way, even if something goes wrong princess… .”

On the day the princess was baptized, the nobles began to make all kinds of speculation when they heard that the nobles had been summoned to discuss the princess’s problem.

As the atmosphere in the office suddenly became noisy, Mary gently knocked twice on the desk where she was sitting to calm the commotion.

Then he smiled softly and opened his mouth to the nobles.

“It’s not something you worry about, so don’t worry too much. Not my other things… “I have summoned you to discuss the issue of awarding titles.”

“Did you say awarding a title?”

All kinds of speculation began to run rampant again after hearing that the title would be awarded.

All the titles that became vacant due to the last rebellion have long since found new owners. In this situation, when the queen brought up the issue of awarding titles, the nobles could not help but become very nervous.

This was no different from saying that one would take away someone’s title or create a new one.

“Yes. “I would like to award Catherine her title. What do you think?”

“Catherine? “You mean the princess?”

“Your Majesty the Queen, what title would you give to someone who has just been baptized?”

“you’re right. Even if a title were to be given to the princess, what title would it be, and who would the representative be sent to rule on behalf of the territory? .”

“Oh, don’t worry too much about that. “The title given to Catherine is mine.”

“You mean the title Her Majesty the Queen holds?”

“So, are you really saying that you will award the title of Prince of Wales to the princess?”

“No, the princess finished her baptism today. “Are you saying that you will declare the person who was born three days old as your successor?”

I knew that Mary cared for the princess, but I never thought it would be this much.

Some of the nobles urgently looked at Eric, who was standing next to Mary, but Eric quietly shook his head at the nobles who were looking at him and confessed that he could not stop Mary.

“Honestly, isn’t this something I shouldn’t ask you about?”

“that… No, yes. “I understand, Her Majesty, please do as you wish.”

The nobles, who guessed that they could not break Mary’s stubbornness, had no choice but to accept Mary’s will.

And since it was obvious that the position of Prince of Wales would go to Princess Catherine over time, wouldn’t it be okay to think of it as stepping down from the position of Prince of Wales a little early?

“Then let’s talk about the awarding of the title of Prince of Wales… Let’s discuss the royal flagship. Logan?”

“Yes, Her Majesty.”

“So, the hull of the royal flagship is almost complete?”

“That’s right. “I saw deck work starting before I came to London, so I think they’re finishing it by now.”

“Yes, I’m planning to go on an inspection trip to my royal shipyard soon, so please work hard for a few more months.”

“Her Royal Highness, how many months do you mean… .”

Logan’s embarrassed voice echoed through the office, but no one paid any attention to him.

The Queen also turned her head from Logan and looked towards the nobles.

“Then I guess we can name the flagship.”

“You mean the name of the flagship?”

“Yes. Even if it is built a little early, there will be no major problems.”

“Yes, he is too, but… .”

The nobles looked at Mary with puzzled expressions once again when Mary said that they would usually name the ship already after it was completed.

“The royal flagship currently being built will be named ‘Catherine.’ And Logan. “We are planning to hold a banquet to celebrate Catherine’s birth next Sunday, so please complete your duties as head chef this Sunday and then head back down to Deptford.”

“yes… yes?”

As things progressed like this, the nobles began to realize the reason for convening this meeting.

The fact is that the young princess who was just baptized today will be given the title of Prince of Wales, which is given only to the heir to the throne.

In addition, the nobles were convinced of the queen’s intentions after seeing her declare that the newly built royal flagship would be named after the princess and that she would hold a banquet to celebrate Princess Catherine’s birthday this Sunday.

‘but… Since Her Majesty the Queen is old, by the time the princess grows up… .’

‘Isn’t the Queen overreacting? Who can threaten the princess… Oh, there is. Princess Elizabeth was alive… .’

No matter how you look at it, the intention was to solidify the succession so that Princess Catherine’s succession would not be threatened.

The nobles began to think and think from their own perspectives on how to respond to the queen’s intentions.

* * *

Isn’t this a bit much?

He said that since the hull was completed, it was time to return to the kitchen, and how could a person change in just three days after giving birth to a child?

‘It’s sad to have to go back to Deptford to work, but now it’s time for the Sunday banquet… ?’

While I was trudging along with that thought in my mind, I heard an annoying voice nearby.

“Huh, what on earth is that stranger doing that makes him so popular?”

“Well, I heard you’re good at cooking, and it looks like Her Majesty the Queen likes it.”

He seemed like a noble attending the meeting, as he was dressed extravagantly and knew the content of the palace meeting.

Listening to the conversation, it seems like he is jealous of me. This is not something a person should do.

‘Fuck… Things you don’t even know how hard it is… ! Hey, anyway, there is power and you have to see it. They say that when you become a count, you order everyone under you, but what am I doing? .’

I complain in my mind, but reality does not change.

What can I do? If the queen criticizes me, I should criticize her. Right now, we had to prepare for the banquet.

Yes, I will have to somehow change the queen’s mind at this banquet.

I don’t want to commute by car or by horse anymore.

Footer:

*It is said that the title of Duke of Wales was also awarded to a female successor. In that case, did you say that you would become the Princess of Wales, not the Prince of Wales? This is one of the titles that Mary actually had.

*In fact, Spain and France had been fighting a long war for control of Italy since 1551. Even though it was a war, there were fights in some years and reconciliation in other years.