Her Majesty’s Secret Service

057. How is work going?//When are you going to get married?

One afternoon in the first week of February 1555, about two days before leaving for Deptford.

Mary was sitting in her office, lost in thought as she recalled the events of Princess Catherine’s birthday banquet last week.

‘Hmm… Both Elizabeth and Jane would be a threat to Catherine. I wonder if it would be easier to kill Elizabeth, but… It must be difficult because there’s still a family that supports that b*tch, and Jane… So, what is wrong with that poor child? Those who are trying to take advantage of that child are wrong.’

As Mary watched the nobles clinging to Elizabeth and Jane at the previous banquet, she was worried that those two might threaten Catherine’s succession.

‘I don’t know when King Gustaf of Sweden will die, but since he is old, he will have to go to Sweden and succeed to the throne before Catherine becomes an adult. It would be best for me to live to see Catherine become an adult, but… What if I die leaving behind a young heir like her father? If that happens, what happens to Catherine?

No matter how much Eric tries to exercise his position as regent, there will be limits because he will have to stay in Sweden after becoming the king of Sweden. If that happens, there will definitely be a rampage of people like Elizabeth and those who want to take advantage of Jane.

Whether they fail or succeed, my daughter will be deeply hurt. Yes, it would be better to sort out the succession issue neatly at this time. ‘No matter what it takes.’

Recently, Mary has been feeling tired more and more. Her body feels drowsy and she suddenly feels dizzy.

Mary’s weakened body after giving birth to Catherine reminded her of the worst.

‘As long as those who support Elizabeth still remain, it will be impossible to eliminate Elizabeth directly… . ‘It would be right to take a few years to sort it out.’

I wanted to deal with Elizabeth right away, but some Anglican forces and several noble families were still supporting her.

After Catherine’s birth, most of the Protestant forces that supported Elizabeth latched onto Eric, but the power of those who supported Elizabeth had not yet become small enough to treat her carelessly.

‘Is Jane the one who can handle it right away? It would be better to marry off the child I saved with my own hands to a suitable low-ranking noble who would not be able to claim the throne. Phew… I feel uneasy because I feel like I’m doing something similar to her father, but is there anything I wouldn’t do for Catherine? Still, they chose a young and handsome nobleman… .’

As I was pondering for a while about how to handle the succession issue, I heard the servant’s voice outside the door.

“Her Majesty the Queen. The French ambassador, Count Antoine, requested an audience. “What should I do?”

Mary could not hide her surprise at the news the servant delivered. Was there anything that would make the French ambassador ask for an audience so suddenly?

“For what reason did you say you were asking for an audience?”

“I asked her several times, but she said she would talk to Her Majesty the Queen. “If it is difficult to have an audience right now, you say you want an audience as soon as possible. How should I answer that?”

There was one thing you could guess if it was a sensitive issue that could only be spoken about if you saw it yourself.

‘Carol, you are planning to attack Spain. Well, since I successfully defended myself twice, I guess I felt confident enough to attack.’

Mary thought France was preparing for war with Spain.

It was England who always coordinated between the two countries. Following the defeat of the army led by Charles at the siege of Metz in 1552, France seemed to have gained confidence after defeating the army led by Charles again at Renty in northern France in August of last year.

“You tell this to Ambassador Antoine. “It’s difficult to meet right now because my schedule is busy, so let’s meet in three days after I return from my tour.”

“Yes, I will tell you that.”

Since a tour was actually planned, Mary planned to use the tour as an excuse to delay her meeting with the French ambassador as much as possible.

There is no need for England to be in a hurry right now.

* * *

Seeing all the shipbuilders around me frozen solid reminds me of the old days.

When I was just deployed to the fleet, the new commander came to the ship I was on and told me he had been appointed. It was exactly the feeling I had back then.

“indeed… A ship of this size has never been heard of. “You guys really did a great job!”

Finally, today, the Queen visited the shipyard.

Fortunately, the work of erecting the mast was completed before the Queen arrived, and the Queen was impressed by the sight of the royal flagship, which was almost completed, except that the ropes and sails were not hung.

“You said that the ‘Catherine’ could carry 52 guns, right? Looking at the size, it seems like it can carry 100 guns. “Even if there are detailed drawings, your workmanship in building a hull of this size in a little less than a year is truly amazing.”

As the queen’s voice of admiration was directed at the shipbuilders, the shipbuilders bowed their heads, not knowing what to do.

The queen smiled slightly at the shipbuilders’ reaction and turned her gaze to me.

“Especially Logan, you did such a great thing? “I heard from Peter that you shortened the drying period by nearly three months, right?”

“It’s all thanks to the hard work of the shipbuilders at the shipyard. “I just provided the opportunity.”

I was giving a humble and polite answer in front of the queen, but deep down, I was hoping that the answer I wanted would come out of the queen’s mouth as soon as possible.

‘It’s a compliment and it’s unnecessary, I just wish they would give me permission to return to London… .’

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, the Queen continued to stand in front of the dry dock and express admiration as she gazed at the huge hull of the royal flagship, Catherine.

Then, the queen called Peter separately and began to ask questions such as whether the launch would be possible within the next few months and how long it would take for the finishing work to be completed. It seemed like she would have to keep standing like this for a while as the story progressed.

“So, you’re saying the launch will be completed within half a year? “I’m looking forward to it.”

After a rather long conversation with Peter, the words I had been waiting for came out of the queen’s mouth.

“Logan. He did his job very well. The remaining work can be left to the shipbuilders on the front line. “You come back to my kitchen and do your duty.”

“I will follow your orders. “Her Majesty the Queen,”

I barely suppressed the cheers that were about to break out without me knowing, and quietly paid my respects to the queen.

This boring life at the shipyard is finally over.

* * *

A cruise back to London from the dockyards in Deptford.

Mary was so deep in thought that she could not properly respond to the cheers of the farmers.

‘The more I think about it, the more I think Logan is a very useful servant. If it’s food, it’s food, if it’s ship building, it’s ship building. Doesn’t he do everything I ask him to do satisfactorily? Just like the fried chicken at the previous banquet, they always surprise me with results I didn’t expect… .’

Although the time required to manufacture and design parts was reduced exponentially due to the availability of blueprints, the fact that a hull of that size was built in almost 10 months was surprising.

‘Besides, a ship of that size would have endless uses. It is an all-purpose ship that can be used as a warship, trade ship, or anywhere. Okay, should we make Logan the captain and find a route to the eastern country called Joseon? Since you have been there once, it will be easy to find. I have Sir Brian’s map… Yeah, wouldn’t it be worth a try? Looking at the level of cuisine, it is clear that Joseon is a wealthy country.’

But soon, Mary retracted her thoughts.

‘No. Didn’t you say that the reason Logan can’t return to his hometown is because he doesn’t have a boat? If Logan doesn’t return home, wouldn’t it be my loss? Besides, Logan, a stranger, has no one to rely on but me, so isn’t he a subject who has no choice but to be loyal to me? I can’t just let go of such a useful subject.’

There were many people who were loyal to Mary, but there were very few who had to be loyal to Mary. Especially those who must be loyal to Mary and yet have power.

‘And considering Logan’s age, I would like to leave Catherine’s dining table to Logan as well… hmm? Wait a minute, Logan had no choice but to be loyal to me. Yes, I did!’

As Mary was thinking over and over again on the horse, a thought passed through her mind. She was the solution to the succession problem I had been worrying about for a few days.

Above all, the solution to the problem regarding Jane Gray.

* * *

It wasn’t until I arrived in London, spent a night there, and went to work at the head chef’s office that I missed it that I realized that I had been freed from the tedious commute.

Now is the end of suffering and the beginning of happiness.

The only thing left for me to do with the royal flagship case was to write and report my opinion on where to purchase items to be used on the ‘Catherine’.

I’ll have to attend a ship launching ceremony later, but that’s just for one day, so what’s the problem?

“Lord Logan! “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in this room.”

Oliver’s face is completely different between seeing it here and in the kitchen.

As we were laughing and talking, I heard Anne’s voice outside the door.

“Nimi, what are you trying to make me do again in one day… .”

Now I’m sick of just hearing Ann’s voice. Every time Anne came, the only thing she gave me was more work. The last time Anne visited her was when she was driven away to the shipyard?

I swore softly and opened the door, and as expected, I heard Anne answer that the Queen was calling me.

I thought I would be able to live comfortably for the past few days, but it seems I had no luck.

Today I had to go to Princess Catherine’s room, not the Queen’s office. She said she was the queen and now she was watching the princess in Princess Catherine’s chambers.

The princess’s room was located not far from the queen’s room.

The room, which was too large for a baby, was almost as big as the Queen’s office, and was filled with small beds and luxurious-looking furniture.

The cupboards and desks were full of toys and dolls made of expensive-looking materials, all of which were specially made for Princess Catherine.

“Her Majesty, have you found it?”

I stood in the center of the room and saluted the Queen, who was smiling happily while holding Princess Catherine in her arms.

Was my voice bothering her? Didn’t Princess Catherine, who was closing her eyes in the Queen’s arms, suddenly start crying?

When Princess Catherine burst into tears, the Queen immediately called a nanny and ordered her to comfort her. Did she say that the nanny was also her baroness? As soon as her nurse touched her, the princess stopped crying and smiled brightly.

“I’ve shown a bad attitude in front of you.”

“No, Her Majesty. “I’m so glad that my cute princess seems to be in good health.”

“Is that so? Do you think Catherine looks really cute? Yes, with these chubby cheeks… Tiny hands… .”

The Queen, who was bragging about being a princess for a moment, soon changed her expression and opened her mouth again.

“Hmm, hmm, I showed my shameful side.”

“ah… no.”

“Yes, then that’s a good thing. “Have you ever gotten married in your hometown?”

“You mean marriage? I didn’t do it. But how could that be… .”

“That went well, it went very well.”

“May I ask why you are asking such a question?”

When I suddenly questioned the queen’s question about whether or not I was married, she immediately answered my question.

“Before you answer that, let me ask you one question. How old did you say you were this year, twenty-six?”

“Yes that’s right.”

After hearing my answer, the queen opened her mouth and muttered, “I guess that’s okay.”

“Are you not planning on getting married? “I would like to introduce you to my wonderful child?”

“yes?”

At the sound that came out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but make a dumb expression. What did I just hear? marriage? Am I not even in a relationship?

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*The war between France and Spain that lasted from 1551 to 1559 was a war over control of Italy.

Like all wars of this era, during the eight years of war, some years were fought and some years were not fought. In 1552, Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain, attacked the city of Metz, but the siege failed. , In 1554, there was a defeat in a province called Hungti. Both battles were led by the same commander.

*There were toys even in the 16th century. Starting with balls like the prototype soccer ball we play with, dolls, and even models. Among them, it is said that balls and dolls were so expensive that it was difficult for anyone but the royal family to own them.

It is said that children usually played with pig urine by filling it with pebbles or air. It is said that dolls were played with dolls made of clay, stones, or tree branches.