Her Majesty’s Secret Service

096. Demotion and reinstatement

After wandering around London all day, I wasn’t able to return home until late afternoon.

After purchasing the mansion in Southwark, visit the carpentry guild to order furniture for ‘Idea’, go to the blacksmith guild to order new tableware and new cooking tools for the kitchen, and then meet with a wine supplier to the royal family to deliver them. Since signing the contract, time has passed in an instant.

When I returned home after traveling around London all day to open Idea, I turned to Robert, who had come with me all the way here.

“Okay then, Robert, I’ll just go in now.”

“Yes, Baron. see you next time.”

I parted ways with Robert, who had escorted me to the mansion, had the gatekeeper open the door, and entered the house through the garden.

When I asked the servant where Jane was, she said she was watching Richard in Richard’s room, so I answered that I understood and walked to Richard’s room on the second floor.

“Jane, I’m here.”

When I opened the door and went in, I saw Jane watching Richard playing on the wooden horse inside the room with a smiling face.

Jane’s eyes turned to me as if she heard my voice, and Richard, who was in the middle of playing on a wooden horse, threw down the horse he was riding and ran towards me.

“Abba!!”

Perhaps because of all the time I had spent on Richard, he no longer felt unfamiliar with me. He picked up Richard, who was running towards him with his short legs.

“Namsha!”

It was the season, and my clothes seemed to smell like sweat because I had been outside all day. I found Richard’s frowning expression so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you there, Logan? “You said you’d be a little late?”

“Ah, things are going well.”

Thanks to Robert preparing everything, I was able to meet the guild leaders and winemakers of each guild without much waiting. Thanks to that, I was able to return to the mansion at this time.

When I saw Richard clinging to Jane and holding his nose while looking at me, I thought I should probably change my clothes and come back.

He told Jane that he would change his clothes and then headed to the dressing room to change clothes while being attended to by a servant.

“Uh… “Baron.”

Isn’t the person who served me talking to me cautiously?

I was suspicious that something big had happened because someone who usually quietly went about his business spoke to me unusually.

“Why but?”

“that… The lady told me not to tell the baron… No matter how much I think about it, I think I have to tell you… .”

“Jane?”

It seemed that Jane had done something to silence the servants.

“Don’t worry, just tell me. “Did something big happen?”

“That is… This happened around noon today… .”

The words that came out of the servant’s mouth were enough to make my previously good mood plummet in an instant. A Scottish envoy visited my mansion, or rather my family’s mansion, and threatened Jane… .

“… “You mean something like that happened?”

Originally, I was planning to use ‘Idea’ to attract the gentry to my side and then return to the palace, but I thought I probably shouldn’t do that.

The person who guided the envoys was said to be Walsingham, so he must have been playing some kind of prank again.

“also… Should I come back a little sooner? ?”

I didn’t think it could go on like this. Because I don’t go to court, don’t people like Walsingham take it easy on me?

So, isn’t he trying to get ahead by using my family in politics?

It was a little early, but I felt like I had to return to the palace. No, I had to return.

* * *

The evening of the day when Scottish envoys visited Jane at Grinstead Manor.

Queen Mary of England called Walsingham, a low-ranking official in charge of guiding the envoys, and was briefed on Jane’s reaction.

“So it seemed like Jane was scared?”

“Yes, Her Majesty.”

“Did you say Logan was away?”

“Yes that’s right. However, Your Majesty the Queen, according to what I have researched, the Baron has recently been attracting local influential figures by asserting the rights granted by Her Majesty the Queen. that… Trying to build influence without even appearing in the palace is a spirit… .

I know this is presumptuous, but how about taking back some of the rights granted to the Baron? No matter how much I think about it, I’m worried that he’s granting me too many rights… .”

When Walsingham, who had been reporting on Jane’s reaction, suddenly started reporting on Logan’s movements and expressing his judgment, Mary clicked her tongue and quietly warned Walsingham.

“The Eastern trade was opened entirely by Logan. And dried Catherine and Mary… No, this story is done. Anyway, I gave Logan very little compared to what he accomplished. “It’s not something you dare say.”

The rights that Mary granted to Logan, full authority over trade, were tantamount to guaranteeing the same rights as the queen only for Eastern trade.

While other merchants had to wait several months for permission to purchase spices, Logan’s ‘Merchant’, which received Mary’s permission, was able to ship the desired quantity of goods to the English market without obtaining such permission.

Granting these rights to individuals naturally led to opposition from various nobles.

They had not forgotten Walsingham’s behavior during the court meeting, and they approached him and urged him on by asking, ‘Don’t you think the baron’s authority is too much?’

In response to the nobles’ request to question the size of Logan’s authority, Walsingham said this again, thinking that his words would work, but unlike that day, Mary looked at him with a nonchalant expression.

“You don’t know your subject. He seemed to be quite talented, so he was brought into the palace, and, hmm… .”

Walsingham, who saw Mary’s expression looking at him, intuitively realized that he had offended Mary.

From Mary’s reaction, Walsingham realized that he had been thinking about something wrong. Although he was a favorite, he still wasn’t on the same level as Logan.

As soon as Walsingham realized the truth, without any hesitation, he quickly bowed down and asked Mary for forgiveness.

“crime… I’m sorry, Her Majesty, I just… out of loyalty to Her. .”

Seeing Walsingham desperately making excuses, Mary clicked her tongue again and gave him a brief command.

“You can just leave.”

“yes… Her Majesty the Queen… .”

Mary, who had driven Walsingham out, had Anne call her secretary, John Boxall. Soon after, a balding middle-aged man came into the office with Anne.

“Did you find it, Her Majesty?”

“John, how on earth did you educate him so that he is already talking about disparaging the government?”

“yes… to?”

As soon as he entered the office, Boxall couldn’t hide his embarrassment at Mary’s criticism. Mary, who saw Boxall like that, spoke in an irritated voice.

“A little while ago, Mr. Walsingham said that it would not be a good idea to take back some of the rights I had granted to Logan. She was the first to realize that this Scotland incident was Elizabeth’s evil plan, and she thought it would be quite useful to come up with a way to exploit that evil plan… .”

When John, the secretary, heard that not only did the newly appointed junior aide carelessly share his opinion with the Queen, but that the opinion was a sensitive topic about reducing the authority of Baron Grinstead, who was at the peak of his fame through the success of the Eastern trade, he opened his mouth as if making an excuse to Mary. .

“I’m sorry, Her Majesty. “I will speak separately.”

“It didn’t seem like something could be done by saying something separately. “Seeing as you say ‘I looked into it separately’ about Logan, it seems like there is a person who suits you separately.”

Boxall felt a chill run down his spine at Mary’s reprimand. As soon as she entered the court, I saw her hanging out with other nobles and thought she was just a friend with a strong desire to succeed, but I never thought she would be so reckless.

Boxall muttered to himself, ‘I should have listened to Marquess William’s advice,’ swallowed the saliva in his mouth, moistened his dry throat, and answered Mary in a trembling voice.

“I heard that after joining the court, you often hang out with the nobles of London.”

“okay? “You’re already showing that kind of behavior?”

Mary, who was contemplating what to do with Walsingham for a moment, looked at the box office and opened her mouth.

“There was something to send someone to the Duke of Guise, right? Because of this Scottish Crown thing. He’s supposed to leave next week, I guess?”

“That’s right. Obviously, to discuss Princess Elizabeth’s marriage to Prince Charles of France… .”

“Yes. Send Walsingham along with the delegation. From the looks of it, the ability to build friendships seems to be quite good. If you leave it in London like this, it’s sure to cause trouble anyway. It would be a good idea to change affiliation at this time. “I don’t think I’ll be able to use my skills as a secretary, so let me use my talents.”

“I will do as you command.”

“Then let’s leave that story aside… I need to decide who to send to France. “Is there anyone you can recommend?”

“Yes, Sir Thomas Randolph. He also has experience staying in France… .”

Mary, who had decided on Walsingham’s treatment in an instant, withdrew her interest in him and began discussing who should be the diplomatic envoy to France.

* * *

Mary, who was deciding on an envoy to send to France and wondering when to send someone to France, was looking at the visitor who came to her with unexpected eyes.

“Huh… Logan, are you serious?”

“Yes, Her Majesty. “I wish to return to the palace tomorrow.”

A visitor, Baron Logan of Grinstead, who came just as the court meeting was over and was about to eat lunch, told Mary that he wanted to give up his six-month break and return to the court to serve the queen.

“I thought you wanted to leave the palace… ?”

“I changed my mind a bit. No, I should say that my thoughts were short-lived.”

Due to the nature of the English court’s lack of talent, there was no reason or need to prevent Logan from returning.

“I’m so glad you changed your mind. There was already a lack of people. The position of head chef was also vacant, so the palace chef was acting on his behalf… Right, would you please take care of some work related to trade in the East?”

In less than a day, the rumor that Logan had returned to the court spread throughout London.

“I knew it would be like this. “A person who has made such a great contribution wants to retire?”

“Think of the rights Her Majesty the Queen granted to the Baron some time ago. No, how can someone who is so favored that he hands over such rights retire… ? The way I see it, the Baron had a plan of his own.”

“The person who established the Chamber of Commerce, which had full authority over trade and had the right to order ships from the royal shipyard, was in charge of trade-related affairs? It looks like Her Majesty the Queen is plotting something with the Baron. “I don’t know what that is.”

The rumors that spread like that gave rise to rumors, and the nobles who heard the rumors began to think that all of Logan’s ridiculous actions so far were the Queen’s will.