Her Majesty’s Secret Service

039. Title

On the day Dartford was seized by Wyatt’s rebels, Earl Kent, Henry Grey, was staying in Dartford.

He had come to Dartford himself to sort out the manorial documents and property lists that were to be presented to the Queen due to a previous incident.

Ever since the day he was severely reprimanded by the queen because of his friend’s sons, he had taken to handling such paperwork himself, rather than entrusting it to others.

While staying in Dartford and organizing documents, Earl Henry heard that Wyatt’s rebels had risen in Rochester.

Upon hearing that the rebels were advancing towards Dartford, the Earl immediately tried to escape Dartford with only his essentials.

However, the Earl was captured by Wyatt’s rebels. It was due to Wyatt’s unexpectedly rapid advance, which he had not even imagined.

Common knowledge had it that the normal marching speed was at most 6-7 miles a day, but Wyatt, abandoning all stragglers and even forgoing supplies, was rushing towards London.

“Good to meet you, my lord. It’s truly regrettable to meet you under these circumstances. Now, if you would, please cooperate. It’s a matter of purging the traitors and righting the nation, so naturally, you’ll assist, won’t you?”

Having occupied Dartford, Wyatt demanded food and hay for his soldiers as if it were a matter of course.

At the same time, he recruited influential figures or peasants to join the rebellion, but no one sided with Wyatt.

The peasants, who had witnessed the queen herself harvesting when she had previously bestowed grace in Dartford, dared not go against her.

Rather, it was more accurate to say they could not. Having received the queen’s personal aid in the harvest, betraying such a merciful queen was unthinkable.

Moreover, Dartford itself was virtually royal land, so the outcome was inevitable.

With the peasants showing such a reaction, the notables of Dartford did the same.

In the end, Wyatt had no choice but to be content with plundering Dartford’s food supplies. He scraped them so thoroughly that the granaries, stored for winter, were left completely empty.

Furthermore, the uncontrolled soldiers wreaked havoc in Dartford, causing significant harm to the ordinary peasants.

As soon as Wyatt’s army left Dartford, the suppressed grievances of the peasants burst forth everywhere.

“These vile creatures, how are we to survive the winter…”

“And those men, they’re gathering to go to London? For what reason?”

“They say it’s to stop Her Majesty’s marriage…? They went on about purging a traitor or something, but it all comes down to stopping Her Majesty’s marriage. You’ve heard about the Swedish prince, haven’t you?”

“What, so we’ve been robbed of our food by these traitorous dogs? What is this…!”

As much as the peasants were outraged, so was Earl Henry towards Wyatt. Under the guise of cooperation, Earl Henry had his wealth plundered, among which were manor documents intended for the queen.

As things turned out, the public sentiment in Dartford, left behind by Wyatt, was on the verge of explosion. Not only had he plundered their food, but in this city where support for the Queen pierced the heavens, it was a natural consequence of his brazen proclamations to divorce her.

The Earl of Kent, Henry Grey, watched and thought to exploit the situation.

This rebellion was bound to fail.

In Dartford, almost a royal domain, and in front of peasants who had recently seen the King himself harvest, Wyatt’s reckless and thoughtless remarks about the Queen’s marriage revealed his rashness.

As soon as Wyatt left, Henry Grey began to maliciously distort Wyatt’s purpose among the people of Dartford. Naturally, there was no way for the peasants to verify this.

Provocative rumors spread quickly. The distorted rumor that Wyatt had chased away the Swedish prince and intended to make the Queen his wife to become a Grand Duke himself spread throughout Dartford in less than half a day.

“Have you heard that rumor? About Wyatt, that scoundrel…”

“No, how has Her Majesty the Queen treated us? Are we all just going to stand by?”

“Indeed! You’re right!”

The simmering anger among the peasants grew ever stronger, and eventually, it exploded. Around that time, Earl Henry announced the recruitment of a volunteer army, declaring it was to fight the traitor who dared insult the Queen, and hundreds of peasants gathered in front of the manor.

Some peasants questioned Earl Henry’s past, but it was trivial compared to Wyatt’s case.

Eventually, Earl Henry’s past was overshadowed by the anger towards Wyatt.

The peasants, burning with the single-minded intent to save the Queen, didn’t care who Earl Henry was; they clamored to join the volunteer army.

* * *

“So you’re saying all these peasants rose up voluntarily?”

On the road to London after quelling the rebellion, Jacob was listening to Earl Henry’s story. What he had heard so far was about the volunteer peasant army marching to London with bright expressions behind them.

“Not all are peasants from Dartford. On the way here with the organized soldiers, we found deserters. They had joined the rebellion but were now defecting. When asked whether they wanted to be executed as traitors or have a chance to pledge loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen, they all asked for the chance to be loyal.”

Jacob couldn’t help but admire the reality of this ‘volunteer army’ as told by Earl Henry. Wasn’t it said that he had even incorporated the deserting rebels into the volunteer army?

The man who had nearly revived a failing house had extraordinary savvy.

“Well, I might have misjudged people and had to offer my wealth to Her Majesty the Queen, but it turned out well somehow. With such a service rendered, surely Her Majesty the Queen will consider my situation.”

“`

“So it is…”

Jacob was able to suppress the rebels thanks to Henry’s militia.

Thus, Jacob had proven his loyalty to the Queen, and though his title was uncertain, at least his life was spared.

But as the human heart often goes, from wanting to sit when standing, to lie down when sitting, Jacob, having saved his life, now began to desire to keep his position.

‘Earl Henry Grey of Kent, with his level of skill…’

Jacob had enjoyed the sweet taste of power while serving as the duke’s aide.

However, the duke had met a vain death, and the duke’s family, the House of Howard, was clearly going to lose its power. Jacob needed a new backer to grant him power.

Jacob’s gaze began to shine as he looked at Earl Henry.

* * *

Thanks to the news of Wyatt’s death, I was able to return to the court where the Queen resided.

As I was handing over my duties to the original commander and returning to the palace, about half a day after the news of Wyatt’s death in London, another piece of good news arrived.

A messenger returned from Welling brought the news that Wyatt’s rebel forces had been annihilated.

The Queen showed a face full of joy upon hearing that Wyatt’s rebels had been annihilated, but her expression quickly changed when she heard that Earl Henry Grey had contributed to their destruction.

“Why did it have to be Henry…?”

“Why so, Your Majesty? Although Henry Grey once committed a discourtesy towards you, it was a mistake of a subordinate… Has he committed any other discourtesy?”

The one questioning the Queen was a senior noble not involved in the rebellion, Bishop Nicholas Heath.

The Archbishop of York, he was slated to be the next Lord Chancellor, but with Bishop Stephen Gardiner, the sitting Lord Chancellor, imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason, he had been hastily called to perform the duties.

“Hmm… It’s nothing. Just the prospect of unexpected expenses, that’s all.”

The Queen shook her head from side to side for a moment, then relaxed her grim expression and returned to her usual demeanor. The Queen let out a small sigh and looked around at the nobles before opening her mouth.

“Then let’s begin the discussion. Starting with the treatment of the traitors… Bishop Nicholas?”

“`

“Yes, Your Majesty, Prince Eric and…”

It was the moment when Bishop Nicholas, upon the queen’s signal, was about to start his report according to her command.

“Wait. Correct it to ‘Duke.’ It seems this rebellion has occurred because some still regard Eric as a foreign prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall correct it. Thus, the chef under the command of Duke Eric, Logan Lee, has arrested the traitors, Bishop Steve and Edward Courtney. The interrogation revealed that twenty soldiers within London were involved, and fortunately, none within the palace were found to be complicit.

A court will be convened shortly to try the traitors along with them… I seek to know Your Majesty’s wishes on this matter.”

“Execute the twenty soldiers in a manner befitting their crimes. Choose an appropriate day for their execution. And Courtney, I shall reclaim the earldom, lands, and knighthood bestowed upon him. Determine the extent of Courtney’s involvement, and if it is not severe, let us consider exile.”

“Yes, then Bishop Steve… no, the sinner Steve Gardner. What shall we do with him?”

“Steve… I will… decide on him later. When is the trial date set?”

“Count Henry reports that the number of criminals he is bringing up amounts to hundreds, so perhaps we shall deal with them all at the end of next month.”

“Is that so? I entrust that to you as well. And Earl Herbert.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What of the traitors’ families?”

“They have been imprisoned in the Tower, as per Your Majesty’s orders.”

“And Elizabeth?”

“Yes, Princess Elizabeth has been kept at her residence. If Your Majesty wishes, she can be moved to the Tower at any time. She is under strict guard by trustworthy soldiers and cannot step out, so you may rest assured.”

“Good. Bishop Nicholas, interrogate the child Elizabeth thoroughly. If any connection to Wyatt is found, report to me immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will follow your command.”

The queen had imprisoned those involved or likely to be involved in the rebellion in the Tower of London.

Princess Elizabeth was clearly unconnected to the rebellion, but she was confined according to the queen’s suspicion of the unknown.

As they discussed the treatment of the traitors, Bishop Nicholas’s voice was heard once again.

—

“Your Majesty, what do you intend to do for those who have contributed to this affair?”

Indeed, having dealt with the traitors, it was only right to commend those who had served well. I listened to the Queen’s voice with a hint of anticipation.

Originally, I had no interest in such matters, but having briefly commanded 150 men, my feelings had slightly changed.

“Hmm… Firstly, for Adam, who executed the traitors Thomas Wyatt and Thomas Howard, I intend to bestow a barony. As for the estate, we shall grant him a suitable one confiscated from the traitors later. And for the two whose fates are unknown, George and Archibald, I am considering knighting them. What are your thoughts?”

“Let it be so, Your Majesty.”

“Then that settles them… And Henry Grey… Regarding Henry Grey, we shall discuss upon his arrival in London. Lastly… it concerns Logan, who is present here.”

Seated at the very end of the office, courtesy of the Queen, I felt the weight of the other ministers’ gazes as the Queen called my name. Receiving so many looks at once was quite overwhelming.

“Logan has earned his merit by capturing the traitors Steve Gardiner and Edward Courtenay under Eric’s command. Moreover, he conveyed my ‘secret order’ to Adam, contributing to the execution of Howard and Wyatt.

Therefore, I wish to award him an earldom. Like Adam, he shall choose one from the estates to be confiscated. What are your thoughts?”

As soon as the Queen finished speaking, surprise was evident among the ministers. Some gaped at the Queen, while others gave me peculiar looks.

An earl, I am to be an earl. I may not know where yet, but isn’t this recognition as a noble?

Until moments ago, I thought I had no interest in titles, but the pounding in my chest suggested my true feelings were different.

“It seems there are no objections. Then let it be so…”

“Your Majesty, please wait a moment.”

Just before the Queen could finish granting me the earldom, a voice interrupted her.

Turning to see who it was, I couldn’t help but frown.