Her Majesty’s Secret Service

090. Are you qualified to speak?

New Year’s Day, June 26th.

… Jonghyeong left for the palace after receiving an urgent call and returned to his mansion only in the late evening.

Jong-hyung’s expression on his return was extremely subtle. As soon as he heard my question about what happened, Jong-hyung uttered an insult that was difficult to put down in writing, and then replied, “If I messed up because of an unheard of b*stard, my wife would have become king of Scotland.” , I was surprised to hear that he was the king, and when I pressed him for an answer, he immediately told me what had happened in the palace.

* * *

As I was sitting in the back seat and quietly listening to the conversation, a sound came out that I couldn’t ignore. Did you say Francis Walsingham? Why did Jane’s name come out of the mouth of this random guy I’d never heard of before?

Well, let’s say we can go as far as giving Jane the crown of Scotland.

But what about civil war and annexation? What that guy named Walsingham was saying could only be heard as a suggestion to bring Jane as a sacrifice to annex Scotland.

“Logan, it seems you don’t like what Walsingham said?”

I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I yelled once, and then I felt the queen’s eyes on me. To the Queen’s obvious words, I answered back with an obvious answer.

“You can’t like it. “Isn’t the author now talking about selling my wife to Scotland?”

After answering that, I turned my head towards Walsingham.

“Say it with your own mouth! Was I wrong?! Now that I think about it, you said you attended the palace meeting on behalf of Marquis William, right? “You can recognize that your opinion is the Marquis’ opinion!”

Looking at it, it seems like the guy who used to work as the marquis’s secretary was attending a palace meeting and said something with the intention of getting the queen’s attention, but this was way beyond the line.

Even though it may be said that he was just trying to get the queen’s attention, how can he attract someone else’s wife, especially someone who has a history of being hurt by unwanted political play?

I thought I should start by making a formal complaint to the Marquis and expelling him from the palace, so I put pressure on him by mentioning the Marquis’s name.

“Umm… Baron… It’s not… I think the Baron misunderstands something. Yes, I am by no means talking about selling the princess to Scotland… “Would you please listen to my story first?”

He stuttered for a moment, probably quite surprised, but soon became irritated at the sight of him trying to make excuses.

“Are you trying to make an excuse? There’s no need. Talk to the Marquis directly… .”

I was just about to open my mouth to apply more pressure.

“Logan, leave it at that.”

“But, Her Majesty! My wife… .”

“Well, leave it at that. “The author’s story isn’t over yet.”

The Queen herself came forward and blocked my mouth, giving Walsingham a chance to make excuses. The indirect reference to Princess Catherine earlier by that b*stard named Walsingham had clearly caught the Queen’s attention.

In my heart, I want to blow off the head of that guy named Walsingham, who is trying to use someone else’s wife as a tool for his own success, with a pistol, but since the Queen herself has stepped forward, there is nothing I can do.

“Now, let’s talk about it. “What kind of ‘misunderstanding’ does Logan have about you?”

So I had no choice but to listen to Walsingham’s excuses.

* * *

When the Queen stepped forward to relieve Logan’s pressure on him, Walsingham sighed in relief.

‘Whoa, come to your senses. If you make a mistake, you will inevitably become enemies with the Baron.’

Not only did he win the Queen’s favor, but if he lost the favor of Baron Logan of Grinstead, whose status had risen as a result of the success of this Eastern trade, it was clear that even if he gained the Queen’s favor, he would be far from the ‘road to success’ he wanted. .

Even if he had caught the Queen’s attention right now, it would be nothing compared to Logan, who was glaring at him.

Moreover, on the day when the Baron formally complained to the high-ranking treasurer he served, the Marquis William, his position might be shaken.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed like the Baron thought he was trying to win the Queen’s favor by using his wife. Since he was given the opportunity to make an excuse, he had to appease the angry Baron by informing him that that was not his intention.

‘Was it the right choice to bring up Princess Catherine’s story? If it weren’t for Her Majesty the Queen… .’

Walsingham, who thought that if it had not been for Mary’s intervention that he would have had no choice but to keep silent under the pressure of the enraged baron without a chance to make an excuse, desperately tried to save what might be his last chance.

“Baron, let me make this clear. “I by no means mean to use the Baroness as a sacrifice for the annexation of Scotland.”

“If you said that a lot just now and now you say you didn’t mean it, how do you think I’ll take it? huh??”

Although Walsingham was slightly intimidated by the baron’s sarcastic tone, he continued to speak as if nothing had happened.

“I certainly said that Her Majesty must promise what Princess Elizabeth has agreed to give them. “Baron, what do you think Princess Elizabeth promised them?”

“Are you trying to play with words now?”

When Logan showed signs of trying again, Walsingham urgently continued his explanation.

“Full power! They would have promised full power! Princess Elizabeth had promised that if she became king, she would hand over ‘full power’ of Scotland to them. Now look, what can Princess Elizabeth give them, with no support left of hers but the Earl of Seymour?”

“That b*tch deserves it. “She’s not an ordinary b*tch.”

Walsingham, whose confidence had been restored by the Queen’s speech, was able to look straight at Logan.

“What I want to say is that the Baroness should wear the crown, but hand over all authority to the Protestant faction, including Knox. One more thing, the Baroness is staying in England instead of going to Scotland. “To be precise, she only visits Scotland for coronations and certain anniversaries.”

“Hand over full authority? To them?”

Although he hasn’t relaxed his expression yet, Logan’s voice, a little more familiar, lingered in Walsingham’s ears.

“Yes, exactly. “If the queen, her baroness, were to insist on the condition that she should remain in England and give up full control of Scotland, they would at once abandon Princess Elizabeth and give her crown to her baroness.”

Walsingham, who responded to Logan’s reflexive comment, immediately lowered his head toward Logan as soon as he finished answering.

“Baron. I am well aware of the unfortunate events that happened to the Baroness. Please believe me. “I swear that this will never hurt the Baroness.”

Despite making such desperate excuses, Logan’s expression was still stiff and showed no signs of loosening.

Logan kept his mouth shut, as if he was contemplating whether to believe Walsingham’s words or not. Walsingham, who had apologized to Logan, looked at Logan’s face and swallowed dry saliva.

‘please… please… .’

I sincerely hope that ‘Baron Grinstead’ will accept his excuse.

* * *

While this brat named Walsingham was giving an impassioned speech, he quietly spoke to the nobleman next to him.

When asked, “Do you know who that guy named Walsingham is?” the answer was that Walsingham was a lawyer belonging to Gray Inn and had only been at the palace for a few years.

Somehow, the fact that he was spouting words as if he had oil on his lips made him seem like a fraudster. Doesn’t that mean that his original job was as a nationally recognized fraudster?

By handing over ‘full power’ to the Scottish nobles and allowing Jane to stay in England and go to Scotland a few times a year to act as queen, he could have made a novel excuse that he was not trying to sell Jane out.

But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t get the thought of that guy out of my head. Especially at the part where Jane’s wounds were mentioned, my annoyance rose to the level of my head.

‘Don’t you think you said something like that even though you knew what my wife went through? No, she gets hurt or not. Why does she decide that for herself? She was, at best, attending as her marquess’ agent, and what kind of bullshit was she? Does she somehow think she just needs to get the Queen’s attention?

Aside from everything else, I didn’t like the idea of ​​using my wife politically. No matter how much I thought about it, it was clear to me that this guy named Walsingham was trying to use my wife Jane to advance his career.

He bowed his head and said something to apologize, but no matter how you look at it, it was just an excuse, not an apology. what? You think nothing unpleasant will happen? I pursed my lips tightly, feeling as if something was boiling inside me.

What was more annoying was the reaction of the other nobles and the queen.

Some people shook their heads thinking that this brat’s idea of ​​using my wife was quite plausible, so no matter how I felt, I really felt like Jane was going to be the victim of this political game.

I felt like I had to turn this situation around somehow. I desperately racked my brain and came up with a way to overturn the claims of that guy named Walsingham.

I’m sure you said he was a bureaucrat who had just entered the palace.

“okay. “I guess I misunderstood.”

“ah! “I’m so glad you know.”

Perhaps because he thought his excuse had worked, I noticed the face of the little boy named Walsingham brightening subtly. Seeing that, I became irritated once again.

After answering Walsingham, I turned my head towards the queen.

“Her Majesty the Queen. “What this friend says is quite plausible.”

“okay? “Do you really think that?”

Receiving a surprised look from the queen, I began a story to overturn this brat’s claims.

“But, there is something that bothers me.”

“What’s bothering you?”

In response to the Queen’s question, I looked at Walsingham and opened my mouth.

“Francis, how long have you been at the palace?”

“yes? It’s been 4 years now… .”

“under! 4 years? “It’s only been four years since you entered the palace?”

He deliberately ridiculed Walsingham and shouted out Walsingham’s career. So that the nobles and the queen could hear.

“That’s right. “Baron, are you saying that’s any problem?”

“problem? Cancer, don’t become a problem. Dear, how many times have you attended the palace meeting today? “Wasn’t today the first time?”

“yes? Right… “Yes.”

As soon as Walsingham’s hesitant answer ended, I opened my mouth again in a loud voice.

“Her Majesty the Queen, and many other distinguished people. Does this make any sense now? “Is it even possible for a low-level official, who has only been in the palace for four years and who attended palace meetings as a ‘representative’, to discuss important matters of the nation?”