Chapter 6

Being so coldly ignored by the country's nobles and lords, everyone on the quiet ship was secretly watching Mary's expression, trying to guess what Her Majesty the Queen was thinking.

Raging anger? Or heartbreak?

In the silence, Mary spoke up, “Although the lords have not done their job well, as the monarch of Scotland, it is necessary for me to announce my return upon returning to my country, and it is also necessary for my people to feel that I value them. Therefore, we cannot simply disembark like this.”

After saying that, Mary turned around and began to direct the others.

First, Boswell needed to disembark the ship, find the town's magistrate and soldiers, arrange accommodations for Mary for the night, and then prepare a welcoming procession and ceremony. Given the typical behavior of soldiers in this era, Mary specifically asked Boswell to bring gold coins, instructing him to remember to give the small landowners sufficient compensation if they were to requisition their house.

The four Marys also obeyed the order and led the ordinary maids into the cabin, where they began to open chests and search for the coins that were intended to be distributed to the people of Edinburgh.

Mary kindly advised the remaining two ministers and several knights from France to wait on the ship until Captain Boswell was fully prepared, and then, surrounded by soldiers, to set foot on the Scottish coast with her.

Once night had completely fallen, everything was finally ready.

The once crowded and muddy streets have been hastily covered with planks and straw to conceal large puddles. Every two meters along the street, torches made of dry branches are burning brightly, their warm light illuminating the dark town. Soldiers clad in leather armor stand in two rows along the street, symbolically waving their spears to deter civilians from offending the Queen and her entourage.

Two or three hours was enough time for the news that the Queen had arrived and planned to rest for the night to spread throughout the city. The common people were blocked by soldiers on both sides of the street, whispering among themselves and discussing what the Queen who was about to arrive would look like.

Is she dignified and proud? Or beautiful and charming?

"Boom—Boom—Boom!"

With several deafening sounds, Mary led the group onto Scottish soil and then into Rhett's village.

Of course, there were no cannons in the city prepared for the celebration. To make up for it, the sailboats had real cannonballs. Several experienced old sailors deliberately fired the cannons into the blue sea and sky to make a sound.

To avoid unnecessary waste, Mary instructed them to stop immediately after firing four shots.

The city was quiet.

The commoners whispered among themselves before the Queen's arrival, but after her arrival, they fell into an odd silence.

People gazed curiously at the Queen and the knights and noblewomen behind her, their magnificent attire tinged with both curiosity and fear, their eyes darting greedily over every detail, knowing it would become the subject of their conversation for days to come.

Mary tilted her head slightly and gave Fleming, the most clever and quick-witted man, a wink.

Fleming understood immediately and led the crowd to shower coins upon the commoners on the street. At the same time, Boswell, who had been guarding the Queen, raised his arm and shouted, "Long live the Queen!"

On both sides of the street, the soldiers, who had been instructed in advance, simultaneously raised their arms and shouted repeatedly, "Long live the Queen!"

The coins tossed high into the sky shimmered brilliantly in the firelight, instantly capturing the hearts of all the common people. People scrambled to stand on tiptoe to grab the coins, and hearing the soldiers around them shouting "Long live the Queen!" again and again, their hearts were filled with fervor and their emotions surged. They too began to shout "Long live the Queen!"

These calls started out in fragments, then gradually became repeated, and finally merged with everyone's voices, turning into a rousing cheer!

"Long live the Queen!"

Mary was very pleased with such a call.

Frankly speaking, the ceremony prepared in such a hasty manner was actually very rudimentary. Instead of candles, simple tree branches and torches were used for lighting; instead of a red carpet, straw planks were laid on the ground; and even the cannons were temporarily replaced with cannonballs from the ship. Not to mention the French royal family, who pay great attention to etiquette, even an English nobleman would probably laugh out loud at this so-called ceremony to welcome the Queen.

But compared to being unwelcome in her previous life, Mary was already content.

At least this time, she managed to salvage her dignity as a monarch through the cheers of the people.

Mary walked all the way to the center of the city and arrived at the place Boswell had prepared for her – the residence of an oil merchant.

The old merchant, named Grant, was a Catholic who had lost his wife and had a son and a daughter. He was the one who provided the grease-soaked torches on the street. Mary, dragging her dirty skirt, arrived at the house and saw that a temporary flower stand made of silk had been set up at the door. Old Grant and his family stood at the door, greeting the Queen with utmost respect.

Given Scotland's poverty, it was quite extravagant to welcome the Queen, who was only staying one night, with silk.

The reason Mary asked so many questions was because she had a plan in mind, but she couldn't find a reliable and shrewd businessman to carry it out.

Seeing the old merchant's careful flattery, Mary immediately chatted with him for a few more minutes and gave his daughter a pearl brooch, implying that she could visit Holyrood Palace again in the future to see her.

The old businessman, Glenn, was overjoyed, feeling that his little scheme, which had cost him most of the year's income, had not been in vain.

...

It wasn't until noon the next day that the nobles who came to greet the Queen finally arrived on horseback to greet her.

They were supposed to be there to welcome the Queen, but these Scottish lords hadn't prepared anything to greet Mary. There was no carriage, no guards, no servants; all they had were indifferent faces, which, against the backdrop of their black sable furs and hats, seemed to exude an air of 'what can you do to us?'

Mary, who held the title of Queen but had no real power, was indeed powerless to do anything to these lords.

Among these lords, the one most willing to put on a show was Mary's half-brother, James Stuart, Earl of Maurice, who had already seized power in Scotland.

As a member of the Stuarts, the Earl of Morley's ability to act as regent stemmed primarily from his status as the son of the previous king and the brother of the current queen. Naturally, he would not allow other lords to disrespect the queen, or rather, he could not allow them to disrespect her so openly, as this would undermine his own authority.

So after a simple bow, Earl Morley immediately apologized and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive our lateness. The weather in Scotland is always gloomy, and an unexpected downpour yesterday interrupted our arrival, preventing us from welcoming you immediately.”

When the other lords saw Earl Morrie leading the way, they immediately followed suit and bowed to apologize to the Queen.

After a good night's sleep, Mary, looking refreshed and energetic, sat in the only chair in the living room, showing no displeasure. She nodded and said, "If it was truly because of the weather that I was late, I certainly won't blame anyone. Please rise, lords. And my dear brother James, we haven't seen each other for several years since we parted in France. Please come and let me take a good look at you."

Count Morrie did as he was told and went over to let Mary examine him closely.

The thirty-year-old Earl of Morley was tall and valiant, with a neatly trimmed beard, sharp eyes, and a calm demeanor. He treated Mary with both respect and warmth, and stood out among the lords. Compared to Mary, who was as exquisite and elegant as an oil painting, his appearance was more in line with people's definition of a valiant leader.

After studying Count Morrie for a few seconds and memorizing his current appearance, Mary smiled and began to chat warmly with him, reminiscing about their childhood.

The controversy surrounding the Scottish lords' failure to immediately come to greet him seemed to have passed without a trace, but an unexpected event occurred when he set off from Rhett.

—Mary and her party simply did not have enough extra horses to travel with.

The lords traveled light and simply, with no extra horses to spare, and Mary and her entourage had just disembarked from the sailboat, making it even less likely that they would bring horses with them.

So after a frantic, temporary search, the horse that was finally led to the Queen by its reins was the only decent horse found in the city, which originally belonged to Glenn, the wealthiest oil merchant.

Poor old Glenn, in order to entertain the queen and curry favor with the nobles, had already lost his oil, his house, and his daughter's silk dowry, and now his only horse was taken away.

As for the other maids and French knights who accompanied Mary, they were even more unfortunate. They could only ride on ordinary old horses that were temporarily found in the surrounding villages, some of which did not even have saddles. It was only thanks to the knights' superb skills that they were able to ride them.

Mary stared at the brown horse pawing at the mud and panting, and finally frowned, asking, "James, I remember that the large ship carrying the horses had already set sail a few days before I left France?"

Where's the horse now?!

The matter of the horses wasn't something he was deliberately causing trouble for. Earl Morley looked helpless, shrugged, and explained, "Your Majesty, the ship that transported your horses has been seized by England, supposedly in an operation to hunt down pirates."

It's Elizabeth again...

Mary mounted her horse, looked down at Earl Morrie, shook the reins, and said coldly, "What a ridiculous excuse. What kind of pirate could hide in the ship that transported my horses? That Englishman is always like this. No matter what he wants to do, he doesn't have the courage to admit it openly. He just tries to find some excuses to cover it up."

...

Once everything was ready, the procession set off. The young Queen of Scots took the lead, cracking her whip and galloping to the very front of the procession toward Holyrood Palace.

Behind her, William Maitland Rettington looked at the dashing figure and rode up to Earl Morley, saying, "I inquired about what happened last night when the Queen was away. I must say, Her Majesty's pride seems to be intolerant of any offense, and she is very concerned about her reputation."

Earl Morley glanced at the second most important Scottish nobleman after himself, secretly amused by the man's effeminate physique and appearance, but said seriously, "Of course, we were impolite yesterday. Mary is the Queen, and as her subject and brother, I have a duty to uphold Mary's dignity on all occasions and at celebrations."

“And what about outside of the celebration?” Maitland asked with a meaningful smile.

“Aside from any celebrations, I must remind you that the Queen is still too young and needs me, her older brother, to act as her guardian,” Earl Morley said meaningfully.

Mary Stuart became the rightful Queen of Scotland simply because she was born in a legal marriage, while he, the king's son who truly inherited the heroic blood of James V, could only be relegated to the position of Earl of Morrie. That's how unfair the rules of Catholicism are.

But even if he cannot have the crown of king, he will still be the uncrowned king of Scotland.

As for the little queen, she only needs to be a beautiful decoration on various occasions, and James promises to fulfill his duties as an older brother, protecting her safety and radiance.

If Mary doesn't realize this later, James wouldn't mind giving her a lesson to make her understand her place.