Chapter 8

“Yes, Your Majesty, that is also the question I wish to know?” Count Alan also stood up and said.

"Would you be willing to share the same faith as us, your most loyal subjects?" Lord Ruseven asked.

“Those popes and their agents in the Roman Catholic Church who only know how to embezzle and take bribes should have long since gone to hell. Only through pure faith can one truly approach our Lord. What do you say, Your Majesty?” Morton Douglas said.

...

The most spacious hall in Holyrood Palace was completely silent.

At Earl Morrie's signal, the Protestant lords and earls on both sides of the long table slowly rose and turned their expectant gazes toward the Queen, who sat at the head of the table.

The few nobles who still maintained their Catholic faith also cautiously refrained from taking the lead, secretly hoping that the Queen would stick to her stance.

Sitting at the head of the table at the far end, Mary interlocked her fingers on the table, her expression calm, but a headache was beginning to creep into her heart.

All the lords turned their gazes toward the Queen, awaiting her response.

The burning of three hundred Protestants by Mary I, the former Queen of England, amply illustrates the terrible consequences that can occur when nobles and monarchs deviate from the same religious beliefs.

And their Queen Mary of Scotland doesn't seem to be doing much better.

She grew up and was educated in the French court, which was entirely Catholic. Her mother and uncle were members of the Guise family, who were staunch Catholics, and naturally became Catholics as well, reportedly very devout.

Even though she had just granted the lords freedom of religion, things are unpredictable, and no one could guarantee that this order wouldn't be reversed later.

Therefore, it would be best to have the Queen convert to Protestantism, thus resolving the future problems once and for all.

Do you want to convert to Protestantism?

Before returning to her home country, Mary had carefully considered this issue in private, and ultimately decided to give up.

This doesn't mean she was particularly devout to Catholicism, although she was very devout in her previous life. Until the moment she was beheaded, she refused the offer of last rites from a Protestant pastor and instead recited Catholic doctrines on the guillotine.

But while she is Mary, she is also an ordinary person from the modern world. The scientific knowledge she has been instilled with over a decade of learning has made her almost doubt the existence of God.

She still respected Catholicism and the Lord, but that was all.

Her current Catholic faith is largely driven by political considerations.

If she converted to Protestantism, she would not only improve her relationship with the nobility, but also indirectly acknowledge the legitimacy of Elizabeth I's parents' marriage, thus depriving herself of her biggest advantage in challenging for the English throne.

As long as she remains a Catholic, the Vatican and the Guise family will always be her hidden allies. In Europe, where the Reformation is in full swing but Catholicism still dominates, she will have many supporters.

Mary glanced around and then said coldly, "Please watch your words, lords. The Roman Catholic Church may have its shortcomings, but it is God's representative on earth and cannot be easily insulted!"

"In the decree I just issued, I granted freedom of religion to everyone in Scotland, including myself, who is free to practice Catholicism."

“And I have no intention of abandoning the devout faith I have had since childhood.”

"I respect the Protestant faith of all the lords present and allow you to hold all the new Masses and sacraments. In return, from now on, none of you should seek excuses to prevent the holding of Catholic Masses, to provoke other Catholics in the country, or to force conversion."

After reciting such a long speech in one breath, Mary paused, made the sign of the cross on her chest, and began calling out names from memory.

“Count Alan, do you agree with what I said?” Mary asked.

As a Protestant, Earl Alan couldn't understand why he was being the Queen's focus of attention when Earl Morrie and Maitland Lettington were both present, but he had no courage to be the one to stick his neck out.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Earl Alan said vaguely.

“Then please sit down again,” Mary said, and after Count Alan sat down, she looked at the next person.

"Lord Rutherwin, do you not agree with the freedom of religion I have granted?"

“I had no such intention, Your Majesty,” Lord Ruseven, who also dared not be the first to speak out, immediately said, and at Mary’s request, returned to his seat.

“Lord Huntley, and you?” Mary asked.

"I am just like everyone else."

Lord Huntley spoke more ambiguously, without explicitly expressing agreement or disagreement, but before Mary could speak, he quickly sat down himself.

Mary called out names one by one and then had the lords sit down one by one. In the end, only Earl Morrie, who was closest to the Queen, was left standing on both sides of the long table.

Unlike other nobles who temporarily backed down due to the young queen's displeasure and stopped pursuing religious issues, he remained standing in place. His face, hidden by his beard, revealed a mixture of arrogance and disdain. When he looked at Mary, he looked at her as if she were a child trying to act like an adult.

Count Maurice certainly had the capital to do so, whether it was wealth, military power, or prestige among other nobles; Mary, who only had a title, was now far inferior to him.

“What do you want to say to me, Your Majesty?” Earl Morrie said calmly.

To Earl Maurice's surprise, Her Majesty did not repeat the sternness she had shown when speaking to others. Instead, she turned to him and said in a seemingly nonchalant and amiable tone, "Even if there is something you wish to say, it is merely a trivial matter, dear brother. We are, after all, blood relatives who rely on each other. Now, please sit down. Let's not dwell on what has already been decided. Let's talk about other things, such as how about we continue to dine together at Holyrood Palace tonight?"

This was an implicit show of submission and goodwill. Earl Morley's lips curled up subtly, knowing that the Queen ultimately lacked the courage to break ties with him and instead needed to rely on him to secure her throne amidst the wolves.

In that case, he should also give the Queen face accordingly.

“Of course, it would be my honor to dine with you,” said Earl Morrie, slowly pulling out the chair behind him and sitting down again.

"I hope that from now on, Scotland will no longer experience bloodshed over religious issues," Mary concluded.

Of course, that's obvious.

After the business was over, at the Queen's signal, everyone started chatting amongst themselves. Although there were some heated exchanges between rival families, the tense atmosphere from before was dispelled. In addition, there were a few nobles who were eager to get to know the new Queen, such as Count Marl, who warmly invited Mary to go hunting on their territory.

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere return to the hall, Mary sighed inconspicuously.

Her religious issues were never resolved; they were merely temporarily set aside to maintain a semblance of peace.

If it encounters any person with ulterior motives, such as Elizabeth in London secretly stirring things up, then this hidden danger is very likely to erupt again.

But right now, she doesn't have a better way to solve it.

Maitland, the second most important Scottish nobleman who had been watching Earl Morrie's spectacle with great interest, suppressed a smile and joined the nobles' conversation, inviting the Queen to a masquerade ball at his castle.

Maitland, a long-time rival of Count Maurice in his power struggles, began to consider whether to secretly pledge allegiance to Queen Mary in order to gain greater benefits.

Although he was also a Protestant, he only embraced Protestantism because it brought him benefits from the monastery. Maitland didn't care about the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism and was perfectly willing to accept a Catholic mistress.

If the Queen and her half-brother were to be at odds for a long time, Maitland would be more than happy to be the knife that cuts down on Earl Morrie, and then cut off a few pieces of flesh to eat.

...

When the long parliamentary session finally came to a successful conclusion, and the lords removed their hats to take their leave, Mary Livingston pushed open the door to Mary's study and said softly with a smile, "Your Majesty, has the sun god Apollo, whom you rescued at sea, awakened?"

Which Apollo?

There were so many things to do after returning home that Mary paused for a moment before recalling the little incident on the ship and the young man's unforgettable face.

Thinking about the strange conditions on the sunken ship and the dead crew members, Mary felt it was necessary to ask the survivor herself.

“Take me to see him,” Mary said.

As Mary Livingston lifted her long gown to lead the Queen, she couldn't help but chatter on and on: "The servants have been following your instructions, feeding him water mixed with sugar and salt while he's unconscious. We don't know what it's for, but his health is definitely improving. Actually, he woke up once on the ship, but the journey after we disembarked caused him to fall back into a coma with a fever, and he only recovered today. That day on the ship, he seemed to truly believe Your Majesty was an angel, saying that an angel shrouded in black veil appeared in a radiant light, guiding his soul to heaven. I had to explain several times that he was still on earth, and that the Queen of Scotland had saved him, before he reluctantly believed it. How romantic..."

Young noblewomen always yearn for romantic legends, and this handsome young man who survived the shipwreck added a touch of brightness to their dull lives. In recent days, Four Marys have often discussed his origins in private, and even put forward the outrageous guess that he was a prince in distress.

Mary had no idea what her maid was thinking; more concerned with the young man's true identity than with romantic fantasies.

“Your Majesty, we have arrived,” Mary Livingston said.

Mary pushed open the door and walked in, and saw the survivor wearing a loose white shirt, leaning against the headboard, his face still pale with illness, but his spirits were already good.

Upon seeing Mary enter, he quickly stood up, his bright brown eyes burning, and then bowed to her.

"Thank you for saving my life from the clutches of death, Your Majesty the Queen of Scotland."