Chapter 4
The funeral proceeded in an orderly manner in a solemn atmosphere. After the Mass, the crowd escorted the king's coffin to the cemetery.
Just as the royal ladies stepped out of the church, Mary, who was walking at the front, paused for a moment, waiting for the Medici Queen Mother to be the first to step out of the church steps.
“Please leave, Your Majesty the Queen Mother,” Mary said.
This was not because Marie Antoinette considered herself inferior, but because of the strict hierarchy in France. According to custom, only the rightful Queen of France, the first lady of the court, had the right to lead the way at formal celebrations and banquets.
Charles IX was not yet married, and Mary was already the former queen, so the power once again returned to the hands of Catherine de' Medici, the Queen Mother.
The Medici Queen Mother immediately smiled, watching her former rivals, who had once been proud of their status or favor, being forced to lower their proud heads and yield to her. What could be more satisfying than this?
“How familiar this scene is, Mary. Just over a year ago, Henry had just passed away, and I had to slow down and get used to letting you go ahead. But now, things have changed again, and it’s your turn to get used to standing behind me,” the Medici Queen Mother teased maliciously.
Beside the Queen Mother, some noblewomen who had never gotten along with the Marie and Guise families, such as the ladies of the Duke of Montmorency, immediately burst into laughter, whispering among themselves as they watched the former Queen's embarrassment.
Mary glanced at them expressionlessly, and under the lingering influence of the former queen, the laughter abruptly stopped, and several people lowered their heads guiltily.
Mary paused for a few seconds, suppressing a trace of anger in her heart, and then said in the same calm tone as before, "Yes, I stand behind you because in this funeral, I am not standing here as the monarch of Scotland, but as François's wife, a woman who has just lost her husband, to follow the proper etiquette. Out of love for him, I wish to show you the utmost respect."
"The monarch of Scotland? Without the years of aid from France and the Vatican, Scotland would probably have become part of England long ago."
The Medici Queen Mother's mocking smile became even more pronounced. However, out of consideration for her deceased eldest son's funeral, she decided to stop while she was ahead and did not further provoke Mary Stuart, who was trying to maintain her dignity. She was the first to cross the church door and ended this small disturbance.
As for the turmoil in her heart, Mary could only comfort herself.
Well, what goes around comes around. The more she looked down on people before, the more people are now kicking her when she's down, wanting to see her make a fool of herself. She has no one to blame but herself.
...
After the funeral, Mary went to see the Duke of Guise to discuss returning to Scotland to take charge of government affairs.
Scotland, a small country located in northern Europe, occupies only one-third of the island of Great Britain in terms of area. Moreover, most of its terrain is mountainous and hilly, with plains suitable for growing crops being so scarce as to be negligible. This means that most people living on this land can only make a living by raising cattle and sheep or by fishing. They are extremely vulnerable to weather or other factors, which naturally sets them apart from England and France, where they can harvest crops steadily year after year. Scotland's poverty and small population are almost inevitable.
However, poverty and a small population do not necessarily mean fewer problems.
After years of brewing, the storm of Henry VIII's Protestant reformation finally reached this small northern country, causing many lords to convert to Christianity. Naturally, they were resistant to Mary, a devout Catholic monarch, and even openly said that they wished they could never see Mary Stuart again.
Meanwhile, her half-brother, the Earl of Maurice, quickly seized power in Scotland after the death of Queen Mother Guise. Naturally, he did not want the rightful monarch of Scotland to return and compete with him for power. Even Elizabeth I, far away in London, spent thousands of pounds every year to secretly bribe many lords in the Scottish Parliament and spread rumors in any way that could influence Mary, trying to delay her return to Scotland...
In short, Scotland has every kind of conflict: the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism, the conflict between monarchs and nobles, and the conflict between domestic and foreign affairs.
The longer she returns to the country, the longer her authority as a monarch will be shaken, and the bigger these problems will become. In that case, it would be better to go back sooner and face them directly.
After listening to Mary's story, the Duke of Guise did not hesitate for long before approving his niece's decision to return to the country and take charge of the government.
The reason was simple: his wish for his niece to marry the French king again had been completely thwarted. In that case, it would be in the best interest of the Giese family to let her return to Scotland to govern.
To prevent his prestige from being damaged if the marriage proposal failed, the Duke of Guise cautiously hinted to the Medici Queen Mother to test her reaction. Unexpectedly, he encountered unprecedentedly fierce opposition and ridicule from her.
Even when the matter was brought up in private, Duke Giese was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.
"Mary, you have no idea how many filthy things that old woman said!"
"She actually said that it was because of you that two French kings died one after another, thus fulfilling Nostradamus's Jewish prophecy!"
"She even compared you to a witch who brings disaster, and swore that she would never let another of her sons fall into my hands and be ruled by the Guise family. God, if she weren't the Queen Mother of France, I would have strangled her to death!" said the Duke of Guise.
As the Duke of Guise complained, Mary's expression changed repeatedly. Finally, she sighed and said disappointedly, "It can only be said that with François's death, the Guise family can never go back to what it was before."
Before leaving France, Marie had mentally prepared herself to put aside her pride and endure the cold stares to visit the Medici Queen Mother again to apologize for her past offenses and see if she could improve their relationship.
She had very few bargaining chips at her disposal, and she could only try to win over whoever she could. She couldn't really expect to bring the Medici Queen Mother to her side. She just hoped that in the future, when she was fighting with England, France would at least stand by and watch without offering any help.
I never imagined that Catherine de' Medici harbored such deep resentment towards her.
This relationship is destined to remain unchanged.
Then, Mary reminded the Duke several more times to be careful of his own safety and to be wary of the Huguenots.
She remembered that in just over two years, her uncle would bleed to death from his injuries, which were killed by Huguenot assassins.
After Mary repeatedly emphasized it, Duke Guise finally took it a little more seriously this time, asking her if she had received any secret intelligence, but Mary brushed it off with words.
...
As a queen, even one without any real power in a foreign land, Mary had her own little court from childhood.
This small court, which she formed when she set foot on French soil at the age of six, was initially composed of two half-brothers, two Scottish ministers, and Mary the Fourth. Later, with the death of Queen Mother Guise, the two illegitimate brothers immediately fled back to Scotland to vie for power, leaving only the two ministers in France.
Now, upon hearing that the Queen was returning home, the ministers were busy preparing their luggage and preparing to formally send letters to Elizabeth I to apply for transit visas.
Unexpectedly, Mary stopped them.
"Your Majesty, why is this? Although it's just a formality, without a transit visa, we cannot legally pass through English soil," the minister asked.
“Lord, I think you still remember the Treaty of Edinburgh,” Mary said.
“Yes, that was an unreasonable treaty,” the minister said thoughtfully.
In fact, the treaty, which was drafted last summer, has been delayed because one of its clauses required Mary to recognize Elizabeth as the legitimate Queen of England, which has kept it in limbo until now.
Mary recalled the conflict from her past life, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. She said coldly, "If I were to ask for a transit visa now, my cousin would probably demand that I sign the Edinburgh Treaty immediately. And that's a clause I absolutely cannot agree to. Rather than making things awkward for both sides, I'd rather save myself the trouble and just take a ship back home."
Serving the monarch is the duty of a minister. Since Mary had said so, the lord from Scotland went back and immediately tore up and burned the half-written letter on the table. He then began preparing the ship and the letter ordering Scotland to meet him at the sea.
Marie Antoinette officially left France in the spring of 1561. It was a rare good day, with gentle breezes, bright sunshine, and lush greenery. The clear sunlight almost swept away the gloom of winter.
Led by Mary's three powerful uncles—the Duke of Guise, the Cardinal of Lorraine, and the Cardinal of Guise—and accompanied by numerous nobles, ladies, artists, and poets, the large and magnificent procession departed from St. Germain Palace, proceeding to Calais amidst the sounds of music and cannon salutes, to respectfully bid farewell to the Queen of Scots.
This was the necessary grandeur for Mary when she left France, and even the Medici Queen Mother strongly agreed with it. Only in this way could she declare to everyone in Europe, especially the English, that the alliance between France and Scotland remained as strong as ever.
At the seaside, a huge sailing ship flying the flags of both the English and French royal families was waiting to set sail. In addition, the Duke of Guise had specially arranged for two warships equipped with cannons and several fast boats to escort it in case of any accidents on the way.
This was not the peaceful era of later times. The rampant pirates only had money in their eyes and would not give up plundering no matter how noble the people on board were. Moreover, England might also come to sabotage them in secret.
Mary was exhausted from days of traveling by carriage, but she still had to follow etiquette and bid farewell to the nobles on the beach. She watched them kneel before her and swear their eternal loyalty to her, even across oceans, and then smiled and nodded to show that she could feel their unwavering devotion.
After completing this necessary and tedious process, Mary was so tired that she didn't even want to stand. With the help and cover of her three uncles, she walked gracefully onto the boat.
"Your performance these past few months has truly impressed me, my dear Marie. I await your good news in France and am ready to support you at any time," the Duke of Guise said with a beaming smile, his words carrying a pointed meaning.
He hadn't thought much of his niece, whom he'd watched grow up, but her husband's death unexpectedly gave her a keen political sense, allowing her to analyze the situation with remarkable precision in several private conversations.
Perhaps after going to Scotland, Mary could truly take control of Scotland like her sister, Mary de Guise.
“Of course, my three uncles, we are the closest of relatives, and our kinship is the strongest alliance,” Mary said with a sincere smile.
After the Guise family left, the sailors unfurled the huge, white sails and, propelled by the gale, led the fleet slowly away from the port, away from the warm, spring-like France, towards the cold, damp northern island nation.
Marie stood on the deck, her black hair flying in the sea breeze, watching the French coastline gradually become distant and hazy.
The curtain of her life has officially been raised.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
