Chapter 42
“It seems everyone has forgotten me,” Duke Ferrara said somberly.
This was the first thing he said when he secretly visited Albert Durst at night.
“Duke, do you still think you have a chance to become King of Scotland? Even the Spanish Crown Prince and Lord Darnley failed. Your qualifications are nowhere near those two,” Albert said, raising his eyebrows with just the right amount of surprise and sarcasm.
"It is precisely because they are good enough that they were interfered with by the Queen of England and their marriage proposals failed. But I am different. No one is more suitable to be King of Scotland than me," said the Duke of Ferrara.
His status was high enough to match that of a queen, and his territory was far away in Italy. He would not arouse any suspicion in England, and his handsome and tall appearance would make any young woman fall in love at first sight.
He had every right to win the favor of the Queen of Scots.
“That is indeed true, but what can you offer Her Majesty the Queen in return?” Albert said, adding that there is no exchange of benefits without a political marriage.
"I can provide the Queen of Scots with a large sum of money to support her rule in this tiny country. The gift I gave to Her Majesty Mary caused quite a stir at Holyrood Palace, as you have surely heard..." the Duke of Ferrara said proudly.
...
Albert used all his composure to suppress his laughter, keeping his expression completely unchanged.
When the Duke of Ferrara came to propose, he certainly didn't come empty-handed. Like the Crown Prince of Spain, he brought a precious gift for the Queen of Scotland.
The gifts included, but were not limited to, mercury mirrors, beeswax lip balm, giant landscape oil paintings painted in peacock blue and verdigris, and a pearl necklace a meter long—all of which were popular and incredibly expensive items that had suddenly appeared in Italy in recent years.
He had not only heard about those gifts, but he had even witnessed firsthand how the original products were secretly manufactured in Edinburgh.
Seeing Albert stunned by his words, almost frozen in place, the Duke of Ferrara smugly said, "...These gifts were all obtained through a partnership with an Italian merchant. I acquired a partial monopoly and then resold them at even higher prices. Don't tell me that money taints nobles with greed. How can you maintain a decent life and support an army without money? Venice thrives precisely because it sells mirrors!"
"So you want to use money to win over the Queen of Scotland?" Albert asked.
“It was a lot of money, and a bit of persuasion from the Queen of Scots’ close confidants,” the Duke of Ferrara corrected.
"...You should return to Italy as soon as possible, and I hope I will no longer have any dealings with you, Duke. A few months ago, there might have been a slight possibility, but now that the Queen of Scots has acquired all the property of the Earl of Morrie and other nobles, she is extremely wealthy. Although Scotland is poor, with the wealth of an entire country, it is enough for Her Majesty to fill her palace with gold coins," Albert said bluntly.
Duke Ferrara sneered, looked around at the dilapidated house, and said slowly, "You live in a house like this? You only hired an old and ugly cook? I didn't expect you to be living such a miserable life these past two or three years."
Albert fell silent.
This is a small house near Holyrood Palace. It originally belonged to an old monk. Because the house is quite old, the windows are small and don't let in much light, the walls are a bit dirty, and the furniture has peeling paint, so it looks rather simple.
But Albert can swear to God that the house is tall and sturdy, warm in winter and cool in summer, and quite comfortable to live in.
To be honest, his salary wasn't low, but he had only saved for two or three years. It wasn't enough to buy a decent-looking brick mansion in Edinburgh, nor was it enough to purchase another estate. In addition, he had to buy things every now and then to distribute to his soldiers to win their loyalty and make them willingly pledge allegiance to him, a foreigner. So he was always short of money and could only afford to rent here.
Now they're being laughed at.
"...You want me to persuade Her Majesty the Queen to accept your proposal?" Albert asked, astutely grasping the key point.
“Not only that, I’ll give you money. Use it to bribe the other people around the Queen and have those maids put in a good word for me. Once you succeed, I’ll give you enough money to support yourself in your old age, enough for you to buy a large estate in France and live there,” said the Duke of Ferrara.
“What if I refuse?” Albert asked.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can only leave Scotland in disappointment. But before I leave, I must have a final chat with the Queen of Scots and tell Her Majesty how one of my cousins had an affair with my mistress, made me raise his son, and betrayed my trust by letting a prisoner escape. Now this despicable man has actually managed to escape the hunt and even has the honor of serving the Queen of Scots,” said the Duke of Ferrara, casually touching his nose with an indifferent expression.
Albert's gaze swept subtly around the room, lingering for a few seconds on the wood-chopping axe in the corner and the gun on the wall, before he suppressed his impulse and saw Duke Ferrara off.
Standing at the door, the handsome young man bowed slightly and smiled, saying, "I understand, and I will do my utmost to fulfill your wish."
The Duke of Ferrara was very pleased with Albert's sensible attitude. He nodded and rode away under the cover of night.
...
Once everyone had left, Albert, having understood the situation, immediately went to the palace to meet the Queen of Scots and recounted what had just happened.
Mary nodded without saying much. The next day, she issued an order to the Duke of Ferrara, who was still temporarily residing there, to leave Scotland as soon as possible. She then continued to select a suitable person to remain in Scotland to take charge after she went to Ireland.
After hesitating for a long time in the study, Albert asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you curious?"
“What are you curious about?” Mary asked.
“Are you curious about my past? How was I born and raised? What did I do before? And why was I being hunted down by the Duke of Ferrara?” Albert asked.
Mary paused, her quill pen still, and after a moment's thought, said as considerately as possible, "Albert, you've done your job perfectly, and that's enough. As for your past, it's not important to me at all. You can talk about it if you want, or you can choose not to."
The blond youth's expression was complex, a mixture of relief and disappointment. After a moment, he asked softly, "Your Majesty, may I ask a potentially offensive question?"
“What?” Mary said.
“You never really intended to get married, did you? – Their purpose was to use the Spanish crown prince to gain a legitimate right to the English throne, and then to use Lord Darnley's ascension to the throne to incite the Earl of Morrie to rebel,” Albert said.
Mary finally looked up from the endless pile of documents, raised her head, and stared blankly at the blond youth—a silent acknowledgment.
Albert's eyes dimmed.
He curled the corners of his mouth into a self-deprecating smile, seemingly laughing at someone, and muttered to himself, "...This is truly ridiculous."
"This is not your job, Mr. Albert Durst. Or have I been too lenient with you these past two years? Get out, and don't try to guess what a king is thinking again," the Queen of Scots said calmly.
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