Chapter 31
A few days later, just as Queen Elizabeth had said, a grand and magnificent ceremony was held at Whitehall Palace, much like the baptism of a prince or the investiture of a prince, and Robert Dudley was made Earl of Leicester and Baron Dunby.
Melville, who had come under the guise of scouting potential marriage partners, was naturally invited to the earldom ceremony.
Throughout the ceremony, Robert Dudley was required to follow the protocol officer to kneel before Queen Elizabeth and then swear allegiance to her.
Queen Elizabeth sat on the throne, waiting to place the Earl's crown on Robert Dudley's head as the final step, symbolizing that he would henceforth become a high-ranking nobleman with hereditary lands.
Knowing that Queen Mary had never considered Robert Dudley as her husband, Melville stood in the audience's seat, glanced a few times at the so-called Earl of Leicester walking down the red carpet, then casually turned his gaze away and turned to Lord Darnley, who was holding a longsword beside Queen Elizabeth.
This is a young man with blond hair, green eyes, and handsome features. His personality is still unknown, but Lord Darnley's ability to stand beside Queen Elizabeth at such a ceremony is entirely due to his noble lineage.
His father was the Earl of Lennox, and his maternal grandmother was Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII. Therefore, he was born with the right of succession to the thrones of Scotland and England. Now that the Tudor family bloodline has been exhausted, he has the right of succession to the English throne second only to Mary Stuart.
Therefore, although he was only a lord, Lord Darnley was far better off than Robert Dudley in terms of qualifications, and was often referred to as a prince by people inside and outside the court.
Melville was pondering how to speak and hint at his words to this family when he suddenly heard laughter beside him.
"What happened?" Melville asked in a low voice to the person next to him.
“Her Majesty played a joke on the Earl of Leicester, patting his forehead as she put the earl’s tiara on him,” the person beside her replied.
Queen Elizabeth noticed the Scottish ambassador's sluggishness and distraction.
"What are you thinking about, Mr. Melville? Why are you staring at Lord Darnley? Or do you and the Queen behind you prefer this young man as a husband?" Queen Elizabeth asked.
Melville perked up, immediately revealing a look of disdain, and glanced at Lord Darnley with utter contempt.
“He hasn’t even grown a man’s beard yet, he looks like a little girl, he has no mature masculinity whatsoever. I must be crazy to have chosen him as our Queen’s husband,” Melville mocked.
The Scottish envoy's blunt remark elicited even louder laughter than before.
Elizabeth was amused by this answer and did not pursue the matter further.
...
As soon as the investiture ceremony ended, Melville, under the guise of scouting potential marriage partners, openly visited the newly appointed Earl of Leicester.
“We have areas where we can cooperate,” Melville said.
The Earl of Leicester gave a disdainful sneer, but instead of dismissing him, he wanted to hear what the Scotsman had to say.
“I understand that you only have sincere love for Her Majesty Elizabeth and have no intention of marrying the Queen of Scots. The Queen of Scots also has other husbands in mind. In that case, why don’t we join hands to resolve our current predicament?” Melville said sincerely.
“What do you want to do?” Earl Leicester asked.
“I beg you to help me send Lord Darnley to Edinburgh for a while. I believe you are the only one in all of England who can do this…” Melville leaned forward and promised, “…If you can do this, I assure you that Queen Elizabeth will not mention your marriage to Her Majesty Mary again.”
Upon hearing this, the Earl of Leicester couldn't help but show a mocking expression, saying, "This is truly ridiculous. Do you Scots think I'm a fool?"
"Her Majesty Elizabeth will certainly not mention my marriage to the Queen of Scots again, but she will unleash all her fury on me, bringing utter ruin upon me, and even my parents and family!"
"And your Queen of Scotland can happily marry that candidate for the throne in Edinburgh and obtain an unquestionable right to the English throne!"
"Let me remind you, Her Majesty Mary does have a right of succession to the English throne, but once Elizabeth gives birth to a child, that right will shift one place down. As time goes by, she will gradually become as useless as those other heirs ranked in the teens or dozens, at best just having a good reputation," Melville said.
The Earl of Leicester shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes. He said with a cold laugh, "Elizabeth will not marry. Her will is unwavering; she is not even afraid of death."
“It’s just a temporary setback in marriage…” Melville made the sign of the cross and asked incredulously, “…Do you really believe that a woman would be so determined to never marry or have children for her entire life? I’ve never heard of such a woman. To be honest, I deeply understand Queen Elizabeth’s decision. Henry VIII’s six wives were all incredibly pitiful. Growing up in such a family, it’s natural to be averse to marriage.”
"But I believe that this aversion will gradually change over time. When Her Majesty Elizabeth is a few years older, she will naturally yearn for a marriage, a happy family, and a loving and caring child out of a woman's instinct."
"And you were Her Majesty Elizabeth's only choice at that time, standing shoulder to shoulder with Queen Elizabeth in the name of the King of England."
As the Scottish envoy described the promising future, the Earl of Leicester tried to maintain a calm expression on his face, but his breathing became heavy for a few seconds.
“Mr. Melville, you make it sound so easy. If you were a liar, you could fool all your people. But the truth is, I won’t live to see that day; I’ll incur Elizabeth’s wrath,” said the Earl of Leicester, leaning back with an indifferent expression.
"It was just a moment of anger. You are a man who loves her, and it's normal to act irrationally in order not to leave her."
"Besides, no matter how bad things get, they won't be so bad that you'd marry the Queen of Scots."
"Now the Queen of England hopes that you and Her Majesty Mary will have children and inherit the British throne together. But feelings can fade with time and distance. If you really become King of Scotland, reside in Edinburgh, and have children with Queen Mary, can your relationship with Queen Elizabeth withstand the test of time?"
At this point, Melville shook his head with pity.
"I'm afraid it won't even take a year before the Queen of England treats you as a pure enemy, a Scottish king. Think about what happened to the previous Scottish kings. None of those James men died of old age; they were either murdered or died on the battlefield."
The Earl of Leicester's face turned pale.
Melville was a foreign minister who traveled to European courts. His tongue was more nimble than the serpent that tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and more cunning than the devil who deceived souls with a contract. Only equally experienced or naturally intelligent politicians could avoid his linguistic traps, such as Elizabeth I. The frivolous and impetuous Earl of Leicester was clearly not among them.
At this point in the conversation, without even needing to read the expressions of the English nobleman opposite him, Melville knew he had persuaded the Earl of Leicester.
Melville smiled slightly, picked up his hat and put it back on his head, then bowed and took his leave.
“Think it over carefully. If all else fails, Her Majesty Mary can actually accept you as her husband and the rightful King of Scotland… In any case, this way we can also obtain the legitimate right to the English throne,” Melville concluded.
After saying this, Melville walked briskly out of the Earl of Leicester's mansion.
He was very busy and had to quickly put on makeup before sneaking off to meet the Spanish ambassador.
...
Meanwhile, in a luxury mansion somewhere in London, a similar conversation, or rather, an argument, was taking place.
Count Lennox paced back and forth on the floor in anger, making the oak floorboards creak.
“I think you’ve really gone mad! You dream every day that your son will become King of Scotland and then King of England! God, our family already has the luxurious life of nobles, why do we still risk our lives to get involved in court intrigues!” Earl Lennox cursed in a low voice.
The Countess glared defiantly at Earl Lennox and said in a low voice, "I'm not crazy, you're just too cowardly! I also have Tudor blood in my veins, no less than the blood of these two queens. If Elizabeth and Mary can rule a country, then I can also become the Queen Mother!"
"Think about how Jane Grey died! She was dreaming just like you, thinking that with her thin bloodline she could bear the weight of the crown, but she was only queen for nine days before she was secretly executed!" Earl Lennox cursed.
“Things are different now. Back then, Mary I had too many supporters, which is why Jane Grey lost her head. But now, the Queen of Scots wants to get married and also wants the legitimate right to the English throne. If we can get our son to marry Mary Stuart, everything else will fall into place!…” The Countess said, tears streaming down her face, as she pleaded, “…Dear Matthew, we are not English either. Our ancestors were Scottish nobles. Don’t you want to return to your homeland one day?”
Lord Darnley, who had been watching his parents argue, also chimed in at this moment.
“Father, I also want to go to Scotland and try to win the heart of Mary Queen of Scots… I cannot and do not want to betray my bloodline!” Lord Darnley said.
Seeing the flames of ambition burning in his only son's eyes, Count Lennox fell silent.
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