Chapter 36
Several days later, at a port in Scotland, Mary was saying goodbye to the Spanish crown prince.
The British army is slowly retreating in batches, and Elizabeth has already announced the first in line to the throne in the British Parliament, and announced it to all the British people with great fanfare.
Correspondingly, the Queen of Scots stopped mentioning her marriage to the Crown Prince of Spain and instead subtly issued an order to leave.
Under a gloomy sky with a light drizzle, several large ships were anchored in the shallow sea, just as they had arrived. The Spanish royal flags, made of silk, swaggered in the wind, exactly the same as when they came.
The Spaniards' mood was far from pleasant, a stark contrast to when they first arrived in Scotland.
“Maintaining the peaceful lives of the people is a king’s duty. Even if I cannot maintain it, I cannot start a war for my own selfish desires. And Your Highness, how can I put you in danger of war and let your life be threatened?” Mary said sincerely.
Therefore, under Queen Elizabeth's threat, the engagement that was only half-discussed with the Spanish Crown Prince had to be cancelled.
Despite the Earl of Maurice's strong opposition, who argued that such weakness had tarnished the dignity of the Scottish royal family, Mary still decided against the marriage alliance with Spain.
Seeing the Scottish throne that was practically within his grasp slip away, Don Carlos's face was truly grim. Perhaps what he couldn't have was the best. Looking at Mary, Queen of Scots's beauty and understanding nature, Carlos felt a surge of regret and realized that at this moment he truly didn't want to leave Scotland.
“It’s not Your Majesty’s fault; it’s only England’s fault for ruining our destiny. God is my witness, the beauty of your soul, Queen of Scots, is a stark contrast to that of the Queen of England, like the contrast between heaven and hell…” Don Carlos held the Queen of Scots’ hand tightly and scratched her palm. “…But fate is fickle. Perhaps in a few years, when I inherit the Spanish throne, we will meet again and be married.”
“I hope so,” Mary said.
Mary knew in her heart that this day would never come again.
After returning to Spain, his mental health deteriorated further, leading to frequent political disagreements with his father. Five years later, Philip II, having reached his limit of tolerance, ordered his arrest and imprisonment. During his imprisonment, he developed bulimia and eventually died.
...
After seeing the Spaniards off, Mary returned to Holyrood Palace and, as if nothing had happened, had her servants invite Lord Darnley to play cards and chat with her.
Unexpectedly, a while later, a servant came to report that Lord Darnley had contracted measles and could no longer stay by the Queen's side.
Mary "..."
Normally, measles is a disease that only children get. Lord Darnley is eighteen years old this year, and it is really unexpected that he would suddenly get measles.
Although the disease was not serious, it was still an infectious disease. Mary sighed helplessly and had the servants disinfect and clean Holyrood Palace with limestone and alcohol. After making sure that everyone, especially the elderly and the frail, took precautions, she went to visit Lord Darnley herself.
When Mary entered the room, Lord Darnley was running a high fever.
The young man lay in a clean white quilt, his face and body covered with irregular red papules, and his nose and eyes were also red due to fever, completely obscuring his originally handsome appearance.
Upon seeing the Queen walk in, his first reaction was to frantically pull up the blanket to cover his disfigured face.
For some reason, Mary suddenly felt like laughing.
It seems that Lord Darnley is well aware that he is neither good at literature nor martial arts, and his mind is not as sharp as his mother's—the Countess Lennox. His greatest advantage is his young and handsome face.
After sitting down by the bedside, Mary said, "I heard you are sick and have a high fever that won't go down. My dear Henry, this really worries me."
"Thank you for your concern. It's just a minor illness. Give me a few days to rest, and I'll be back to normal," Lord Darnley said, flattered.
“That’s good. Perhaps you don’t know, but just today, I went to the port to see off the Spanish Crown Prince and his entourage as they returned home,” Mary said.
Lord Darnley's eyes lit up with barely suppressed joy as he asked, "I've been in my room these past few days and have only heard bits and pieces of news. Your Majesty, have you really given up on the marriage alliance with Spain?"
“Henry, you can just call me Mary in this private setting. After all, we are close relatives. As for Spain, I cannot ignore Elizabeth’s threat of war and marry her without authorization, dragging Scotland into the quagmire of war. So I have no choice but to give up,” Mary said.
Lord Darnley sat up slightly, made the sign of the cross, and tried to appear empathetic, saying, "Oh, Your Majesty, for the loss of such a fine marriage, please allow me to express my sympathy."
“Actually, it’s not so bad. I don’t like Don Carlos. I only considered marrying him for the sake of the country. Sometimes, without experiencing some ups and downs, we can never truly understand our own hearts,” Mary said calmly.
Lying in his sickbed, Lord Darnley realized the meaning behind the Queen's words. His heart pounded, and he felt as if the young Queen's elegant and beautiful figure was gilded in the candlelight. That gilding quickly twisted and swayed in his eyes and heart, turning into a glittering crown. He then put on this crown and accepted the cheers of the people of England and Scotland.
The cheers of the people seemed to be right next to his ears. Lord Darnley involuntarily swallowed, his fingers clenching into a fist under the covers. He asked as calmly as possible, "So now, in your eyes, who is the right person to marry?"
“I haven’t decided yet, but rather than foreign royalty, I now prefer to find a suitor from my own country with noble lineage to be my husband,” Mary said with a smile.
To Lord Darnley, this was practically a direct invitation. The thing he had been pursuing for so long was suddenly right in front of him, which made the young man lying on the sickbed so excited that he couldn't speak. He struggled to get out of bed and kneel down to propose to the Queen of Scots.
"I...I...Your Majesty, please allow me..."
Mary quickly pressed Lord Darnley back onto the bed. Fortunately, he still had a high fever and his limbs were weak, so she didn't have to exert much effort.
“There’s no need to rush to say anything, Lord Darnley. You’re still not well, and rest is more important now. I will visit you every day,” Mary said.
...
Every day thereafter, Mary would visit the ailing Lord Darnley, staying for most of the day. Her enthusiasm far exceeded that of relatives. She even called several doctors to help diagnose Lord Darnley because of his persistent high fever.
Sometimes, Mary would even personally attend to Lord Darnley, handing him a towel or pouring him a glass of water, much to the surprise of the servants around her.
The Queen of Scots's act of condescension caused rumors to spread rapidly throughout the court. Before the turmoil caused by the Spanish crown prince had subsided, people began to discuss when the Queen would marry Lord Darnley.
David Leigh, the Queen's secretary, was the first to wholeheartedly support Lord Darnley becoming the future King of Scotland. Before the Queen had even made a formal announcement, he had already begun writing to the Pope to report the good news and plead with the Holy Father in Rome to approve the marriage.
This infuriated Earl Morley, who, unable to bear it any longer, ordered David Richie to be taught a lesson. Later, after Mary visited Lord Darnley, she stopped her Queen sister in the corridor.
"Your Majesty, when will this absurd marriage proposal farce end?" Earl Morley asked bluntly.
A hint of mockery flashed in Mary's eyes as she calmly said, "My dear Earl Morrie, I don't understand what you mean."
“The Spanish Crown Prince is such an excellent marriage prospect, yet you so easily gave him up because of the gunfire that hasn’t even started yet. I’m sorry I can’t comment on such a foolish act…” Earl Morley stepped forward, gripped Mary’s arm tightly, and said, suppressing his anger, “...But since Your Majesty has already done so, please don’t consider marriage for the time being, instead of rushing into the arms of another young philanderer and causing unnecessary trouble for Scotland!”
“I don’t see any trouble in marrying him,” Mary said.
“The Queen of England doesn’t need you to have a husband who poses a threat to her. Marry Lord Darnley and you won’t have to worry about the English army assembling again!” said the Earl of Morley.
The Queen of Scots sneered, interrupting the Earl of Morrie. The mockery and contempt in her eyes were so obvious that they pierced his heart.
“Am I afraid of the English army, or are you afraid of me, dear James?” Mary asked.
"Why do you want to marry me off to the Spanish? Is it so that my departure from Scotland will make it easier for you to rule as regent as before? And why are you preventing me from marrying Lord Darnley? Is it because you fear that my continued presence in Scotland will cause you to lose the only power you currently have?"
"Your thoughts are too easy to guess, James. It's almost laughable."
Earl Morrie's face darkened, and he forced a low voice to say, "What nonsense are you spouting in the corridor?!"
Mary continued, seemingly unfazed, "Listen to me carefully, James. I am the rightful Queen of Scotland, and you are just an insignificant bastard."
“On Scottish soil, I am the only one with supreme power. You are nothing but a thief who stole many rights from me when I was far away in France.”
"And I will take back what is rightfully mine sooner or later."
Unexpectedly, the Queen of Scots would so suddenly tear down the last shred of pretense between them. The Earl of Maurice could not hide his embarrassment even with his beard, and it was as if Mary had touched his deepest fear. He even took a few steps back.
"What's wrong with you today? You're being completely unreasonable!" Count Mori said in a low voice, exasperated.
The man, still in his prime, hastily uttered those words and then turned and quickly left.
Mary watched his retreating figure, then suddenly pulled out her musket and fired it at the wall in front of Count Morrie.
"bump!"
With a huge plume of smoke and a loud explosion, a hole the size of a fist was punched through the wall! Having narrowly escaped death at such close range, Count Morley was so terrified that he immediately ducked down beside the armored figure in the corridor, trying to avoid a possible assassination attempt.
Hearing the commotion, the guards rushed in from outside, but they didn't see the assassin they had guessed. Instead, they saw the Queen holding a musket that was still emitting smoke.
Mary walked against the light down the corridor, stepping on the shattered fragments of the setting sun, until she stood before Count Morrie.
"And you, James, I will carefully select a beautiful monastery for you to retire in," the Queen of Scots declared.
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