Chapter 54
Mary involuntarily took a step back, her first thought being that Elizabeth had discovered her scheme.
But Mary soon realized that this was impossible.
The power disparity between Scotland and Great Britain has always existed. If Elizabeth had truly discovered her current intentions, she could have simply done what Henry VIII did: torn up the faltering facade of peace between the two countries, sent troops to sweep through, plundered Edinburgh once again, and trampled the dignity of the Scottish royal family into the ground.
Any schemes or tricks are useless in the face of absolute power.
I was too nervous, and subconsciously I was afraid of Elizabeth.
Mary silently said to herself.
So, if she were Elizabeth, and suddenly learned that the Queen of Scots was making a big fuss about visiting relatives in France, what would be the first thing she would think of?
—Another marriage alliance with France.
From an outsider's perspective, this is the most likely target for the Queen of Scots.
In response to this matter, Elizabeth, who had always been adept at the game of marriage proposal, immediately signaled her intention to marry the Duke of Anjou, just as she had done with Philip II when she first ascended the throne, in order to counterbalance the influence of the Queen of Scots in France.
The current Duke of Anjou is the youngest son of Queen Catherine the Great. Because of the endless custom of having the same name, he shares the same name as her former husband, François. But that's not the point. The point is that this Duke of Anjou is only ten years old!
While political marriages are inherently unethical, this one goes too far...
After dismissing Charles IX with a few words, the noblewoman and her lover, who had been sitting under the open sky in the garden outside the window, also left, laughing and joking. As they straightened their clothes and walked onto the garden path, they transformed back into dignified ladies and polite nobles. Only a patch of green bushes was bent over, with a wig and a ribbon rose still caught on the branches, a testament to how intense the battle had just taken place.
The art festival had ended, and the excitement gradually dissipated with the crowd. A cleaning maid noticed the ribbon rose on the bushes, looked around, quickly climbed over the railing, tucked the delicate little ornament into her bosom, and then continued working while humming a song.
The cheerful tune brought Mary back to her senses. She shook her head, banishing these chaotic thoughts from her mind, and began to continue thinking from Queen Catherine's perspective.
From Queen Mother Catherine's perspective... the two queens were vying for power, both expressing their intention to form marriage alliances with Paris, allowing France to choose freely—this was a tremendously good thing.
Given a choice, although both the Queen of Scots and the Queen of England were suitable candidates for marriage, and one could indirectly plot against the British Isles by investing in one of the queens, the Queen Mother, who inherited the business acumen of the Medici family, was naturally happy not to express her opinion openly, but rather to assess who offered the higher price and sell her goods to a certain queen—that is, the support of France.
Thinking about this, Mary felt a heavy weight in her heart.
...
The attitudes of Britain and France can be deduced from the information inadvertently revealed by Charles IX. So what should I do?
What should Scotland's next move be?
Mary tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Instead, she stared at the ceiling in the darkness, her mind racing with thoughts of the European situation, unable to drift into a peaceful and sweet dream as usual.
The question is whether to remain in Paris, relying on the old alliance and the enmity between Britain and France, to continue to win over Queen Mother Catherine, whose attitude is ambiguous, and then reveal one's intention to send troops.
Or should we give up now and immediately head to Rome, the next destination on our itinerary, to seek the strong support of Pope Paul IV?
Her Majesty's tossing and turning woke Seton in the next room. Seton lit a candle, rubbed her eyes, and went into the Queen's bedroom.
"Your Majesty, why aren't you asleep yet?" Seton asked.
Unable to sleep, Mary sat up, her long, dark hair draped over one shoulder, adding to her gentle beauty. She pulled back the bed curtains, pulled Seton to sit down beside her, and placed the candle on the bedside table.
Seton pointed to the dark circles under his Queen's eyes and joked, "Looks like I'll have to put some lead powder on your face tomorrow morning. Otherwise, given the atmosphere at the Louvre, some nobles will definitely suspect that the Queen of Scotland is having an affair with someone."
“Let me tell you a mystery story,” Mary said.
“What?” Seton asked.
“Suppose, I mean suppose… in ancient Rome, there were two soldiers about to go to battle. They both found a merchant who wanted to buy weapons, but the merchant only had one longsword left and could only sell it to one person. Who would the merchant sell it to?” Mary asked.
“Of course, we’ll sell to whoever offers the highest price,” Seton said.
Mary shook her head. "Judging from the price alone, it's hard to say who will pay more. The merchants are selling weapons to the soldiers on loan. When the war breaks out, both soldiers may die on the battlefield or return home with spoils of war."
“Well… let’s sell it to the soldier who has better character and who has more of the chivalry of old,” Seton said.
“Merchants only think about profits and don’t consider these things. And let me remind you, these two soldiers don’t belong to the same army; they are enemies who are going to fight each other,” Mary said.
However, this also reminded her that there were some personal grudges between her and Queen Catherine the Queen Mother, which might escalate into a formal discussion due to emotional factors.
"How is the soldiers' equipment?" Seton asked again.
“One is better, and the other is worse, so the soldier with the worse weapon needs it more,” Mary said.
Seton tilted his head and pondered for a while, but couldn't come up with an answer. He gave his own answer indifferently, "It should be sold to the well-equipped soldier. He has a better chance of winning the war. As for the poorly equipped soldier, he should look for other merchants before the army assembles."
As if the fog obscuring her eyes had suddenly dissipated, revealing a clear and cold reality, Mary was startled and opened her eyes wide, but then felt that this was the most reasonable answer.
Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.
The thought popped into Mary's head, and she couldn't help but question herself.
Indeed, with Elizabeth and the Duke of Anjou discussing a marriage alliance, how could she possibly persuade Catherine the Queen Mother, who had always disliked her, to abandon the French army and side with Scotland instead of England, which had a greater chance of winning?
If one were to place their hopes on this and reveal their plans to invade Britain, Queen Catherine the Queen Mother might nod in agreement one second, only for a secret letter from France to be sent to London the next, informing the British army of the invasion of Scotland.
Ultimately, it's because she had too few chips to play with, so subconsciously she didn't want to give up the power of Queen Catherine the Queen Mother and wanted to try her luck, like a gambler hoping for a stroke of luck at a gambling table.
—And luck will never favor a foolish gambler.
Having learned her lesson, Marie's eyes were serious as she gazed out the window at the silent Louvre, her brows furrowed.
Seeing the Queen of Scots's stern expression, Seton asked somewhat nervously, "Did I say something wrong?"
“There’s nothing wrong with it, my dear girl. You’ve cleared up the huge confusion in my heart and saved me from a terrible choice…” Mary put the candle back into Seton’s hand, gesturing for her to leave. She looked up and gave her the same gentle and elegant smile as always. “…Go to sleep and get some rest. Then tomorrow we’ll say goodbye to Queen Mother Catherine and continue our visit to the Duchy of Lorraine.”
Then, openly, the Queen's carriage was sent to visit the Duchy of Lorraine, while secretly they immediately headed to the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
The current Pope Pius IV, whose name is Giovanni Angelo de' Medici, comes from the same family as Queen Catherine the Great, making them natural allies.
But Mary remembered clearly that he would die of a high fever this year. The new Pope Pius V was a very "accomplished" pope. In history, it was he who issued the "Expellation Edict," implying that anyone who assassinated Elizabeth I was doing a just thing, and he also expressed his support and encouragement to her when she was imprisoned at the time.
Now, she can try to win over this powerful ally in advance.
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