Her Majesty’s Secret Service

031. Tightrope Walking

Eric looked at the stranger sitting before him.

He was first surprised by the distinctly non-European appearance, and then again by the fluent English.

“So, you’re Logan, right? What brings you to me?”

“As I said, I’ve come to assist His Highness, the Prince.”

“You? Help me? How can a mere chef be of any assistance?”

“I’ve heard that the Prince has proposed to Her Majesty, the Queen.”

“News travels fast. It hasn’t even been a day, and such news has reached a mere chef.”

“I am no ordinary chef. I am a chef favored by Her Majesty, the Queen. Shall we say, a confidant?”

At that, Eric let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, a favored chef, you say? Let’s hear it then. How can you help me? Will you turn the Queen’s heart with your cooking?”

Eric’s voice was laced with mockery. Despite the ridicule, Logan seemed unfazed.

“First, I will inform you of the reason Her Majesty rejected the Prince’s proposal.”

“What? Rejected?”

“The Queen said, ‘I will think about it and give you an answer.'”

“…!”

Eric looked at Logan with a surprised expression. The words that came out of Logan’s mouth were clearly the same answer the queen had given him.

“Indeed, you seem to be more than just a mere chef.”

Eric faced Logan with a serious demeanor.

He didn’t fully trust the claim of being a confidant of the queen. There were a few servants or soldiers standing around when he had faced the queen. It was possible that one of them had overheard.

“A confidant of the queen? I’m not sure if you truly are, but I’ll acknowledge you have keen ears. So, tell me, why did the queen reject my proposal?”

Eric decided to play along and listen to the story. Even if the claim of being the queen’s confidant was false, if Logan knew about the conversation between him and the queen, he must have his own sources of information. That’s what Eric thought.

“There are secret marriage negotiations underway. It’s not public yet, but it’s as good as confirmed.”

“Marriage negotiations? With whom, from where! Among the nobility of England, who could be a match for the queen…”

“Why do you assume the negotiations are with an English noble?”

“What?”

“It’s Spain. Felipe, the heir of Spain, is the queen’s intended. Now do you understand why Her Majesty rejected your proposal?”

“Felipe of Spain with the queen? That’s preposterous. How do you expect me to believe that?”

“Just check who the queen was meeting with until just now. Why would I lie about something that will be found out so soon?”

Eric looked at Logan with disbelief. He himself needed an alliance with a powerful family to counter Denmark and to stand against the great nobles within his own country, which is why he proposed despite the 17-year age difference. But what could Spain possibly lack to propose to England?

However, Logan’s confident demeanor made it hard to dismiss his words as a complete lie.

Verification, though, how could he verify it right now? He had arrived in London less than a day ago. It would take some time to send someone to check the truth of Logan’s words.

Eric began to ponder whether to believe Logan or not. It was then that Logan spoke again.

“It seems you don’t trust my words. Well then, Prince, do this. I can wait as long as it takes, so send someone to check if Felipe has been to the palace. There are more than a few who have seen him, so it will soon be clear whether I’m telling the truth or not.”

Upon hearing this, Eric called for a servant who could speak English.

Soon, a servant arrived, and Erik handed him a purse, issuing a command.

“Go out immediately and find out who the Queen met with after me. Use as much money as needed, just bring back the information quickly.”

How much time had passed? Quite a while had elapsed.

The servant, having taken Erik’s order, returned before long. Seeing the returned servant, Erik urged an answer.

“Well, did you find out anything?”

With three gold coins from his purse, the servant had confirmed who had met with the Queen.

Hearing the full story from the returned servant, Erik bit his lower lip anxiously.

‘Felipe is really in London…? When did he arrive?’

Indeed, Felipe had been there. Moreover, Felipe had met with the Queen alongside the Spanish ambassador, confirming Logan’s words that marriage negotiations were surely underway between England and Spain.

‘If Felipe has come seeking the Queen, truly to discuss marriage… there’s no way out. How can I offer more than what Spain could propose?’

As a prince of the impoverished Nordic nation of Sweden, there was no way he could outcompete the prince of the powerful nation of Spain. The dowry alone would be incomparable.

At this point, Erik pondered whether he should shift his approach to proposing marriage to Elizabeth.

“Can you believe it now?”

Logan’s voice reached him. After all, he had come to offer his help.

“Yes, it seems Felipe is indeed in London. So, how do you plan to help me? The Queen’s marriage is practically out of reach, so are you suggesting arranging a meeting with Princess Elizabeth?”

“Princess Elizabeth? I earnestly wish for the Queen and the Prince to be united. First, I must tell you about what happened today when Her Majesty met with Felipe and Ambassador Simon…”

As Logan spoke, the events that transpired between the Queen and Simon began to unfold.

As the story continued, a smile gradually carved itself onto Erik’s lips.

* * *

Seeking the prince was the right decision.

—

Had I been even a day late, the prince would have proposed to Elizabeth instead of Queen Mary, they say. My heart sank upon hearing this.

Fortunately, after hearing my story, the prince abandoned the thought of proposing to Elizabeth and decided to focus on Queen Mary.

“Good, we have nothing to lose. If things don’t go as you say and Felipe marries the queen, then I can simply propose to Princess Elizabeth. Let’s see this through.”

The prince readily accepted my suggestion. It was, in fact, a proposal with no downside for them. Why would they refuse an offer to help unite the queen and the prince? Moreover, after I informed the prince of Felipe’s attitude towards the queen, he seemed to think an opportunity would come his way too.

After bidding farewell to the prince, I rose from my seat and walked towards the door. Then, from behind me, the prince’s voice reached out.

“May I ask you just one thing?”

“What is it, Your Highness?”

“Why do you bother helping me? Whether the queen marries Felipe or me, it makes no difference to you, does it?”

It makes all the difference, my future depends on it. But speaking the truth would only earn me the label of a madman, so I answered vaguely.

“The reason? I believe Prince Eric will make Her Majesty happier than Duke Felipe could.”

“That’s your answer? If you don’t wish to speak, then leave.”

* * *

The next day, Simon and Felipe sought the queen once more.

“So, have you come again today to advise me to abandon my protected subjects?”

The queen no longer looked upon Felipe with favor.

“No, today is not about that. I’ve come to discuss the terms of the proposal. We must set a date for the announcement, and decide on the timing of the marriage and the rights thereafter, mustn’t we?”

“What? Listen here, Duke Felipe. Shouldn’t you first apologize for the disrespect you’ve shown me?”

“If you felt yesterday’s incident was disrespectful, then I apologize. Now, are we settled?”

Ambassador Simon’s face darkened once again. Just before the queen’s voice could rise, Ambassador Simon intervened to mediate between the two.

—

“Your Majesty, Duke Felipe does not intend to be rude with his words. It seems his devout faith… I apologize on his behalf. Please do not take offense.”

As Ambassador Simon bowed in apology, the Queen frowned but said no more.

After many twists and turns, negotiations began to adjust the rights each would have after marriage.

“We acknowledge the status of co-sovereigns, with equal authority. However, the military power shall remain with the king of each nation.”

“What about the right to convene Parliament? Will you grant that to the Grand Duke?”

“Of course not. If our betrothal is announced, there will be more than a few nobles worried that Spain will annex England. It’s obvious, so we cannot grant the Grand Duke the power to convene Parliament.”

“Then what about the succession rights…”

“The dowry for the next few years…”

Many words were exchanged, but no full agreement was reached.

The only smooth agreement was regarding financial support for naval reconstruction.

“Let’s be honest. You want our navy to hold France at bay, just like in my father’s time, don’t you?”

“Of course. If we are to be co-sovereigns, it is only natural that we stand together against a common enemy.”

“I appreciate your candor. Then I’ll be frank as well. England lacks the funds to fight France. It’s been a long time since we’ve had enough money to maintain ships, to hire skilled sailors. If you want us to hold France back, Spain will have to support us.”

“How much are you talking about?”

“Enough to revive our navy.”

“Very well. That is certainly something we should provide.”

* * *

The details of the negotiations between England and Spain soon flowed to the Swedish delegation.

Logan, having received the information from the Queen, promptly relayed it to the Swedish delegation, and Prince Erik and the officials were striving to propose terms that would satisfy the Queen within their budgetary limits.

“With the budget we have, it’s challenging enough to expand our navy. Must we secure a betrothal with Queen Mary? There is also Princess Elizabeth, after all.”

—

“If we can secure a marriage alliance with the queen, we could immediately step into the North Sea trade. Moreover, it would significantly cut down the costs of keeping the Danes in check, so we must somehow…”

“What about the religious issue? It’s not as if His Highness the Prince can just convert, is it?”

“Oh, that matter? Perhaps… His Highness the Prince will resolve it.”

“His Highness the Prince will?”

While the Swedish delegation’s bureaucrats were holed up in the room discussing terms, Prince Erik had come to request an audience with the queen. It wasn’t long after lunchtime, and the queen was in her office, allowing the prince to meet with her.

“So, Prince Erik. What brings you to me?”

The queen was still in a foul mood due to the morning’s events. It was because Felipe had come to visit and had committed an impolite act before leaving.

“Ah, Your Majesty. The thing is…”

Erik, looking at Mary with a bashful smile, cautiously broached the subject.

“The weather is lovely today. If you have the time, would you care to walk with me?”

“What… What did you say?”

Mary was taken aback by Erik’s words, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.