Her Majesty’s Secret Service

093. Aniston

New Year’s Day, July 15th.

There was a problem while translating ‘Monarch’, so I left the mansion with the intention of going to find John. He happened to run into Jong-hyung, who was going out, and got into Jong-hyung’s carriage.

When Jonghyeong asked where he was going, he answered, “I’m going to the palace to have an audience with the queen.” I answered.

I wanted to ask why you wanted to have an audience with the queen. Her expression was so sad that she couldn’t bear to ask and got off the carriage.

* * *

“Brother, how about I just bow to my sister-in-law first and then go in? When I heard the story, I heard that he blurted out the names of his in-laws at the palace without even discussing it with his sister-in-law… .”

All the way to the palace, I listened to Yulgok nagging me, telling me to make peace with Jane, or to bow down to Jane first before going in, and I thought that I had burned this guy for no reason.

After a while of putting up with Yulgok’s growl and entrusting myself to the carriage, the carriage arrived at Whitehall Palace, where the Queen resides.

“Could you hand me the certificates lying around there?”

“Oh, you mean this? More than that, brother, you should keep my words in mind! This has been going on for a few days already… !”

He accepted the certificate from Yulgok, who had been nagging him until the end, saying that he understood, and then set off to find the queen who was staying at Whitehall Palace.

When I arrived in front of the Queen’s office, I asked the guard guarding the door to let the Queen know that I had arrived. Hearing my words, the guard turned his head to see who I was, then bowed politely and responded like this.

“Her Majesty the Queen has just gone for a walk in the garden with Princess Catherine.”

“okay? “When did you leave?”

“You’ve come a long way. “After calling the princess and having lunch with her, he went straight out to the garden.”

“garden? Do you know exactly which area you went to?”

“uh… “He’s probably at the horseback riding club.”

“Equestrian center?”

“yes. Last night, Princess Catherine said she wanted a real horse. When she heard the story, Her Majesty the Queen said that she would prepare and present a small colt fit for the princess to ride.”

As large as Whitehall Palace was, the garden attached to it was also not of an average size.

I went to the garden to look for the queen. I didn’t know if the paths might diverge, so I checked exactly where the queen had gone, thanked the guard, got up and went outside.

* * *

An equestrian center reserved exclusively for the royal family in a corner of the spacious garden of Whitehall Palace.

Since Archduke Eric left for Sweden, there has been no one to use this place, so it has always maintained a quiet atmosphere.

Until yesterday.

A child’s cheerful voice was echoing in this place where until yesterday there had been no other sound other than the sound of the riding range managers and the horses they were handling.

“word?! Really?! mother! I mean, are you giving me this child!?”

“That’s right. Catherine, you said you really wanted a horse, right?”

The person with that cheerful voice was the Queen’s daughter, Princess Catherine, the only heir to the throne of England. She was smiling happily as she stroked her tiny colt, which she had just received as a gift from her queen.

“Wow!! I’m so happy! thank you!”

Then, in a clumsy manner, she bowed slightly to Mary, but Mary could not hide the raised eyebrows at her daughter’s attitude.

“Let’s go, Jellie! “I will appoint you as my first subject!”

Catherine had already given the name ‘Charlie’ to the colt she had received as a gift, and was jumping on the colt’s back with her tiny feet. The sight of Catherine in Mary’s eyes was quite cute.

“mother!! “Use it here!!!”

Just like that, Catherine, riding on the back of the colt ‘Charlie’, walked around the wide riding range following the guidance of the riding teacher given by Mary and let out happy screams.

A gentle voice came from behind Mary, who was watching Catherine with a happy smile.

“Her Royal Highness, how have you been?”

Mary turned her head in the direction the voice came from. Turning her head to see the owner of her voice, Mary opened her mouth with a truly surprised expression on her face.

“You said you wanted to rest, what happened? bump… Was it because of Jane? It worked out just fine. “I also had something to say to you about that.”

Mary thought that Logan, the person behind the voice, had come to complain to her about the Queen of Scots’ affairs. She was well aware that Logan was opposed to sending Jane to be king of Scotland.

However, contrary to what Mary thought, Logan did not come to her for that reason.

“The throne of Scotland… The problem is, it doesn’t seem to be a problem I can say anything about. “Is there no other choice but to follow what Her Majesty the Queen and other nobles decide?”

“… “Is that so?”

In fact, Mary felt a little, if not a lot, sorry for Jane.

It was a bit uncomfortable to use my niece, who had once been hurt by being used as a political tool, as a political tool, even if it was for the sake of my daughter.

I don’t know if it’s because they’re not close to me, but I guess they’ve become close to me while living in the palace for the past few years. I don’t know if Logan would argue with me, but since he spoke so compliantly, the discomfort seemed to be several times greater.

“So, why did you look for me?”

Swallowing those feelings, Mary casually asked Logan why he came to see her.

In response to Mary’s question, Logan calmly explained the reason for his visit.

“I have come to see you because I need permission from Her Majesty the Queen.”

“permission?”

I don’t know what he was asking for permission for, but when Logan asked for permission, Mary thought that if it wasn’t an unreasonable request, she should grant it.

This was Mary’s own atonement. It’s atonement for using her own loyalist, Logan’s wife, Jane, as a tool of politics.

* * *

Dinner time at the small mansion in the Port of London, owned by the Hawkins family, was noisy again today.

“Sniff, sniff… “Woo-ha, woo-ha!”

“Winston! Put that thing down! “I warned you!”

“Wooha?”

The cause of the commotion was ‘Winston’, a baby gorilla being raised by Drake.

The baby gorilla ‘Winston’, which the sailors picked up while returning from the East, was entrusted to Drake by order of Captain Logan, and the baby gorilla had to be brought with them when disembarking the ship.

Did you say, ‘There is no one else to raise that animal except you’?

Fortunately, things got along well with his relative Hawkins, and he stayed at the Hawkins family’s mansion to raise Winston. This lively guy would play pranks by stealing food from Hawkins or Drake every time they ate.

“I thought it would be a little quiet today… Drake, just sell that guy. Phew… What is this at every meal? “Why do I have to go through this in my mansion?”

John Hawkins, the owner of the bread in Winston’s hand and the owner of this mansion, shouted at his relative Drake in an irritated voice.

Towards Hawkins, Drake answered cautiously, with a shy expression on his face, as if he had no choice.

“… Because he was the one the captain entrusted to me. He told me to take him with me when I got off the boat… “No, but doesn’t he look a little cute when he’s still?”

“cute? That? You went to the East once and you went completely crazy? “But what kind of captain are you?”

“Baron Logan.”

“Baron Grinstead?”

“Yes, you chose the name yourself.”

After hearing that it was Logan who had entrusted Drake with the damn animal, Hawkins glared at Winston and stood up. I wanted to sell it, but I think it was an animal that the Baron gave to Drake as a gift.

“shit… From now on, I’ll have to eat somewhere where that guy isn’t around… .”

When Hawkins, who had grumbled like that, was about to get up from his seat, a pounding sound was heard from the front door. It seemed like someone had come to visit.

“What, who is it at this hour?”

“Shall I go out?”

“No, that’s enough. Is there anyone there?! “Let’s check who’s outside!”

One of the manor’s servants heard Hawkins’ cries and ran to the front door. There was an ordinary man standing outside the door. He handed me a letter, saying, “This is what the Baron told me to tell you,” and then left Hawkins’ mansion.

“Matriarch. I don’t know who it is, but I asked you to pass this on to the head of the family. “I heard that this is what the Baron told you to tell?”

After checking the contents of the letter handed to him by the servant, Hawkins smiled and turned his head towards Drake.

* * *

Peter Fett, the foreman of Deptford Royal Dockyard and the general manager who built the famous ‘Catherine’ and ‘Mary’, was having an anxious day again today.

“Whoa… I guess I should ask Her Majesty the Queen to increase the number of soldiers… .”

After building ‘Catherine’ and then ‘Mary’, attempts to kidnap her continued two or three times a week.

Kidnapping attempts became more severe after the success of ‘Oriental Trade’, and it was not just Peter’s case. Carpenters at the royal shipyard had been the victims of kidnapping attempts at least once in recent years.

In the last war, when the war between Spain and France had just ended, people were sent from Spain to recruit royal carpenters.

He promised to triple the salary he was receiving now and to treat her more luxuriously than anyone else, so he asked her to come to Spain and create ‘Catherine’.

It was not that there were no carpenters who were taken in by the sound, but most of them were carpenters who did chores, and all of the carpenters who knew Catherine’s core skills rejected Spain’s offer.

The British royal family, who confirmed the performance of ‘Catherine’, was concerned that the carpenters who built ‘Catherine’ would leave and leave, so they treated it appropriately so that they would not feel dissatisfied.

They guarantee wages even on weekends when they do not work, and even pay a large ‘performance bonus’ after building a ship. What carpenter in Europe would receive this kind of treatment?

As things turned out like this, Spain decided to give up persuasion and start demonstrating their skills. After hearing from the first few carpenters who were recruited who had ‘key skills’, they attempted to kidnap them.

At first, kidnapping attempts were made once or twice a month, but after the success of the ‘Oriental Trade’, they started happening twice a week. Peter, who was in charge of the carpenters, couldn’t help but feel dizzy.

Peter, looking at the dry dock while holding his throbbing head, was contemplating how much more soldiers he should request from the royal family.

“Peter, it’s been a while.”

A familiar voice came from behind Peter. Peter responded to the voice, stopped his worries and immediately looked back.

“Who is this! “Lord Logan!”

“Peter, how have you been?”

“How are you? Damn, do you know what I’m going through right now because of what you did? “A kidnapper arrives every two days!”

“haha… I heard about it. still… “I heard that no one has been kidnapped yet?”

“Even if no one has been kidnapped, there are countless people who almost have been kidnapped. “Anyway, what’s going on here?”

When Peter asked why he came here, Logan answered by handing Peter a thick wad of paper that he was holding in one hand.

“What reason would I have to come here? “Could you please take a look at this drawing?”

On the top page of the stack of paper that Logan handed to Peter, the word ‘Arniston’ was clearly written.

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*Aniston was a ship launched in 1794 and was a military and merchant ship used by the East India Company. She weighs between 1,000 and 1,200 tons, so consider her about half the size of Catherine… .