Chapter 3

3_ I am □□ Queen (2)

"Is this guy crazy? Marriage? Marriage with Felipe?"

I tore the letter I was holding to shreds.

Is it rude to treat the emperor's letter like this?

I hope so. I feel like being a bit rude right now.

No, I know exactly what kind of person Felipe is, and he's proposing marriage.

Isn't it strange that I'm not angry?

In the original history, Mary marries Felipe.

But Felipe treats Mary poorly.

He doesn't visit her even when she's sick, and he belittles her, calling her ugly, despite her being the queen of a country.

Sure, I can somehow overlook that.

After all, it's a political marriage, so as long as it benefits both countries, that's all that matters, right?

But Felipe drags Britain into the war between Spain and France.

And then he loses spectacularly.

So what? Let's say I concede a hundred times and still think it's okay.

Felipe didn't want to lose, did he?

Still, after losing the war, shouldn't he have negotiated a peace treaty?

Here, Felipe's trolling shines through.

Felipe uses his position as the queen's husband to hijack the negotiations with France.

And then he unilaterally informs Britain of the negotiation results.

What were the results?

Spain didn't lose any territory.

Instead, Calais, Britain's last continental territory, was handed over to France.

Calais! Britain's last piece of continental land!

He sold it to France without a word.

How aggrieved must Mary have been? Her will even said:

"When I die, the word 'Calais' will be engraved on my heart."

Knowing this outcome, would I marry Felipe?

No way, unless I'm crazy.

After venting my anger, I finally calmed down and composed my thoughts.

...Fortunately.

Refusing the marriage alliance shouldn't be too difficult.

The nobles would oppose my marriage to Felipe.

A marriage between a queen of a minor country and a prince of a major power could easily lead to the country's downfall.

In the original history, Mary's marriage to Felipe was largely pushed by her.

"But... refusing the alliance won't be easy."

Royal marriage negotiations don't usually proceed so hastily.

First, portraits are exchanged, and then secret negotiations begin.

Once the benefits and post-marriage arrangements, including property division and children, are settled, the formal meeting takes place.

But Felipe skips all these procedures and comes directly to propose marriage?

This means Charles V is more desperate than I thought.

He will push the alliance aggressively, making it hard to refuse.

"If Felipe behaves well, that would be nice."

The easiest way is for Felipe to cause trouble.

Charles V, no matter how eager for the alliance, has Felipe here.

In the original history, Felipe detested the idea of marrying Mary.

He was even insulted by me yesterday.

Perhaps he won't readily agree to the alliance.

"But the chances of that are slim."

I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

No matter what, he's the next emperor of the empire. Would he lose his composure over a little insult?

If he does, Felipe would truly be unworthy of being emperor.

###

- Bang!

The Duke of Placentia held his aching head and sighed.

The precious porcelain he brought from his country was broken.

"That woman dared to insult me!"

Felipe threw himself again.

Fortunately, this time he landed safely on a soft carpet.

The Duke of Placentia quickly began to soothe the prince before any more property was damaged.

"That was not her intention. How could a queen from a backwater village know that Your Highness doesn't speak German? She probably just wanted to show off her limited knowledge."

The prince looked at the Duke with disdain.

"I fell for that witch's trick. Her mother was a Spanish princess, and she was taught by a Spanish governess as a child. Yet she wrote in German? Why? It's obvious! To insult me!"

The Duke of Placentia shook his head, looking troubled.

Indeed, that was strange.

'Did she really intend to provoke Your Highness? But how could a woman buried in a backwater island know about Felipe?'

Was she monitoring the situation here all along?

Or did she guess based on her natural insight?

Either way, it's not something an ordinary woman could do.

'I need to be more careful.'

Now is not the time to admire a foreign ruler.

"So, will you cancel the marriage alliance?"

"I would like to. No, my father would have done the same if he knew the queen's rule was unstable."

Felipe's excuse was somewhat reasonable.

Before coming here, Spain believed Mary had inherited the throne without any issues.

There was no legitimate heir other than her, so it was natural.

But it turns out there was a rebellion before Mary's ascension.

It was suppressed in ten days without major punishment, so they didn't know.

If they had known, Charles V wouldn't have sent his precious son to such a turbulent place.

In fact, the actual history unfolded as he described.

Mary executed rebels en masse after her ascension, and the news reached Spain.

Spain then judged Britain's situation as unstable and reached out later.

Prince Felipe didn't know this story.

"Indeed, if His Majesty knew the situation, he would have thought twice before sending Prince Felipe. But now, you are already in Britain. Will you return without any results? Ferdinand would be delighted."

Felipe's expression hardened.

He knew this rationally.

The chances of him becoming the Holy Roman Emperor are not high.

All the electors have turned their backs on him and his father.

Following his father's advice, there is only one way to resolve this situation.

War and victory.

Felipe must personally lead the army to crush France.

Then the electors will fear him.

A glorious victory can turn public opinion.

For that, he must secure this backwater shepherd's country.

"…I cannot let my emotions ruin my great cause."

Felipe answered with a sulky voice.

If there was no chance of becoming the Holy Roman Emperor, it would be different.

With the throne within reach, he cannot let a mere insult cost him the throne.

Seeing the subdued Prince Felipe, the Duke of Placentia felt relieved.

"You have made a wise decision. A ruler must control their anger and look to the future."

The Duke's praise made Prince Felipe smile.

"Even if the marriage alliance is impossible, a military alliance should not be difficult. This would be the best outcome for me. And even if we do form a marriage alliance, I don't need to treat her well for long. As her husband, I will become the co-ruler of England. I can take all her unstable power."

The Duke of Placentia did not doubt Prince Felipe's words.

Marrying the queen and taking her country as a dowry is the Habsburg way.

###

The coronation morning arrived.

I woke up at dawn, dressed, and put on the heavy golden fur robe.

The old and devout Catholic bishop, Stephen Gardiner, conducted the coronation oath.

It was a formal procedure, but it was important.

It was a good opportunity to show the public what kind of queen I would be.

The first oath question was:

"Will Your Majesty solemnly swear to govern this United Kingdom of Britain according to the customs and laws that have been passed down?"

A straightforward question.

The customs are a bit tricky, but in this era, customs are often more reasonable than laws.

"Yes, I swear to govern according to customs and laws."

The second question followed.

"Will Your Majesty govern this kingdom with justice and mercy?"

"Yes, I swear to govern with justice."

The bishop's body slightly flinched at my answer.

He noticed that I intentionally omitted the part about mercy.

This is a warning to those watching from behind.

The new queen will not be merciful, so don't act rashly.

Bishop Gardiner paused for a moment before finally asking the last question.

"…Will Your Majesty protect the law of God and the declaration of the gospel?"

Wait, the last question we agreed on wasn't this.

I glared fiercely at the bishop.

The bishop tried to smile but couldn't stop his eyes from trembling.

'He's testing me. How presumptuous.'

I understand.

Bishop Gardiner suffered in prison for a long time because of his Catholic faith.

He must have been very anxious about whether the new queen would protect Catholicism.

But I have no intention of confirming it here.

"…As the protector of the Church of England, I will do so."

The bishop froze.

It wasn't the answer he expected.

According to the national church, the king is the head of the church.

According to Catholicism, the pope is the head of all churches, and the king assists him.

So, which side does my answer lean towards?

The bishop's head was spinning, and it was clear.

The nobles, foreign envoys, and gentry who would hear about the coronation would also be confused.

Ah, Prince Felipe's favorability must have plummeted, right?

He is a devout Catholic.

So, this was a good outcome.

The oath ended, and the rest of the ceremony proceeded as planned.

Now it was time to receive congratulations and gifts from various countries.

First, the French envoy, Huartier, presented me with a gift.

A carved ivory and other small valuables.

A gift that was neither too excessive nor insufficient.

'After the coronation, I should meet the French envoy separately.'

But the important thing now is the Spanish envoy.

Prince Felipe approached me and bowed politely.

The rudeness from our private meeting was gone.

"Our Spain has prepared a ship for Your Majesty."

"A ship?"

"Our pride, the large galleon, Mary Rose."

"The Mary Rose? Isn't it one of our country's warships? I thought it was already broken…"

"Yes, unfortunately, it sank a few years ago. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a ship with the same name as Your Majesty, the Mary Rose, were to be resurrected for your ascension? The performance of this warship will be as good as, if not better than, the original Mary Rose."

The prince's assurance made the nobles' eyes widen.

The Mary Rose was Britain's pride, a state-of-the-art warship.

It sank a few years ago, and no new ship like the Mary Rose was built afterward.

Not because it wasn't needed, but because it was too expensive.

With Britain's weak finances, it was a difficult task.

But to gift such a warship without any conditions.

Only a wealthy country like Spain could do this.

'As expected, they are generous.'

The nobles were already in a trance.

If the coronation gift is this impressive, what else could they receive if an alliance is formed?

Moreover, the gift assault didn't end there.

"To sincerely congratulate Your Majesty's ascension, I have prepared this necklace."

At Felipe's gesture, a large jewelry box opened, revealing a necklace.

A necklace made of dozens of large and small pearls, intricately woven to form a flower.

At the center of the flower was a fist-sized red carbuncle.

The carbuncle, known as the king of gems in this era.

A necklace that epitomized luxury.

"Named after Your Majesty, it is a lily, the symbol of the Virgin Mary."

At first glance, it seemed flawless.

The nobles were excited by the continuous, lavish gifts.

"Truly an impressive gift, a flower made of jewels."

"Heh, even without fragrance, the jewels seem to emit a scent."

The prince's smile deepened at the nobles' reactions.

He must think that after giving such precious gifts, I wouldn't dare to insult him again.

But, boy.

"A flower made of jewels, a flower that won't attract bees or butterflies."

The world doesn't work the way you want it to.

"Moreover, the lily symbolizes purity. Is this meant to insult me?"

At this moment, I am not Queen Mary.

I am Queen Seondeok of Silla, enraged by a scentless flower.