Her Majesty’s Secret Service

018. If You Can’t Write, Read.

Having promised to fulfill Marco’s request, I returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

There was something a little different than usual: it was me preparing the meat dish, and the kitchen staff casting doubtful glances at Marco.

“Ah! Why are you all looking at me like that?! Aren’t you going to work?!”

Marco’s usually stoic face turned slightly red as he bellowed.

There was a reason I had been making stew incessantly since entering the kitchen.

The Queen’s table usually featured meat dishes and stews, along with a few vegetables like beans, but only Marco, the head chef, and his close associates were allowed to prepare the meat dishes.

“Chef, are you really… entrusting the meat to Logan?”

“Do you have a problem with my decision, Oscar? You all know Logan’s skills! If there’s anyone here who hasn’t learned the recipe from Logan, step forward! Come on!”

At Marco’s shout, the chef who had spoken to Marco, his closest associate Oscar, closed his mouth.

“Logan, don’t worry and just focus on the cooking. Understand?”

It seems the promise made in the room was not enough. This must be Marco’s, no, the chef’s flattery. It was clear he was reminding me not to forget the promise while entrusting me with the most important dish.

“Ha ha, yes. Thank you, Marco.”

“…Where in this kitchen is there a chef better than you? Just… I’m counting on you.”

The fact that he made a point of asking made me think I was right. Was I not good enough?

But what could have happened with his relatives to make the usually stoic Marco take such initiative? I was dying of curiosity.

However, I decided to put my curiosity aside for now. There was other work to be done. The meat, already seasoned with olive oil, pepper, and salt, was ready.

‘Now then… the pan…’

While Marco and the other chefs would put the chunk of meat in the oven, I intended to use a pan.

I heated the pan and coated it with olive oil. Before the olive oil could burn, I placed the two pieces of prepared meat in the pan. With a sizzle, the meat began to cook, and the aroma wafted through the air.

When one side was cooked, I turned the meat over to cook it, and when the other side seemed done, I stood the meat on its side to sear the edges in the pan. I drizzled a little olive oil over the cooking meat, and the pan became soaked with the mixture of olive oil and meat juices.

‘Next, should I add garlic…? Or was it just butter?’

I was sure it was butter.

I added butter to the juicy mixture and tilted the pan to one side. The sauce formed by the mixture of meat juices, olive oil, and butter was sprinkled over the cooked meat to moisten it.

“Oliver! A plate!”

In need of a plate to serve the meat, I called out hastily for Oliver. Before Oliver could come running with a plate, Marco, who had been watching me, casually brought one over.

“Here, put it here.”

“Ah, thank you, Chef.”

While others might call him by name, inside the kitchen, we called Marco ‘Chef’ in accordance with his title. It was a kind of diplomacy, adhering to the rules of this place.

The dish was complete, but dinner was still a long way off. It was time to offer a tasting to the kitchen staff, both to get their evaluation of this ‘steak’ and to show off my skills.

“Chef? Is the meal preparation finished? Her Majesty the Queen has requested to dine a bit earlier today.”

Housekeeper Anne suddenly came to ask if dinner was ready.

Head Chef Marco spoke on behalf of everyone.

“Not yet, the stew hasn’t even started boiling…”

“Over there, it seems the meat is all cooked, isn’t it? Isn’t it ready?”

“Yes? We haven’t tasted it yet to serve to Her Majesty…”

“Hmm… Head Chef Marco, didn’t you cook it?”

“Ah… Today, Logan was in charge of the meat. His skills are indeed commendable.”

“Unexpected, for someone as proud as you to yield ‘meat’ duties?”

“If there’s a gap in skill, I’m not foolish enough to insist on pride.”

The British nobility considered eating meat a privilege in itself. If even the ordinary nobles thought so, what about the royal family?

In the royal kitchen, to be in charge of ‘meat dishes’ meant you were the top chef.

“Anyway, the meat is ready, you say? Good. Bring the stew out slowly, but let’s take this first. It’s not a subject’s place to make Her Majesty wait when she’s hungry.”

After saying this to Marco, Anne looked at me.

“Logan, you carry it and follow. Since you cooked it, you should bring it.”

“Ah…! Then I should get ready too…”

“Oliver, you wait and then bring the stew. Marco, you can make the cream stew quickly, right?”

“Yes, I’ll send word to Oliver.”

As Oliver was about to follow me, Anne sharply stopped him. Seeing the housekeeper act like this…

‘Ah, starting today…’

The Queen had clearly told me to ‘decode’ that book. Damn, now I see it wasn’t about having a meal.

With a grimace hidden within, I followed Anne, holding the plate with the steak. What can one do? When the king commands, one must obey.

As I was about to follow Anne with the plate in hand, Marco approached me. Then, in a whisper too faint for others to hear, he said,

“I trust you, Logan.”

Worried that I might forget his request, Marco’s typically stern expression softened a bit. I gave him a slight smile and proceeded to the queen’s chamber, following Anne.

* * *

“Your Majesty, it’s Logan. I’ve brought your meal…”

Logan’s awaited voice was heard.

Mary had been waiting, with the blueprint of the ‘USS Constitution’ spread out on her desk among others. She had hung several lamps in case the darkness made it difficult to decipher.

“Hmm… Hmm… Come in!”

She commanded Logan to enter as usual, to prevent any rumors from spreading.

Soon, the door opened, and a welcome face walked in with a silver plate.

“Come in, Logan. I have been waiting for you. Please, take a seat. There is much for you to do.”

Logan bowed to Mary and set the meal down on the desk first.

Initially bewildered, he now had the air of someone accustomed to working in the palace. His manners and speech were those of a perfect courtier, seemingly true to his noble lineage.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

“I’m sorry for the suddenness. It wasn’t my intention to dine early. There is something of great importance that you must decipher quickly.”

“Perhaps… this section that you have spread out now…”

“Indeed, you are astute! Such is the brilliance befitting a disciple of Sir Brian. What are you waiting for? Pen and paper are ready.”

Mary had come to believe in the existence of a person named Brian.

Of course, she didn’t know the blueprint in detail. She was a queen, not a shipbuilder. She recognized it as a blueprint and nothing more.

Even a layman close to himself could recognize it, a picture drawn so that when the ship was completed, the detailed picture of its appearance made one believe in the existence of a genius named Brian.

“Are you asking me to interpret this? Yes… But Your Majesty, there is a problem…”

“What problem do you speak of? Speak up, I shall solve it.”

“I… do not know how to write in English. That… I only learned the teacher’s writings…”

“What?”

Mary was taken aback by Logan’s unexpected words.

* * *

As soon as I opened the door and entered, I could confirm my suspicion. A desk illuminated by several lanterns, and on it, a familiar book, blank paper, and a pen. You’ve prepared thoroughly…

After greeting and paying respects, I converse with the Queen.

I intended to naturally bring up Marco’s matter during our conversation, but I wonder if there will be an opportunity to tell the Queen, who is captivated by the blueprint.

“The pen and paper are…”

The book taken from me, or rather, the book I inadvertently offered, echoes in my ears as the Queen’s command to transcribe it into Middle English.

Even if she commands, I am unable to carry out the Queen’s orders.

“What?”

Though I may speak and listen, I did not know how to write in Middle English. I was not even proficient in writing modern English. The Queen, having heard my answer, spoke to me with a face that did not anticipate such a response.

“How can you, taught by Sir Brian, not know how to write? If you dislike writing so much that you lie about it…”

I boldly questioned the Queen, who doubted me. I did not lie.

“It is true, Your Majesty. I only learned the teacher’s writings…”

Whether my act was convincing or she pretended to be deceived, the Queen sighed deeply.

“Has Sir Brian been away from his homeland so long that he has forgotten to teach its writing, or is it that you, Logan, are lacking?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

With this, the task of interpreting the blueprint was bound to be postponed. It was only after the Queen had finished her meal that I thought to bring up Marco’s relative’s story.

Considering the Queen’s kindness shown to me thus far, I felt she would somehow listen to a plea to help a peasant who had suffered an injustice.

Frankly speaking, if she wouldn’t listen after I had offered up even the ship’s blueprints along with the world map, would that not make her a thief rather than a monarch?

“Then, Your Majesty, please allow me to suggest starting with the meal…”

As soon as I opened my mouth to offer the meal, the Queen’s voice sealed my lips.

“If that’s the case, I shall write it myself. You shall interpret verbally.”

“Yes… Yes…? Without having your meal…”

“This is the priority. Have I not said that this book must be interpreted as soon as possible? Do my words not sound like words?”

“How could that be, Your Majesty? I was just…”

“Enough with the excuses. Sit down quickly. Looking at my blueprint, it seems there are not many pages. Now, hurry.”

The Queen’s urging command continued.

Unable to think of any more excuses, I reluctantly sat down and looked at the thick book filled with the ship’s blueprints. Not many pages? She speaks as if she were a tutor. At a glance, it seemed to be dozens of pages.

“First, could you explain the meaning of this ‘USS’? It’s a strangely unpleasant term. And the meaning of ‘HMS’ as well.”

Looking at the page the Queen pointed to, it was not a British ship but an American one. Damn it. My head hurts trying to figure out how to fit this in.

“HMS means ‘Her Majesty’s Ship,’ and USS is… that is to say…”

I desperately thought of an excuse. USS. United States Fleet, the Union…? Yes, let’s say it stands for ‘Ship of the Monarch of the United Kingdom.’

“It means ‘Ship of the Monarch of the United Kingdom.'”

“The Monarch of the United Kingdom?”

“The teacher always wished for the British Isles to be united. The United Kingdom of Britain! What a splendid name.”

“The United Kingdom of Britain, eh… Hmm…”

The corners of the queen’s mouth, feigning solemnity, lifted slightly.

After hearing that explanation, the queen no longer inquired about the word USS. Instead, she began to ask earnestly about the ship.

“What is this ‘tarun’? What is this wheel-like thing used for?”

“Well, this is…”

The book was detailed with stories about the ship’s parts, their purposes, how to raise the ship’s frame, and how to balance the ship. After reciting the annotations written for a while, my mouth began to hurt.

“Ahem, ahem… Your Majesty… May I rest a bit…? My throat…”

Not only was my mouth sore, but my throat was stinging too. It was inevitable since I had been reciting the book without proper hydration.

“Ah… It can’t be helped. You must take care of your throat. If not you, then who would decipher this book for us.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty…”

At this rate, I might lose my voice before even getting to Marco’s story. Fortunately, the queen’s permission to rest came just in time.

“Then let’s take a short break and start again later, you rest your throat. I shall have my meal now…”

It was only after a good while since the food was brought that the queen began to eat.

I held my sore throat as I watched the queen dine, pondering how to naturally bring up Marco’s matter to her.

Footnotes:

*Despite being an island nation, the British had an aversion to fish and preferred meat. Naturally, meat was a rare commodity, and eating it was a sign of authority, whether it was hunted or bred. This was not unique to Britain but a common culture in Europe at the time.

*USS and HMS are prefixes attached to ships of different countries. Typically used for warships, these prefixes were not yet in use during the time of the story.

USS stands for United States Ship, and HMS stands for His/Her Majesty’s Ship. In the story, it was explained away as United Kingdom Sovereignty Ship.

*The ship’s wheel was first introduced in 1705. Before that, it was common to steer using manual levers.