Her Majesty’s Secret Service

036. The Dagger

My benefactor was not only Prince Eric.

“What? A rebellion? Against Her Majesty the Queen?”

“No, where else would you find a queen like Her Majesty? It’s an honor to serve such a great monarch, these damned fools…!”

Most of the stewards and court maids, being nobles, were untrustworthy, but the kitchen staff could be trusted. And not a single one within this kitchen had failed to receive a recipe from me.

Crucially, all the kitchen staff held a favorable view of Queen Mary.

“What, Her Majesty wishes to marry the one she desires, and these wretches think they have the right to obstruct her decision?!”

Especially Marco, who almost worshipped the Queen, held her in high esteem ever since she personally went down to reclaim his family’s ancestral lands.

Whenever he had a moment, he would praise the Queen’s merciful actions in Dartford to the kitchen chefs. His descriptions, especially of the Queen during the harvest, were so lengthy and vivid that they could burn the meat on the stove.

With head chef Marco constantly speaking so favorably of the Queen, those working under him naturally came to view her with affection.

Moreover, the Queen’s demeanor in recent months had won the hearts of the chefs. Not only did she finish every dish sent up from the kitchen, but she also often sent down gratuities, alcohol, or meat when she was pleased with the meals, making it impossible for the chefs to dislike her even if they wanted to.

“So, how can I help?”

What I asked of the kitchen staff was to keep an eye on the movements of the nobles who had entered the palace.

“Hey, Robin, how have you been lately? Isn’t it boring just standing there?”

“No, John. What are you doing here when you should be stuck in the kitchen?”

—

Within the palace walls, the total number of residents barely reached a hundred.

Because of this, the chefs who had worked there for years had naturally become acquainted with the other guards and servants. As things progressed, it wasn’t long before I had a clear view of all that transpired within the palace.

I knew which noble had met whom and when, who left the palace at what time and returned when, and even the trivial details of who attended to their needs where.

Thus, when the chefs relayed such information to Prince Eric, he would use it to keep tabs on the nobles.

Thanks to this, we were able to detect that Duke Howard, Bishop Steve, and Courtney had convened outside the palace around the time the news of Wyatt’s occupation of Dartford reached us.

Prince Eric and I concluded that Duke Howard was one of the masterminds behind the rebellion.

Amidst this, word came that the Queen had entrusted Duke Howard with leading the punitive force.

“Logan, what do we do now? We must inform Mary at once and dismiss the scoundrel…”

Unlike the flustered prince, I had a different thought.

“Your Highness, surely he intends to join the rebels, doesn’t he?”

“Can’t you see? More than half of the punitive force are his private soldiers.”

“The reason he’s drawing soldiers from London is to weaken its defenses, right?”

“You’re well informed! Go to Mary now. It’s not too late.”

“No, perhaps it’s best to leave things as they are?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Your Highness, might I borrow your seal?”

“My seal?”

“Yes, and if possible, the Queen’s as well.”

“The Queen’s seal? There are still unopened letters.”

After I explained why I needed the seals, the prince readily agreed to lend them to me.

Taking the seal, I headed to the kitchen.

“Do you know any of the soldiers setting out? Of course, there are. Why do you ask?”

Through the kitchen staff, I was introduced to three soldiers, particularly loyal to the Queen. Coincidentally, all three were cavalrymen.

I showed them the seals I had received from Prince Eric and quietly began to speak.

“We need your help to punish the traitors.”

I showed them the seals of the prince and the queen, feigning a royal command.

There was a risk, but I knew the queen wouldn’t punish me for a deed her beloved prince had agreed to.

My order to them was simple. If Duke Howard tried to join the rebels, they were to seize the opportunity and strike down the traitors.

The three, burning with loyalty, accepted the ‘command,’ and thus, they were able to aim a dagger at Duke Howard’s heart.

* * *

Thomas Wyatt, filled with youthful dreams, was just passing Welling on his way to London.

“Shall I soon meet the patron? Isn’t it time you told me who they are?”

“You will know soon enough.”

Thanks to the anonymous ‘patron’ introduced by Courtney, he could arm a thousand soldiers, and with the gold provided, he could buy their loyalty and their food. After the initial gold was spent, he had to seek a little ‘support’ from the provinces.

‘Thomas,’ or ‘Tom,’ as this young friend he spoke with was called, was also a gift from the patron. Tom, who had combat experience but no large-scale command experience, was leading this army of five thousand in Wyatt’s stead.

As he neared London, memories of his childhood returned to Wyatt.

In those days, his father, ‘Thomas Wyatt,’ had worked in the king’s court. Thanks to the influence of his father, who had served under both Henry VII and Henry VIII, young Wyatt enjoyed a life of welcome and privilege everywhere in London.

Strolling through the mansions of London, everyone would hurry over and bow their heads in greeting—a memory Wyatt had not forgotten.

After his father’s death, he could no longer live in London.

Returning to his hometown of Kent, Wyatt strove to be chosen by the king, just like his father, to return to London.

In 1543, he distinguished himself on the battlefield, and by 1547, he was even elected as a member of Parliament for Kent.

Yet, Wyatt could not return to London. It was because his father was the very man who had annulled the marriage of ‘Catherine of Aragon,’ the mother of the newly crowned Queen Mary Tudor.

Returning to London seemed impossible.

Then one day, Edward Courtenay, rumored soon to be a duke, sent word asking if Wyatt would assist him.

If Courtenay’s plan succeeded, Wyatt thought he could live a life of splendor as a favored subject of the king, just as his father had done. Of course, the difference being the favor of a duke, not a king.

With the funds Courtenay sent, Wyatt gathered men and secretly acquired weapons, barely managing to assemble a little over thirty soldiers.

The amount was insufficient to recruit more men, so Wyatt wrote to Courtenay repeatedly asking for more support, but the only response was to trust and wait a little longer.

After three months of scant support, Wyatt began to face reality. The initial gold coins ceased to come, and only letters asking for his patience and trust returned.

As Wyatt’s wallet thinned each month, the scales fell from his eyes.

Then, a letter with different content than usual arrived.

“Rochester…?”

Upon reading Courtenay’s letter, which stated he had secured enough weapons to arm a sufficient number of men and the funds to employ them, Wyatt decided to trust Courtenay one last time. If the support proved inadequate again, he was resolved to give up everything, including his return to London.

Soon after, Wyatt received the ample support Courtenay had promised. From that day on, Wyatt committed his life to Courtenay, and now, he and his followers were just passing through Welling on their way to London.

“Ah, it seems they have arrived ahead of us.”

“Where, where do you mean? Ah, that flag is…?”

Reflecting on the past, Wyatt looked in the direction pointed out by his lieutenant, Tom. A familiar coat of arms fluttered into view.

“That coat of arms… surely it belongs to the House of Howard…”

“Let’s go. The Duke must be waiting.”

* * *

The armies of the Duke of Howard and Wyatt stood facing each other, halted midway on the road connecting Dartford and London.

From the very beginning, the Duke of Howard had no intention of suppressing Wyatt’s rebellion.

For the rebellion was his own creation.

‘Thomas seems to have done well.’

Thomas, the lieutenant attached to Wyatt, was a man sent by the Duke. While he had combat experience, he was clearly lacking in commanding a large army, and was there to assist Wyatt. However, his true purpose was to serve as a leash to control Wyatt. Should Wyatt harbor any other intentions, Thomas would be ready to thrust a sword into Wyatt’s neck at a moment’s notice.

“So, Thomas Wyatt, we meet like this. I was acquainted with your father.”

In the middle of the road where the two armies were in a standoff, the Duke, having removed his helmet, confronted Wyatt. Both were accompanied by two guards each.

Despite being a meeting between the leader of the suppression force and the head of the rebellion, there was no tension to be found.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I never imagined that the patron His Highness spoke of would be you…”

“The Duke? Ah, you mean Courtney?”

The Duke received Wyatt’s words with a sneer. The Duke, Edward Courtney, was nothing more than a tool to grant power to him and Steve.

“So, are these the soldiers you’ve brought?”

The Duke gestured towards Wyatt’s army. Although their numbers were overwhelmingly greater than the Duke’s soldiers, only the first thousand who had taken Rochester were properly armed. The rest, who seemed to have joined along the way from Rochester, were dressed haphazardly.

“Yes, these are the loyal soldiers gathered to punish the traitors who have clouded Her Majesty’s vision.”

“Loyal soldiers, let’s leave it at that.”

Now, all that was left was for these ‘loyal’ soldiers to march on London, and the deed would be done.

They were the ones who would place power in his hands.

It was then, as he looked upon Wyatt’s soldiers with a pleased expression.

“But Your Grace, what about those…?”

Wyatt pointed in the direction where three cavalrymen from the Duke’s camp were rapidly approaching, kicking up clouds of dust.

“Is there some matter? Surely, there’s no reason for three to come running…”

Duke Howard could not hide his flustered expression. Judging by the livery of those cavalrymen, they were undoubtedly the ones provided by the Queen.

“Uh…?”

The sound of galloping hooves, thudding against the earth, began to grow louder. With each breath, the cavalry drew closer to the Duke and Wyatt.

The guards protecting the Duke and Wyatt sensed something odd about the approaching cavalry and quickly readied their spears, but it was too late—the cavalry was already upon them.

“Kuh—ack!”

In an instant, the cavalrymen reached the spot where Duke Howard and Wyatt stood. The guards tried to resist, but the sudden charge left them trampled under the hooves before they could even thrust their spears.

“aaagh!”

As the Duke was crushed under the cavalry’s assault, Wyatt let out an involuntary scream.

But that scream did not last long.

“Silence, traitor!”

After the charge, one of the cavalrymen turned his horse around and shouted, swinging his spear at Wyatt.

A dull thud echoed. The spear struck Wyatt, who had not yet donned his helmet, and he could not withstand the blow.

The cavalryman seemed keen to take the fallen Wyatt captive. However, he saw enemy cavalry charging from the front lines. He could not risk death for the sake of capturing a traitor.

With that thought, the cavalryman plunged his spear into Wyatt’s neck and turned away. His eyes met those of another cavalryman who was thrusting his spear into the corpse of Duke Howard.

“Where is that traitor?!”

“Dealt with!”

“Good! Then we shall meet in London!!”

The three daggers Logan had prepared were far sharper than he had anticipated.