A week has passed since what happened to me. There's still no lead on who and where those men are. They are still out there, and at anytime they can go back to me, maybe even kill me this time.

While there was no news about the men who attacked me, my mother was handling his list of suitors and finding the possible king of Scotland. The Queen of Scotland also decided to throw a party to celebrate her decision to find a new king for Scotland and also to meet her suitors.

Catherine volunteered to handle the case of Lord Darnley. She went to the house of Lady Lennox, mother of Lord Darnley, to talk. Afterwards, she then decided to ditch the party and head back home to France.

Back in the Scottish Court, Uncle James reported to my mother that Queen Elizabeth already knew the news of her plan to marry Lord Darnley to take the throne away from her.

"Mary, she can propose marriage to Lord Darnley too."

"She can take away your dreams of taking England."

"Taking what is truly supposed to be yours, Mary"

He said

"And Elizabeth can arrange a meeting with him about their marriage."

"She can steal my opportunities."

"Well, I won't let her"

She answered with confidence.

I was there listening to them when suddenly a servant gave me a letter from my grandmother, Catherine de Medici. I read it out loud for them to hear it as well.

——————

Dear Alexandra,

I'm back in the French Court. I hope you take good care of yourself there and, of course, help your mother with her decisions. Kindly tell Mary that I have already talked to Lady Lennox about the arrangement of her marriage to Lord Darnley. She accepted my invitation to join you in Scotland for the party, where she will be accompanied by Lord Darnley. She also told me that Lord Darnley might disagree with the marriage because he's seeing someone. A young lady who is engaged to be wed to someone else. Although Lady Lennox told me not to worry as she would take care of her son.

I told you their family is ambitious.

Take care, my children.

Catherine

——————

"Oh god, thank you Catherine!"

Okay, so Catherine just invited Lord Darnley over together with his mother.

"Everything should happen accordingly as planned."

"I will meet him and talk about the marriage."

My mother said

After the discussion about Lord Darnley, my mother and I went outside to get some fresh air, where she saw a man—an English ambassador named Lord Blackburn. They glanced at each other, looking like they knew one another. It made me wonder if they had met before, but of course, he's the English ambassador here in Scotland, but what I meant to think is that are they friends? Or something else?

"Lord Blackburn"

"Mary"

She called my mother by her first name, as if they were close. The queen didn't even flinch when she was called by her first name without honorifics.

"Been a long time, Lord Blackburn."

"Haven't seen you in awhile."

She said

"Mary, we need to talk."

My mother asked permission to leave me to have a talk with Lord Blackburn privately. I nodded, and after that, I headed inside the castle. For a little while, she came back and called Uncle James to the throne room. I followed and went with them to the throne room to listen, but I acted like I was supposed to get something there.

"Gideon proposed to me."

"Elizabeth told him that we could live and be married happily."

"That we can stay in England"

"There's a castle to be offered to us, he told me."

"With that, Scotland and England will be at peace."

She sighed

"But Mary, you will lose your chance of getting the English throne."

"She may have told Lord Blackburn that you'll be free and your country will be free, but haven't you realized that Elizabeth wants you to accept his proposal so that no one can threaten her and her crown?"

"She can easily take Scotland from you."

"She knows that you will agree to the proposal."

Uncle James made his point

I butted in to the conversation because my mother thinks it's the right thing to do, which I totally disagree with.

"Mother, I may not know what you and Lord Blackburn have had in the past, but Queen Elizabeth is trying to get rid of you by giving you freedom."

"You are the rightful queen of England, and she knows that."

"And with what Uncle James said, she knows that you won't deny the proposal because I see that you love him and don't want to hurt him."

"She's giving you choices."

"Marry for love or marry for Scotland."

I saw the look on her face. It seems like she hadn't realized it at first. I can see that she's hurt by what I've said, but I am left with no choice but to tell her that and to let her realize the truth about what my uncle and I are trying to point out.