Baron Walton spoke uninterestingly about the pleasures of his daughter, Lady Ripley, while the Duke of Richmond walked slowly and listened quietly. When the baron finished speaking, the duke smiled toothily at the bay of Ripley Lake on his left. When his eyes were distracted, a picture of a young girl martyrdom appeared in front of him, with extremely beautiful pictures: a young woman with long hair and a naked upper body was standing on the surface of the lake with her back to the duke.

When the hazy haze characteristic of summer blends with the clear blue sky, a thick layer of white mist hangs over the surface of the lake. When the young woman's body was surrounded by mist, a divine light emanated from all around her body. The light grew stronger and stronger, so strong that it penetrated the thick mist on the surface of the lake.

At this point, the young woman slowly turns her head to the right until her whole body is tilted to one side. The Duke of Richmond stared closely at the side of the young woman's face, and he wanted to see the other's face. As he thought about it, he felt as if he knew the young woman, who looked very much like Lady Ripley.

The Duke couldn't help but walk over, and the young woman seemed to sense his presence. Eventually, the young woman allowed the Duke to see her entire face. It was at that moment that the Duke's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He looked at the young woman in the lake in amazement, and realized that the other party would be... Duchess Mary Fitzroy.

Not only that, but her abdomen was bulging high under her white skin, and she looked like she was pregnant. The Duke of Richmond's footsteps began to move, but little by little he retreated backwards. The sacred pregnant woman, the lake, the mist, everything is still stuck in the picture that slowly fades away......

As the Duke of Richmond turned his gaze away from the tranquil waters of the lake, he saw Lady Ripley standing not far away, staring at him with a furrowed brow. And Baron Walton was standing by the lake with one hand behind his back to the two of them, slowly brushing his beard and thinking about something. The Duke smiled quietly, "Your Excellency, you... Are you looking at me? ”

Lady Ripley snorted softly and walked up to him with her arms folded over her chest, "Your Highness, as much as I would like to know what you are thinking, I don't think I'll say hello. ”

The Duke of Richmond smiled awkwardly, "Your Excellency, uh, we were talking about ...... just now"

Isabel Wall, the Lady of Ripley, glanced at the Duke very calmly, and said, "Your Highness, you have just spoken to us about the affairs of the French who have entered Scotland. ”

"Oh, yes, that's right." The Duke of Richmond agreed, then turned to Baron Walton, "Lord Walton, come to me." ”

As a breeze blew from the lake, the three nobles walked slowly along Lake Ripley to the northwest of the castle estate. When the Duke of Richmond looked at Baron Walton, he said, "Your Excellency, what do you think is the reason for the delay of this French army in attacking our borders?" ”

The Northern Council had made a detailed analysis and prediction of the French expeditionary force sent by Francis I to Scotland to aid the "Old League", based on information sent by several chiefs of guard on the eastern, central, and western frontiers. For months, the 2,000-strong expeditionary force had been stationed somewhere in Scotland. Neither to attack the southern frontier of England, nor to return to France by boat. The group of French who stayed where they were left was very confusing to the members of the Northern Council. Still, the members wanted to find out what the French were going to do next.

Baron Walton, recalling the various predictions and conjectures put forward at the committee meeting, replied calmly with his beard stroked, "Your Highness, I think that this French army is probably waiting for news of victory from Portsmouth. When the King's army has successfully landed on the Isle of Wight near Portsmouth, it will certainly cause some intrusion on our northern frontier. ”

"Your Excellency, do you have any other opinions?" The Duke of Richmond looked at Isabelle, who was walking on the other side of Baron Walton.

"Your Highness, I agree with my father. This army is only 2,000 men, and even if it wants to attack the northern border of the kingdom, I am afraid that it will not be able to win easily. Isabel replied solemnly.

The Duke of Richmond shook his head, and as he paced with his hands on his hips, he said, "Your Majesty's war with the French has been stalemate for a long time. I don't know, what kind of decision Your Majesty will make. ”

"Only Henry VIII dared to do this for the sake of war to bankrupt his own national finances."

"Now, he's sick and dying, what else can he do? It's nothing more than negotiating with the French. Isabel thought as she turned her eyes to the other side, approaching the large ancient grove planted by the city walls. Seeing that the two male nobles did not speak again, he whispered, "Your Highness, the war between the two countries has been stalemate for a long time. I believe that only negotiations can break this deadlock. ”

"Well, the Lord is quite right. And, His Majesty's army has always occupied Boulogne, who is French. The King of France wants to reclaim his town from us, so he can only sit down and negotiate with us. Baron Walton agreed with his daughter, and he would have liked to see peace talks between England and France. Either way, the Italian war had a lot of bad and significant effects on England.

"Negotiations?! So, this war for Italian possessions can be over? The Duke of Richmond asked duly.

"Your Highness, I think so." Baron Walton was willing to envision things for the better.

"So, what about the army that the King of France left in Scotland?" The Duke of Richmond asked in time, and in his opinion, even if Britain and France had negotiated in good faith, the final result of the negotiations would not have spread throughout Europe until days or weeks later. Rather than waiting for the outcome of the negotiations, it is better to take the initiative.

Isabel's two male nobles glanced at each other and said as if answering and asking rhetorically, "Your Highness, you can send the border army to kill these Frenchmen"

"Killed the French? Well, that's a good suggestion. It's just—" The Duke of Richmond nodded as he looked at Isabel.

Probably Francis I had completely forgotten about the expeditionary force sent to the "Old Alliance", which not only did not serve the slightest purpose, but was abandoned by him on the territory of Scotland.