Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1164

Saturday morning. The city was slowly awakening beneath a drizzly, overcast sky. Though Jenkins had teleported the "Rain Man" to some unknown corner of the world, Nolan's weather remained under its influence.

On the Westminster River, cargo ships, spewing steam into the sky, moved in a ceaseless flow. Sailors and laborers had already begun their bustling day.

But here, by the busy river, raindrops pattered against the windowpane. The quiet neighborhood had not yet fully stirred, and neither, for that matter, had Jenkins.

He opened his eyes, feeling the silky smoothness of the blanket over him and the sheets beneath. They weren't his. Then came the realization that this was definitely not his home. Besides, he didn't have a habit of sleeping bare-chested.

He was lying on his side, his head throbbing faintly and his body aching. Without a shirt, he could keenly feel the silk of the blanket against his skin. Lying on his side also gave him a clear view of the Westminster River and the gloomy sky outside.

"This is definitely not my home," he thought. "You can't see this from St. George Street. Where... where am I?"

He felt a wave of confusion and struggled to recall the events of the previous day.

The first memory to surface was his morning with Fini in the cemetery. The weeping girl seemed to have matured in an instant. Perhaps her transformation from a normal person into an Enchanter had brought with it a unique kind of enlightenment.

In any case, after that, Jenkins had woken the unconscious Scribe in the woods and brought both her and Fini back to the church. As for what transpired in the cemetery, he and Fini had already aligned their stories. Fini might not grasp the full meaning of believers and angels, but she trusted him completely.

Still confused about his whereabouts, he then saw his cat saunter along the edge of the bed until it was right in front of his face. Since he was still lying on his side, the cat loomed exceptionally large in his vision.

Its gaze was intensely scrutinizing, as if it were evaluating the deliciousness of a cake placed before it. Or perhaps it was reprimanding that same cake for having a bite taken out of it by someone else.

"After that... I found Bishop Parrold," he recalled. "I asked him about making a donation. Besides Louise's family, far too many people had died in that alley. The Pirate King Diwo showing up there had something to do with me, so I felt I had to do something to atone. Even if most of the dead had no family, at least I could do this one last thing for them."

It hadn't taken long. Bishop Parrold had immediately summoned the cleric responsible for such matters to arrange the donation for Jenkins. Donations were always welcome, after all. As he recalled, Jenkins had finished dealing with all the tedious paperwork before three o'clock yesterday afternoon.

"So why am I not in my own bed?"

The question puzzled him. Unsettled by the cat's stare, he tried to roll over, but the moment he moved, he felt an arm draped across his body.

It was a slender arm with smooth skin. It had to belong to a woman... and Jenkins felt no sleeve.

"After arranging the donation yesterday afternoon, I chatted with Fini for a bit, then left the church. Pops wasn't at the antique shop, and I wasn't scheduled to work, so I went to... Ruen!"

Yesterday was Friday, the day he was supposed to make up for their postponed gathering. But he had been so exhausted by recent events that he'd pushed it back again. Alexia didn't seem to mind, but Dolores, who had been there, looked a little disappointed, even if she tried not to show it.

"Then I returned to Nolan, and the view outside is definitely Nolan. After I got back, I went to..."

"Jenkins? Why are you awake so early?"

Hathaway's languid voice came from behind him. The girl sharing his blanket wrapped her arms around him from the back. Jenkins shifted, trying to gauge if she was clothed, and at that moment, the memories of last night came rushing back.

"I went to find Hathaway and Briny," he remembered. "Now that I finally understood my own heart, I had to tell them. Briny was out, so I only found Hathaway, and we had a candlelight dinner at her house..."

It had all felt so natural. They were adults, after all. After dinner, they sat on the sofa, talking. Maybe it was the hot chocolate, but as they spoke, they had kissed, and after that...

The cat's gaze was so piercing it felt like its claws were scraping against his very soul. A hot blush instantly spread across his face as the memories of the previous night solidified.

Hathaway's languid voice murmured again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering a gentle good morning in his ear. Jenkins struggled to compose himself and quietly returned the greeting.

Wriggling out of her embrace, he turned over to finally see Hathaway's face, her cheeks faintly flushed. Her red hair was a beautiful mess, and the blush on her skin was barely perceptible.

"Is something wrong? Don't tell me you've suddenly forgotten everything,"

the red-haired girl teased.

"No, I remember. I remember everything very clearly..." Newest update provıded by novel⁂fire.net

He suddenly felt incredibly crass.

"I mean, last night was wonderful. Yes, wonderful."

Jenkins had never experienced anything before, so he had no idea what to say to make things feel natural. But his very awkwardness was a natural reaction in itself. Hathaway wasn't angry. On the contrary, she laughed.

"To be honest, I never expected you to be so bold yesterday. I thought I would have to wait a long, long time for you to make a move like that. A very, very long time."

Her left hand toyed unconsciously with a strand of her hair, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek softly.

Jenkins had been the one to make the first move. For a moment, he wondered if Hathaway had slipped a Witch's Kiss into their dinner, but that was impossible—something like that wouldn't affect him.

"I've come to understand some things," he said. "I think... this is what's right."

They had done something similar once before, in the world of dreams, so last night wasn't technically the first time. And yet, it was... Jenkins couldn't quite explain it. A few simple words were not enough to capture the depth of his feelings.

She wrapped her arms around his neck again.

"You're different now, you really are. In the past, even though I knew you cared for us, I could feel you pushing us away. Pushing everyone away. But you're not like that anymore, and I'm so happy, Jenkins. You don't have to explain what you've been through. I'm just... truly happy."