Chapter 1594: Chapter 1594

"Just friends? If you really want to work with her, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to deepen your relationship."

The shorter woman offered the suggestion casually. Seeing Jenkins's confused glance, she let out a soft chuckle and elaborated.

"She must be thinking the same thing. A purely verbal agreement is never reliable. You're worried she has other plans, but why wouldn't she worry that you'll stop valuing her once you gain more supporters? Since this Miss Windsor you've described is such a decisive and charismatic woman, she'll definitely look for an opportunity to move your relationship beyond what it is now, even if she knows you could never marry her."

Dolores added. She wasn't worried about some woman suddenly appearing and threatening her position; she knew Jenkins wasn't a womanizer at heart.

Chocolate thought that these young people were just too naive, their ideas so simplistic.

Jenkins didn't quite agree with them. His alliance with Miss Windsor was solely for the sake of the throne; he held no ulterior desires for the woman. But that was a matter for another day. The immediate priority was arranging a meeting between Dolores's party and Miss Windsor to formalize their partnership. This suited Jenkins just fine, as he wasn't one for masterminding grand events or long-term strategies. He was more than happy to let someone else handle those details.

As he was speaking with the young women, he suddenly produced his monocle and turned his gaze to Dolores. Faced with that peculiar look, one that seemed as if it could pierce right through her clothes, Dolores didn't flinch. Instead, she defiantly puffed out her chest to meet his stare. Unfortunately for her, his monocle possessed no such X-ray capabilities.

"The Ice Soul is on Dolores, just as I thought. It couldn't be anyone else."

He tucked the monocle away, his mind racing. In response to the women's questioning looks, he thought for a moment before explaining the matter of the King Souls. Upon hearing this, Dolores immediately offered to give him the wisp of Ice Soul, but Jenkins stopped her.

"The King Souls represent the right to rule. While you only get the full effect by gathering all four, the title of Uncrowned King corresponds to the emperor of all humanity. A single soul, however, might signify that you are destined to become the ruler of a single kingdom."

Jenkins patted Dolores on the shoulder.

"There's no rush," he said. "You should hold onto the Ice Soul for now. It won't be too late to give it to me after you've taken your throne and I've found the other three."

Alexia agreed with Jenkins. While searching for data on the Difference Engine, she had come across legends related to the Saviors. Because of this, she felt it was best to let nature take its course rather than consciously passing the emblems between them.

Soon, Dolores would have to straighten up her room before joining her siblings for a lecture from Salhir II. Alexia, meanwhile, wanted to return to Ruen to check if the young princess, Angelina Stuart, was managing state affairs according to their arrangements.

Given their plans, Jenkins decided to leave and return the next morning. But before they could say their farewells, a knock sounded at Dolores's door. The owner of the room didn't even have a chance to ask who it was before the voice of the eldest princess, Yani Stuart, drifted in.

Jenkins frowned, spinning around to find a place to hide. His eyes settled on a wardrobe in the corner. Alexia, however, held up a hand, signaling for him to wait. After a moment of thought, she gestured for Julia to simply open the door.

Julia glanced at Dolores, who trusted her tutor implicitly and nodded for her to proceed. As she opened the door, the beautiful head maid carefully angled it, opening it just wide enough for the person directly outside to see there was a man in the room, while anyone further back would only see the door. Get full chapters from novel_fіre.net

The eldest princess of the Stuart household raised an eyebrow, recognizing Jenkins at once. She didn't gasp or show any surprise, however. Instead, she slipped inside, and Julia immediately shut the door, leaving the princess's attendants waiting in the hall.

Alexia casually cast a silencing spell, ensuring their conversation would remain private.

"Jenkins Williams? No, I suppose I should be calling you Jenkins Middleton now."

Ignoring her younger sister's wary gaze, she walked right up to Jenkins and offered her hand. It wasn't for a handshake, but for a kiss.

Jenkins shot a sideways glance at Dolores, who immediately strode forward, seized her older sister's hand, and shook it vigorously. When she let go, Jenkins could see a distinct red mark on Princess Yani Stuart's hand.

"My name is Jenkins Williams,"

he stressed. His family had no intention of changing their surname, and Queen Isabella hadn't mentioned it either.

"Very well. Still, I never expected to find you right here in my naive little sister's room."

The eldest princess grabbed Dolores's hand again.

"I thought you would be visiting tomorrow. It seems I've underestimated the nature of your relationship."

"Enough, sister! What do you want?"

Dolores snapped, pulling her hand away impatiently.

"If there's nothing else, I suggest you go to the kitchen for some hot tea, find a good book, and retire to your room."

"Of course there's a reason..."

she said, glancing at Jenkins.

"I want to form an alliance with you. Yes, that's it."

According to the rumors, Yani Stuart had once collaborated with the Tree House, and this was true. It was only after the riots in Ruen, when her father was gravely injured, that she truly understood how dangerous the organization was. She had told the Church everything she knew, which helped them gather intelligence on the Tree House and eliminate their presence in the city.

The Church hadn't given her any trouble, and losing the support of the Tree House hadn't deterred the princess from pursuing the throne. However, during Jenkins's stay in Ruen, she had consistently avoided any direct confrontation with Dolores. As a result, aside from seeing her at a few banquets, she had barely registered on his radar.

Still, one had to admit, none of the Stuart children could be underestimated. The eldest princess had never abandoned her claim to the throne, not even with her older brother standing as the greatest obstacle in her path. She needed allies to oppose the crown prince, and she had set her sights on Dolores, who had recently earned high praise from Salhir II for her work on the kingdom's financial reforms.

"So, what's the story with your older brother? His arm... I thought your father had given up on him. I remember when I was in Ruen, Sarrot seemed quite despondent. It was rare to even see him at social gatherings."

Jenkins finally remembered his earlier confusion.

"Father had a long talk with him. The gist of it was that as long as he has the ability, losing his left arm doesn't matter."

Yani Stuart paused for a moment, clearly wanting to say more, but in the end, she offered no comment on her father's opinion.

"In any case, with our brother standing in the way, I certainly can't win on my own. So, what do you say? Do you accept my proposal?"