Chapter 1957: Chapter 1957

Jenkins offered his thanks as the "prince" who had secured his right of succession, and Queen Isabella responded in kind.

A dead silence hung over the lecture hall as the two exchanged formal pleasantries. Anyone could tell that while the words were routine, the atmosphere crackling between them was far from it.

In the intimidating silence that followed their exchange, Jenkins signaled for the Mayor to have the great doors opened. But everyone remained glued to their seats, no one daring to be the first to stand.

Queen Isabella extended a hand, and with the support of a nearby attendant, she was the first to move toward the exit. At her signal, the crowd behind her rose to follow. Duke Rochester shot Jenkins a glare, his dissatisfaction palpable. Duke Douglas Gerrod, however, offered a nod, his expression a complex mixture of emotions. He paused, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately just gave Jenkins three deliberate blinks before turning to catch up with the others.

Jenkins remained motionless on the stage, watching the procession file out of the hall. Only when they were gone did the sounds of conversation gradually return. It began as a low buzz, like a swarm of insects, but quickly swelled into the boisterous clamor of a marketplace.

People flooded out of their seats, at least half of them surging toward the front to offer their congratulations to the future king.

Just half an hour earlier, the King of Hamparvo had made it clear that his own successor would be betrothed to Jenkins. This meant he wasn't just poised to become the future king of Fidektri, but potentially much more.

It had been a thousand years since the collapse of the ancient Sicari Empire, and now, the human world was on the cusp of reunification. It was hard to say which was more significant: this, or the whole affair with Miss Fabry.

For lunch, Jenkins and his companions went to a high-end restaurant just a short distance from City Hall. On the pretext of celebrating, Jessica had booked the entire establishment. Once they were seated, the owner, having just caught wind of the explosive news, hurried over to declare that their meal would be on the house.

They dined in the second-floor banquet hall, which had been cleared of all furniture save for a single long table in the center. Jenkins opted not to take the head of the table, with the young women of his household arranged along the sides. Instead, he took a seat in the middle of one long side, with the others fanning out from him.

To his left sat Jessica, J-Miss, and Miss Windsor. Sigrid was also present, having come to brief Jenkins on the situation with the Human Jigsaw Puzzle.

He swirled his wine glass, staring blankly as the crimson liquid clung to the crystal before sliding back down, leaving no trace.

"So many people are looking for you right now. You aren't reporting to the Church, meeting with the Mayor, talking to my father, or speaking with reporters. You haven't even given a public address. So why are you here, treating us to lunch?"

Briny asked, her curiosity evident. Then she added:

"And you don't drink, so what are you doing with that wine glass?"

Jenkins set down his glass and nudged away his cat, who was trying to crane its neck for a sip. Once he was certain Chocolate wouldn't drink the wine, he spoke.

"I've made an important decision, and I wanted a proper meal before I act on it. I honestly thought I'd be able to claim the throne today..." For more chapters visıt novel·fire.net

"You wanted to take the throne directly, is that it?"

Briny pressed, unaware of his destiny as a Savior and thus clueless as to why he was in such a hurry.

"Yes, but it's fine. This is just a minor hiccup. I anticipated there might be trouble, though I didn't expect this particular kind. It's all right. Everything is still under control."

The silver metal block lay to his left. Chocolate had already sauntered over from the wine glass, but before the cat could touch it, Hathaway, sitting beside Jenkins, picked it up.

"Is this the... thing you mentioned?"

An expression of awe spread across Hathaway's face. She wasn't the least bit concerned about whether Jenkins could secure the throne. In her eyes, a god was omnipotent. And she wasn't entirely wrong—at least when it came to the affairs of mortals, Jenkins was indeed all-powerful.

Hathaway turned the silver block over in her hands. Deprived of its new toy, Chocolate flopped down sullenly beside Jenkins's arm. Jenkins absentmindedly stroked the cat's fur and prepared to share some of his food with it.

"Sigrid, how is the Human Jigsaw Puzzle case progressing?"

"It's going well, thanks to Alexia's help."

The petite woman smiled at Sigrid. She had just been whispering with Dolores about Salsi II's announcement of their betrothal. The princess was pretending to be annoyed, claiming she was displeased by her father's abrupt declaration, but it was obvious to everyone that she was thrilled.

"Before we left, we confirmed the Human Jigsaw Puzzle had been defeated. The Church of Creation and Machinery was handling the containment protocols. Here's your cane."

She gestured for Jessica to pass the cane to Jenkins.

"It's a good thing you were prepared. But how will you explain the arrow and the blessing?"

"I can't expose Mr. Siannod or the Music Church, but I have other excuses. That won't be a problem. You mentioned a vampire demigod appeared?"

"Yes. There were clear signs of mechanical augmentation, and he claimed to be a member of the Tree House."

Alexia answered for Sigrid.

"Do we know if he was a natural demigod who simply uses mechanical enhancements to boost his power? Or was he not a demigod to begin with, and only reached that level through mechanical modification?"

The distinction was critical. It signified a very different kind of partnership between the Gear Artisans' Association and the Tree House.

"We didn't fight, but I'm certain he was a demigod to begin with."

Jenkins nodded. That meant the collaboration between the Tree House and the Gear Artisans' Association was likely very close, but they weren't completely intertwined.

"What are you going to do about Queen Isabella?"

J-Miss asked, sensing that Jenkins had no intention of letting the matter rest.

"I'm going to have a private conversation with her."

Miss Windsor raised an eyebrow. Her gaze drifted to Jenkins's cat, which was busy eating. She said,

"You're not planning to..."

To an Enchanter, changing someone's mind—especially a mere mortal's—was hardly a difficult task. Even without his divine connection to lies, Jenkins had plenty of ways to make Queen Isabella "reconsider."

Julia, Sigrid, and Dolores showed no reaction; Queen Isabella was of no concern to them. Hathaway and Briny were a little surprised, but only just. If Jenkins succeeded, they would instantly become the fiancées of a king—an outcome neither would oppose. Alexia, J-Miss, and Miss Windsor, on the other hand, nodded in approval. In their eyes, this was the correct course of action. Hesitation was a bad habit.

Only Jessica paused, her wine glass halfway to her lips, before quickly recovering.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

J-Miss nudged her playfully with an elbow.

"I support all of Jenkins's decisions. I don't know why he's in such a rush, but at this point, he's doing the right thing. Otherwise, all of our preparations will have been for nothing. I just... I hope you don't kill her."

Despite everything she had witnessed in the possibility worlds, Jessica's heart was still soft.

"I never said anything about killing her."

Jenkins said in his own defense, before making a proposal.

"We'll go see Queen Isabella as soon as we're done eating. You three will come with me. Let's try to get this handled before dinner. That way, the evening papers can print the news on time."

J-Miss, Miss Windsor, and Jessica all gave him a puzzled look, but seeing his confident expression, they nodded in unison.

"We'd be happy to be of service."