Chapter 1964: Chapter 1964

"So, you are to promise now that you will..."

Jenkins spoke with crystal clarity. The panic, now cresting into a wave of pure terror, nearly stole Queen Isabella's voice.

Her insistence on the throne, the extension of her own path, was tied to her ideals, but also to a stubborn grasp on power. Ideals could be refuted, but stubbornness could only be broken by fear. She looked at the three Windsors beside her, then at the cold, impassive expression on Jenkins's face. That tenacious resolve, under the weight of a fear she refused to acknowledge, finally began to crumble.

"Oh, enough! Truly, enough!"

she suddenly exclaimed, cutting Jenkins off.

Her eyes remained locked on his.

"If I let you take the throne now, can you promise that within two years..."

"If you agree to my immediate succession, then for the next two years, you will lose nothing but the title of king. Everything else will remain as it is now, but you must allow Jessica to learn by your side. To be honest, I'm not worried about what you might do in two years. In my view, the wheels of history choose their own path. If what you insist upon is right, it will naturally be preserved. If it is wrong, then even when Jessica succeeds you, that dross will be swept away."

"You're very confident in yourself?"

"I will have Jessica learn everything. I am also willing to let you shadow me, to learn all the duties of a king, but you must swear..."

"I swear to the Sage. For two years, I only want the title of king and its accompanying privileges. You can even continue to live in Coldspring Palace, as long as you can find suitable rooms for my family."

To have someone willing to manage the country for you after succession, and for free at that, was a wonderful arrangement. Especially since that person's management of this country was actually quite good. Jenkins couldn't care less what her path was, nor did he care about her convictions.

Just as he said, he firmly believed the wheels of history would grind everything to dust and make their own choices.

"Your family will be responsible for my care in my old age, and for handling my affairs after I'm gone."

"Even if you didn't say it, Jessica—the one on the stairs—would have done so anyway. She's a foolish girl, that one. If you don't trust me, can't you at least trust her?"

"This is not an abdication under duress..."

"Yes, of course it wasn't me who forced you. You made this choice of your own accord, for the greater good. Besides, you'll still hold all the power for the next two years. Do you really need to worry about me publicizing this?"

"One last thing. If I wish to marry my lover, will you, as king, oppose it?"

Jenkins never expected such a request. He paused for a moment.

"Of course I won't oppose it. But it should be after the two-year power transition, and not too many people should know, otherwise it will become an international scandal... May we know who it is?"

Queen Isabella glanced at Duke Gerrod—the royal steward of her youth, her political aide in middle age, and her staunchest supporter in her twilight years. The man she had spent the most time with in her entire life.

Though Duke Gerrod couldn't speak, his face had already flushed a deep red.

Widowed at a young age, how could she possibly have lived the rest of her life in ascetic solitude? The freedom in marriage she had just spoken of to Jessica—was it not the regret of her own life? Once she mentally accepted her abdication, things she had never dared to imagine before were now truly worth considering.

Queen Isabella felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

"I will compensate the heirs I had the Tree House kill. I will do everything in my power to make amends to their families and will genuinely repent. Therefore, after this, you are never to mention this matter again."

"...Ten years after your death, I will make this public."

"Twenty years after my death. I know you'll certainly live that long."

"Alright, twenty years. But you must repent sincerely, not just put on a show of remorse."

"Finally, I am not afraid of you right now..."

"Of course, I know that. You are quite brave."

Jenkins stood up. Queen Isabella remained seated, her gaze lowered as she pulled the ring from her finger and pushed it into his hand.

"Now, alright, let's end this whole damn thing. You are the king."

Jessica had already arranged a press conference for five o'clock that afternoon. When Jenkins appeared wearing the golden ring that symbolized the king, and Queen Isabella calmly announced the transfer of the throne, the explosion of camera flashes was a moment bright enough to be remembered for many years to come.

Even though Queen Isabella and Jenkins repeatedly stressed that only the title of king had been transferred and the handover of power would take at least two years, the fact remained: Isabella had declared Jenkins her heir at noon, only to announce her abdication that very afternoon.

People were curious about the reason for the queen's change of heart, but because she and Jenkins had reached an agreement, they both stated that it was a conclusion reached after careful consideration, not a sudden change of mind that afternoon.

In any case, that afternoon, the title 'Viscount Williamette' was officially a thing of the past. Jenkins became 'His Majesty Williamette.' Unless he performed some great deed in the future or insisted on changing his name, this title would accompany him for a very long time.

The press conference announced only this one thing, but it still lasted from five until six. Afterward, Jenkins was unable to go home for dinner as promised. The Kingdom of Fidektri hosted a grand state banquet, and as the new king—even if only a figurehead for now—Jenkins had no choice but to attend.

He was the star of the banquet. People from every corner of the material world offered him their heartfelt congratulations. That night, Jenkins heard more foreign languages and regional dialects than he had in the entire past year.

But he had to stand there, because this was a necessary duty of a king. Fortunately, he didn't have to take up the reins of power just yet, so he wasn't burdened by that responsibility. Otherwise, tonight would have involved far more than simply listening to greetings.

Throughout the entire banquet, he had no contact with anyone from the Church. The Church, in a tacit understanding, also made no attempt to approach Jenkins, merely sending representatives to offer simple congratulations.

However, the strange young ladies who usually tried to hand Jenkins handkerchiefs or envelopes at banquets were nowhere to be seen this time. It wasn't until he climbed into his carriage to go home at nine o'clock that he learned Jessica had arranged for people to intercept any young woman who tried to approach him.

"They couldn't be allowed to waste your time today. I won't do it next time."

Jessica explained. Jenkins, exhausted, shook his head. He had never liked such occasions, let alone being the center of attention.

"I saw your fathers earlier."

he said to Hathaway and Briny. Besides him, the three young women were in the carriage. Julia had temporarily gone back with Dolores and Alexia; apparently, Dolores had something she needed to discuss with her.

"They were very happy, but they also urged me to get married as soon as possible, as if becoming king would make me forget my previous vows."

He shared the story with a humorous tone.

"Speaking of which, we haven't congratulated you yet."

Briny covered her mouth with a handkerchief and giggled. After glancing at Hathaway, who was also smiling, the two of them said one after the other:

"Your Majesty, congratulations..."

"Alright, alright, stop joking. Oh, honestly..."

He ran a hand roughly through his hair.

"Becoming king is really more trouble than I imagined."

"That's because you spend most of your day wandering around the city."

"I'm not just wandering, I'm wandering with a purpose. I see it clearly now. J-Miss and Miss Windsor were right. This is truly a burden, a very heavy one."

He looked up at Jessica.

"From now on, I'll be relying on the three of you. Preparing for the power transition with Queen Isabella, managing the country, dealing with the parliament, placating the nobility..."

He could see the power that came with being king, but he simply didn't care about it. Thus, in his eyes, the throne was genuinely a burden. Power might be sweet, but everyone has a different definition of 'sweet,' and at least for Jenkins, this was not a taste he cared for.

"No problem, leave it to us. As long as you don't think we're actually usurping your authority."

"Usurping my authority? Oh, good, please do. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Jenkins picked up his cat and placed it over his face. Chocolate was very careful not to touch Jenkins's skin with its claws, preventing any scratches. It pressed its belly awkwardly against Jenkins's face, looking like it desperately wanted to get down.

"Well then, Your Majesty..."

"Hathaway, if you call me that again, I'm going to get genuinely angry."

"Alright then, Jenkins. Please put down your royal feline for a moment. Where are we going next?"

"We're going to the church now. Alexia, Dolores, and Julia will be meeting us there shortly. If you're bored, you can..."

"No, we'll go to the church with you."

Hathaway shook her head.

"Is it for the King Soul you mentioned? Are you in such a hurry?"

"Yes. The throne doesn't matter, but the King Soul is important. I don't want to wait all night. I haven't forgotten what I truly want to do." Fresh chapters posted on novel-fire.net

He hesitated for a moment, then, feigning casualness, he grabbed Jessica's left breast. Her face instantly turned crimson, but surprisingly, she didn't bat his hand away.

Briny was still smiling suggestively, her eyes fixed on Jenkins's hand as if she were comparing sizes. Hathaway wasn't angry either; she was sizing up Jessica with a strange look, her gaze sweeping from bottom to top before she nodded.

Jenkins had no idea what she was evaluating.