After bidding farewell to the elves and returning to Ruen, the ladies had returned as well. Dolores looked exhausted, but Alexia, on the other hand, was full of life. Of course, the most energetic of all was Chocolate. Although the cat had adopted Jenkins's routine since he'd taken it in, it was, after all, a nocturnal creature. Jenkins was well aware that Chocolate sotis slipped out at night to roam.
Alexia, Dolores, and Julia were unhard, but the situation in the city was grim. Worse, the incident had exposed all the private soldiers Dolores had stationed throughout the city as a precaution. The club she used for convening etings with her followers was also compromised. All of this spelled trouble.
Of course, most of the other Stuarts found themselves in a similar predicant, so Dolores was hardly alone in her worries.
Jenkins relayed the warning from the Church's demigod, Mr. Rosier, to Dolores. She indicated her understanding with a pained expression. When Jenkins asked if it was possible her siblings were involved, Dolores thought for a mont before answering with hesitation:
"My brothers and sisters all know about Benefactors and the supernatural; that's beyond doubt. We all hire Benefactors, but their origins can be murky. I know for a fact that my eldest sister, Yani Stuart, used to have ties to the Tree House. She accepted their help in exchange for money and so minor privileges. But after the uprising two weeks ago, she cut all ties with that organization. I'm sure the Church is aware of that."
So, that left everyone but the eldest princess under suspicion. While they were talking, an exhausted Julia delivered a new intelligence report. The report listed the allegiances and locations of the exposed private forces. A quick analysis revealed that the eldest prince's faction had the fewest forces exposed.
"But that doesn't prove the Tree House demigod was working with the eldest prince," Julia remarked. "There are far too many possibilities, and besides, this course of action doesn't seem to benefit anyone."
Jenkins shared her sentint.
The commotion during the night must have been too great. Early Wednesday morning, while Jenkins was reading the newspaper, the sa royal ssenger from last week arrived at the estate once more. This ti, however, he had co to summon Dolores and Angelina to the palace.
"All the princes and princesses have been summoned by His Majesty. You must prepare yourselves. The king is furious."
The ssenger added this warning in a low voice after accepting the banknote Jenkins discreetly pressed into his palm during their handshake, then departed.
Worried about Dolores, Jenkins decided against going to Nolan that morning. Instead, he remained at the estate with Alexia, awaiting the two princesses' return. They were not gone long, returning by carriage just in ti for lunch.
"It was nothing too serious. Father just gave each of us a tongue-lashing, chewing us out for stirring up trouble everywhere."
Dolores grumbled, her face a mask of displeasure. The young princess behind her wore the exact sa expression.
"I haven't seen Father look like that in a long ti," she added. "I think he must be truly furious."
Beyond scolding the younger generation, King Salsi II, having gathered his children for the first ti in two weeks, also made so important announcents—naly, concerning the succession.
"Father told us in no uncertain terms that he will choose a successor to the throne at the end of the sumr. He wants us to understand the rights and responsibilities of a monarch, and to take that power seriously. So... everyone has a chance. That's what he said."
Hearing this, Jenkins and Alexia exchanged a knowing glance. They had a good idea of what was coming next.
"So, Father told us to keep our heads down. If we have any intention of vying for the throne, we are to focus on our current political duties and await his review in a few months. If we have no such aspirations, we're to stay ho and not ddle in anyone else's business."
Those were likely King Salsi II's exact words. They sounded reasonable enough, but anyone with a shred of historical knowledge knew that a struggle for the throne was never that simple. Even with the king explicitly stating that the outco would be determined by administrative performance, Jenkins didn't for a second believe that no one would resort to playing dirty.
"How did he look? His health?"
Alexia pressed.
"Just as Jenkins described from his visit the other day. He seed full of vigor, his voice was strong, and he lectured us for a full half-hour without once losing his composure."
That lecture must have left quite an impression on the princes and princesses.
While the conversation was significant enough to alter so major decisions, the imdiate priority remained disaster relief. On the surface, at least, all the Stuarts would heed their father's command to "focus on their duties," which made their performance in the relief efforts critically important.
The treasury departnt, which Dolores oversaw, bore a heavy responsibility, so after a brief rest at the estate, she returned to the city with her sister and Julia. Alexia planned to remain at the estate to study the collection of books she had procured from the royal library, searching for clues about the mad poet. She asked Jenkins what his plans were for the day, at which point he mysteriously pulled her into the study and revealed the stone slate, one of its hollows now filled with a white gemstone.
Alexia's sharp eyes noticed that the way he produced the slate was different. It wasn't his usual Psychography; rather, it resembled the motion he used to summon that miner's lamp with its unique chanical beauty.
"Jenkins, what is the aning of this?"
"I wish I knew. Last night at the church, I used Psychography to manifest this slate, intending to study it further, and this white gemstone just... appeared. And there's sothing more serious. Rember that root we ate in the Mysterious Realm, the one where the silver cube was sealed? I gained a new blank bubble from it, but now... that bubble has been filled."
"You've acquired the Child of Disaster?"
Alexia asked, astonished.
"No. I've run into sothing I've never seen before. It's an incomplete ability, and I can't even access any information about it."
As he spoke, Jenkins summoned the motes of light representing all his abilities—a sight, of course, that only he could see.
"I have no idea what this ability is. The only thing it does when I activate it is summon this slate... Here, sit down. I'll tell you what happened last night. That potion... it wasn't a potion. I journeyed to the very bottom of the World Tree's ancient remains, and there I encountered a mory... one with impeccable manners..."
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