The montary vibration from the pat on her shoulder, combined with the World Tree Seedling’s perception of life force, revealed the complete structure of Queen Windsor’s body to Jenkins’s mind’s eye.
The chanical components were indeed confined to her heart, but it was the core of her entire being. Even if all her other organs were normal, Jenkins could tell that without this heart, the living woman before him would not exist.
At such close range, and with his Eye of Reality, he could observe the circulation of Spirit throughout her entire body. She was an independent individual, showing no signs of being controlled by any external force. Jenkins knew he could trust her.
This sa observation also allowed him to see the fla in her soul that symbolized the Dark Soul. Compared to Miss Windsor's, Queen Windsor's fla was larger and burned more fiercely, and though it was far from being a fully ford King Soul, it still reflected the tribulations its host had endured.
“If even sothing like a King Soul can be replicated out of a world like this, could the chanical Heart be as well? And what about other possible Bestowals...”
An idea struck Jenkins. Without removing his hand from her shoulder, he asked:
“How can you guarantee that the Dark Soul can be brought out?”
“This world is a fabrication. Only an equivalent truth can allow the fabrication to persist. Theoretically, the best way for the Dark Soul and I to leave is to find the real Jessica Windsor. Once we ‘make contact,’ we can rge into one, and the power of the Dark Soul will be amplified. But she isn’t here now, so of course, I have other thods. Still, my condition stands. If you don’t agree, I will not leave with you.”
Jenkins was inwardly delighted. If all it took was for the two of them to "make contact," he wouldn't have to agree to any of her conditions. He didn't know what "making contact" entailed, but then he recalled the flash of light that had entered Miss Windsor’s body just as the door closed on the first possibility world. An idea sparked.
“Will you agree, Jenkins? Let ‘’ beco your lover.”
“That isn't you. That's soone else.”
“It's all the sa. When I enter the real world my way, I must rge with the real Jessica to continue to exist. But rest assured, I will rely beco an attachnt to her—sothing like a summoned entity or an attendant spirit. I won’t be replacing your friend.”
It was a relationship similar to that of Fini and the little angel Louise, only Louise could leave Fini at any ti. Once the two Windsors rged, they could not be separated, and the attached soul would have to submit to the control of the original.
“You want to use my relationship with Miss Windsor as leverage, to ensure I won’t abandon you?”
“Yes.”
“You don't need to do that. Don't you think trying to bind us through a lover's relationship is a foolish approach?”
Jenkins finally said what had been on his mind.
“It has to be this way. I know you're missing from this world, and I know how important you are to . Though I don't know the actual course of history, I can guarantee that your relationship with the real Jessica Windsor is anything but innocent.”
“It’s completely innocent.”
Jenkins retorted instantly.
“Innocent or not, Jenkins Williams and Jessica Windsor are fated to be entangled. Without you...”
She grabbed his hand again.
“Without you, in every possible reality, Jessica Windsor is destined for the darkest of endings.”
She finally stood up, cupping Jenkins's face in her hands. He instinctively started to pull away, but the sorrow in her eyes made him freeze.
“Are you insane?”
he asked.
“It has to be you. This you. In every possibility, I possess the ‘Dark Soul,’ which ans I am fated to endure the most tragic tribulations. But when you appear—the current you—that destiny is diverted. Only you can bring happiness.”
She might not have fully understood the aning of her own words, but Jenkins did. Only the appearance of the Stranger could alter the tragic destiny of the Dark Soul’s host, for the Savior was to be one with the Stranger.
“This isn’t just for my sake. It’s for the sake of the Jessica Windsor you know.”
She rose slightly onto her toes, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked. She leaned in to kiss him, but Jenkins was determined to avoid it.
She tried to reach around and press his head forward, but Miss Windsor had already used that move on him. The sa trick wouldn't work twice.
He dodged the kiss.
“If you want to exist in the real world, if you want to live, I can help you. But it can’t be at another’s expense. Don't use others as collateral in a deal with . Miss Windsor will not be a bargaining chip between us.
Oh, my lady, don't look at like that. You probably don’t understand the nature of this world. This is part of a Mysterious Realm—a world with soone missing. The one who is missing is a mber of the group that entered this realm.”
“Jessica Windsor is here?”
Queen Windsor realized this and glanced instinctively at the floor. Jenkins understood then that Magic Miss and Miss Windsor must be on the floor below.
“Yes. Now, I’m going to see my friends. If you truly want to leave and want my help, you should ask Miss Windsor herself. You were right about one thing: we are very close. If she agrees, I will swear on my soul that even after we return to the real world, you will always be my ally.
But you cannot force her to make any decision, nor can you compel her to take you in. And you absolutely cannot make becoming my lover a condition.”
“No, I absolutely will.”
She released Jenkins, her gaze drifting from his lips up to his eyes.
“I belong to you. Especially in this world without you, I feel it all the more strongly—I must belong to you. For the sake of every Jessica Windsor, I will make my proposal.”
Neither Miss Windsor nor Magic Miss was hard. They were both sitting safely on a sofa on the first floor. Attended to by a maid, they sipped tea while waiting for Jenkins. There were also so small pastries on the table, which Miss Windsor desperately needed; she hadn't eaten in a long ti.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they both turned to see Jenkins descending, followed by a woman with a face identical to Miss Windsor’s. The expressions on both their faces were slightly strained, a clear sign that sothing had happened upstairs that the two of them were not aware of.
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