Inside the carriage, Hathaway stared at the man seated across from her, listening as he confessed everything with a face full of guilt. This man was the most peculiar and exasperating person she had ever t. Back when he was endearingly clueless, she had been the one to guide him toward understanding love. And now that he finally understood, she discovered she wasn't the only one.
Jenkins would never grasp the subtle complexities of a woman's heart, much like he couldn't figure out his own cat. He continued to answer Hathaway's questions.
"Yes, Alexia knows about you both. She's also an Enchanter, currently in Ruen, serving as a private tutor to the third princess of the Stuart royal family."
"It seems her background can't compare to mine and Briny's."
A faint voice whispered this in the red-haired woman's heart, and her mood lifted slightly. She pressed on.
"So, what level is she?"
Considering the question might be sensitive, she quickly added a caveat.
"If that's too personal, you don't have to tell ."
"Not at all," Jenkins replied. "She's a level seven Enchanter, though she seems to have had so sort of breakthrough recently. Alexia said she'll probably advance to demigod before the year is out, and I think she's right."
"Hm?"
The answer was so far from what she'd expected that for a mont, Hathaway wondered if she had misheard. She frowned, mulling over their exchange, then repeated in disbelief.
"Demigod?"
"Yes. She originally thought she'd need at least another ten years, but with recent events... I don't think Alexia will even need a full year. Six months should be enough for her to make the leap."
Jenkins spoke with great earnestness. Hearing this, Hathaway was speechless for a long while. It took her several monts to find her voice, and when she did, she could only point a hesitant finger at him.
"You... how did you manage that?"
"What do you... oh, I see," Jenkins mumbled, catching her aning. "Alexia is actually a very kind person. We share so hobbies, have things to talk about... and it just happened."
He wisely concluded that sharing the intimate details of his romance with another woman was not a good idea.
"You..."
She had co to terms with Jenkins having other lovers, partly due to her upbringing and partly because she understood just how captivating his face and soul could be. But she had never, ever imagined he would get involved with a demigod-level Enchanter.
Taking a deep breath, determined not to lose her composure, Hathaway gave a sharp nod. She kept her expression carefully neutral, not wanting him to see the turmoil within.
"I don't know whether to praise you or curse you. So, when are you planning for us to et?"
"Anyti. If you're willing, we could even now..."
"No, I'm not ready," Hathaway cut him off. "Besides, I need to prepare Briny. She has no idea your life is so... 'eventful'."
Her tone was laced with sarcasm as she thought of the beautiful Miss Miller. She had never anticipated having such a formidable rival; so of her plans would have to change.
Noticing Hathaway's attitude soften slightly, Jenkins decided to strike while the iron was hot, reaching out and taking her hand. He was racking his brain for the perfect sweet nothing to whisper when she spoke again.
"One more thing. You said you were in Ruen, and you ntioned 'more than one'. What about the other one?"
"Oh, that's... well, she's not of age yet... I an, she's only sixteen. She probably hasn't quite figured out what love is..."
He suddenly felt that was an injustice to Dolores's fiery passion and imdiately corrected himself.
"...or maybe she has. Her na is Dolores Stuart. Here's her picture."
He opened the Book of mories again. Hathaway frowned at the moving image of the young girl. She was in a grand ballroom, a noble figure in an elegant gown, a sparkling coronet resting on her head.
"That coronet is..."
She pointed at the page, her gaze flickering between Jenkins and the image of Dolores.
"Jenkins, wait a mont. I rember that surna... Stuart is..."
"Yes," he confird. "She's the third princess of the kingdom."
He did his best to sound pained, as if to prove he was fully aware of what a scoundrel he was.
Knowing that Jenkins's other lover was the princess's tutor, Hathaway's mind, upon hearing this revelation, didn't fixate on the girl's royal status. Instead, it conjured countless scandalous tales—stories of how Jenkins had used the governess to force an introduction to the young royal.
"A princess..."
But she quickly snapped back to the present, realizing how inappropriate those thoughts were. In a state of shock that left her almost unable to think, she turned the word over and over in her mind. For a fleeting mont, Hathaway truly wondered if the awkward, timid Jenkins she first knew had been nothing more than an act.
"How on earth did you manage it?"
She couldn't help but repeat the question. She had known for so ti that Jenkins had other won he cared for in distant lands, but in her imagination, they were fellow adventurers t on his travels, like heroines from so ancient epic.
"It's... hard to explain."
Jenkins didn't quite know how to explain the situation with Dolores himself, so he started with the pen-pal letter he'd received from Ruen last year and gave a scattered account of the past six months.
"So you chard a real princess? With a few letters?"
"No, please don't say 'chard'. Besides, letters can be very powerful. Last year, didn't Miss Fabry manage to... with just a few letters..."
Realizing he was citing another swindler as an example, Jenkins trailed off. After correcting her choice of words, he added in a low voice.
"Actually, Alexia and I are planning to support Dolores's bid for the Hamparvo throne. I don't know if you've heard about the recent turmoil in Ruen, but King Salhir II is on his last legs. It's hard to say who the crown will fall to now... but in my opinion, Dolores has an excellent chance. Even without our support, her odds of winning are quite high."
"So, you're telling that one of the won in love with you is a future queen?"
Hathaway's voice rose, the volu a thin veil for her swirling emotions. Right then, she wanted to punch him. She also wanted to demand he explain exactly what he was planning and just how he had managed any of this.
Until this mont, she could never have fathod the sheer scale of the "good deeds" Jenkins had been up to in the northern kingdom.
Reviews
All reviews (0)