Saturday arrived, and Hathaway and Briny spent the peaceful morning at their usual club, discussing the recent victory in the Broken Isles Campaign.
Briny's confinent had been lifted, thanks to her mother's recent good mood, which was why she could join Hathaway. Otherwise, she would have been stuck at ho, buried in books.
"Jenkins..."
The blonde girl was holding a newspaper, her expression sour. Hathaway understood completely. On the third page of the Nolan Daily—the gossip section—was a prominent photo of Jenkins standing shoulder to shoulder with Dolores Stuart. Though his face was blurry, the article left no doubt that Nolan's commoner-turned-author had beco entangled with the princess of a neighboring kingdom.
After nearly a week, the society gossip from the neighboring kingdom had finally made its way to Nolan.
"He seems to be doing quite well for himself abroad."
It took Briny a long mont to speak, her voice thick with sarcasm.
Hathaway already knew. In fact, Jenkins had asked for her advice on social etiquette right before the reception. By now, she was privy to most of his non-illegal dealings and had co to accept his philandering ways, so she felt neither anger nor revulsion.
"I can't believe he actually managed to get involved with a real princess. This is just... I think it must be a coincidence. The Jenkins we know isn't capable of sothing like this."
Even though Hathaway felt a twinge of discomfort herself, she found herself having to defend Jenkins, which stirred a strange feeling within her. After speaking, she glanced discreetly at the wardrobe at the far end of the room before taking a sip of her tea, artfully concealing her emotions.
If Briny knew Jenkins was staying at the princess's ho, Hathaway thought, she'd be even more furious.
She mulled this over, simultaneously considering how this developnt might affect her own "plan."
"He's not that kind of person, it's true, but n change. Jenkins has seen more of the world now. One day he'll turn into the kind of man we both despise."
Briny said this, oblivious to the fact that her tone was far from what one would use when discussing a re friend.
"So, are you going to confront him when he gets back?"
Hathaway asked.
"Of course I'll confr—... I an, of course I'll ask him what he saw in Ruen. I've never been to the northern kingdom. The winters there must be beautiful."
Sensing the teasing note in Hathaway's voice, Briny quickly corrected herself, then lifted her own teacup to mask her expression.
"Speaking of which, we've only known Jenkins for half a year, haven't we?"
Hathaway added.
"Has it only been half a year? It feels like two or three years have passed. I haven't felt ti move this slowly since I ca of age."
the blonde girl replied, a hint of insecurity in her voice as she worried Hathaway might see through her.
"When we first t Jenkins at Pops's shop late last sumr, he would blush just talking to us."
Hathaway chuckled at this, and the mory brought a smile to Briny's face as well.
"A few days ago, I received a letter from Jenkins in Ruen. I don't know how he heard about the fire I encountered outside the city, but he wrote specifically to comfort ."
"Oh, really? May I see the letter?"
Hathaway asked curiously, though in truth, she had helped write a good portion of that very letter.
A knock at the door soon interrupted them. Their friends had arrived. As Briny went to greet them, Jenkins finally had a chance to step out of the wardrobe. He had co to see the red-haired girl early that morning to discuss the matter of the Doomsday Illusion, but Briny's unexpected arrival had forced him into hiding, where he'd been an unwilling eavesdropper on their entire conversation.
"Before you get back, you'd better figure out how you're going to handle Briny's interrogation."
She emphasized again, poking him sharply in the chest. Then she groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"I can't believe the day has co where I have to stress this kind of thing to you."
"I know, it's all my fault."
Jenkins muttered, then quickly explained about the Doomsday Illusion. To prevent Hathaway from suspecting he was the Enchanter known as Mr. Candle, he frad the news as sothing he'd heard from the Church, who had supposedly heard it from Miss Audrey.
"The Church is planning a major operation in the next few days, so you must keep a low profile,"
he concluded.
"You too. It feels like you're always rushing around doing who knows what. Be safe."
They shared a brief hug. Jenkins's sharp ears picked up footsteps in the hall; he whispered a quick goodbye and vanished. Hathaway was left with a wistful look on her face, but she had to quickly compose herself to greet Briny and their friends with a smile.
The Church did not launch its operation that Saturday. To avoid being drawn into the Doomsday Illusion, Jenkins didn't linger in Nolan.
He spent an hour perched atop the tower bridge where he had last t Magic Miss, gazing out from his vantage point over the bustling, chaotic city. He scanned every visible corner with his Eye of Reality, and only after confirming there was nothing new to find did he return to Ruen, ready to intervene in Nolan's affairs at a mont's notice.
That evening, a discreetly dressed man delivered a letter and promptly departed. The letter made its way to Jenkins, who assud it was from one of his readers in Ruen. Upon opening it, however, he found it was from Count Bidden, the Fidektri Kingdom's envoy. The count invited him for a drink at a small city tavern that very night, with a pointed request to dress inconspicuously.
"What's the aning of this?"
Jenkins mused, gently shaking the letter in one hand while stroking Chocolate, who was curled obediently on his lap. During his month in Ruen, the cat's diet had improved dramatically, yet its weight hadn't changed in the slightest. It looked exactly as it had when Jenkins first 'found' it on a street corner on Maidenhaven Road—a fact that was as baffling as it was enviable.
"He probably has sothing important he wants to discuss with you privately."
Dolores remarked, glancing furtively at her tutor. She had an inkling of what Count Bidden might want to discuss. If the count took the enormous risk of revealing the truth about the Williams family to Jenkins, all of their plans would be thrown into disarray—an outco Dolores was determined to avoid.
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