"...It's admittedly a simple relationship, but we share many interests and connect deeply over mathematics. Don't be fooled by Alexia's..."
As Alexia was contemplating, Jenkins continued speaking. He stole a glance at her and noticed the wary look in her eyes. Learning from his earlier blunders with the other two ladies, Alexia was on guard, ready to stop him from saying anything else out of line.
"Don't be fooled by how young Alexia looks..."
He refrained from using an insulting description like "short," knowing full well what lines not to cross.
"But she's quite reliable. In fact, her..."
He felt that almost physical, scrutinizing gaze again, so instead of ntioning her age, he said:
"But she's remarkably level-headed, and I often have to rely on her to solve my problems. Have I ntioned? Alexia is actually a demigod-level Benefactor."
Rembering that Briny was an ordinary person, he added an explanation:
"A demigod is the highest level a mortal can achieve in our world. It's an incredible feat. Only soone with extraordinary talent, the favor of destiny, and a long life of experience can make it that far."
For that, he earned another kick from Alexia under the table. The petite woman kept her face taut and refused to look at him, while across the table, Hathaway struggled to stifle her laughter, understanding perfectly how Alexia felt.
"Jen... Jenkins, should we begin dinner now? I'm afraid the food will get cold."
Seeing that Jenkins had once again put his foot in his mouth and that his introduction was dragging on, the maid at his side had no choice but to cut in, asking softly. Aside from the dishes already on the table, a serving cart stood nearby, laden with covered platters, champagne, and dessert—so of which couldn't wait.
"I'm almost done... This is Miss Julia Minnewick."
Startled by the sudden ntion of her na, Julia gave a little jump and quickly offered a small bow to the ladies at the table.
"Julia may be Dolores's personal maid, but she's also a very good friend of mine. I'm so grateful for everything she has done for ."
He said with a smile. Dolores glanced at Julia, offering a warm smile to put her at ease. Dolores knew all about Julia's visit to Jenkins a few nights ago, wearing a very skimpy maid outfit, only to be politely turned away. She was actually delighted by the outco, but she also felt apologetic toward Julia for having hinted that she should try sothing like that.
"We t alone once last winter, at a small tavern. It was the only ti we've been alone together, but I really enjoyed our conversation. Julia has so very insightful thoughts on old fantasy novels."
Dolores's eyes narrowed instantly, and Julia's easy smile froze on her face. She hadn't ntioned that night to the princess, seeing no reason to and wanting to avoid any misunderstanding. She never imagined Jenkins would bring it up now.
Dolores wasn't upset, of course, just a little intrigued that her maid had t with Jenkins alone. Julia knew the princess wouldn't be angry, but she still felt a prickle of annoyance at Jenkins. Naturally, part of that annoyance was tied to the mory of mustering all her courage to wear that mortifying outfit, only to be shown the door.
"Right, let's start eating then! I don't think we should delay any longer."
Jenkins was rather pleased with his speech, but just then, he heard a soft "ow." Chocolate was reaching out a paw from her cushion, batting at his arm.
"Oh, and this is Chocolate."
He introduced her simply, since everyone already knew the cat, and then announced once again:
"Let's start eating. I'm famished."
As dinner began, the ladies tactfully started chatting among themselves, instantly brightening the mood. The atmosphere grew even warr and more familiar when they discovered they were surprisingly united in their opinions of Jenkins. Soon, they were teasing him together, posing the classic question: if all four of them fell into a river, who would he save first?
This question, in fact, was one Jenkins himself had jokingly posed to Hathaway on one occasion.
"Oh, co on," he retorted. "You can all swim, and except for Briny, you're all Benefactors. Why would I need to save any of you?"
He said this while slicing his veal cutlet, then paused to gently stroke his cat. She nuzzled his palm, seemingly willing to forgive his earlier dismissiveness on account of it being his birthday.
"But if I had to choose, I'd obviously save Briny first, because she's the only one who isn't a Benefactor."
Jenkins added. Although his reasoning was perfectly logical, the blonde young woman flushed crimson and quickly took a sip of her red wine to hide her face.
"There's no point in asking that way," Hathaway said with a laugh. "Jenkins always finds a way to wriggle out of it."
Hathaway said with a smile. Noticing Jenkins's glass beside her, she leaned in and gave it a delicate sniff. In the soft glow of the candles and gas lamps, the slight crinkle of her nose as she lowered her head was surprisingly alluring. Jenkins raised an eyebrow, making a ntal note to capture the mont in his Book of mories later.
"We're all drinking red wine, but you're still on juice. That won't do."
The scent from the glass confird her suspicions.
"What? Dolores is drinking too? That's not right, she's only sixteen."
Jenkins protested imdiately, but Alexia tapped his hand.
"Do you really think Dolores drinks juice just like you at every banquet? And why can't a sixteen-year-old drink wine?"
When Jenkins was left speechless, she instructed Julia to get him a proper drink. Jenkins naturally protested, but for reasons he couldn't fathom, the other young won all voiced their approval, leaving him no choice but to accept.
Fortunately, it wasn't that he couldn't hold his liquor—he simply didn't like the taste—so there was no real cause for concern.
The conversation moved on. Hathaway looked over at the cat, then posed another question:
"Then how about this: if the four of us and your cat all fell into a river, would you save us first, or would you save Chocolate?"
This sent the ladies into another round of laughter. Jenkins felt they were just having fun at his expense.
Putting down his knife, he wiped his hands with his napkin.
"This question is even stranger. Why would I need to save Chocolate? She knows how to swim. In fact, she saved my life in the lake just the other day."
This was an exaggeration, of course; Jenkins was in no danger of drowning. But to show off how amazing his cat was, he didn't mind embellishing a little.
Dolores pouted slightly, unconsciously twirling a lock of hair at her temple—one of her tells when she was displeased.
"Jenkins, if Chocolate could turn into a person..."
The cat, which had been eyeing the steak, looked up at the princess, its eyes brightening.
"...then what would you do?"
This question t with everyone's approval. The girls all smiled, waiting for his answer.
"If Chocolate turned into a person, hmm... that's a tough question for ."
He remarked.
"Tough, is it? Well, if you answer, you can ask us a tough question in return."
The princess said nonchalantly, and the others had no objection.
"Alright, if Chocolate turned into a person, I'd be shocked. But she's always been a bit of a ditz. Even after drinking that potion to enhance animal intelligence, she never got as clever as Old Jack claid. I suppose if she did beco human, she probably wouldn't be very bright. I'd still have to look after her, which doesn't sound ideal."
As he spoke, he scooped the cat into his arms, holding her against his chest and happily stroking her head. To his surprise, Chocolate swatted his chin with her tail before leaping onto a nearby cushion, looking rather cross.
"Of course, no matter what form she takes, I'd always want her to stay with . It's a little embarrassing to say, but since I started living alone, she's been my only real companion. As long as she wants to stay, I'll never send her away. It's different from my feelings for you all... it's like the two moons in the sky. I can't live without either of them, and both are incredibly important to . I couldn't possibly say which one matters more."
At his words, the cat finally turned her head and let out a soft ow. She then hopped onto Jenkins's lap and stretched up, pawing at the edge of the table to get to the veal cutlet, completely ignoring the vegetable salad right in front of her.
The ladies were rather surprised. Based on their understanding of Jenkins, his ability to express himself so profoundly was completely unexpected.
"You always say the most bizarre yet profound things."
Alexia comnted, though she seed quite pleased with his answer.
Although Jenkins had been given permission to ask the ladies a tough question in return, he didn't really have anything he wanted to ask, so he intentionally didn't bring it up.
The rest of the dinner proceeded in a cheerful, relaxed atmosphere. When the ti ca to blow out the candles and cut the cake, Dolores prompted Jenkins to make a wish. But Jenkins, claiming he was no longer a child, simply blew them out. Inwardly, however, he whispered a silent wish for everyone's safety in the days ahead.
The evening turned out even better than Jenkins had imagined. With all four ladies gathered, the conflict he'd feared never materialized. He felt incredibly lucky to have t them all. Carried away by the cheerful mood, and at Dolores's encouragent, he drank a bit more wine, though it might as well have been water to him.
During the al, Hathaway fetched her violin and played a piece for the group. Afterwards, Jenkins asked each of the ladies to dance, graciously enduring their playful mockery of his skills. The atmosphere beca even more comfortable and relaxed, and Jenkins thought it was the best outco he could have possibly wished for.
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