It was nearly five in the morning by the ti he got ho. Jenkins thanked the church's driver and watched him leave. Then, with Chocolate perched on his shoulders, he fumbled in his pocket for his keys, his face a mask of exhaustion.
He turned the inward-facing lock chained to the gate, inserted the key, and undid the padlock. The chains rattled as they ca loose. A quick glance at the mailbox confird the postman hadn't arrived yet. He crept to the front door, opened it as quietly as he could, and didn't even turn on the foyer light, worried he might disturb the ladies' sleep.
Sighing with fatigue, he changed into his slippers in the foyer, took off his overcoat, and set the cat, now curled into a sleepy ball, on the floor. The cat jolted awake, realized it was ho, and darted agilely into the darkness of the living room. The soft pads on Chocolate's paws muffled its footsteps, and Jenkins figured it was making a beeline for the bedroom.
"What a long, long night," he murmured.
His weariness wasn't from the battle he'd just fought, but from everything he had missed. He thought about having to track down the escaped demigod after waking up, about the Month's End Whisper he still needed to sort through. A heavy sigh escaped him.
"This is just..."
He walked quietly into the living room. The long dining table from the birthday banquet was still there, though the plates and dishes were gone. Julia must have cleaned up.
The ground floor was utterly dark. Not a single light was on, and the polished tabletop, even covered with a white cloth, reflected nothing. Jenkins's gaze fell to the corner, where a mountain of gifts was piled up like a crouching monster.
He still needed to unwrap each one, to see which friend sent what, so he could reciprocate when their birthdays ca around. It was a matter of etiquette that even Jenkins understood.
He sighed again, this ti prompted by the sight of the gifts, which brought back thoughts of all he'd missed. His mind reeled with the troubleso tasks awaiting him once he woke up, and he slowly made his way upstairs.
His slippers padded on the stairs. Even though he tried to be quiet, the soft thuds seed to echo like a heartbeat in the silence. Jenkins thought about the challenges of the coming days, the Tri-King Summit, the Twelve Churches Joint Conference at the end of the week, and the looming doomsday. Another sigh escaped him.
If the cat were still on his shoulder, he could have drawn so comfort from Chocolate's presence. But now, alone, the feeling of lancholy had nowhere to go.
He continued his slow ascent. The light from a gas lamp outside, not yet extinguished, filtered through a gap in the curtains, casting his silhouette onto the white wall beside the staircase.
He thought about how it had been less than a year since he arrived in this world, and how he had barely had a single day of rest. He thought about his life here, a life that never seed to let him slow down.
His mind drifted through a cascade of mories, back to that autumn night when he first opened his eyes to see Mr. Barnard, and the thrilling, dangerous, and relentless adventure that had followed.
As he rounded the landing, his shadow danced along the white wall. Jenkins sighed once more, his pace slowing instinctively. He was mostly satisfied with his life now, but in this mont of solitude, he suddenly felt tired.
This feeling wasn't new, but he was rarely alone or had the ti to dwell on it. This was the first ti the thought had truly surfaced.
A carriage, appearing from sowhere in the distance, passed by the window. The faraway light flickered, and his shadow on the wall wavered for a mont before settling back into place.
"But I have to keep going."
He placed a hand on the banister and continued up, thinking of the banquet just hours ago, of the young won who cared for him, of his cat. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"It's all worth it," he told himself, his spirits lifting as he quickened his pace up the stairs.
As he reached the second floor, he saw his cat standing furiously at his bedroom door. It was poised as if to pounce, letting out a low "ow~" at the closed door.
"What are you so angry at the door for? Be quiet, Hathaway and the others are still sleeping."
He crouched down, patting the cat's head before lifting it onto his shoulder.
He opened the door quietly. Thanks to good maintenance, it didn't creak. Jenkins tiptoed into the bedroom, only to find Hathaway and Briny sleeping soundly in his bed. At his desk, Julia was slumped over, fast asleep in a simple, very familiar maid's uniform, with Jenkins's own overcoat from the wardrobe draped over her shoulders.
The wardrobe doors were wide open; who knew who had opened them and forgotten to close them.
He stood frozen for a mont, then carefully took out the lute and propped it against the wall. He backed out of the room as silently as he'd entered, gently and slowly pulling the door shut. Just before the latch clicked, a rare, warm smile spread across his face.
(Chocolate running...)
Universal Calendar, Year 1866, 1st of the Month of the Hermit and Thunder. Monday. Light rain.
Jenkins woke up and stared calmly at the ceiling. After about half a minute, he pushed himself up with his arms. The curtains were drawn tight, letting in only a sliver of weak light, making it impossible to tell the ti.
Looking around, he realized he was in Briny's room. So of her personal clothes were hanging on a rack by the door—the style was unmistakably the blonde girl's.
"Chocolate?"
He didn't feel his cat at the head of the bed, so he called out softly. He then heard the cheerful pitter-patter of Chocolate hopping down the stairs. A smile touched Jenkins's face. He thought about the night before and what he needed to do today as he reached for the pocket watch on the nightstand.
It was only ten in the morning. He hadn't slept for very long, but perhaps because of the new power he'd gained in the Mysterious Realm, he didn't feel tired. He felt about the sa as he usually did when he woke up on ti.
The door was closed, so Chocolate couldn't get in. To prevent his door from being shredded by his cat's claws, he was about to get up and let it in, but the door opened on its own.
Of course, it wasn't Chocolate who had learned to shapeshift overnight. It was Julia, back in her usual attire, who had opened it for him. The cat imdiately shot into the room and jumped onto the bed, affectionately rubbing against the hand Jenkins had resting on the mattress. Julia stood at the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her as she bowed her head slightly.
"Jenkins, you're awake. Would you like to eat now? We saved you so breakfast; it just needs to be heated up."
"Yes, please. Thank you for the trouble. Are Hathaway and Briny still here?"
"Yes, it's raining today, so the two ladies... have not gone out."
As she spoke, Hathaway and Briny appeared at the door. Both were dressed in casual clothes. Briny held a book that looked like it was about knitting, while Hathaway wore a white sweater and a pair of plain glasses. Who knows what she had been up to.
"When did you get back? And why were you sleeping in Briny's room?"
Julia went downstairs to prepare breakfast while Hathaway and Briny ca inside. The red-haired girl asked with a hint of playful reproach, sitting down on the edge of the bed first. Briny went to the window and pulled open the curtains. Outside, the world was still shrouded in a thin, hazy mist, though it was slightly better than a few hours ago, thanks to the rain.
"I got back around five. I saw you were all asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you. I was going to wake Julia and tell her to sleep in her own room—sleeping at a desk can't be comfortable—but I was afraid if I woke her, she'd insist on making breakfast. So I just ca here to rest."
"Don't worry, we didn't wake up until after eight... The maid would be very happy to hear you say that."
Briny said with a smile, standing by the window.
"So, you saw Julia's outfit last night?"
Hathaway asked, but didn't give Jenkins ti to answer.
"Of course you did."
She winked at him.
"I thought you'd wake us up when you got back... Also, I received your gift."
She was referring to the lute Jenkins had specifically requested. It seed Hathaway and the Bestowal were indeed a good match.
"Wake you up? Am I that kind of person?"
Jenkins shook his head, moving the cat that was lounging on the covers to one side as he got out of bed.
"As for the gift, I'm just glad you like it."
He deliberately adopted a very detached tone. Hathaway covered her mouth and giggled, and Briny seized the opportunity to ask:
"It's Jenkins's birthday, and he didn't get our present, but you got another one from him. That doesn't seem very fair, does it?"
"You think so? Well, how about we make it up to Jenkins like this..."
The red-haired girl skipped over to Briny's side and whispered sothing in her ear. The color rose in Briny's cheeks at a visible rate. Jenkins had never seen her look like that, but it did nothing to diminish her charm.
"Hathaway, what nonsense are you saying?"
She raised a hand as if to strike her, but Hathaway just laughed and slipped out of the room. Jenkins and Briny followed her into the hallway, and the three of them chatted as they went downstairs. Julia had just about finished preparing breakfast.
"Such a sha. It took so much for us to decide on a surprise gift for you last night. And don't you dare think we're improper girls. We only ca up with that plan because it was your birthday, and we thought about it for a very long ti."
Even after Jenkins sat down at the dining table, Hathaway wasn't finished with the topic of the gift. The girls had already eaten, so they just sat around him, talking.
He took the newspaper Julia handed him and glanced at the front page, which featured a black-and-white photograph of Queen Isabella waving at the cara. "Yes, of course I know you're all proper young ladies," Jenkins said.
But honestly, he did feel a little bit of regret.
Reviews
All reviews (0)