"A door with no tal parts?"
This definitely wasn't right. His mory couldn't be mistaken; the appearance of that feline spirit had etched this place into his mind with particular clarity.
But seeing Miss Mikhail's quizzical look, Jenkins could only file the observation away for later.
He rose to his feet, having finally managed to soothe Chocolate. As Jenkins greeted the ladies, he cast a wary, questioning glance at Hathaway. The girl had been completely silent ever since he'd seen her today.
Hathaway and Miss Mikhail were here for a city pet fundraiser. They and their friends planned to take so photographs of the adopted cats. It was just as the carriage driver had ntioned—in the winter, young ladies of ans always found ways to occupy themselves with such charitable activities.
Miss Mikhail was keen on having Jenkins join their group. With his status as a well-known author, he could surely be a great help to the fundraiser. But Jenkins had more than enough on his own plate and had to politely decline.
"Hey, you didn't see anything last night, did you?"
In a lounge on the left side of the ground floor, the blonde-haired young woman had ntioned so of her friends were also here and wanted to et Jenkins, asking him to stay a while longer. The mont Miss Mikhail stepped out, Hathaway turned on him, her face flushed as she demanded fiercely.
Her cheeks were tinged with pink, and she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, her right hand twisting the hem of her dress. Jenkins instinctively turned his head away as well, feigning an intense interest in the cup of tea before him.
"Ah, I only saw you telling to leave through the window. I didn't see anything else."
He felt his own face heat up, though he couldn't tell if it was from the lie he had just told or from what he had witnessed the night before.
"Hmph."
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze to the cat on Jenkins's lap.
"Whether you saw sothing or not, just don't tell anyone."
Jenkins didn't respond. Any answer would be an admission of guilt.
"What are your thoughts on... relationships between people of the sa gender?"
When Jenkins remained silent, Hathaway posed another pointed question. In high society, it wasn't exactly an unspeakable topic. With the vast gap between rich and poor, those at the top of the pyramid, having satisfied their material needs, often sought amusent in other areas. The key was not to voice one's opinions publicly. In private gatherings or salons, however, such questions were frequently raised.
A life of excessive luxury bred peculiar tastes in so, compounded by a certain aesthetic trend that had trickled down from ancient tis. In truth, soone as traditional or sensitive about the issue as Jenkins was a distinct minority.
"I have no opinion,"
he answered cautiously, wondering how the conversation had turned so awkward again.
"Since I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you take a particular liking to any woman. Could it be that you prefer..."
"No, no, no!"
He couldn't help but raise his voice. "Absolutely not, please don't say that. In fact, I like won very much. Yes, the kind that are very, very..."
Seeing him stumble clumsily over his words, Hathaway covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling as she giggled. "Jenkins, in my experience, you've always been so calm, never one to easily show your emotions. You're not quite yourself today."
"I'm not adept at this sort of topic."
He admitted honestly. His reaction had been half-genuine, half-feigned. It was true he didn't know how to answer her question, but the pretense was that while he had no experience courting ladies, he wasn't quite that clumsy. After all, having lived so many years in his previous world, even the purest lily could be stained a different color.
"What does he really an by that?"
Watching the man's tense expression, the red-haired girl's gaze shifted from the cat to Jenkins's golden hair.
"Blonde hair, just like Briny's..."
Her mood began to sink as she recalled the events of last night, then their conversation just now. "What's wrong with ? The one I love is..."
Clink!
The tallic sound ca from Jenkins. He had just reached out with his right hand to pick up the teacup from its saucer. But the mont his fingers touched the handle, the iron ring on his finger split in two and fell at his feet.
Both of them froze.
"Poison!"
Jenkins shot to his feet, his voice a low, urgent warning. He scanned the room—no one at the window, no place to hide inside. In the blink of an eye, he switched to his other vision. A faint green spiritual aura emanated from both of their teacups.
"This is a supernatural poison."
His expression darkened. Hathaway also rose to her feet, on high alert. She didn't doubt Jenkins's assessnt for a second; she just couldn't imagine who would do such a thing.
The poison definitely wasn't ant for Jenkins. No one knew his schedule for the day. The two cups of tea and the exquisite pastries on the plate had all been prepared for the two ladies.
"Have you offended anyone recently?"
he asked quickly, his eyes darting around the room, searching for any potential clusters of light.
"Not in my current identity. But as an Enchanter..."
She fell silent, noticing Jenkins's grave expression as he looked toward the door. He then gestured for her to sit back down.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door, and a young woman dressed as a maid entered, pushing a serving cart. She wore a standard maid's uniform, and the cart held tea and dishes covered with silver lids.
It was a mystery how they managed to prepare such things in a place like this.
"Good day. Miss Mikhail asked to bring these. She said there will be a small gathering here shortly."
The woman kept her head down, explaining carefully to them.
Jenkins calmly picked up the broken ring from the floor. He nodded at Hathaway, who imdiately instructed the timid-looking maid to set out all the refreshnts.
This was a level-three Enchanter, one level below Hathaway, who seed to have advanced again at so point. A very faint green aura glowed at her waist, likely the container holding the poison. Other than that, she carried nothing else.
"What a lavish spread. Does the managent center have its own kitchen?"
A warm smile spread across Jenkins's face. He casually placed Chocolate on the back of the chair, letting his hands hang naturally at his sides.
"Yes, sir. Since the young ladies visit often, the managent center has a kitchen on the first floor."
Jenkins's original plan was to praise her service, then use the pretext of getting a tip to draw the gun from his waist. He just hadn't expected soone to be faster.
"We also have so wine. Esteed sir, is there anything else you require?"
As the maid spoke, her hand slipped into the pocket of her black pleated skirt.
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