When he opened his eyes again, it was seven o’clock on Sunday morning. Jenkins felt remarkably refreshed. He got out of bed and pulled open the curtains to reveal a world of silver, though the snow had finally stopped falling.
“Excellent!”
It seed the troubles of the past few days had exhausted all his bad luck, for this morning brought more than one piece of good news. As soon as the snow stopped, the butler had dispatched two servants on a roundabout route to leave the manor and seek help from the outside. At the sa ti, the previous night had passed without a single incident, leading everyone to believe that as long as they stayed together, the murderer would be unable to harm anyone else.
With this thought in mind, the travelers gathered in the first-floor lounge for the entire day. Except for Jenkins, who continued to search for the secret passage with the butler, they didn't venture anywhere else outside of altis.
Hathaway sat in the softest chair before the fireplace, looking exhausted. Miss Mikhail sat beside her, holding a book of poetry she had borrowed from the manor’s library.
“Did you go out last night? I woke up in the middle of the night, around three, and noticed you were gone.”
The blonde girl’s question was deceptively casual.
Hathaway smiled. “I probably went to the kitchen for so tea. I was a bit thirsty, and you were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake you.”
“With Jenkins? I heard his voice in the hallway.”
“Yes. After all, it would be foolish to wander around alone at night. When I stepped out, Chocolate heard my footsteps and woke Jenkins up. That’s why we went downstairs together. Isn't that right, Chocolate?”
The red-haired woman directed her question to the cat lounging on the rug, but Chocolate ignored her. It was under no obligation to corroborate lies for anyone other than Jenkins.
This ti, Chocolate had chosen to stay behind on its own initiative, having found trailing Jenkins to be quite boring. In contrast, staying with the girls ant enjoying the warmth of the fireplace and occasionally snagging a few snacks. The only downside was the constant worry over whether that man would run into danger.
“ow~”
The thought sent another wave of lancholy over it. Ignoring the subtle scheming of the two human females behind it, the cat stared listlessly into the flas, a pang of regret striking it for not having left with Jenkins.
“Jenkins really is a reliable person,” Miss Mikhail complinted.
“Yes, but his choice of friends is a bit questionable.”
At this, Hathaway was reminded of the events just before they left Nolan, when the New God had reappeared and defeated the vampire異種. Jenkins’s friends were surely involved, and she had been utterly unable to persuade him to distance himself from them.
“Speaking of friends, this morning Jenkins suddenly asked if Garcia was a friend of young Wellington, the one who was arrested in the autumn. You haven’t forgotten him, have you? That despicable kidnapper.”
“Young Wellington?”
Hathaway knew that beneath that human shell was actually a powerful demon. But she couldn't understand why Jenkins would ask such a question. Recalling the events of the previous night, she said:
“Jenkins always has so strange ideas; it’s perfectly normal. Oh, Briny, I rember Alan Garcia’s middle na is Goodbye, right?”
“Yes, but ‘Goodbye’ is just the middle na he adopted, not his real one. His actual middle na is ‘Cork,’ but Garcia thinks it’s too plain, so he doesn’t ntion it to his friends.”
“Cork?”
The initial was a K, which gave Hathaway a jolt. She turned her head to look at the young man, who was currently engaged in a lively conversation with Miss Rick, but she couldn't detect any hint of malice in him.
“What are you thinking about?”
Miss Mikhail had noticed her preoccupation.
“Nothing. I was just wondering if Jenkins will be able to find the murderer. He really doesn't need to do all this. The servants have already left, and once the police arrive, the truth will co to light.”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
Miss Mikhail forced a smile. She knew perfectly well that their rendezvous late last night was not for tea in the kitchen; they had been gone far too long for that.
Of course, she didn't want to suspect her lover and her friend, but ever since her father had presented her with that choice, she had been plagued by suspicion.
“Briny, you’re truly going mad,” she groaned inwardly, her eyes dropping to the rug. The cat, sensing a gaze upon it, glanced back before lazily turning its head away again. Foolish human won, worrying over foolish reasons. It had nothing to do with it.
Miss Mikhail then recalled the rose-colored dream from the previous night, a dream that made her realize she might genuinely have a problem with her ntal state. Otherwise, three people... She made a plan to consult a psychologist once she returned to Nolan.
Perhaps her recent anxiety and the extre fear from a few days ago had caused it all, but she desperately wanted to forget that shaful dream. Because, in the brief seconds after waking, she had genuinely believed it was the best possible ending she could ever have.
Jenkins returned during lunch and brought everyone so good news. He and the butler had discovered a secret passage sealed with bricks behind a cabinet in the first-floor storage room. When they placed a hand against the wall, they could actually feel a draft from within.
The aning was self-evident. They were already preparing to gather people to break down the wall and see what lay beyond.
The only task for Hathaway and the others was to remain here with the servants and await the good news from the exploration team.
After lunch, the snow began to fall again intermittently. But the flakes were small and sparse—a normal winter's day at the manor. In previous years, travelers loved to go out and play in such weather, but this year, that was likely out of the question.
“Hathaway, do you still rember that unfrozen hot spring nearby?”
“Of course I do.”
A smile touched Hathaway's lips as she rembered what had happened between them there last year. But that spring was no ordinary one. Soaking in it increased one’s absorption of spirit.
If not for a lack of gold pounds, Hathaway would have even considered buying the entire manor. Although she still didn't know what caused the spring's magical properties, it would have been worth it even if it cost a six-figure sum.
“I think I forgot to tell Jenkins about it.”
She sighed inwardly. It seed there would be no enjoying that hot spring this year.
“ow~”
Chocolate hated baths and certainly had no love for hot springs, but it was incredibly curious about the thing that had just flashed through Hathaway's mind. That spring was unrelated to the dangerous thing beneath the manor that Jenkins had yet to discover, so perhaps it could be...
The cat gulped, calculating Jenkins's travel ti and the weather forecast for the next few days. It resolved to lure Jenkins over there for a look before they left.
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