Hiring soone to take ho for the evening was an option, of course, but Jenkins refused to stoop to such an undignified solution. He was determined to navigate this ordeal perfectly in front of Robert and Mary, which ant he had to choose a lady his own age, one with whom he was on good terms and who would be a suitable dinner guest.
"This is proving to be quite difficult."
He returned to Nolan from the small inn and, with his cat in tow, turned into an alley. His gaze slowly drifted downward, settling on the small feline trotting ahead of him. A bold idea sparked in his mind.
Once the thought took hold, he had to act. He quickly called for the cat to stop, then led it into a nearby dead-end alley.
When they reached the brick wall that blocked their path, he tucked the bouquet of flowers into the gap between a steam pipe and the wall and set his suitcase down by his feet. Squatting, he smiled and scooped the cat into his arms.
"Chocolate, can you help ?"
If Chocolate couldn't read minds, he might have thought the man was finally about to do sothing unspeakable to his tiny, furry companion.
"Look, your golden fur saved your life, and it saved mine. Now there's only one strand left..."
Because asking his pet cat for help was utterly mortifying, he could only squat there, holding the cat and whispering into its ear.
"I need your help now. Can you use that last golden hair to conjure up a woman who perfectly fits my requirents? Just for one night. The kind that no one rembers after dinner is over. That way, Robert and Mary won't bother about it."
He rocked his arms as he spoke, letting the cat settle more comfortably. Jenkins was disgusted with himself; in fact, it was truly disgusting. He had never imagined a day would co when he'd be pleading with his own pet for help.
"ow~"
Chocolate let out a demure cry, its tail swishing back and forth. It was clearly in a good mood.
It was indeed a good idea, but the cat knew it wasn't the right ti to intervene. Sothing was about to happen that would occupy all of Jenkins's ti before the dinner party. Only by helping at the last possible mont could it make Jenkins truly appreciate its importance.
"ow~"
Thinking this, the cat felt a pang of doubt. Was keeping all those human won away truly what was best for Jenkins?
Chocolate's continued silence made Jenkins begin to doubt whether the cat could actually control that mystical golden hair at will. But he didn't speak Cat, so he couldn't communicate with it. It was a truly frustrating predicant.
As he squatted there, trying to figure out his next move, a strange sound echoed from above. Before he could react, a body plumted from the rooftop, landing squarely on a nearby pile of trash.
The building wasn't particularly tall, and after a mont of struggling, the man who had fallen actually managed to get to his feet. He turned his head, and his eyes t Jenkins's.
"It's him again!"
A feeling of being toyed with surged through him. He couldn't rember how many tis he had run into this man since morning, but it was clearly beyond the realm of coincidence.
"Hey! What is your deal?"
After weighing the physical difference between them, Jenkins shot to his feet, his temper flaring, and grabbed the man by the collar. He hadn't wanted to resort to such a crude gesture, but the situation had gone too far.
"Heh, heheh..."
The man he'd grabbed was clearly disoriented, his eyes rolling back in his head and a suspicious foam forming at the corner of his mouth.
"I know you're still lucid. Don't play dumb with . What is going on?"
Jenkins's tone grew harsher, his brow furrowing deeply.
Seeing that his questions were getting him nowhere, Jenkins shoved the middle-aged man away, tossing him back onto the trash heap like a sack of garbage. He spun around and glared at the group of people standing at the mouth of the alley, directing his question to the foreign duke at their head.
"So, you're the one behind this?"
Although Jenkins prided himself on being a gentleman with a generally mild temper—a fact Chocolate could attest to—he was prone to falling into a strange, irritable mood when faced with deeply vexing problems.
Knowing this about his personality, the cat always made sure to be on its best behavior whenever Jenkins was troubled, which only earned it more affection from the writer.
As for the foreign duke, he had shown up before Jenkins could even go looking for trouble, appearing at a mont when Jenkins was facing a major life decision. It was truly unfortunate timing.
"Duke Antak?"
The cat detected an unusual edge in that voice and dutifully stood by Jenkins's feet, waiting for the show to begin.
Clap, clap, clap.
The foreign duke, lacking the cat's ability to read the room, actually began to applaud from the entrance of the alley. His white-gloved hands ca together, producing a dull, muffled sound.
"Hello, Baron Williatte. Oh, or perhaps I should say Viscount. This is our first eting, isn't it..."
It wasn't.
"Actually, we've t once before. I attended one of your public lectures, though you didn't seem to notice . Your knowledge of finance is truly remarkable. You're a rare kind of clever man."
Though he was praising Jenkins, his head remained tilted slightly upward in a posture of pure arrogance.
"Is there sothing I can help you with?"
"Nothing at all... I just happen to dislike you. A few days ago, I proposed a marriage alliance to Marquis Mikhail, and he rejected . After a little digging, I found you. You're a real nuisance, Williatte."
The malice on the duke's face was entirely undisguised, causing Jenkins's opinion of him to plumt. He had initially thought this was one of those rare nobles with a bit of self-awareness.
Marquis Mikhail commanded the Nolan Navy, one of the most vital military forces in the Fidektri Kingdom, and the kingdom's navy was itself the strongest of the three great kingdoms. It was understandable that the young Duke Antak would want to marry Briny, but it was not forgivable.
Because Briny was in love with another young woman.
"You probably have no idea what's been happening today, do you?"
The duke sneered, taking a step back so his bodyguards could surround him. He wore a simple black overcoat, but a closer look at the stitching and the style of the buttons revealed it to be a high-end, custom-tailored piece.
"With the help of my supporters, I've recently learned a very interesting ability. Oh, you probably don't understand what I'm talking about, but that's fine."
He spoke with brazen arrogance. Fortunately, there were few pedestrians on the street at this hour, and those who saw the group of tall, imposing n instinctively steered clear. Otherwise, he would have been taken for a lunatic.
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