Chapter 460: Chapter 460

The reason Old Jack had chosen Jenkins was simple: he considered him trustworthy enough to ask for help. He wasn't concerned about Jenkins's skill in potion-making; he just needed an assistant with some aptitude, and Jenkins had already mentioned in his last letter that he'd successfully brewed the Witch's Kiss.

At the end of the letter, Old Jack mentioned that he had already informed Papa Oliver, so Jenkins didn't need to worry about his reaction.

"A good thing, I suppose?"

Jenkins tapped his fountain pen, thinking it over. Since Old Jack was willing to bring the herbs to Nolan City, there was no reason to refuse. Besides, his ability to freely buy gifts for his friends during his trip to Bel Diran was all thanks to Old Jack’s formula for the Witch's Kiss.

He drew a full measure of ink into his pen and began writing a reply to Old Jack. He stated that he would be available to help brew the potion any time before the end of the year, so Old Jack could simply come to Nolan as soon as he acquired the herb.

There were other letters as well, mostly invitations to balls and parties from people he didn't even know. He was tempted to toss the whole pile of space-wasting paper into the fireplace, but Bishop Parrold and Miss Windsor were right. As a mortal, he would be living in this world for a long time, and he had to learn how to manage such affairs.

"I'll take these to the club tomorrow and let Hathaway and Miss Mikhail help me decide..."

Dealing with the correspondence took so much time that he nearly missed his appointment with Miss Miller.

"Chocolate, come here!"

His view of the living room shattered, replaced by that intimidatingly large parlor. This time, however, the gas lamps were unlit. The room's only light came from the crackling fire in the hearth, its flames dancing in Miss Miller's eyes and making them seem all the more vibrant.

He shifted slightly in his armchair but didn't see Miss Stuart or Julia.

"They won't be here tonight. Duke Decatel of the Hamparvo Kingdom has arrived in the capital from his domain, and as a princess, she is required to attend the evening banquet."

Miss Miller easily guessed what Jenkins was wondering. She held his manuscript in her hands, apparently having been proofreading it for him.

"Did you have a smooth trip back to Nolan City?"

"Yes. I'm planning to visit Miss Audrey this weekend. Her divination... I mean, her astronomy lessons must continue."

Hearing this, Miss Miller chuckled softly and handed the manuscript back to him.

"I've finished reading it. I won't comment on the content; my literary tastes are quite different from the average reader's, I suspect. I've marked the incorrect words, so you can review them when you get back."

Jenkins glanced down at the manuscript, his mind drifting back to the accidental proposal. The atmosphere between them felt a little strange, and he quickly searched for a topic to break the tension.

"How does one break an awkward atmosphere?"

None of his female friends had ever offered advice on this particular subject, but Jenkins knew just how to solve it: bring up another woman.

"So, how did things go with Miss Stuart? How did you clarify who we were?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net

"It was quite simple."

She propped her right elbow on the arm of the chair, resting her chin in her palm as she answered with a smile.

Jenkins swallowed. The pose was certainly captivating.

Chocolate pawed at Jenkins's hand in protest, reminding him not to stop scratching.

"I am still Alexia Miller, a second-rate detective who came to Ruen from Nolan City for personal reasons. And you are Jenkins Williams, a writer and part-time antique shop apprentice, an ordinary Enchanter... and my good friend."

She nodded at Jenkins. "It's the truth, is it not?"

"The truth... So how did Miss Stuart react? Was she surprised? Angry?"

Miss Miller paused for a deliberate second. "It was... complicated. I've never seen so many emotions erupt from one person at the same time. You'll understand when you see her. Even though we didn't approach her with any ulterior motives, our actions were still improper. I imagine she'll keep her distance for a while, but I'm confident..."

She chuckled, leaving him to wonder what she was planning.

"Things are proceeding smoothly, at least for now. Jenkins, I don't think you need to worry about a thing. Before the year is out, I'm certain Dolores and Julia will be back to discussing interesting topics with us, just like before."

Jenkins nodded. He knew that being friends with a princess was a valuable thing. It meant access to more information. Of course, one shouldn't be so utilitarian about friendship; he genuinely did admire Miss Stuart.

"And it's definitely not because I appreciate her admiration for me!"

Their conversation about fascinating mathematical problems lasted late into the night. When Jenkins opened his eyes again, he was back in Nolan City, and it was already Friday.

The morning was spent, as usual, working at Pops Antique Shop. He heard that the old castle taken over by Mr. Constantine during the Gem Assembly incident was finally close to being cleared.

A-12-02-4219, "The Filthy Devourer's Flesh," had been in a state of unchecked growth ever since Jenkins had driven it completely mad. In this state, it hardly posed a threat to prepared Enchanters, but disposing of it still required extreme caution.

This was good news, as the end of the incident meant another reward for Jenkins. He just wondered whether the Church would pay him in cash or allow him to select an item from Mr. Constantine's collection.

He spent a few hours in pleasant anticipation before it occurred to him that he probably wouldn't get a choice in the matter.

Business at the antique shop was surprisingly good today. While he was transcribing the tadpole-like writing that morning, a shivering old woman came in and selected a handsome antique vase.

Then, just as the two of them were about to break for lunch, a middle-aged gentleman purchased a vividly colored abstract oil painting. While not technically an antique, the recent death of the artist had caused his fame to skyrocket, so the piece fetched a handsome price.

Papa Oliver figured some art dealer had hoarded a large collection of the artist's work and was now using publicity to drive up the price and sell it all off.