The gas lamp on the wall of the living room illuminated Jenkins in a black suit and the girl in a beautiful dress. Britney nodded slightly to Jenkins' question.
"Well, since Hathaway will also go, then I will go too."
Jenkins also nodded slightly, not seeing his cat curling his lips. The next moment Hathaway knocked on the door, and the two walked in opposite directions like an electric shock. Britney quickly walked to the back of the living room, while Jenkins picked up his cat, pretending to be grooming it just now , and then walked quickly to the foyer.
What Mr. Nellie said about the invitation of big shots tonight was indeed true. Before the carriage carrying three people and one cat approached the Royal Opera House, Jenkins had already seen the luxuriously decorated private carriages along the way.
The expenses to be considered in owning a private carriage are not just buying horses and carts. Various taxes, maintenance fees, feed fees, employment fees, etc. are enough to overwhelm a normal middle-class family in a short period of time.
With this in mind, Jenkins was surprised to see so many private carriages tonight, which represented the significance of this performance, which was by no means as simple as he thought.
"I heard from my father that he was going to come too. But tonight, I have military affairs, so I can only give the invitation letter to my younger brother. It is said that he invited a beautiful girl, but he refused to tell me who it is."
Hathaway whispered from the side.
"Yes, my father has also received an invitation letter."
When Goldilocks said this, she was far less generous than Hathaway. As for the reason, it was naturally because of the "two choices" left by the former Marquis last winter.
"He's going to the opera tonight, too, but for the box. With mother."
"Is it such a coincidence?"
So far, Jenkins still hasn't found the point of this.
"Don't you understand, Jenkins?"
Britney reminded in a low voice:
"Such a big event just happened in the city, and the epidemic is about to break out again. At this time, the nobles and merchants in the city are gathered together, what might be the reason?"
"..."
Jenkins was silent for a moment.
"The mayor will be there tonight?"
"Yes, tonight is not just about the opera. I don't know why the Church of the Sages didn't mention it to you, but tonight is very important to most people. Mr. Mayor will give a short speech before the opera begins. The speech, on the one hand, is to appease people's hearts, and on the other hand, it is to... "
"Clarify the matter of the Duke of Antak, the war is about to begin."
Jenkins didn't look at the girls, but at the night scene outside the window. He understands these truths, but he still can't accept it coming so quickly.
"You really understand."
Blaine said softly.
Hathaway raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
"How could you not understand?"
Jenkins stared blankly at the brightly lit building in the distance, and gorgeously dressed gentlemen and ladies stepped into the elegant and luxurious hall together. The path leading to the opera house was brightly lit, and various accents greeted each other, startling the birds in the woods.
The sky in the distance was dark, but the background was also reflected golden yellow by the light in front of the opera house.
This scene was reflected in Jenkins' eyes like an oil painting, but what he saw at the same time was that a hundred years later this place would be barren, with skeletons and graves burying decent people here.
As if a deafening bell was ringing in my ears, the [bystander] suddenly lit up with purple brilliance. For a moment, Jenkins felt that he had touched some hidden and unknown realm, and everything in front of him was as orderly as the actors on the stage.
But this feeling quickly faded, because the carriage had reached its destination and it was time to get off.
Because he came to the opera with his female companion, Jenkins had to show his gentlemanly demeanor. He jumped out of the carriage first, and then stretched out his hand to lead the girls in dresses down.
The cat stayed in the car to watch Jenkins in the end, but it could actually jump off by itself. Jenkins then reached out and hugged it off, and put it on his shoulders. Although Chocolate did not wear a beautiful bow or delicate bell in the end, the cat's black and white fur unexpectedly matched Jenkins' black suit.
This formal suit was a gift from Robert to Jenkins at the end of last year. He never wore it once, and kept it in the cabinet to accumulate dust. A few days ago, after returning from Shire, I took it to the store for dry cleaning and ironing. After I put it on, it fit unexpectedly.
In fact, Jenkins's concept of dressing is very old-fashioned. Although it is appropriate to wear a black formal suit to attend such an occasion, when he walked on the red carpet in front of the stone steps of the Opera House, he noticed that the men around him were dressed a little too fashionable.
As for Jenkins, the most fashionable item of his outfit today should be his black leather shoes. This pair of leather shoes is a rare lace-up leather shoe. When Jenkins saw this style for the first time, he wondered if the shoemaker was joking with himself.
"I still can't accept men wearing stockings."
He whispered to his female companions on both sides, although men with female companions would hold each other's hands, but in view of Jenkins' special situation, they only walked a little closer.
"well enough… "
Britney looked at the strange man walking ahead, and looked around again:
"I have no problem with men's stockings, but maybe a beard will make it more mature, you look younger than us now."
In fact, it is appropriate to use the word "young". The gap between Jenkins' face and his actual age is very large, which makes him look like a sixteen-year-old boy. But if you look at it with this outfit, you can barely be considered a handsome young man.
Of course, looking young is also due to psychological factors. Although the age of the soul is about the same as the body, this man is obviously not mature enough.
"beard."
He rubbed his chin. He also had the same idea last autumn, but he gave up because Chocolate was reluctant. Cats hate Jenkins' beard, and while Chocolate doesn't speak human, that's how Jenkins feels.
It seems that many people know Jenkins and greet him politely. Jenkins didn't know most of them, but Britney did. Whenever someone greeted them by shouting "Viscount Williamette," she would tell Jenkins who they were with just the right voice.
Britney moved a little closer to Jenkins because of the message. The red-haired girl on the side kept a smiling expression all the time, thinking about where the relationship between the other two had developed.