Certainly, what must be refused · 13. May 2025

CWMBR 20

Chapter 20

***

“Otherwise, there would be no reason for you to see me.”

Finn flashed a wan smile at Bridget's words.

"I'm sorry, Miss Pennington. As for the business location we discussed before, I’ve decided to go with a different building. So………………”

"I take it that means you have no reason to show her your face."

Bridget and Finn's heads snapped around at the sudden interruption. There was another figure they hadn't noticed, standing on the main boulevard that led to the entrance.

Bridget, who had been too busy talking to Finn to notice the newcomer, stared in surprise.

Holding his umbrella stiffly, the man strode toward them with a careless stride, seemingly oblivious to the mud on the ground. As he approached, she noticed that one of his shoulders was slightly damp. It was a candid attitude that she would never have guessed from his usual perfection view of appearance.

He'd been like that before. For a man who seemed to lead such an uptight, suffocating life, he had a soft spot in the oddest of corners, and whenever she found it, she had to soothe her turbulent heart.

It was curious that the unexpected quietness she'd found in him was still there, but it was no longer enough to keep her from getting carried away. Startled for a moment, Bridget quickly regained her composure and looked up at Ain, who had approached her.

Apparently, Finn hadn't been expecting him, either. After glancing at Finn's face, which was a mixture of surprise and displeasure, Ain spoke nonchalantly.

"Also, she's Mrs. Wise, not Miss Pennington."

"......Yet."

Finn, who had come to his senses late, said cleverly. Even so, a hint of annoyance flashed across his blue eyes.

Turning halfway around to face Ain, Finn smirked and asked.

"What brings you here?"

"Because, unlike you, I have something to say to my wife."

Ain's cold gaze turned to Bridget. Bridget, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, asked in a nonchalant voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you want us to talk here, where he can see us?"

"..."

What he was probably talking about was something related to the lawsuit. She thought they were done with that, but she couldn't figure out why he kept bringing it up. Bridget felt a surge of irritation, but she knew that Ain wasn't a man who would back down just because he was being ignored.

Not wanting to continue the argument in front of her parents' graves, she nodded.

"There's a room in the abbey where we can talk, so let's go there, and goodbye, Mr. Emerson."

She stepped ahead of the two men. Dirt splashed on her skirt with each brisk step.

***

Bridget and Ain sat down in a small anteroom within the abbey. It was a small, unassuming room that doubled as a confessional in some cases.

She didn't want to be alone with Ain in such a cramped space, but Bridget had no choice. If they were to have a private conversation, they would need at least some separation, and she didn't want to take him into her room.

After showing him the anteroom, she went to the communal kitchen.

Being a guest at the monastery didn't mean that she was looked after by the clergy, as it was the norm here to do your own thing, and guests were expected to take care of their own affairs without being looked after.

So it was up to Bridget to prepare simple refreshments. The monastery's communal kitchen had a few teas available for guests to use, so she could bring in as much as she needed.

Although all she had in front of her was a glass of water.

To be honest, she didn't even want to offer him a glass of water right now. The only reason she had a glass of water on the table was because she was thirsty. She couldn't bring herself to take a glass of water for herself, so her small, petty conscience forced her to hold it out in front of Ain.

Still, she didn't think he would touch it.

Contrary to her expectations, Ain downed the water in one gulp. He drank as if he'd been waiting for it, as if he'd been craving it, and the glass was empty in an instant.

Staring at the empty glass, Bridget spoke first.

"If you were here to see if I had ran off somewhere else, you could have gotten someone to do it."

Ain, who had been looking around the waiting room with an impatient expression, raised an eyebrow.

"If that's what you wanted, I suppose."

"And if not?"

Bridget's dubious question made Ain grimace and reach for his glass of water, but he had already drained it so he put it back down. Instead, he leaned back in his wooden chair and spoke bluntly.

"Are you so unhappy that I came here?"

"I had sent you dozens of letters and I didn’t even see a hair on your head, and even now I'm wasting my precious time."

Ain's eyes twitched slightly.

"Since you have no legal representation, I have no choice but to see you in person."

Bridget couldn't help but laugh at his authoritative point.

Legal representation? Didn’t he realize that his situation was very different from hers? He, who had a full-time team of legal experts at his beck and call, and she, who until recently had to hide out in a remote mansion?

"It's only been a few days since you threatened me with that ridiculous lawsuit......... No. You're right, you're right."

Bridget started to retort that it had only been a few days, but then gave up. The brief flush of emotion quickly dissipated, leaving only nonchalance in its place.

"I'm going to get legal representation at the earliest opportunity. You should talk to him."

The date of her departure from the monastery was fast approaching, so she could visit a lawyer as soon as she got to Glynford. What kind of a lawyer could there be in the town of Glynford, she wondered, but anyone who knew how to file a lawsuit should be able to do it.

But even as Bridget answered obediently, Aine seemed unwilling to stop his tirade.

"Do you have someone?"

Bridget's eyes, which had been staring at the cold stone wall the entire time, finally met Ain's. Her clear emerald eyes were devoid of emotion, if one could even call it that.

In the dim light of the lanterns that illuminated the waiting room, her pupils seemed even darker and more impassive. Still staring into them, Ain spoke in a stifled voice.

"I don't think anyone will want to take this case."

Of course, if it was Ain Wise who had to go to court, anyone would. Regardless of the merits of the case, Ain was a man who could 'make' any outcome he wanted, and what legal representative wanted to take on a case they couldn’t win? But Bridget wasn’t too worried about that, because she wanted a representative, literally.

"So, do you have a recommendation?"

She asked casually.

"It means that no matter who I appoint, everything will be done according to your will in the end, so I don't have to think about it. Just write down a random name and talk to him, and I'll go from there.”

Ain scowled at Bridget's answer. Watching him, Bridget was starting to get confused about the purpose of this conversation.

Why in the world had he traveled all the way to this monastery in the worst weather, getting his expensive clothes and shoes muddy, just to find out if she had legal representation?

"How do you want this lawsuit to proceed?"

"I don't think that's a question for the person who started the whole fuss in the first place."

"If our marriage is annulled."

Ain spat out the words in a hard tone, then paused and exhaled. His voice, which had been rising, calmed, and he spoke quickly.

"Not only will you not receive a penny and be banished from House Wise, but you may be forced to pay me compensation and face further charges of deceiving the crown."

A threat?

That was Bridget's first thought upon hearing his words, but he had nothing to gain by threatening her. Why would he bother with a threat in the first place, when he could get his way without such unnecessary and tedious formalities?

Tilting her head questioningly, Bridget pursed her lips.

"So?"

"I'm saying that in your position, it's natural to not want the marriage to be annulled.”

He meant she should want to stop this annulment lawsuit, or that she should try to win it. And it would be strange if she didn't?