CWMBR 37

Chapter 37

***

Sponsored by Elisa. Thank you ❤️(2/6)

***

*The past continues 

He left the apologetic Finn behind and headed for the ticket office. He wanted to buy a ticket to return that same evening.

While waiting for his ticket, he casually glanced to the side and noticed several brochures stacked there. Next to them was an odd promotional poster that seemed to have been carelessly placed there. It appeared to have been forcibly torn from a wall, as the adhesive on the back had dried, and the poster was wrinkled overall.

“Grand Theater? Haha, I wonder what kind of plays they put on in a city like this. I heard there’s a decent actor there.”

Finn, who had followed behind, noticed it and chuckled softly. He picked up the paper with his fingers and handed it to Ain.

“But this, it looks like it was written by hand, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Oh dear, with such good printing technology available. It’s a shame that cultural institutions are so behind the times. Surely they don’t make all the posters by hand?”

Finn shook his head and clicked his tongue. Ain didn't respond to his words and scanned the contents of the poster with his eyes. The handwritten letters were neat and straight, and compared to printed letters, they were not lacking in any way.

If he had been born a little earlier, those letters might have been sold for a high price. Perhaps even now, they might be worth selling to someone.

The content also seemed to have been written with care. Though it was overly sentimental and completely out of sync with Ain’s taste, in terms of simple sentence structure alone.

“Just looking at this gives you an idea of the state of the grand theater.”

Finn crumpled up the promotional poster he was holding and threw it into the trash can. Then, upon hearing the announcement that ticket sales had been completed, Ain returned with an indifferent expression, as if he had never been interested, and received his ticket.

At that point, he had no idea. Just a few hours later, he would be swept up in an impulsive decision and throw that ticket away like a piece of trash.

Not only would he throw away the ticket, but he would also waste all his time in Glynford…

*Present

“Declan.”

“Hm?”

Declan, who had been sitting in the passenger seat and answering half-heartedly, turned to look at Ain with a puzzled expression. Ain kept his gaze straight ahead and asked in a calm voice.

“Who said I’m meeting that woman?”

“Well, people?”

Ain’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. Declan, who had been quietly watching his profile, instinctively realized, Oh, my workload is going to increase.

“Someone must really want to spread rumors.”

“………………Yeah, I get it. I understand.”

“You’re sharp, and that’s a good thing.”

Declan had a lot he wanted to say, but he held back. He didn’t want to be kicked out of the car he’d just managed to get into.

***

Bridget, who had wasted unnecessary time on the road because she hadn’t checked the route properly before getting into the shared carriage, finally met Magnus the next day with some leisure.

He still urged her to rest, but Bridget only took a few prescriptions from him and headed straight for the theater. After all, even if she returned to the mansion, she wouldn’t be able to rest properly because her mind would be preoccupied with other thoughts.

As she looked out the window at the scenery passing by while riding the carriage to the Grand Theater, she felt a strange mix of emotions. Bridget, who had been staring out the window with her chin resting on her hand, sighed.

Was Finn, who had said he would see her again in Glynford, still targeting the Grand Theater?

Had Ronan still not given up on his dream of selling the Grand Theater?

“We’ve arrived, ma’am.”

Lost in thought, Bridget snapped back to reality. By the time she came to her senses, the carriage had already stopped.

It had been several months since she had returned to the theater, so she must have been lost in thought for a moment. Even though those memories were meaningless now, she couldn't easily shake them off because they were mostly set in one place. In fact, it wasn't that long ago, only a year or two, so the memories were still vivid.

At that time, Bridget seemed like someone who had been bewitched by something. So Ain’s meaningless words seemed very impressive and convincing.

Bridget sighed softly and stepped down from the carriage.

The faint smell of water and dusty air stung her nose. Upon arriving at the familiar place, her body was enveloped in a familiar comfort, despite her uneasy feelings. Bridget stared at the building in front of her.

The exterior walls of the square stone building had originally been a clean grayish white, but now there were yellow and black stains along the cracks. The carvings on the top of the building were so worn that they were becoming blunt to the eye. 

Originally, it had been a much more delicate carving of a scene from mythology, but if left as it was, it would soon be impossible to tell what had been carved there. The windows, which had lost their light, would be difficult to restore to their original clarity unless the glass was replaced, but it was unclear whether that would ever be possible.

The building, which had once seemed so large and majestic in her youth, now felt so old and small that the name "grand theater" seemed inappropriate.

Bridget, overwhelmed with mixed emotions, slowly took a step forward.

As she opened the closed door and stepped inside, the sound of rusty metal echoed loudly through the lobby. At the same time, the two people inside the lobby turned to look at her.

"Hey, Miss!"

The person who recognized her and greeted her with wide eyes was Hilda, an employee of the Grand Theater. She called Bridget "Miss" out of habit and smiled awkwardly as she spoke.

“Oh, you’re starting today. But the director isn’t here…”

Since she hadn't come to see Ronan anyway, Bridget nodded indifferently.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And this person is…”

Hilda glanced sideways. The person she was talking to smiled faintly and said.

“I’ve already exchanged greetings with Mrs. Wise.”

“Oh, I see.”

He was Gilum, the royal palace investigator. He tucked the notebook he was holding into his coat and addressed Bridget politely.

“I’ve come to confirm a few things, but I hope this isn’t inconvenient for you?”

“Of course not. Please feel free to conduct your investigation, Mr. Arsiut.”

“You may call me Gilum.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Bridget had already guessed that the royal palace investigators would be meeting with the theater staff. She nodded calmly and moved on. Gilum looked back and forth between Hilda and Bridget for a moment, then made up his mind and turned completely toward Bridget.

“Since you’re here, I’d like to ask you something. The companies that supply goods to the theater have changed frequently over the past few years. I think I need to check the list of companies that have been in charge over that period of time. Would you mind showing it to me?”

What did the company supplying goods to the theater have to do with the grounds for their marriage annulment? Bridget was momentarily curious, but she soon led the way without hesitation.

“There’s an accounting staff member. I was just about to go meet him anyway, so come this way.”

At one time, there were many employees stationed at the theater. However, as the workforce was gradually reduced, departments disappeared, and one person began to take on two or three jobs. The same was true for financial-related work, but the reason it had been able to hold on until now was because the remaining accounting staff member was a veteran who had worked at the theater for a long time.

He was the employee who had worked at the theater the longest, having been hired directly by the Penningtons. Naturally, he knew more about the theater’s operations than anyone else, so Ronan trusted him greatly.

Bridget arrived at the finance office, knocked lightly, and opened the door.

“Bertio.”

A middle-aged man, who had been flipping through documents while stroking his stylish beard, suddenly looked up. He stared at Bridget in surprise, then smiled broadly and stood up.

“Miss? Oh, I heard you were back. But the director is out on an errand for a moment.”

“I came to see you, Bertio. I want to see the theater’s operating records.”

“The operational records?”

As if hearing something unexpected, he blinked in surprise.

“Um, why would you want to see that…? Exactly what are you looking for?”

“I am Gilum Arsiut, a royal investigator. I am here to review some documents as part of an investigation requested by Mr. Wise.”

Gilum quickly tore out a page from his notebook and handed it over. It seemed to list the required documents. Bertio’s expression grew completely sour as he scanned the contents of the paper.

“So, um. Are you here to investigate that lawsuit that was in the newspaper? What does that have to do with the theater’s operational records………………”

Bertio alternated his gaze between Gilum and Bridget. A faint hint of wariness in his eyes.

***