CWMBR 42

Chapter 42

***

*The past

“Ah.”

Bridget let out a low sigh.

“Besides, old-fashioned things are not really my style.”

“Oh, I see.”

Bridget smiled awkwardly and lowered her gaze. Thinking about it, she had heard him complain about the city being old-fashioned for the past few days, so it was strange to expect him to be interested in this place. To shake off her awkward feelings, Bridget rubbed her neck and took a deep breath.

She was about to open her mouth, thinking she would just pretend it was a light stroll.

"But I’m thinking about it."

"It's natural not to like it... What?"

Bridget, who was about to say something, stopped. She looked up at Patrick with wide eyes. He was looking around the mansion with a serious expression, as if to prove that his earlier words were not empty.

Bridget, who had been staring blankly at Patrick, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Um, you're not planning to buy this mansion and turn it into some kind of strange entertainment establishment, are you...?"

"I'm not in that kind of business."

Bridget shut her mouth awkwardly. Of course, she was the one who had shown him the mansion in the first place, but it felt strange that he was so readily considering her proposal. It reminded her of when Finn said he wanted to convert the theater into a coffee house.

However, looking at Patrick's face, it didn't seem like he wanted to convert it into something else.

Rubbing his chin, he stared at the mansion and said in an indifferent tone.

"It looks similar to the mansion I stayed at in Elver for a while, so I like it."

Bridget's eyes widened.

"You stayed in Elver...?"

"Do you know Elver?"

Patrick looked back at Bridget with a surprised expression. Bridget nodded slightly, feeling a little dazed.

"Yes, I know it. But it's such a small village that there's no place there that could be called a mansion…”

A small rural village came to mind. Unlike Glynford, where the weather was mostly gloomy, Elver was known for its unusually sunny and warm climate.

"You do seem to know something about Elver."

"You lived in that large mansion?"

"Was it this big? Well, it was roughly the same size as this one, I think."

Patrick gestured toward Mrs. Olden's old mansion. Bridget, who had been pursing her lips while watching him, narrowed her brows.

"Did you work at that mansion?"

Patrick frowned at her question. He replied in a firm tone, as if her question had hurt his pride.

"I was the owner of that mansion."

"Ah.."

Bridget murmured in admiration, then closed her lips. Patrick raised his eyebrows at her strange expression as she remained silent.

"Why are you surprised?"

"It's just interesting."

The answer came out quite quickly. Patrick, who had been narrowing his eyes and looking down at Bridget, tilted his head slightly.

"How do you know about Elver?"

"Well, I ..."

Bridget trailed off, lowering her gaze and licking her lips. She quickly composed herself and answered calmly.

"Donna is from Elver."

It was true. Donna was born and raised in Elver, where she spent her childhood. Patrick's eyes, which had briefly sparkled at Bridget's answer, now showed a hint of boredom.

"Donna Green?"

"Yes."

"I see."

He seemed to think about something for a moment, then turned his gaze away with a disinterested expression, as if he had lost interest.

Bridget cautiously glanced at him. His jet-black hair and blue eyes caught her eye again.

There was a mansion in the small rural town of Elver. And Bridget knew who the owner of that large mansion was.

Ain Wise. The man everyone was talking about as being extraordinary.

Bridget had learned Patrick Sherman's true identity. Regardless of her will, regardless of his intentions.

***

Could pretending not to know his true identity be the beginning of a lie?

Bridget still didn't know what the right thing to do was at that moment. Should she have been honest with him in front of Mrs. Olden's abandoned mansion? She should have told him that she knew he was Ain Wise.

She didn't know what the right answer was, but in any case, Bridget didn't do that at that moment. To make excuses, she assumed that it wouldn't be good to pretend to know him. Ain Wise's prickly temperament was well known both inside and outside the country, and even if that weren't the case, there was an insurmountable gap in their social status.

Moreover, he introduced himself as "Patrick Sherman," meaning he didn't want to reveal his true identity. If she had acted as if she knew him, she didn't know what kind of tantrum he might throw. After all, he wasn't going to stay in Glynford forever.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Bridget decided to pretend she didn't know until he left. Except for Bridget, who had accidentally discovered his true identity, no one else seemed to suspect that Patrick was actually Ain, so there was no reason to go out of her way to spread rumors.

Of course, it would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed. If Bridget had been a little younger, if she had been the carefree, innocent girl she once was, she might have greeted him warmly. Even as an adult, she often thought of Elver's mansion.

However, Bridget looked back on her own miserable situation and suppressed her regret. Memories were just memories, and to be blunt, it was obvious that one side would not even remember them.

Even after visiting Mrs. Olden's mansion, Ain, who used the pseudonym Patrick, asked her to show her around the city every day. Bridget guided him as she always had. Some of the staff whispered about the two of them spending so much time together, but Ain didn't care, so neither did she.

Around that time, Donna, who had been working hard to impress Finn, was showing signs of impatience. This was because Finn, who had been interested in Donna's connections, had suddenly become indifferent. It seemed that he had turned his attention back to this side, seeing Bridget spending time with Patrick.

"Where are you two going?"

Taking advantage of Patrick's absence, Finn asked casually.

"I'm just showing him around the city."

"Oh, that's right, you do that too."

Coincidentally, that day was a day when Patrick had no plans. He didn't even come to the theater, saying he had personal business to attend to, so Bridget was left to deal with Finn on her own. If Donna had been there, she would have found some excuse to distract Finn, but she was also out with Ronan that day.

For Bridget, who had been looking forward to spending a relaxing time at the theater, it was a rather annoying situation.

"As the owner of the theater, don't you feel it's unfair to be doing such menial work?"

"Not really. It's necessary work."

"With the money you made from selling the theater, you could live the rest of your life without lifting a finger."

"I'm sorry, but my answer is the same as before."

Bridget's firm answer slightly clouded Finn's smooth smile.

"It seems that Miss Pennington's stubbornness is stronger than I thought."

He muttered in a vague tone, then smiled even more deeply.

"But if you're going to hold on to it, shouldn't you at least use the theater as a theater? Right now... there's too much dust on the stage."

His voice was soft, but it carried a hint of unfriendly emotion.

He had been staying in Glynford for quite some time, so it was understandable that he was growing impatient with the situation, where time was passing without any results. Bridget hoped that he would give up on the grand theater completely and leave, but unfortunately, Finn's twisted mindset didn't seem to be that far gone.

After staring at Bridget for a moment, he suddenly made a suggestion in a gentle voice.

"Well, actually, a theater company I know is touring this area. They happen to be stopping by Glynford. I've set aside some time in the evening to meet with the director, but would you like to come along, Miss Pennington?"

"Me?"

"Well, it's a connection. It wouldn't hurt to get to know the theater owner and the director."

He added in a meaningful tone after speaking in a lighthearted manner.

"You might encounter unexpected good fortune."

Bridget, who had been half-listening to Finn's words, glanced at him.

"Unexpected luck...?"

"Anyway, what's so strange about adding a few more performances while we're on tour?"