CWMBR 52

Chapter 52

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*The past

Whether he knew of Bridget's sulky mood or not, Ain went one step further, scolding her with a stern expression. 

"Come to think of it, that's just like being a tour guide. Who goes around a city with a stranger, knowing what might happen when you meet someone?"

Good heavens, since starting as a tour guide, she had never heard such absurd nagging in her life. Especially not from the very person who'd made the most of her city tours more than anyone else. Bridget widened her eyes and narrowed her brows. 

"You're joking, right? Goodness, I never had anyone nag me this much even back in school." 

"Looks like you had an incompetent teacher. I don't know which school it was, but should I look into it?"

Bridget retorted in a half-hearted tone to Ain’s innocent question. 

"I know right from wrong. The tavern incident was a truly unexpected accident. Normally, I'm careful enough to avoid dangerous situations."

 "But walking into a stranger's bedroom and drinking his liquor isn't dangerous?"

 "Ha!" 

Bridget laughed out loud without meaning to, covering her mouth belatedly with her hand. But Ain, who had been staring at her intently, had witnessed that honest reaction that had burst out in an instant. 

"You're mocking me."

He looked somewhat bewildered, and a little taken aback. Bridget, covering her mouth with her fist and clearing her throat, rolled her eyes and looked at Ain. Even though they'd been exchanging playful banter just moments before, she realized her laugh had been far too direct. Realizing she might have offended him, Bridget quickly replied in a more composed tone. 

"I'm not mocking you. ······But who exactly is in danger? Me? Or you?"

 At Bridget's question, Ain tilted his head at an angle. His beautifully arched eyebrow rose slightly. 

"What kind of confidence is that?" 

"It's not confidence. You were the one who said something ridiculous in the first place. What reason could you possibly have to be dangerous to me?" 

Honestly, what a ridiculous worry. Bridget suppressed another hollow laugh and quickly looked away. While there were certainly various dangers that could arise when a man and woman were alone together, Bridget couldn't think of a single one that applied to her and Ain. 

"If you were dangerous, I would have been in danger long ago." 

Muttering to herself, she clasped the hands resting on her knees and fidgeted with them. That strange, lingering sense of disappointment she’d briefly shaken off reared its head again. It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to court danger, but in this situation... Well, the fact that there was absolutely no chance their peace would be broken unless Ain was even slightly conscious of her made her feel inexplicably gloomy. 

An image of Ain flashed through Bridget's mind, the one from earlier in the restaurant talking about 'first love'. She recalled his voice replying that the story with his first love held deep meaning for him. That brief exchange alone made Bridget realize how hopeless her relationship with him truly was. 

So if anyone fit the logic that being alone together was dangerous, it was Donna, not Bridget. Donna, Ain’s first love, the one who meant something to him. 

"Are you regretting it?"

 "How on earth does this look like I'm regretting it?" 

To hide her sinking mood, Bridget tightened the corners of her mouth. She deliberately put on a calm expression to appear unaffected and stared straight at Ain. 

Ain stared back at her blankly. As his silence stretched unexpectedly long, a fine crack appeared in Bridget’s expression. Suddenly, Ain murmured softly. 

"Or maybe I just want to see it that way."

Bridget narrowed her brows. His words had just sounded incredibly strange. As if... well... Bridget flicked her lips a couple of times before abruptly turning her head away. The longer she met Ain’s blue eyes, the more she felt like she was sinking into an inescapable quagmire. Licking her lower lip, Bridget abruptly stood up. 

"If you plan to keep teasing me like this, I'll just leave."

 "You think so?"

 Ain reacted instantly to the half-joking remark. 

"Huh?"

Bridget, who had been looking elsewhere, turned back at him with a bewildered expression. Yet he stood up as if he'd made up his mind, then strode purposefully toward the door before she could grab him. 

"That's probably best. Come to think of it, it's way too late."

 He flung open the bedroom door and glanced back at Bridget. His nod, as if to say "Go," made Bridget feel almost pushed out the door. Yet she was still bewildered, unable to fully grasp what was happening. Ain dismissed her without so much as a touch, using only his words.

 His response was strangely decisive and swift, and before she knew it, Bridget was in a carriage. Dazed, she sat in the carriage that would take her home. As it began to move slowly, she snapped back to her senses and pulled back the window curtain. 

Against the darkening sky, the mansion stood with lights scattered here and there. And at the mansion's entrance, the man stood motionless. His back to the light, his expression was impossible to discern. Still, Bridget stared until his face disappeared from view. 

Somehow, it felt like he was watching her too. On the way home, she imagined for the first time what kind of relationship she might have with him. Her heart raced, and heat instantly flushed her face. Surprisingly, it felt like a future with him might somehow be possible. 

Because today, he seemed aware of her. Just as she was aware of him, in the same way. The disappointment she felt upon learning his first love was Donna vanished as if washed away. Wasn't she the one he spent time with in this moment? The feelings she had tried so hard to ignore and hide instantly sucked in hope and grew rapidly. Bridget arrived at the mansion that night, unable to sleep properly once again.

 ***

*Present

The humidity felt unusually high, and sure enough, a drizzle began to fall. Though the distance from the carriage to the entrance of the Grand Theater wasn't far, her umbrella was completely soaked. Bridget tapped the folded tip of her umbrella on the floor to shake off the water. 

Having regained enough strength to move, it had been several days since Bridget last visited the Grand Theater. The moment she entered the lobby, she saw Hilda and Gilum talking with serious expressions. She felt like she'd seen a similar scene before; it seemed Hilda had been designated as Gilum’s primary source of information. 

The two started to approach her, but Bridget waved them off, signaling not to mind her, and quickened her pace. Her destination was the representative's office. For some reason, Ronan was guarding the Grand Theater office. Sitting at his desk with a thoroughly displeased expression, he jumped to his feet the moment Bridget entered. 

"Bridget, you finally showed up."

Despite being the one who had personally seen Bridget ill, Ronan didn't ask about her health. Instead, he pointed urgently toward the door and demanded, 

"When the hell are those people leaving?"

 "When the investigation is over." 

Bridget entered slowly, troubled by the thought of how she would find him if he wasn't at his desk again today. While she placed her umbrella nearby, Ronan strode over to her.

 "Damn that investigation!" 

Seeing him vent his frustration into thin air, it seemed clear Ronan hadn't gone out because of the royal investigators swarming the Grand Theater. Gilum wouldn't have forced Ronan's schedule; it was more likely Ronan himself felt uncomfortable and stayed in. Bridget calmly lowered her gaze. 

He had the same face as her father, but Ronan was not her father. Therefore, she always reminded herself not to expect the same expressions of affection from him as she did from her father. She believed Ronan cherished his niece in his own way. 

Even if his attitude sometimes felt a little disappointing, she believed it all stemmed from his concern for her. Just as Ronan had always said. But she had already been through too much to pretend otherwise. Bridget had to accept Ronan's indifference and coldness toward her. 

Her uncle didn't love or cherish his niece. His interest lay solely in the property registered under her name. She didn't want to admit it, but this was the reality. Her heart sank coldly at this truth, confirmed once again.

 "You didn't actually pass off someone else's child as Lord Wise's, did you?"

Clueless about what Bridget was thinking, Ronan was too preoccupied with grasping the immediate reality before him. Bridget, who had been silently staring at Ronan as he pressed her with a fierce tone, placed the handbag she was holding on the table and asked calmly. 

"Where did you hear such a thing?"