CWMBR 93

Chapter 93

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Finn accepted her offer as if it were only natural and strode into the house. He then held out the bouquet he had brought to Bridget.

"This is a gift. I picked out the most beautiful lilies."

"Oh my, how lovely they are."

Jane exclaimed in admiration, but Bridget could only feel a headache from the overpowering floral scent. Even a single bloom would have been strong enough; holding a whole armful of fully bloomed lilies felt anything but fragrant.

Leaving Jane behind with her exaggerated gasps, Bridget placed the lilies on the parlor table.

Visually, they were beautiful. Each one bloomed exuberantly, as if the bouquet captured the very peak of their beauty. But the unnaturally trimmed stems suggested the buds had simply been cut off.

So, even if these lilies were placed in a vase, they were destined to wither from that point on.

While Bridget's gaze lingered briefly on the lilies, devoid of any buds, a commotion of voices drifted over from the dining room.

"………………Well, I didn't expect to find a royal investigator here."

Finn spoke with a slightly startled tone, the laughter fading from his voice. Gilum, already seated at the table, replied flatly.

"We've met before, Mr. Emerson. I'm Gilum Arsiut."

"Yes, it's a pleasure to see you here, Mr. Arsiut."

As the slightly awkward greetings passed over the table, Jane quickly set a place for one more person. Bridget also returned to her seat.

Ding-dong.

"Oh dear, another visitor at this hour?"

The meal, which had almost resumed peacefully, was once again interrupted by the doorbell. Jane murmured in puzzlement, wondering what it could be, and approached the front door. Bridget also fixed her gaze toward the door, equally perplexed.

"Huh?"

Jane opened the door and, upon seeing who it was, her expression turned startled. Then, she murmured in a dazed voice.

"Lord Wise?"

Bridget reflexively stood up. She strode to the door and took the handle instead of Jane. Seeing the tall man standing awkwardly beyond the open door, Bridget frowned.

"Ain?"

"Bridget."

She had been waiting for news from him, but she hadn't wished for him to arrive at the mansion in person like this. Matters concerning the divorce could have been sufficiently discussed through letters, or if not, they could have met on the date Sanne had rescheduled to work things out.

Without bothering to hide her uneasy expression, Bridget asked calmly.

"What is it?"

Ain hesitated for a moment at her clearly unwelcoming expression. But he soon replied in his characteristic cold tone.

"We have matters to discuss."

"Did you come to settle things?"

Ain clamped his mouth shut. Seeing this, Bridget narrowed her eyes. Unless it was about a smooth divorce settlement, there was nothing for the two of them to discuss. She was prepared to simply close the door if he hadn't come for that. As if sensing Bridget's resolve, Ain opened his mouth.

"It's... related to that."

If it's about the agreement, what else could it be related to? His oddly vague answer drew a displeased look from Bridget.

She couldn't quite figure out what he was up to, but she vaguely sensed he still wasn't very cooperative about the divorce. Bridget glanced toward the dining room and paused.

Even if Gilum was one thing, Finn and Ain weren't exactly on good terms. Rather than creating an uncomfortable atmosphere, it might be better to talk about it later. Besides, the divorce was still known only to a few, and she wanted to discuss anything related to it somewhere private.

"There are quite a few guests right now..."

"We absolutely need to talk today. As you know, I'm extremely busy."

The moment the near-rejection slipped out, Ain quickly cut in. Bridget frowned and glared at him. He deliberately pulled out his pocket watch from his coat and checked it.

It was true that Ain Wise was busy. If she kept putting off the conversation, only to have time slip away under the pretext of being busy, it would become a hassle for her too. Bridget glanced toward the dining room once more and finally opened the door fully.

"Come in for now."

Ain stepped past Bridget, who had moved aside, and entered.

"Were you eating?"

"Yes."

The whole house reeked of pancakes, making denial awkward. Bridget replied curtly, closed the front door, and gestured toward the sofa in the living room.

"Wait here."

"There?"

"Then where should you wait?"

His gaze drifted toward the dining room. At the entrance, Jane was peeking in, seeming to assess the situation.

"It's mealtime. Shouldn't you at least invite me to join you out of courtesy?"

His shameless remark made Bridget's expression harden, ready to scold him, but Jane, sensing the tension, spoke up.

"Well, there's plenty of pancakes."

It seemed she felt uneasy about having Finn seated at the table while leaving Ain waiting alone in the reception room.

But Bridget immediately shook her head.

"No, Mrs. Ottertz. This gentleman is a picky eater..."

"I’ll eat gratefully."

"Wh-what?"

Bridget whirled around to look at Ain. He had already turned toward the dining room without the slightest hesitation.

"Making me wait while smelling the food is just cruel treatment."

He even went so far as to scold her.

Leaving a speechless Bridget behind, he entered the dining room. From inside came the sound of people greeting each other again, bustling about. The atmosphere felt even more awkward than before, embarrassingly so, enough to make one shudder. Yet, surprisingly, not a single person seemed inclined to rise from that suffocating table.

Though she wondered if this was right, Bridget returned to the dining room too. The room, which had felt spacious and comfortable at first, now seemed quite cramped with three sturdy young men seated around the table.

For the first time, the table looked small. It made her even more reluctant to sit down.

Meanwhile, Jane quickly placed a pancake in front of Ain. Bridget shot Ain a fleeting, anxious glance. In the past, he had personally recruited a chef from outside Glynford because he disliked the cooks there, insisting on someone who suited his refined palate.

Bridget hadn't even entertained the expectation that a mere housekeeper's pancakes would satisfy those lofty tastes. Her only concern was whether he would nitpick the taste in front of Jane, just as he had once savagely criticized Magella's trumpet skills.

It seemed she wasn't the only one who thought he didn't belong with ordinary pancakes.

"Lord Wise eating pancakes?"

Finn chuckled dryly, watching Ain elegantly approach the pancake with knife and fork, muttering as if to himself.

Ain responded indifferently to the voice.

"What's wrong with pancakes?"

"Well, you're renowned as quite the gourmet, aren't you?"

" Are you dismissing Mrs. Ottertz’s pancakes?"

Anyone listening would think she enjoyed Mrs. Ottertz’s cooking. Bridget forced a smile over her sour expression and turned her attention to her own plate.

Jane, who had swiftly attended to the newly arrived guests' drinks and food, cautiously glanced around. She seemed to decide this was an uncomfortable seating arrangement and couldn't join them. Just as Bridget was about to call Jane over, Gilum spoke first in a composed voice.

"Madam, please have some."

"Ah, thank you for offering. You truly are a dependable young man."

Jane looked at Gilum with warm eyes. Seeing this, Finn smiled and said to Gilum.

"Since space is tight, wouldn't it be better to make room quickly rather than insist she sit?"

Finn clearly found Gilum, the royal investigator, quite uncomfortable. To Finn’s decidedly unfriendly attitude, Gilum replied in an unruffled voice.

"Then perhaps Mr. Emerson could move. I saw your previous interview where you mentioned managing your diet like actors do?"

At that remark, Ain, who had been cutting pancakes with an indifferent expression, chimed in listlessly.

"Seems you put a lot of effort into managing your appearance. Is the delay in your new work because you're pouring your energy elsewhere?"

It was a remark that could sound somewhat rude, pointing out a creator's creative activities. Sure enough, Finn’s expression stiffened slightly.

"Haha, I'll handle my new work myself. Lord Wise."

"Of course you should handle it yourself. After all, creation is work no one else can do for you, isn't it?"

And for some inexplicable reason, Bridget, who had joined this intensely charged table, lost her appetite completely.