CWMBR 104

Chapter 104

*****

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***

"No. You need special qualifications to pronounce someone dead. It's an important job, after all."

"Right?"

Without lifting his eyes from the paper, Ain tilted his head slightly.

"Then why did a psychiatrist pronounce them dead?"

"Who?"

"The Penningtons."

Declan looked at Ain with surprise.

"Seems Ronan Pennington and this hospital have quite a deep connection."

Ain muttered cynically and picked up a pen. He seemed to be writing a reply on the paper.

Declan, who had been watching Ain with a peculiar look, sighed. Honestly, seeing this unfamiliar side of Ain, he had half enjoyed teasing him relentlessly at first. But now, he was seriously wondering what this was all about. In the end, the marriage annulment lawsuit he had launched with such vigor had ended in an embarrassingly deflated conclusion. And now, hadn't he even gotten the divorce notice returned to him?

To Declan, it seemed he'd brought this on himself, so granting the divorce without fuss was the right thing to do. Yet, they'd agreed to put off the divorce, and now he found him sitting here, providing support Madame Wise hadn't requested—and perhaps didn't even want.

Declan, who knew exactly how Ain treated others, saw that Madame Wise was a very special case for Ain. So, he was probably prying into things and doing unsolicited favors now, trying to get noticed.

But then again. If that was the plan, why make things this messy in the first place? If he'd just treated his wife normally from the start, there'd be no need for this unnecessary suffering.

"If you were going to go this far anyway, what on earth were you thinking, treating her so coldly?"

Truly baffled, Declan asked earnestly. Ain replied while writing his response.

"It wasn't just about Bridget. Didn't I tell you? I wanted to correct a mental hospital for breaking the law."

"Suddenly trying to create a righteous world or something?"

"Like a single hospital causing a fuss would make any difference."

Ain muttered as if to himself, then folded the finished reply, placed it in a clean envelope, and sealed it.

"Is the world clean enough that this makes it more just?"

If shutting down one corrupt mental hospital could make the world more just, such facilities wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Ain, who had been wallowing in cynicism, suddenly frowned and added.

"Of course, for one person, it might make things a little more just."

That one person would probably be Bridget.

Declan simply concluded this guy was an idiot. Anyway, no matter how much someone close to him talked about it, if he didn't realize it himself, it was all for naught. Declan decided to just quietly watch and become a living witness to Ain Wise's real-time, constantly updated forgotten history.

Ain, unaware of Declan's inner thoughts, called for Fergus. Fergus, who seemed to have something to report to Ain, quickly approached.

“The mayor has requested another meeting."

The mayor of Glynford had been contacting them for quite some time now. Ever since the incident at the Glynford Grand Theater, when Ain’s true identity had been revealed.

The pretexts varied. Something about wanting to offer condolences for the incident in Glynford, or wanting to compensate him. He had even come by a couple of times just to pay his respects, but Ain had refused to see him, turning him away at the door.

"Shall I refuse again?"

Ain, who had been tapping his index finger on the desk, said coldly.

"Make an appointment."

***

The woman Gilum had recommended rushed straight to Glynford the moment she received the call.

Surprisingly, this woman named 'Wayna Adild' was of noble birth, had received formal military training, and was even a knight of honor. Yet, she couldn't find a proper position in society and had been drifting aimlessly through life.

Bridget, who had merely expected a standard bodyguard, couldn't hide her inner unease upon seeing Wayna's unexpectedly impressive credentials. Wayna, however, shook her head solemnly.

"I'm satisfied if I can put my training to use, even in this way."

As the youngest in her family, she preferred to show she was doing something rather than be treated like a useless burden by her parents, flashing a refreshing smile. After some deliberation, Bridget decided to hire her.

Since Wayna had no connections in Glynford, she would live at the estate and remain constantly by Bridget's side. When asked if the house wouldn't feel cramped, she simply raised her thumb in silent response.

"I've never seen a female bodyguard before. That's really impressive."

Jane expressed her admiration repeatedly, showing curiosity toward Wayna. Wayna’s personality was extremely sociable and refreshing, so the two quickly became friends and chatted about many things. Bridget couldn't help but be impressed by how quickly and easily Wayna adapted, faster and smoother than expected.

Seizing the momentum, Bridget decided to thoroughly reorganize the mansion's rooms. She needed to tidy up anyway to give Wayna a room. Since she planned to evict everyone using the second-floor rooms anyway, it worked out perfectly.

Besides, under the pretext of organizing the rooms, moving furniture around might uncover things she hadn't found before.

"Don't worry about the heavy lifting. I'm much better at it than that weakling Gilum, right?"

"Haha, Wayna. Is this how you repay me for helping you find a job?"

They claimed to be classmates, but the two seemed closer than expected. Watching them roll up their sleeves and exchange jokes without hesitation, Bridget pulled her hood over her head to start moving things properly.

She wasn't as strong as Wayna, but Bridget had her own field experience helping set up stages at the Grand Theater.

The mansion, which had been living with the curtains drawn for so long, finally brightened up. Opening the windows wide for ventilation let in cool air and sunlight. It was just the house becoming a little brighter, yet it felt like a significant change had occurred, lifting her spirits considerably. Bridget glanced at Wayna and Gilum, who were wiggling the bed by its ends, then tucked two chairs she could manage alone under her arms.

The sturdy wooden chairs showed signs of use, with roughened grain and splinters in places. Plus, the joints were a bit loose, making them wobble slightly when sat upon. She couldn't possibly give these away; it would be better to just buy new, sturdy chairs.

The staircase was wide enough to carry two chairs down. Gripping the chairs tightly, Bridget focused intently on her feet and stepped down cautiously. She was almost at the bottom when it happened.

"Bridget?"

The voice from below made Bridget look up in surprise. She saw someone stepping through the front door, which had been left open briefly while moving things outside. It was Ain.

"Ah."

Bridget frowned at the sight of him entering without the homeowner's permission. In that brief moment of distraction, her foot, stepping with too wide a stride, slipped downward.

"Careful……………!"

"Ah!"

Crash!

The chair slipped from her hands and tumbled down the stairs. Bridget instinctively reached for the railing, but her fingertips grazed the air. Feeling her body lose balance and tilt, she instinctively closed her eyes tightly, bracing for the coming pain.

She felt something grip her waist tightly. Immediately after, a solid body caught her as she lost her balance.

But it didn't stop her from falling.

Thud!

A loud noise accompanied a momentary shock through her body. Yet, it wasn't the pain she had expected.

Bridget, who had been frozen with her shoulders hunched, opened her eyes. Realizing someone had embraced and protected her, she slowly lifted her head. Ain's deeply furrowed brow was visible just inches away. Holding her with one arm, he had fallen backward like landing on his buttocks, letting out a small groan.

"Oh my! Are you both okay?"

Jane, who had just been carrying a mop out of another room upstairs, rushed over in alarm. Hearing the commotion, Gilum and Wayna also leaned over the second-floor balcony railing.

Jane, who had quickly approached, carefully helped Bridget up. Led by her hand, Bridget stood unsteadily and looked at Ain.

"………………Are you okay?"

"No."

He grimaced deeply and slowly moved his wrist. His expression worsened with each movement, clearly straining from bracing himself against the floor during the fall.

The only silver lining was that he'd fallen near the bottom of the stairs. Had he tumbled just a bit higher, he would have been badly hurt. Falling from a low height spared him serious injury.

"Why the hell were you carrying that thing anyway?"

Grumbling, Ain twisted his wrist a few more times before standing up.

"Didn't you hurt your wrist? You should see a doctor right away."

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Did you get hurt?"

"………………I'm fine."

"Then that's good."

Bridget gave him a skeptical look as he said it quite calmly, as if it wasn't serious enough to see a doctor.

Was he here to pay off some debt of gratitude? If that was it, Bridget wanted to tell him that even if he hurt his wrist for her sake, she had no intention of calling off the divorce.

Not exactly something you say to the person who caught you when you fell down the stairs.

………………But truthfully, if he hadn't suddenly appeared and spoken to her, she wouldn't have lost her balance and fallen in the first place.

Not exactly something you say to the person who protected you from getting hurt either.