CWMBR 109

Chapter 109

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Bridget, who had been staring at Ain with disbelief, narrowed her eyes.

"Ah, then sit by the door and lower the footboard when we arrive."

Bridget wondered if Ain would get angry at her words and refuse to get back in, but Ain paused briefly before replying coolly and closing the carriage door.

"Alright."

The coachman, confirming the door was fully shut, must have assumed everyone was aboard, for he immediately set the carriage in motion.

The four-person rental carriage, its seats tightly filled, began its journey. Its destination was the city of Glynford.

***

Ain had sensed the subtle hostility Wayna harbored toward him from their very first meeting.

Though she spouted nonsense and maintained a lighthearted demeanor, Ain sensed this woman was prepared to subdue him by force whenever necessary. Wayna's wariness was sharper than expected, in some ways even more fierce and alert than Gilum's. Bridget seemed completely unaware of it, though.

"You introduced them."

Watching Bridget enter the building to hire a private detective, followed by Wayna, Ain spoke up. Hearing this, Gilum, who had been standing closer to Ain, glanced back over his shoulder.

"You introduced a capable person. Viscountess Adild’s daughter has a decent reputation. Her graduation grades were excellent too."

Gilum narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't expect you to run a background check so quickly."

"What's so difficult about that?"

Checking Wayna Adild's reputation hadn't taken long. At a military academy where women were practically nonexistent, a female cadet dreaming of field duty rather than administrative work drew attention simply by existing. Consequently, Wayna couldn't get assigned to the field she wanted after graduation. Even in the position she barely managed to land, she ended up in a huge fight with a fellow soldier and stormed out.

From what he gathered, she was a woman of quite strong principles. That very trait, however, led to no one wanting to hire her anywhere.

"Bridget has a tender heart, so having someone with that kind of personality nearby would be good for her."

While her own values were firm, her brief experience at the academy and in the military seemed to have cultivated a certain flexibility. Someone like that wouldn't try to climb over Bridget, yet could gently comfort her tender heart when needed.

Moreover, what pleased him most was that Wayna was a woman. Rather than having someone like Gilum, who forgot his place and fawned over a married woman, it was far better to have Wayna by her side, who acted as if she would protect Bridget from every man in the world. There was no comparison.

Of course, it was deeply regrettable that he, as her husband, was included among those she guarded against.

"It seems you've investigated quite a few things."

"It's only natural vetting for Madame Wise's escort."

"Then if Madame Wise were no longer involved, would you withdraw all interest?"

Ain, about to enter the building, halted. His cold, settled eyes fixed on Gilum.

"That's not your concern."

"The royal court requested that, if possible, the divorce proceedings be finalized here."

Going through the court would inevitably cause a commotion, so they'd apparently pleaded not to let it go that far. Ainmuttered with a crooked smile.

"Why are all the people around me the ones who disregard sacred marriage vows?"

"You've disregarded them more than anyone, my lord."

Ain frowned at Gilum's calm muttering.

"It's not a pretty sight to see you taking an interest in another man's wife."

"My apologies, but that's hardly something to say to someone about to be divorced."

Ain's eyebrow twitched. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Gilum for a moment before suddenly twisting his mouth into a smile.

"Guess having me around makes it hard for you to properly persue Bridget?"

Speaking with a tone that implied he knew everything, Gilum tilted his head in puzzlement.

"What do you mean?"

"Gilum Arsiut. Sanna's right-hand man and closest confidant. Everyone knows that even a single word you utter passes through Sanna's censorship."

Gilum was Sanna's direct subordinate, practically her protégé. Many predicted he would inherit everything Sanna had built, and people were already actively trying to cultivate friendships with him. While Ain didn't need to make such efforts to build connections with the royal family, to those who wanted even the slightest link to the court, Gilum was a promising young man.

It also meant Gillm followed Sanna utterly and completely. Sanna only separated Gilum when she needed something done that was difficult for her to handle personally.

Gilum fell silent for a moment at Ain’s words. He looked at Ain with an ambiguous expression, then smiled faintly.

"It's true I faithfully assist Lady Sanna, but I don't require her permission for my own heart."

A fierce glint instantly flashed in Ain's eyes.

"Who do you think you're being insolent to?"

"It's fortunate, isn't it? That I belong to the Royal Household Department."

Gilum smoothed his chest as if to show off. Then, lowering his eyebrows as if exaggerating his distress, he muttered.

"Otherwise, that look of yours would have buried me alive right now."

Buried alive? As if he'd choose such a civilized method.

Ain stared at Gilum with a expressionless face. Gilum, who had briefly responded in a light tone, swallowed his words at that look. Frowning slightly, as if slightly embarrassed, he spoke in a calm tone.

"The Royal Investigation is a prerogative of the Royal Family. Even someone like you, Lord Wise, cannot arbitrarily interfere. Should you continue to obstruct us, we will have no choice but to take action."

Ain retorted defiantly at the polite warning.

"How am I obstructing?"

"Lord Wise."

"I'm trying to win back my wife's heart because I don't want to divorce. What's wrong with that?"

"Do you realize that constitutes violence?"

His mocking retort froze in his throat.

"What?"

"Persistently pressuring someone who dislikes you. That is violence. To my knowledge, the lady has never requested any assistance from Lord Wise. Everything is being provided unilaterally by you. Even this... this servant's role."

Bridget couldn't even muster such hollow words, for they were precisely what she desired. Gilum's words were undeniable facts.

Recalling Bridget's consistent refusal, avoidance, and disregard, Ain felt a tightness in his chest, suffocating him, and he swallowed a sigh without realizing it. Honestly, he was adept at managing his expression to appear unfazed, but inside, he was anything but. How could he be?

Even while doing as Bridget commanded, he wasn't convinced how useful his actions truly were. Her stance was utterly unyielding, and Ain had never before found himself in a position of weakness in any relationship.

No one dared turn their back on Ain Wise. Every relationship he'd ever formed, even the one with Declan Rogers, was built on thorough calculation. It was a relationship of give and take. If a problem arose, he provided tangible compensation; if he suffered harm, he demanded recompense. If there was nothing to gain, he simply stopped seeing them.

In that sense, his relationship with Bridget... had been fundamentally different from the start.

Ain was fully willing to provide her with anything. That was how the relationships he had learned to maintain and sustain worked.

But in being one-sided, it was certainly as Gilum had said.

"I didn't know you were teaching human values."

Gilum shrugged at Ain, who couldn't quite deny it.

"I consider myself fortunate it wasn't a failure in character."

Ain's mouth tightened stiffly. He tried to appear calm on the surface, but those words left him with an inexplicable shock. Even though he'd never particularly thought his own character was good.

"At least, if I'm going to be asked for help anyway, it's better to request an introduction to someone worth hiring than to ask for a stepping stone."

Right, that request had been truly shocking too. He never imagined he'd ever have to resort to using a stepping stone in his life.

Gilum, who had been quietly watching Ain clench his lips, shook his head.

"I don't understand why you refuse to divorce."

"Looks like Sanna ordered you to probe me, to uncover my true intentions."

"There would be no disadvantage to you, my lord. In fact, society would welcome your divorce. Even the Wise family would."

It was only natural, since the Wise family had always viewed Ain's marriage as little more than a brief aberration. How much more so the social circles?

Many women coveted Ain Wise, and they were the sort who would dismiss his brief marriage as if it had never happened.

"You are the only one opposing the divorce."

The moment those words—that the whole world was waiting for his divorce—weighed down Ain's shoulders, the one he thought of was Bridget.

Bridget in her pure white dress. The feeling he had when he faced her.

That shockingly, spine-tingling sensation.