CWMBR 160

Chapter 160

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Sponsored by Virginie. Thank you ❤️ (2/2)

***

Just as Bridget had predicted, an invitation arrived for Ain. It was from Eris Aires.

In the past, he would have attended Eris’s parties without a second thought. The mere fact that Bridget was going was reason enough to get him to go.

If it hadn’t been for Bridget’s ultimatum, he would have accepted this invitation as a matter of course. The fact that he hadn’t even exchanged names with the host didn’t bother him in the least. He wouldn’t have cared about the host’s ill will or the stares he’d receive from the crowd there.

Ain stared blankly at the glittering invitation, then folded it and put it back in the envelope.

“Don’t come.”

It was hard for him to let go of the invitation.

“I’m planning to attend with Mr. Gilum, and I don’t want to have to worry about you for no reason.”

Hearing those words only made it worse. The idea that Gilum and Bridget were close enough to attend such an event together was something he couldn’t believe without seeing it with his own eyes.

……Though, to be honest, it was probably just that he didn’t want to believe it.

“Gilum Arsiut is indeed her partner.”

Upon hearing Fergus’s words, the strength drained from the hand holding the invitation. Ain stared blankly at the invitation that had fallen onto the desk, then splashed some cold water on his face.

If she was going to be happy with someone else, his role was to bless her. The answer was crystal clear in his head, but that was as far as it went. Ain sighed. Now that the situation had actually arrived, the emotions he’d been trying so hard to hide came into sharper focus. It was jealousy, lingering attachment, and his own greed that he simply couldn’t let go of.

For three years, he had ruminated on the past and regretted it. He thought that when he returned, he would sincerely apologize to Bridget, wish her happiness as she deserved, and atone for his mistakes. That was all he could do, and he knew that was the limit of what was allowed for him. Was it because human nature doesn’t change that easily? Ain Wise was still selfish, unable to let go of the thread of his love.

So, it seemed he had unconsciously hoped that his relationship with her would improve, little by little, so that someday they could stand side by side again.

“Should I send a reply of refusal?”

At Iliont’s question, Ain bit his lip tightly.

“Don’t show your face.”

“Ain?”

After a long silence, Ain raised his eyes.

“Reject it.”

***

Eris threw a lavish party to celebrate her birthday.

It was a massive party attended by everyone who was anyone in Glynford, and to top it off, guests from out of town were invited one after another. The party went on all night, and even in the dead of night, the sky looked as bright as day, illuminated by dazzling lights.

Ain heard that Bridget had attended the party wearing an elegant green dress and linked arm-in-arm with Gilum. Though he hadn’t attended the party himself, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore the news entirely, so he picked up a few stories through the grapevine. For instance, the fact that Bridget and Gilum were spotted at the party, chatting with quite friendly expressions, and that the guests had whispered among themselves that they looked well-suited.

And even that the two had rented a room at the mansion and stayed there until the next morning.

***

Gilum, who had stayed a few more days after Eris’s birthday party, left Glynford. Even after he left, Bridget rested for a few more days. Aside from having to deal with many people as the owner of the Grand Theater, she didn’t particularly like crowded, noisy parties. Hadn’t she even taken to her bed the day after the charity performance? Magnus firmly believed it was because of Ain, but……

Well, that might be true to some extent. In fact, dealing with the general public was more exhausting for Bridget than dealing with Ain. She had never told Magnus this, but honestly, she still vividly remembered the time when everyone in the world pointed fingers at her. Just because people’s attitudes had changed overnight didn’t mean all the emotions she had felt back then had been completely washed away.

She sometimes wondered if the person smiling at her might be thinking something entirely different behind her back. Just like her uncle, for instance. Or like Finn Emerson.

As she pondered this, she found herself reflecting that this might have been exactly how Ain Wise viewed the world. After all, Ain was the one who faced people whose public and private faces were completely different every single day.

Though it was a bit ironic that she was only now beginning to understand, even in part, how Ain thought.

“Are you heading to work today?”

“I’ve had plenty of rest.”

Since the Grand Theater reopened, she didn’t think she’d ever taken such a long break due to health issues. Magnus had been giving her regular checkups, and she’d focused on tackling the tasks at hand step by step without letting her mind wander.

Accompanied by Jane, Bridget left the mansion and headed straight for the cemetery. She had temporarily stopped her daily morning visits to the cemetery during her time off. The flower beds wouldn’t wither just because she hadn’t been there for a few days, but she felt uneasy for no particular reason.

“See? Nothing bad happens just because you haven’t been here for a few days. There’s a dedicated caretaker for the cemetery, after all.”

Wayna, who had arrived at the grave with long strides, said in a cheerful voice. Following her lead, Bridget also surveyed the flower bed. Just as Wayna had said, the flower bed was immaculate, as if it had been tended to without fail every single day.

Bridget, who had been quietly looking down at the flower bed, walked gently toward it. For some time now, a single white chrysanthemum had been placed on the grave every morning. Today was no exception.

“Someone left this flower this morning.”

“Oh, I suppose so.”

“………………Since there’s no sign of the flower left yesterday, it looks like someone must have taken it away.”

Bridget had been the one to remove the chrysanthemums that were normally placed there every day. But since she hadn’t been there for a few days, the flowers should have piled up.

“Maybe the caretaker took them away?”

Wayna said in a casual tone.

She seemed unaware that, unless the family intervened, memorial flowers placed on a grave were left there until they wilted. Bridget gazed at the small grave adorned with white chrysanthemums.

Having lingered a bit too long at the cemetery, it was nearly afternoon by the time she arrived at the Grand Theater.

Bridget had a quick meal of bread in her office and began sorting through the paperwork she had put off. After approving a few urgent matters and reviewing the Grand Theater’s list of VIP guests as usual, she checked all the way to the last name and then flipped back to the first page. She scanned it slowly once more, but Ein Wise’s name was definitely not there.

He would truly be cutting ties now. Having reached that conclusion, Bridget calmly turned her attention to other tasks.

***

The Grand Theater had been quiet for several days.

Since Ain Wise hadn’t shown up for a week, the people who had been lingering around hoping to catch a glimpse of him had begun to stop coming one by one. The fact that the only play currently running was a children’s show also contributed to the decline in audience numbers.

Bridget decided to take this rare opportunity, while the Grand Theater was quiet, to give the building a thorough inspection. Although the building’s overall structural integrity had been inspected during the interior renovations, she still made a point of checking it periodically to see if there were any cracks or rust.

That said, as the director, she hadn’t been able to make the rounds very often due to her external duties.

“What’s this?”

Bridget, who was inspecting the small theater, furrowed her brow. She spotted what looked like vomit under a seat in the corner. As she moved closer, a sour, foul odor suddenly stung her nose. Reflexively covering her nose and mouth, Bridget grimaced.

Since only the main theater stage was in use and the small theater stage had been left vacant for a while, it seemed she hadn’t noticed it right away. There had been a major event there recently, after all. Even so, it was surprising that no one had noticed it until it had hardened like that.

With a stern expression, Bridget stepped out into the lobby and called over a staff member.

“Could you send the cleaning crew for the small theater up to my office?”

“Oh, sure!”

After watching him hurry toward the staff lounge, Bridget turned away. She could still feel the lingering stench from a moment ago lingering at the tip of her nose. The image of the vomit she’d seen moments ago flashed through her mind reflexively.

As if that weren’t enough, she’d just forced herself to eat breakfast that morning after Jane’s nagging. Her stomach was already churning from the unusually butter-heavy bread she’d eaten today, and the sight she’d just witnessed made her feel even more nauseous. A faint wave of nausea washed over her, and Bridget stopped, gripping the stair railing.

Just as she had calmed her stomach by patting her chest and was thinking she needed a cup of tea,

Thud.

She heard the sound of something dropping behind her. Turning around with a puzzled look, Bridget spotted Ain standing there, his face frozen in shock. A bouquet of red tulips lay at his feet; it seemed the sound she’d heard was the bouquet hitting the ground.

Ain stared blankly at Bridget, not even thinking to pick up the bouquet he’d dropped. His face looked as though he had just encountered something incredibly shocking. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking; his face, which had initially gone pale, quickly turned blue, then darkened to a dusky shade. Just as Bridget, who had been staring at him in a daze, furrowed her brow and was about to speak,

As if he’d never been frozen in place, he strode toward her.

“Are you all right? Did you come to work in this condition?”

“Huh?”

“Can you manage the stairs? If you’d like, I can help you… no, actually, you should just sit down somewhere and rest first.”

“......Huh?”