“Will you come to our house next semester?”

“Yes?”

Bridget reflexively turned her head. Mrs. Cherny was standing with her arms crossed, looking down at her. As always, she was wearing a brown dress and a white apron stained with smudges.

“I’ll keep the student room vacant. It’s special, you know. Not many people use a room as neatly as students do.”

In short, she was expressing her satisfaction with Bridget as a tenant. But leave the room empty? It was almost like a forced suggestion or something equally childish.

“Um… I don’t know.”

Bridget shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ll move you to a bigger room than this. You’ll like it much better.”

Mrs. Cherny, chuckling, began writing something on the tenant list she had been holding. Whether it was make-believe or real, it looked like that from Bridget’s perspective, gazing down from above.

This is great! Bridget shouted inwardly.

Wealthy college students often find houses near the school instead of dormitories, and since Bridget got her admission approval very late, she didn’t have enough time to find a place. This was the place she found in a hurry…….

It was no wonder that the fourth-grade terrace house was unpopular, but she should have found it strange that only this house was completely empty. (But she had no other options.)

This place is really the worst. If you accidentally spill food, a swarm of ants immediately climbs up. There are even large moths that come in through the old, creaky gaps in the door. And now even mice have started appearing!

To live in a place like this again? Absolutely impossible. Bridget rolled her eyes with an awkward expression.

“Are you coming?”

Mrs. Cherny put her hand on her waist and let out a sigh. Her hidden eyes behind the droopy eyelids became fierce.

‘Next semester, I’ll look for a better house!’ She wanted to shout right away, but Bridget knows she won’t let her go until she says yes.

Bridget nodded, barely maintaining her forced expression.

“Of course…!”

If it doesn’t work out, that’s it. While she didn’t like lying to the old woman, Bridget hated this place so much that she was willing to lie to get away.

Finally, a satisfied smile appeared on Mrs. Cherny’s lips. She straightened her hunched figure and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from among the tenant lists, handing it to Bridget.

“Alright, here’s a train ticket sent from Loomwood Garden. It seems you’ll be receiving a warm welcome at home.”

“Yes?”

Bridget accepted the ticket handed to her with an indifferent expression. Her face turned pale not long after she checked the boarding pass.

[Boarding Pass (June 3, 1891)]
– Departure: Evansville 16:20
– Arrival: Loomwood Garden 20:30
– Seat: First Class, Row E, Seat 21

Oh my goodness. Bridget sighed slightly as she touched her forehead. Sending a first-class ticket to a common woman.

‘Please, Mom!’

Bridget felt like she finally understood why Mrs. Cherny was holding onto her like that.

“Well then, I’ll be waiting. Have a pleasant vacation.”

Mrs. Cherny’s smirking grin reached all the way to her ears, revealing her yellowed front teeth, covered in plaque.

* * *

Evansville Train Station was bustling with Widdleton University students heading home for vacation.

Holding heavy trunks in both hands, Bridget, wearing a wide-brimmed straw bonnet, roughly stuffed her ticket to Loomwood Garden into her front pocket and headed towards the entrance of the crowded platform.

“Let’s see…”

Her scrutinizing gaze quickly scanned her surroundings.

She thought that everyone who was going home had already left, but it seemed there were quite a few troublemakers like her. Bridget, who examined the long line that didn’t seem to diminish anytime soon, let out a sigh of relief in her own way.

“So that’s why they sent me a first-class ticket.”

During the four-hour journey home squeezed among those dignified gentlemen, the view inside the train was as predictable as watching a movie. The humid air would slowly invade the train compartment, and perhaps the smell of sweat from the people packed together would numb the nose.

Maybe she would end up vomiting.

‘Bridget, they say that if you listen well to your parents’ words, you can even make a loaf of bread in your sleep!’

A faint smile appeared on Bridget’s lips as she recalled her parents’ warm and affectionate smiles.

Of course, there was a time when she felt embarrassed by her parents’ excessive attention, which drew the attention of others. But since she understood their intentions, all her complaints disappeared.

Bridget Dashwood was a precious gift to the Dashwood couple. At the moment when they had given up on the possibility of pregnancy, the gift came miraculously!

So, how precious she must be.

Bridget glanced at the ticket with a fleeting smile.

At the moment she received the ticket from Mrs. Cherny, her head was filled with anxiety, but now she realized how grateful she should be.

“Well, good things are always good.”

Bridget shifted her gaze away from them, held the ticket, and slowly walked through the noisy crowd, comparing the signs at the train station with the printed characters on the ticket.

Heat emanated from the heavy metal pieces, soaked in the scorching summer sun. Bridget’s forehead became increasingly furrowed as she walked on the dusty platform. Then, as the noisy voices receded and the surroundings became quiet, Bridget’s steps became lighter.

Finally, as she arrived at her destination, she raised her hat and checked the sign attached to the side of the train.

[Dumpshire Express Train First Class Cabin]

The train was an express that departed from Peak Road, passed through Evansville, Noxtown, and Loomwood Garden, and finally stopped at Dumpshire, which served as the terminal and capital.

Having finished her inspection, Bridget set foot on the first-class carriage stairs. She tried to lift her bag, but because she crammed all sorts of things into it, she couldn’t possibly lift the trunk to the required height.

‘If I just put it in the first car, it should work somehow.’

However, the stairs between the platform and the train were unreasonably high. Struggling, Bridget lifted one foot firmly onto the ground and, taking a deep breath, raised the trunk.

But those who act recklessly without properly knowing their abilities are prone to making mistakes. Bridget was no exception.

“Uhhh!”

The slippery sole of her shoe caused her to lose her footing. That’s when it happened.

“Be careful.”

A warm sensation was felt over Bridget’s shoulder as she was about to fall back. And she regained her balance. Someone had held onto her.

To express her gratitude and relief, Bridget raised her head.

“Uhmm…?”

Bridget’s enlarged pupils met with a pair of mysterious gray eyes. The golden hair that covered the forehead fluttered in the wind, and the neatly groomed man’s white shirt came into view. His refreshing scent, contrasting the stuffy air, tickled her nose.

“Are you okay?”

The man’s voice, asking so softly, almost made Bridget scream. Although he was dressed more casually than usual, clearly…

“Dominic Meyer?”

As Bridget blinked, his straight brow furrowed. Bridget, who quickly regained her senses, hastily expressed her gratitude.

“Oh, thank you! Thanks to you…”

“It seems like you’re not injured. If you’re okay, could you please step aside?”

“What?”

Bridget slightly opened her mouth.

If he was a gentleman boarding first class, he would have willingly extended a helping hand to a lady in distress. But he didn’t say a word even when he saw the heavy trunk in Bridget’s hand.

Instead, he was giving her a very annoyed look at the current situation.

“I need to board.”

Though his tone was soft, there was no trace of kindness. Moreover, he didn’t even show an attitude of dealing with a completely unknown person just moments ago.

Puzzled, Bridget tilted her head.

“Yes…?”

“You’re blocking the way?”

“Ah…”

Bridget reflexively turned her body and made space. Then Dominic lowered his head, showing proper manners, and boarded the train.

She could only watch his disappearing figure with a disappointed feeling that he didn’t offer even a little help.

‘What on earth? Is he pretending not to know me on purpose? It’s not pleasant for a commoner to ride in first class, is that it?’

But it seems that he is mindful of the surrounding gazes by still maintaining his manners.

Hypocrite!

While Bridget was holding her breath, her mind filled with arrogant thoughts about Dominic.

“Guest, may I help you?”

The steward who approached from the first-class section asked.

“Oh, yes! You have no idea how difficult it was. Thank you.”

Bridget gave a forced smile. Only after she safely found her seat and placed the trunk in the luggage compartment did she finally sigh.

To cool off from the heat outside, she took out a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her forehead, and then she finally noticed the passenger sitting opposite her.