One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 100

The return of the knights led by Carlisle came last. In other regions, monster sightings had been rare, and attacks from the northern barbarians were far less intense.

Edys called Carlisle aside and agreed to accompany Aireen, recalling the mission involving Santinu. She had no idea what had happened between the two during the expedition.

“Thank you both for your hard work. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to meet you in person? Did you really receive a letter from Santinu?”

Carlisle took out a letter he had kept tucked inside his coat and handed it to her.

Edys snatched the letter like a hawk. She unfolded it, read it carefully, and then handed it back to Carlisle, as if to say, Read it out loud.

“It can’t be fake. It even has an official seal. If this were forged, I might’ve ended up summoning every kingdom that’s resting comfortably in the lower regions.”

Carlisle gave the letter a quick glance again, then passed it to Aireen. She had been waiting quietly and took it without a word, beginning to read.

Since she moved the letter gently from end to end, there was no need to worry about creasing it. Carlisle glanced at Aireen’s fingers with an unreadable gaze. Edys silently took in the scene.

“I asked him for a token of trust, just in case,” Carlisle said.

“As expected of our Lord Carlisle! So—what did you offer him in return?”

At Carlisle’s calm response, Edys clapped her hands and leaned forward eagerly.

“There was nothing valuable enough to offer. So instead, I received protection from several northern tribes.”

“What?”

“I sent requests to five places. In the end, I got information from two.”

“Well, that’s something. It seems they want us to take care of it for them—and since we’ve got nothing to lose, we might as well accept it. Sir Carlisle, you’ll rest. We’ll send the Deputy Commander of Cell instead.”

“All right.”

“It might actually be better to go with two groups. Most likely, we’re dealing with the Nitu tribe from Santinu’s side and the Cheok Jin tribe. If we hit them all at once, it might attract unwanted attention from the Marquis and the Tanil tribe.”

“I have something to report on that,” Carlisle added. “I’ve secured an important witness. I’ll send a full report soon.”

“A witness? Oh my. So this whole operation ended up helping us more than we expected. I’m sure they planned it so we’d absorb a little damage while gaining something in return.”

Edys smiled, clearly thrilled.

The truth was, Marquis Hessiden’s main target had been Aireen. But Edys still had no idea what had really happened during the expedition. That’s because the knights under Carlisle’s command hadn’t shared the full story.

During the time Aireen and Carlisle had gone missing, Piel had deliberately stayed quiet.

If only Aireen had disappeared, it might have been manageable. But if word had spread that Carlisle—their leader—had vanished as well, it would’ve made them easy prey for enemies on all sides.

If their disappearance had lasted any longer, I probably would’ve told Edys myself. Even if it meant risking the northern immigrants—who had sensed something strange in the central army’s movements—finding Aireen and Carlisle first, I would’ve taken that chance.

But Carlisle hated causing a fuss. He always handled things on his own. And the Commander of the Cell Knights wasn’t someone to take lightly.

So, Piel staged an assault on the northern barbarians while secretly conducting a search. His plan worked out better than anyone expected.

Because he’d made contact with Santinu in secret without drawing attention, the northern immigrant tribes he’d reached out to also started acting as if only Aireen had been involved. The Marquis of Hessiden had no idea Carlisle had been missing.

There were several other important discussions about Santinu afterward. During this time, Aireen quietly took in the new information. Instead of asking more questions, she just kept sorting through everything in her mind.

“So,” she finally asked, “how did you meet Santinu?”

The time had finally come. Carlisle looked at Aireen for a moment before revealing the truth.

After the short explanation, Edys burst into tears.

“I didn’t know that gem could teleport! If I had, I would’ve given you something else!”

Her reaction was just as expected. She looked like she might collapse at any moment and throw a fit.

“That gem was priceless! No, no—why didn’t our ancestors leave us proper information?!”

Edys felt like she was losing her mind. Of course, she cared about the two of them, but the odds of owning a jewel with teleportation power were about as slim as Carlisle uniting the entire continent. It was truly a rare treasure.

He cried for a long time, his heart aching. Then, he sensed something strange.

Aireen, who would’ve normally scolded him for this or shot him a sharp look, was completely silent. Embarrassed, Edys eventually broke the silence herself and spoke to Aireen.

“Sir Aireen.”

“Yes.”

“Are you… angry with me?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Then why are you so quiet? It’s kind of scary. You’ve always gone silent when you were really angry at me…”

Carlisle had left out the part about confessing the full truth when explaining how he met Santinu. He felt a bit sorry for Edys—not entirely, but enough that he didn’t want to deceive Aireen again.

Whether Aireen heard it first or Edys found out first, either way, Aireen was bound to be the one hurt more.

The only way to avoid hurting Aireen further was for Carlisle to let Edys know directly—giving Aireen the choice of whether or not to tell her the truth.

Edys, still unaware, asked her questions cautiously, a faint tension in her voice.

Meanwhile, Aireen was torn. Should she tell Edys or not?

In truth, there wasn’t much need. Edys had also become an accomplice in Carlisle’s decision and kept the truth from Aireen. But unlike Carlisle, Edys was just a senior and an emperor she had sworn loyalty to.

Still, having known each other since their Academy days, it was hard not to feel some lingering resentment. Their old friendship still carried weight.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Edys’s expression hardened—like wood carved without emotion—as she asked in a low, steady voice.

“Your Majesty knew too.”

“Airene, that’s enough…”

“I’ve been watching you since the Academy. I didn’t expect you to be like this. I thought it would be someone else. But I’m still glad I met you first.”

“…Airene.”

Edys’s face twisted with guilt.

In truth, it hadn’t been Carlisle who brought it up first. It was Edys—quick to sense others’ emotions—who had pushed him.

Carlisle, who normally went about his duties with indifference, had started to show signs of strain. The little errors he made after that… the way he changed slightly every time Aireen was mentioned… how he’d initially refused every invitation, but suddenly agreed when it meant seeing her.

Edys had known something was wrong.

Carlisle kept silent until the end. But Edys couldn’t just stand by and watch. He was her trusted friend. Her cherished subject.

And I, too, was worried about Aireen. She must have been affected by Carlisle’s behavior. Those two were the only people Edys had ever truly opened her heart to during hard times. She hoped Aireen wouldn’t suffer because of this.

Eventually, Edys brought Aireen’s name up in conversation. She tried every angle, every excuse—and when Carlisle finally responded, she cornered him.

That was the moment he truly understood it all. If not for Aireen, he would’ve kept the secret to the grave.

I felt so sorry for him. Truly sorry. That sympathy even influenced Edys’s attempts to reconcile with Santinu.

Maybe, just maybe, if they formed an alliance, they could find a way to lift Carlisle’s curse.

Maybe Carlisle didn’t know it, but Edys was ready to give up some imperial benefits—if it meant lifting his curse and giving him peace.

This… this is something I’ll never tell Carlisle, not even if I die.

So Edys found herself trapped in a storm of emotions—torn between guilt toward Aireen and relief that she now knew the truth.

The fact that Aireen knew… and that Edys knew Aireen knew… meant there was still the faintest trace of hope left.

Edys began to apologize to Aireen—half in excuse, half in earnest persuasion.

“I’m truly sorry, Sir Aireen. I didn’t do it because I wanted to—it was because of the circumstances. You’re both so precious to me, but… you have a limited time left before you…”

He trailed off.

“I really couldn’t help it.”

“……”

“And the nature of the curse… it’s complicated. I couldn’t tell you the full truth. I already knew how things would unfold. I’ve been watching for a long time.”

Aireen remained silent in the face of his words, letting them drift away into the quiet.

But that was the response I expected. There wasn’t anything more I could say.

“And reinstating you as a knight… that’s a completely separate matter. Please don’t misunderstand. I know your skills better than anyone else, and I’ve been hoping to restore your knighthood for a long time.”

“……”

“I hope this helps you feel just a little better.”

Aireen finally spoke, her voice low but sharp.

“Then why did you send me on that perfume mission? Why did you make me enter the competition?”

Edys froze for a moment, as if the sudden question had pierced him like a blade. But he quickly regained composure and answered firmly.

“From now on… no more lies.”

That’s why Edys turned to Carlisle and said,

“Lord Carlisle, you may leave now.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“Get out. That’s an imperial order.”

Carlisle looked like he wanted to say something, but at the sound of that cold command, he shut his mouth. He turned to Aireen. If she had shown the slightest sign of refusal, he would have disobeyed the order without hesitation.

But she—who hadn’t looked at him even once—was now meeting his gaze. And in her eyes was quiet agreement with Edys’ words.

I can’t take this anymore…

Eventually, Carlisle turned and left the room.

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