One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 102

“So, were you waiting patiently?”

Edys half-mocked as Carlisle stepped inside. Carlisle, expressionless as ever, ignored the sarcasm and took a seat across from her.

“And to think you didn’t even give me a hint. I was really caught off guard, you know.”

“……”

“Hah. So now you’re not even going to speak? How insolent.”

Even so, seeing no reaction from him, Edys gave up her teasing banter.

“Fine. I’m sure your insides are in turmoil. I’ll skip the formalities and get to the point. May I tell Duke Revart about your curse?”

Only then did Carlisle’s expression shift slightly. It looked almost twisted—or perhaps like it was about to collapse entirely.

He didn’t speak for a long time.

From the very beginning of his relationship with Aireen, Duke Revart had never welcomed him. In fact, her entire family had opposed it.

It was only after much persuasion that he’d barely received their blessing for the marriage—and then he shattered it all by committing adultery with Judith. Since then, every time they crossed paths at the palace, the Duke had looked at him as though ready to kill him on the spot.

The guilt had nearly driven him mad, but he hadn’t been allowed to show it. He had to play the role of the villain to the very end.

And now, Edys was telling him to reveal the truth to Duke Revart?

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the Duke’s reaction. Whether it was safe to say anything at all was uncertain.

The Revart family had suffered deeply as a result of Aireen choosing him. The Duke, who loved his daughter dearly, would undoubtedly be enraged and heartbroken. And when that happened, Aireen, who cherished her family above all, would be devastated once more.

Carlisle had made the careless decisions, yet every consequence returned to Aireen. That fact alone left his throat parched.

Overwhelmed with guilt and regret, his thoughts tangled like a knotted thread. His clenched fist began to tremble slightly—and watching him closely, Edys spoke again.

“You need to say it. Aireen already knows the truth, and this is no longer just your burden. Think carefully. When I meet the Duke next, I’m going to tell him—whether you give your permission or not.”

Carlisle sank deeper into silence. Edys waited patiently.

Then, after a long moment—

“…Go ahead. I will accept any punishment the Duke deems fit.”

“Good. I’ve already let Aireen know, so don’t worry.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Now, let’s hear about the witness you secured.”

With a deliberate calmness, Edys shifted the subject. Carlisle, brushing away his hesitation, opened his mouth to report.

“Yes. The witness is Haller Petter…”

Thus began a long and private meeting.

In a dim room where the curtains had been drawn shut, a crystal communication orb glowed faintly.

“How exactly did you handle this operation?”

The voice barely held back its fury, simmering just beneath the surface. Yet despite Marquess Hessiden’s obvious ire, the person on the other end responded with a dispassionate tone, unaffected by blame.

“We did everything we could on our end. You’re not suggesting the failure was ours, are you?”

“What—”

“We summoned as many monsters as we could manage. And still, we struggled. Had we been properly informed about the strength of their forces, we would’ve approached it with more caution. A pity, really.”

The speaker cut off the Marquess’s incredulous protest, clearly shifting the blame. Hessiden, unable to contain his fury, raised his voice in a low, menacing growl.

“You’ve fought their knights directly. You know their strength better than anyone!”

“This time, there were new forces involved. A new order of knights joined them—ones we’ve never faced before. And if we had known Sir Carlisle had gone missing in the midst of it all, we would have made certain to capture him. And as for Lady Aireen of Revart… I’m sure she would’ve met the end you desired.”

Despite the gravity of his words, the speaker spoke in a quiet, almost detached manner. Marquess Hessiden clenched his fists, his whole body trembling with rage.

How brazen, how loathsome those words were.

He had been in regular contact with Haller, feeding new information to the other side as soon as he received it. Recently, Haller had gone silent. Hessiden had been forced to wait anxiously, unable to use the crystal due to increased surveillance.

The silence had lasted longer than expected, and a sense of unease had begun to creep in. After all, Haller wasn’t exactly a man of unshakable loyalty.

Eventually, however, when Haller did report back, he claimed it was because Carlisle and Aireen had gone missing—that’s why he hadn’t been able to deliver updates sooner.

There was no room for doubt. It had been Marquess Hessiden himself who ordered Aireen’s disappearance, so nothing about the situation felt out of place.

“Weren’t you on the battlefield yourself? You could’ve noticed it if you had paid a little more attention.”

“You may not understand, since you’ve never been on the front lines, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Their patrols are tight, and it’s nearly impossible to keep a close watch. Besides, their unity runs deep—it’s difficult to plant spies among them.”

Marquess Hessiden held back his anger and drew in a slow breath.

The one calmly shutting down his arguments—old Gibita—finally began to bring up her real purpose now that the tension had settled.

“This side took quite a hit as well. Because Carlisle Avergue appeared out of nowhere, none of the troops we sent returned. And Lady Aireen Revart’s combat skills far exceeded expectations.”

Her words, once again, subtly shifted the blame toward him.

Because he hadn’t provided accurate information, their calculations had been off. The Tanil tribe had suffered serious losses. So, they were saying, don’t complain.

In truth, the one who contributed most to the Tanil tribe’s defeat had been none other than Santinu—but unfortunately, Gibita’s network didn’t stretch far enough to uncover that.

For a long time, Santinu had deliberately acted like an eccentric, masking his true intentions. His behavior had become so expected that his absence in battle was brushed off as one of his usual quirks.

This time, Santinu had joined the subjugation disguised. As the chief of the Tanil tribe, his absence should’ve raised questions—but even if anyone had noticed, they likely assumed he was off doing something bizarre again.

No one even considered the possibility that Santinu would betray the other northern tribes.

There were good reasons. First, the tribes had been in conflict with the Diert Empire for generations. And second, Santinu’s tribe had lost the most warriors fighting on the front lines against the empire.

Besides, Gibita had shared the profits she gained from her alliance with Marquess Hessiden. With such trust between them, betrayal had never once crossed her mind.

“We need to recover what we lost in the last battle. And to do that, we’ll need your support, Marquess.”

Hessiden’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Let’s strike again. This time, the chief of the alliance himself will lead the charge. That should ensure a better result.”

Even though Santinu was the leader of the allied tribes, he rarely voiced strong opinions. He often gave the impression that he didn’t enjoy war—but he never opposed it directly either.

Publicly, he claimed he was simply respecting the wisdom of older and more experienced chieftains.

Naturally, chieftains like Gibita saw this as a sign of humility—and some even carried an unspoken arrogance that this was how he should behave.

But this time, Santinu had stepped up himself. He insisted they strike now while the empire was relaxed, and even volunteered to lead the charge.

The other tribes had no reason to refuse. If Santinu died in the chaos of war, it would only weaken the Nitu tribe—a convenient outcome.

That’s why Gibita planned to press Marquess Hessiden for urgent action—and financial support. It would be even better if he could stir things within the empire to match their movements. His political influence would be crucial for that.

“Check on the internal state of the empire. If they’ve let their guard down, we need to move immediately.”

Marquess Hessiden sank into thought.

Thanks to his and the Tanil tribe’s schemes, Aireen Revart and Carlisle Avergue were likely not in good shape. And the unexpected swarm of monsters had left the imperial knights exhausted.

The only surprise reinforcement the empire had brought was the combined forces of the Khan and Liel Orders—and Hessiden had already leaked that information long ago. Nothing about it posed a new threat.

Would it be wiser to go along with their plan?

The marquess hesitated, weighing his options.

“I’ll be in touch in a few days. I need to assess the situation first.”

“Very well. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, the crystal communicator went dark.

“There you are, my darling daughter!”

It had been too long since they last saw her. The voice of Duke Revart echoed loudly through the estate.

Throwing aside all dignity, the Duke rushed toward Aireen, swept her into his arms, and spun her around with joy.

“I’ve returned safely. I missed you—Father, Mother.”

A few steps away, Duchess Revart watched the reunion with a soft smile, then opened her arms wide to embrace her daughter.

“You’ve done well, Aireen.”

“I missed you too, Mother.”

After sharing a warm hug with her mother, Aireen excused herself to freshen up.

She had gone straight to the imperial palace upon arriving in the capital, so the dust and grime still clung to her. It took some time to properly wash up and dress.

Once she was clean and lightly groomed, Aireen hurried back to find her parents. The Duke and Duchess, who had been waiting for her eagerly, greeted her with joy and led her to the dining room.

“You’ve lost so much weight, my dear. You must’ve been eating nothing but awful field rations. I had them prepare all your favorite dishes, so eat as much as you’d like.”

The Duke beamed as he encouraged her to eat, gesturing to the feast that covered the table. As he had said, the spread was filled with everything she loved.

Hunger gnawed at her, so Aireen took a spoonful of soup and began to recount everything that had happened during her time away.

And as she spoke, the expressions on her parents’ faces slowly turned pale with horror.

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