One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 107

Carlisle stared at her with chilling, pitch-black eyes.

How dare the daughter of Hessiden speak of Aireen’s well-being?

I was already uneasy because of Aireen’s coldness. Even knowing the truth didn’t help—I still couldn’t sit still. Her cold attitude lingered like a shadow.

It was that delicate.

Finally, Carlisle rose from his seat and walked silently toward Judith.

As he drew closer, Judith felt a cold sweat trickle down her back.

I regretted provoking him for no reason. My legs trembled as I tried to endure the weight of his unrestrained presence—one that belonged to a knight far stronger than I could handle.

For the first time, I genuinely feared that Carlisle might be dangerous.

I never thought he’d react like this. Even when I used Aireen to provoke him in the past, he’d only glare with that terrifying look. He never approached me like this.

“Carl…lisle.”

“Judith.”

Carlisle had reached her without even realizing it. He looked down at Judith.

His gaze slowly moved from her trembling eyes to her stomach, then back up. Judith’s eyes followed his as if tracing a path she couldn’t escape.

Then, in the still air, Carlisle leaned close and whispered:

“I keep forgetting what binds us together. I never liked children to begin with.”

“…Are you threatening me right now?”

“No. I’m just telling the truth.”

A faint smile formed on his lips as he let his quiet voice fade away.

It felt like Carlisle wasn’t the same man I knew. It was eerie. Judith’s mouth fell slightly open in shock.

“If that’s not a threat, then what is?”

“You already know, don’t you? That my body isn’t normal.”

Her voice trailed off, cut short by his sharp tone. His words felt premeditated. Why was he bringing this up now?

Judith unconsciously rubbed her palm against the hem of her dress.

“I don’t know when you saw me taking medicine… but I’m going to die soon.”

Judith’s face turned pale at his emotionless tone.

“Whatever you say or do doesn’t matter anymore.”

Now her chin trembled.

I couldn’t tell if he was expressing the pain of someone revealing their own death sentence… or if he was simply detached, unmoved by the weight of his words.

“Thank you… for continuing the contract. Because of that, I accepted the child in your womb as my own, even if I die. That alone… shakes me.”

“……”

“As you can see, I’m barely holding myself together. So please, leave me alone, Judith.”

Carlisle’s lips curled into a faint smile, but his eyes remained bitterly cold.

Judith ran out of the room. Only when the door shut behind her did Carlisle let out a long breath.

My emotions had reached their limit. I was too angry. I wish I had just held back a little longer.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Judith had no idea that Carlisle had uncovered the Marquess of Hessiden’s schemes. She wouldn’t have imagined he might’ve told Aireen about the curse either.

Judith herself had already hinted that she knew he was ill. And Carlisle had indeed been seen taking medicine from time to time—on purpose.

No, it was more likely that he would keep this a secret from the Marquis of Hessiden. He was always defending him in front of the Marquis, after all.

Even if Judith had confessed what happened today, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Both Judith and the Marquis of Hessiden would’ve assumed Carlisle’s sharp reaction came from the urgency of someone with little time left to live.

Or maybe it was the anxiety he carried from the last battle—the fear that even after his death, if Aireen’s life were still in danger, there would be nothing he could do.

If this could be used to stir the already unstable Marquis of Hessiden, perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

The Marquis of Hessiden raised his eyebrows sharply as he saw Judith approaching, her face flushed red.

“Dad.”

“Judith, what’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

“That’s it, that’s… it…”

“First, calm down and talk to me, Judy.”

Judith, who had been holding back tears since entering, was gently pulled into the Marquis’s arms. At last, the tears that had filled her eyes began to fall.

“I hate Aireen Revart. I hate her so much. She made fun of me… she threatened me… she told me to leave.”

At the sound of her trembling voice, the veins in the Marquis’s chin bulged.

“I won’t let this go, Judy. Just hold on a little longer. You’ll hear good news soon.”

“…This time, please scold Carlisle a little too.”

This was the first time Judith had openly asked for retribution against Carlisle. No matter how harshly he acted, she’d always sided with him—until now. Her strange request made the Marquis of Hessiden raise his voice.

“Did he ever treat you badly?”

“I’m just… annoyed.”

“Judy.”

“I think it’s time he was tamed. It’s a waste to lift the curse on him just like that.”

“Judy. Tell me what really happened.”

“No, that’s not it. I just… I hate Princess Revart. And I’m mad at Carlisle too.”

“…Alright. If that’s how you feel, then that’s what matters.”

The Marquis nodded without a trace of hesitation.

“You’ll receive another mission soon. Don’t worry, Judy. This time, I’ll make sure you get what you want.”

“…Thank you.”

Judith smiled inwardly.

She remembered how the Marquis had been crushed by his failure to eliminate Aireen during the last expedition. She’d cried so bitterly that he’d vowed to give it everything he had next time.

Judith trusted her father. And because she did, she worked hard to help him.

That was Jeron Diar.

At the banquet following the finals of the swordsmanship tournament, Judith had spoken to Jeron—the same Jeron rejected by Aireen.

As expected, he still harbored feelings for her. Judith saw that vulnerability and took advantage of it.

At first, Jeron had been reluctant and had even sided with Aireen. But as time passed, he drifted toward Judith’s side. Her persuasion had worked.

It hadn’t been hard to manipulate Jeron by appealing to his defeated heart.

There hadn’t been any results yet. Jeron had told her it would take time to bring in the Duke of Diar.

Still, Jeron was a useful piece on the board—for both Judith and the Marquis of Hessiden.

Right now, the Emperor and the Duke of Revart held the power to control the noble faction. That included financial oversight over the Marquis of Hessiden—taxes, trade, and licensing. And Jeron was a promising figure in the Ministry of Finance.

He used his position at the Treasury to pass information or influence events in the Marquis’s favor.

If the balance tipped to their side, they’d even be able to sway the Duke of Diar.

After that, Judith kept up the act, playing the pitiful daughter for a while longer before quietly leaving.

Exactly, exactly, exactly.

The sharp sound of finger snapping echoed rhythmically through the quiet air.

“Hmm.”

Exactly.

Santinu finally stopped snapping his fingers and picked up the papers in front of him. He sat up from his relaxed position, having leaned back as if lounging, and leaned forward. His upper body shifted with a ripple of well-toned muscle beneath his bronze skin.

“There’s a lot.”

Several pages were densely filled with writing. Santinu read through them slowly, taking his time.

After fully absorbing the content, he suddenly burst into laughter.

“Okay, okay!”

As he abruptly stood and began pacing in circles, one of his subordinates cautiously asked,

“What does the Emperor say?”

“They’re going all out this time. Sounds like they want to wipe Hessiden off the map as quickly as possible.”

“It’s the same on our side. We should start sharing our plans too.”

“That’s right. You remember those two tribal hideouts I handed over? I think they’re planning to strike both at once. This time, I’ll have to send those tribesmen to the front lines. That way, even if they’re in the middle of a battle, they’ll realize their homes are being attacked and retreat.”

“We’ll invest more effort into shaping public opinion.”

“Good. The Imperial forces are worn out and disorganized. Make sure you emphasize that in your reports. Our tribe will move the most troops this time—but tell everyone to stay alert.”

“All right.”

“Okay. You’re dismissed.”

The assistant gave a respectful nod and left the room at Santinu’s gesture.

Left alone, Santinu glanced again at the letter sent by Edys, the Emperor of the Diert Empire.

“It looks like Princess Revart will be the target this time too.”

He murmured thoughtfully, and recalled Aireen—the woman he’d once fought in battle.

There were many skilled women in his tribe, but Aireen was the first imperial knight he’d ever faced. Unlike the muscular men he was used to sparring with, she fought with precision and speed. Facing her agile swordplay had been unlike anything he’d known—strange, but memorable.

“I want to face her again.”

Maybe it was just the difference in fighting styles, but he often thought about it. The way her sword moved—light, quick, graceful—was like watching butterflies dance. Even the way her pink hair fluttered with every motion stayed with him.

“Oh well. Let’s focus on strategy.”

He turned back to the task at hand, thinking through how to eliminate the Tanil tribe and other problematic groups.

The Empire’s leadership only cared about filling their own pockets through the war with Diert. They didn’t care about the struggles of the northern immigrant peoples at all.

If we eliminate the corrupt tribal leaders—especially those from Tanil—then the northern immigrants might finally get a chance at a better life.

No more senseless deaths. No more unnecessary bloodshed. And if we manage this right, we might even be able to open talks with the Emperor—talks about fair trade and true cooperation.

Santinu continued thinking, slowly piecing together a future that might, just might, be more peaceful.

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