One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 110

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a familiar man stepped inside.

“You called for me?”

The Marquis of Hessiden glanced at him, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

It had been several days since Haller Petter disappeared. Already unable to carry out his duties properly, he’d gone into hiding, claiming to be seriously injured.

The Marquis had wanted to call Haller in and reprimand him right away, but given the circumstances, he gave up. The man couldn’t even walk. At this point, the Marquis had written him off as a failed horse—not worth dragging back.

Still, he had considered using Haller in the upcoming battle. He was utterly useless, but perhaps he could serve one final purpose before he died.

Trash that couldn’t even be recycled—one more thing to discard when all was said and done. The Marquis figured he’d clean up both Haller and Count Petter once this was over.

After all, the man standing before him could easily take Haller’s place.

“It’s been a while.”

“I saw you just the other day, but yes. By the way, may I ask why you called me? I have to return to the palace urgently.”

He was clearly in a rush, as if trying to come up with an excuse.

The Marquis didn’t like his tone, but since Haller was no longer useful, he held back his irritation. He would endure the inconvenience for now.

“I benefited greatly from the intel you gave me in the last battle. I’d like to purchase that skill again.”

This man had been brought in as a cross-check against Haller. The Marquis had never trusted Haller completely.

The man gave a faint nod and replied.

“Providing information is always possible.”

“This time, I’d like to participate in person.”

The Marquis raised an eyebrow but wasn’t surprised.

“That was the plan anyway. This time, we were ordered to move forward.”

“If the northern forces fail again,” the Marquis added coldly, “you will take their place.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Aireen Revart. Handle her. This time, do it right. Don’t come back alive if you fail.”

The man couldn’t answer right away. As he hesitated, the Marquis gave him a cold, bitter smile.

“Why not? She’s like a little sister to me.”

“…No.”

“Don’t forget—I know exactly how your family’s situation stands. Actually, it seems you’ve forgotten, so let me remind you. If you fail to repay your father’s debt, you and your entire family will be torn apart or sold into slavery.”

“…”

“You’ll be sent to the lower provinces—where slavery is still legal. I’ve seen firsthand how they treat their slaves.”

The Marquis’s ruthless threats crushed the man’s resistance.

“…I’ll do as you say. I’ll keep watch over Aireen Revart… and deal with her if it comes to it.”

“Good. I wish you’d answered like that from the start. Now, you’re the only one I trust.”

The Marquis of Hessiden smiled once more—cold and bitter.

“The northern tribes may strike again soon. Prepare to begin withdrawal operations in advance.”

The Marquis, having already ordered Aireen’s elimination, gathered the nobles loyal to him and gave them a warning.

“It’s only been a short time since the war began, but it’s about to become a full-blown conflict. Most nobles will likely be summoned with their private forces. It would be best if you all come up with excuses and prepare in advance.”

When he shared this classified information—previously revealed only to a select few—the nobles gasped in surprise.

“You are truly amazing, Marquis. Such high-level intelligence!”

“Thanks to you, I no longer have to worry about risking my precious troops.”

The Marquis of Hessiden never once revealed that he was colluding with the northern barbarians. He kept that secret close.

Even if the nobles standing before him appeared loyal, if their allegiance to the empire ever outweighed their personal gains, there was always the risk that they would turn on him for treason.

“There’s a chance this intel could be wrong,” the Marquis added, “but there’s no harm in being prepared.”

“Of course. Even if it’s only a small possibility, we can’t ignore it. Thank you, Marquis.”

Marquis Hessiden continued, glancing at the nobles who bowed their heads in gratitude.

“If a battle breaks out, His Majesty may once again try to drain our limited resources. The silk and wheat industries are currently turning solid profits, so I suggest Viscount Terryl and Count Sevaro be extra cautious.”

The nobles had already suffered losses from the last northern invasion. The Emperor had been furious and demanded extra funds to compensate for the damage.

But where had the Marquis gotten this information? He had cleverly avoided the Emperor’s scrutiny by citing budget reports from a surplus division.

Confidential data like budgets, taxes, and import/export revenues were all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance and weren’t supposed to be leaked. Furthermore, Marquis Hessiden wasn’t even part of that ministry—he belonged to Foreign Affairs.

The current head of the treasury wasn’t affiliated with either the noble faction or the imperial faction, though he leaned slightly toward the imperial side. Yet when the Marquis brought up these hidden details, the Emperor had gone silent—as if Hessiden had received the information directly from within the treasury.

There had to be a mole in the Ministry of Finance.

Looking at the Marquis now, the nobles realized just how deep and secure their rope of alliance with him truly was.

“If we withdraw our troops early, the Emperor’s nobles will be forced to fill the gaps. And when they take heavy losses, the Emperor’s entire power base will begin to weaken.”

His voice dropped to a hush. The nobles leaned in, holding their breath.

“We’ll use that opportunity to sway those dissatisfied with the current regime. And then—slowly—we’ll strangle it.”

The nobles nodded. As they continued offering excuses and clinging to their wealth, it was the Emperor’s own nobles who were forced to shoulder the cost of war.

Up until now, the burden had been tolerable. But what if the damage this time was far worse?

Eventually, the nobles would stop resenting Hessiden’s traps—and start blaming the Emperor for putting them through them.

If Hessiden’s faction grew and took control, the Emperor’s influence would shrink. And even if he had complaints, he would no longer have the voice or authority to express them.

The Marquis of Hessiden opened his mouth once again, eyes gleaming with ambition as he addressed the eager crowd before him—already thinking of the future to come.

The second wave of war was just around the corner.

“Surprise, surprise!”

Late at night, the Imperial Knights were rushed out to defend Renji Castle against an ambush by the northern barbarians.

But the knights, who had never slackened in their training, arrived at the castle without hesitation—as if they had known about the ambush all along.

“Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived from the capital!”

By chance, it was Piel of the Sel Knights, who had been at Renji Castle on other business, who responded first and rushed out to meet the reinforcements.

“Captain!”

A massive black warhorse stomped the ground. Carlisle pulled hard on the reins, bringing it to a stop before dismounting.

“The situation?”

“There are a few unstable points in the east, but overall, it’s manageable.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Carlisle quickly moved to higher ground. Piel followed, giving a nonstop, detailed report of the current situation.

Aireen climbed the stairs behind them, silently scanning the battlefield.

It was evident that Santinu had pressured the enemy to exert full force—perhaps due to the presence of other tribes. Still, the enemy’s attacks were not as intense as expected.

Or perhaps it was thanks to Piel, who had pretended to be on another assignment ahead of time, and handled the situation skillfully.

“I think we’re entering a lull!”

Someone shouted from the ranks. It seemed they were trying to reorganize after seeing Carlisle’s reinforcements arrive.

“Let’s have a brief meeting.”

Despite having sprinted over, Carlisle showed no signs of fatigue. He immediately called together the key leaders. Aireen was among them.

“We’ll focus on the sorcerers. The Nitu tribe under Santinu only saps our strength, so we’ll defend as best we can and prioritize taking out the shamans first.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As you know, the Nitu tribe uses long swords and paints their faces black. The Tanil shamans wear robes and carry staffs or have distinctive hand gestures, so they’re easy to identify.”

“What about the other tribes? The Sepah use bows, the Kroll use spears, and the Netar tribe is entirely bald—so they won’t be hard to distinguish either.”

Siran, who had been listening quietly, shrugged and added calmly:

“The rest of the tribes, even the ones Siran Kyung didn’t mention, all have unique traits. It won’t be hard to spot the shamans. Even if they try to disguise themselves, they can’t hide everything—tribal pride and self-respect won’t allow it.”

Everyone nodded at her fluid, confident words. Among them stood Siran and Ashite.

Ashite, who had previously grumbled nonstop about being assigned to Carlisle, fell silent after Aireen’s long explanation.

Even before the mission began, Aireen had been worried that Ashite might act out without knowing anything. So she had asked Edys for permission to tell her about the curse.

Ashite, as always, was hard to read. She had the most unpredictable temperament, yet now she remained strangely quiet—true to her contradictory nature.

During the ride to the castle, she had occasionally glared at Carlisle’s back, but thankfully, no fistfight broke out like Aireen had feared. That alone was a relief.

Fortunately, Siran had joined them. Her lighthearted humor and familiar presence helped calm Ashite’s nerves.

“Everyone, prepare for the battle ahead. That’s all.”

The knights dispersed. Aireen turned and headed to her assigned position.

She wasn’t far from Carlisle—and just a short distance from Ashite and Siran. Aireen glanced toward them, then turned her eyes forward again.

The sun had set. Night had passed. The pale light of dawn began to break across the sky.

Torches still flickered among the enemy lines. There were many of them—Santinu had to be among them. Since his tribe led the charge, it was likely she’d clash with him again.

As she thought of this and that— The battle resumed.

It was the beginning of a trembling war.

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