One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 120

“Your Majesty, Sir Carlisle has regained consciousness.”

Duke Revart delivered the news he’d received from Piel, unable to hide his excitement.

Normally, Piel would have come to report it himself. But he was currently preoccupied—meticulously preparing to tighten the noose around Marquis Hessiden’s neck. And with his lower rank, it wasn’t proper for him to request a direct audience with the Emperor. So, he had passed the report to the Duke instead.

“He’s finally awake.”

“Yes. The curse has also been lifted.”

At the mention of the curse, Duke Revart’s expression briefly twisted, but returned to normal just as the Emperor—his eyes still fixed on the document in his hands—missed the fleeting change.

“That’s a relief. Truly… what a relief. The curse has really been broken!”

“Santinu must have succeeded in persuading Gibita.”

“Of course. Then perhaps this time, we’ll finally be able to maintain a proper relationship with the tribes.”

“At least for as long as Santinu remains their leader.”

“Summon the nobles. It’s the perfect day to begin the hunt.”

The nobles, hastily gathered without warning, whispered among themselves in confusion.
Marquis Hessiden, too, wore an expression of calm on the surface—but an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

“His Majesty the Emperor enters!”

The murmur died instantly.
All eyes turned toward the Emperor of the Diert Empire, who walked forward with quiet, steady steps.

His face was expressionless as always, his mouth set in a firm line—perhaps a sign of fatigue from overseeing the war’s aftermath.

A strange tension filled the air as Emperor Edys took his seat upon the throne and slowly opened his mouth.

“The reason I summoned you all so urgently is simple—I wished to offer praise.
This great victory was made possible thanks to your cooperation.”

He was referring to those nobles who had dispatched their private troops for the war effort.

Many of the nobles aligned with Hessiden stiffened at once—but, seasoned as they were, they quickly plastered smiles back on their faces.

“Then, let’s begin.”

The tone was somewhat different from the usual post-war meetings, but the nobles assumed it was because this had been a large-scale campaign with a decisive outcome.
After all, the contents of the meeting itself weren’t out of the ordinary.

But the mood would shift dramatically—within seconds.

“And with that, we end the formalities. Now, let us expose the full extent of Marquis Hessiden’s crimes.”

The change in topic was delivered so fluidly and naturally that, for a moment, the nobles wondered if they’d misheard.

“Bring it in.”

Documents—meticulously prepared evidence collected over time—were brought in and stacked before the nobles.

None of them could react fast enough. The atmosphere shifted like a crashing tide.

“These are records of all Marquis Hessiden’s misdeeds. And not just his—several others are implicated as well.”

A sharp intake of breath echoed from somewhere.

“Is there anything you’d like to say? Go on—speak.”

Edys’ hawk-like gaze turned to Marquis Hessiden, striking like a blade.

The man in question, however, remained unbothered. Calm as ever, he opened his mouth.

“This is slander.”

“Slander? Do you even know what’s in these documents?”

Edys widened his eyes with theatrical surprise. But the Marquis’s expression didn’t falter.

“I have committed no crimes. If these papers are supposed to be evidence of wrongdoing, then they must be forgeries—fabricated to frame me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“…Then I suppose I’ll have to read it aloud myself.”

Edys picked up the top sheet and began to read slowly, enunciating each word.

“…He manipulated the iron ore supply to turn a profit. These advantages were gained through collusion with the northern tribes.”

A heavy silence fell.

No one dared to speak.

The one to break it—was none other than Marquis Hessiden himself.

“Falsehoods. As a loyal citizen of the Diert Empire, I would never ally with our longstanding enemies. It’s absurd.”

“We also have your correspondences.”

“Lies. Do they bear my seal?”

“Hm. That, they do not.”

“Then it’s false.”

A perfectly matched standoff. Not a step back.
Duke Revart, who had remained silent until now, let out a soft, bitter laugh.

How shameless.
No doubt Hessiden believed he could escape with sheer defiance—confident that the number of nobles supporting him would be enough to protect him.

Deny everything. Claim it’s all forged. Pretend it never happened.
That was clearly his tactic.

The Duke’s lip curled faintly.

“If you insist, I could call upon a witness.”

Edys arched a brow, his tone light. For the first time, the corners of Hessiden’s eyes twitched.

Witnesses. Witnesses.

A witness wasn’t just another piece of paper. Unlike written evidence that could be dismissed as forged or falsified, a human being couldn’t be as easily denied. Accusing a noble—especially someone like Marquis Hessiden—came with consequences, ones that weren’t easily endured.

Documents could be replicated or forged. But a person’s words carried a far heavier price.
If a testimony proved false, not only the witness but their entire family—even future generations—could be executed for treason.

Who, then, would risk their life to testify?

Marquis Hessiden’s mind raced, flipping through names like pages in a book.
Then, just as a faint dread crept in—

“Let them in.”

At the Emperor’s command, someone stepped into the hall.

“T-that man…!”

“Well, I guess this means it’s not a lie anymore.”

Murmurs rippled through the courtroom, breaking the ice-cold silence that had gripped the chamber.

“Step forward. Give your testimony.”

All eyes turned to the figure standing in the center.
It was Haller Petter, who opened his trembling lips and spoke.

“Haller… Petter,” he stammered, his voice shaking.

“Haller,” Marquis Hessiden growled, spitting the name like poison.
The sinking weight of betrayal dragged at his insides.

That fool. That idiot chose to side with the Emperor?

But it didn’t stop there.

A second figure followed closely behind, stepping out of the shadows.

“Count Petter!”

Someone gasped. And Hessiden’s expression—already cracking—collapsed entirely.

His face twisted grotesquely, and this time, not even he could control the storm of fury overtaking him.

He hadn’t seen Count Petter in recent weeks, but assumed it was due to the shame over his incompetent son.
Never—not even once—had he imagined that Petter would betray him.
And yet… here he was.

The Petter family had been his most loyal dogs.
And now, even they had turned their backs.

“Speak.”

Emperor Edys remained seated, his gaze cool and unwavering, as he watched the spectacle unfold.
His voice, calm and steady, cut through the tension as he addressed Haller.

Haller, his hands still trembling, clenched them together as he began.

“T-the communicator. I was ordered to infiltrate the knights under the alias ‘Boris’… I joined the battlefield pretending to be him… and reported to the Marquis every day using the communicator. I—I had no choice.”

His confession tumbled out in a frantic rush, disjointed and raw—but still clear enough for all to understand.

Edys tilted his head slightly and gave a small nod.
“Go on.”

“The communicator… the Marquis said he received it from the Tanil tribe. Said it was the only one of its kind… that it was precious… that I must never lose it.”

Silence.

The only sound left in the chamber was the faint sobbing of the boy who had once been Hessiden’s lackey.

Everyone in the hall already knew who the Petter family had once pledged their unwavering loyalty to.
Now, every eye turned back to Marquis Hessiden.

“Lies! All of it! This is slander!”

Hessiden sprang to his feet, his voice hoarse and cracking with rage.

His face had turned beet red, the veins in his temple bulging. He looked every bit the cornered beast.

“Still denying it?”
Edys leaned back slightly, his voice as calm as ever.
“Funny… we haven’t even heard from our second witness yet.”

“…No.”

Not Siran.

Hessiden hadn’t given Siran a communicator. He hadn’t thought it necessary—he never expected the plan to fail.
If Aileen died, word would naturally return to him. It had seemed so certain.

But now…

Hessiden’s eyes slowly turned.
They passed over Duke Revart.
Then finally landed on Emperor Edys.

“Anything else to say?”

Silence.

The news spread like wildfire.

Everything Marquis Hessiden had done was now public knowledge.
And the nobles who had stood at his side—half of them were now caught in the storm.

Playing with cursed perfumes.
Enslaving children from broken homes.
Kidnapping. Murder. Treason.

There were too many sins to count.
But the one that set the empire ablaze—was his secret alliance with the northern tribes.

“He’s out of his mind. How could someone from the Diert Empire ally with them?”

“All to line his own pockets. Disgusting. They should all be executed.”

“And honestly? I feel horrible about Count Avergue.”

“Wasn’t he cursed? And we didn’t know. Everyone thought he betrayed Lady Revart and cheated on her—he got torn to pieces for it.”

“And with Hessiden’s daughter, no less. Turns out it was all a setup to trap the Marquis. He endured all that disgrace just to bring Hessiden down. How did he stand it?”

“Right? The whole Hessiden family deserves to be wiped out.”

Across the entire Diert Empire, the scandal involving Hessiden, Carlisle, and Aileen dominated every conversation.

Though most of the attention was on the Marquis’s countless crimes,
Carlisle’s sacrifices and pain—long misunderstood—were finally brought to light.

Everything he had suffered…
Everything he had done in secret…

It had all been part of a carefully laid plan to bring down a monster.

“So, how does it feel?”

Standing before Carlisle, who wore a blank, unreadable expression, Emperor Edys gave a faint smile.

“To be called the hero of the Diert Empire?”

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