One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 121

“Have the results come in?”

Carlisle didn’t even offer a customary response to the compliment. Edys clucked his tongue in mock disappointment.

“I asked for your thoughts, and you just dodge the question. You’re always too stiff. You’re no fun at all.”

“Have the results come in?”

Letting out a pointed sigh, Edys dropped the corners of his lips. The mood steadily darkened.

“…He confessed that he orchestrated the attack that gravely injured Aileen years ago.”

“…”

“He admitted to using the Northern tribes. The testimony from the Tanil elders, obtained with Santinu’s cooperation, sealed the deal.”

In the stillness of the room, the soft sound of grinding teeth echoed faintly.

“I’ll be the one to carry out the execution.”

Carlisle’s voice was like a blade of ice, the fury just barely contained beneath his calm.

“It would be a waste to stain those noble hands of yours. You belong at Aileen’s side.”

“…Understood. But I won’t let him die easily.”

“Of course not. He’s rotting in the underground cells right now. Whether his sins can be cleansed even in death… who knows.”

A cold glint shimmered in Edys’s eyes.

To think he had dared defile Edys’s empire, to even harm the one most precious to him—there was no forgiveness for that. While a brutal public execution was out of the question, Edys was determined to make him suffer as much as time would allow.

“Judith Hessiden begged for her life, saying she had no part in it. All the while her father was trying to have someone else’s beloved daughter killed.”

“Will you spare her?”

“Of course not. The name Hessiden will be wiped from the Diert Empire. Completely. I’ve already spoken with Duke Revart.”

Edys briefly shuddered, recalling how Duke Revart had stormed into the palace, ready to take Hessiden’s head himself. He only calmed down after Edys gave him the task of personally interrogating Hessiden.

By now, the duke was surely having a ‘pleasant’ time down in the underground prison.

“Once we clean up the rest of the mess, I’ll hold a modest celebration. To lift morale, and to warm up the court before the formal alliance celebration with the Northern tribes. Rest until then.”

Carlisle was now the most talked-about figure in the empire. Once everything settled, everyone would be pulling him from all directions. Edys wanted him to rest while he could—to enjoy these brief, peaceful days with Aileen.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Now get out of here.”

Waving him off like a nuisance, Edys flicked his hand. Without hesitation, Carlisle bowed and exited the chamber.

At first, his steps were calm and composed, but soon they quickened. He strode through the cold corridors, pushing into the sunlit courtyard, his legs moving without pause.

And then—

“Carlisle.”

Beneath the thick canopy of summer-green trees, there stood Aileen, radiant as ever.

“Aileen,” he whispered, as if even saying her name required the gentlest care, like holding a shard of glass to his lips.

Yet even in that small voice, Aileen heard him clearly.

“You’re early,” she said, her smile soft as moonlight.

It was the same place where she had first returned to the Order after deciding to resume her knighthood. But now, the trees had grown denser, and sunlight filtered through like blessings upon her hair.

Her eyes curved gently, and joy blossomed at her lips. A look reserved only for him.

Carlisle couldn’t tear his eyes away. His heart thudded wildly.

Back then, he never imagined he’d see her smile at him like this again. His only thoughts were to make her hate him—anything to protect her from his cursed fate.

He’d acted even colder than he meant to, especially when she caught him trembling in pain from the curse. The hurt in her eyes from that moment still haunted him.

But now…

“What are you waiting for?”

Aileen stepped forward, bridging the gap between them. And this time—

Carlisle’s brows rose slightly. His feet moved before he could think.

He met her halfway. Not making her close the distance alone.

When they finally stood face to face—

“Aileen, I love you.”

He drew her into his arms.

Her small frame fit perfectly in his embrace. Her warmth soaked into him, spreading like light, like life.

Only after that warmth had saturated every frozen part of him did he gently release her.

“Shall we sit for a bit?”

He led her to a bench nearby, their hands still entwined. They sat side by side, turning toward each other.

Carlisle’s eyes were still warm, flushed with the lingering joy. Aileen tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled again.

“Did everything go well?”

Carlisle nodded, never looking away from her gaze beneath long lashes.

“Hessiden will be erased. The direct bloodline will be executed, the branch families stripped of their titles.”

“And that’s not all, is it?”

“Their wealth will be confiscated and returned to the treasury. The survivors will serve hard labor. Those directly involved in the crimes will be executed.”

Only then did Aileen’s eyes begin to soften. Her expression darkened slightly.

“…You might think I’m cruel for saying this, but I believe the punishment was too light compared to the crimes they committed.”

Carlisle tried to respond, but Aileen didn’t give him the chance and continued.

“They used and hurt innocent people. In the past, they even tried to kill me and forced me to give up on my dream of becoming a knight. And now, they’ve put you in danger again… and caused you unbearable pain. This time, they even…”

Her voice faltered, and she bit her lip.

“I really thought you were going to die.”

“Aileen.”

“Isn’t this treatment too generous, considering the atrocities they’ve committed?”

A bitter laugh slipped from Aileen’s lips. One corner of her mouth twisted, trembling with emotion.

Carlisle gently cupped her flushed cheek, heated with anger.

“You’re right.”

His unwavering navy-blue eyes held nothing but sincerity.

“They deserve worse. I’ll speak with His Majesty again.”

The tension in Aileen’s firmly closed lips eased.

“Don’t worry.”

“…But that doesn’t mean I’ve completely forgiven you for lying to me and shutting me out.”

The warmth between them dissipated in an instant. Carlisle’s face, which had only just regained color, froze over with coldness.

“Aileen, I…”

“Even so, I’m trying to love you again. Though some resentment still lingers.”

Aileen smiled quietly.

“When you collapsed from pain and didn’t wake up for a while, everything went dark before my eyes. I was so anxious; I couldn’t bear it.”

Her soft voice blew past like a spring breeze.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go—not even in death. Which means… if you want to pay for your sins, you’ll have to suffer for a very long time. Until every last bit of bitterness in my heart is gone.”

Aileen’s smile bloomed like sunlight pouring over her face.

“So, treat me well. No more secrets. No matter what happens—no matter how terrible—tell me everything.”

The determination in her voice struck straight into Carlisle’s heart, already pounding with fear and tension.

“There won’t be a second chance. This is the last. Remember that, Carlisle.”

The warning in her short words was unmistakable. Carlisle inhaled sharply.

If he broke her trust once more, Aileen would cast him aside without hesitation.

The image of her former self—when she didn’t yet know the truth and treated him coldly—flashed through his mind like a painting.

He never wanted to see Aileen look at him like a stranger again, like he was nothing more than a pebble on the roadside. Never again did he want to see her so thoroughly indifferent to him.

Carlisle clenched his trembling hand into a tight fist. His voice came out hoarse.

“I swear. I’ll never do it again. I no longer have it in me to endure being abandoned by you.”

“You did before.”

“I was ignorant. I thought I could endure your rejection. But now… even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t dare.”

“……”

“I can’t even die without you. So please—let me spend the rest of my life making amends, loving you. Let me dedicate everything I have to you.”

Though his voice trembled slightly, his eyes stared straight at Aileen with unwavering resolve.

“I want to suffer—for the rest of my life. By your side. At your hands.”

A gentle smile spread across Aileen’s face like ripples in water.

“All right. Prepare yourself.”

Her small hand rested over his clenched fist, warmth spreading through her touch.

The two of them walked together for a while, talking about this and that. After revealing and stitching up their festering wounds, everyday topics naturally began to flow.

Most of the time, it was Aileen voicing her pent-up frustrations, and Carlisle apologizing, coaxing, and pleading in return.

“Don’t ever lie to me again. Don’t link arms with other women. Don’t even smile at them.”

“Whatever you say, I’ll follow.”

“And don’t dance with anyone else. All your dances belong to me.”

“Of course.”

“That ‘of course’—you didn’t keep it before.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“If you’re really sorry, then come with me.”

Aileen, who had been scolding him with an exaggerated frown, suddenly tossed the words casually. It was so natural, so seamless, that Carlisle responded a beat late.

“All right.”

Aileen’s brows furrowed once more.

“You’re agreeing without even asking where we’re going?”

“I’ll go anywhere with you.”

His voice was calm, his expression unwavering. This time, it was Aileen who moved her lips hesitantly.

“I’m thinking of visiting Lady Judith Hessiden.”

“All right.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to come.”

“Not at all.”

Still the same calm voice, the same gentle expression. Aileen nodded.

“Then let’s go now.”

She squeezed his hand in hers. Carlisle responded by clasping it even tighter.

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