One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 39

She thought of the face she had seen nearly every day on her visits to the Imperial Palace recently. Always the same calm, expressionless, unreadable. The way he treated her hadn’t changed either, so Aileen never even considered the possibility that Carlisle might still be holding on to the annulment document.

“Who told you? Did someone from the department reach out to you directly?”

“Well…”

Uncharacteristically, the Duke hesitated. Aileen, sensing something ominous, asked again.

“Who was it? Even I didn’t know about this.”

At her words, the Duke’s demeanor changed sharply.

“You really didn’t know?”

“No.”

“That bastard Hesserden!”

Aileen immediately pieced it together when she saw her father’s flushed face and heard the name that left his lips.

“Don’t tell me it was the Marquess of Hessiden who brought it up.”

“It was,” the Duchess replied in his place, her lips tight.

As the head of the military, Duke Revart often crossed paths with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marquess Hessiden. With foreign relations strained due to the northern tribes, diplomacy often had to be coordinated with military decisions.

Though Duke Revart had a famously hot temper, he had always been careful to maintain composure around Hessiden, especially since their families were tied together through unpleasant history. Hessiden did the same. There had always been subtle power plays between them, but no direct personal confrontation—until now.

“After a meeting, he approached me. Asked if I was aware the annulment hadn’t been submitted.”

“…”

“I told him, of course I assumed it was done. But he denied it—insisted it hadn’t. So I went to check myself. And damn it, he was right. It still hasn’t been processed.”

Recalling that moment, the Duke ran a hand down his face, his expression grim.

“We told him it had been sent long ago. But regardless, it was something he never should have brought up. I swear, I’ll tear that family to pieces with my own hands.”

His eyes burned with rage, chillingly so. To have the gall to bring up the annulment first, like that? Had he lost his mind?

After his sister became Empress, Hessiden gained power and began to leech away at the Empire from the inside out. And now, it was clear—he thought himself untouchable.

Before the former Marquess of Hessiden passed, the current one had barely been able to lift his head around Duke Revart. The family had once been weak, held together only by appearances—until the former Marquess elevated their standing by using his daughter’s marriage to rise through the ranks.

It was well known that the current Marquess had once wanted to marry a woman he loved dearly but couldn’t, due to her low status. He had taken her as his mistress instead. And so, Judith had been born from that union. Maybe that explained his overwhelming love for her—and his hunger for power.

“I should’ve moved faster. I should’ve made a decision earlier instead of hesitating. I’ve failed you as a father. I’m sorry, Aileen.”

If only he had committed to opposing Hessiden sooner—perhaps directly joining Edys in the political field to keep him in check—they might not be dealing with this now. Though he and the Emperor had been secretly laying traps behind the scenes, doing so openly would’ve been more effective.

Hearing the guilt in her father’s voice, Aileen felt something thick rise in her throat. Why should her family be the ones to feel shame or pain?

“This is all my fault, Father. I was foolish. I clung to pride and made it worse. You and Mother have always been my strongest pillars.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and she swallowed hard, pushing the emotions back down.

Thanks to the Marquess of Hessiden tearing open old wounds, Duke Revart requested a private audience with Emperor Edys the very next day.

He wanted to move up the next phase of the operation they’d been preparing since the vineyard fire incident. If he didn’t act soon—if he couldn’t channel this fury—he wouldn’t sleep a wink.

“It’s fine,” said Edys as he glanced over the papers. “We just needed an excuse to summon him anyway.”

When Edys asked for the reason, Duke Revart explained the situation in detail. The fury laced through his voice was unmistakable, and Edys quickly nodded, understanding his friend’s tightly reined rage.

He had already planned to summon the Marquess of Hessiden within the week. Moving the meeting up a day or two wouldn’t cause any issues, so he readily granted the duke’s cautious request.

And so, just a few days later, the Marquess of Hessiden, having just wrapped up a routine meeting with the Foreign Ministry and on his way to see Count Petter, was forced to change course at the sudden summons of the Emperor.

“I greet the Radiant Sun of the Diar Empire.”

“Come in, Marquess. I trust your meeting went well?”

Edys greeted him with a seemingly warm smile, lounging comfortably in the high-backed throne, one leg casually crossed.

To his right sat Duke Revart, face carved in stone, watching Hessiden with eyes like steel—unyielding and quiet.

The Marquess, recalling what had happened days prior, could guess why he had been called in.

“Nothing noteworthy, Your Majesty. There were no unusual moves from the kingdoms.”

“And the northern tribes? I hear they’re starting to stretch their limbs again.”

Edys raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“Some minor movements, yes, but nothing worthy of immediate concern.”

“What’s your read on the new clan leader? Santinu, was it? I just can’t get a grasp on him.”

“He’s young and cautious. Right now, he’s testing the waters. But eventually, he will strike—perhaps more aggressively than those before him.”

The calm in the Marquess’s tone made Edys hum thoughtfully, fingers grazing his chin.

Hessiden had been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs largely because of the northern tribes. They were the Empire’s most difficult and volatile diplomatic front, and no one understood them better. His predictions about their movements were so accurate that, in jest, some had called him a prophet.

“Well, if that’s your read, we’ll prepare accordingly. Duke Revart, I trust you’ll tighten the defenses up north?”

“At once, Your Majesty.”

The duke inclined his head with cool precision.

Then, Edys shifted gears.

“By the way, Marquess…”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. I believe it could benefit everyone—myself, the Empire, my mother… and my late brother.”

His tone elongated toward the end, and Hessiden’s eyes sharpened slightly.

“As you know, I rule now in my brother’s stead. Few people even remember him anymore.”

“…”

“So I began wondering—what could I do to honor him? What would be meaningful?”

“…”

“And then I thought—why not establish an orphanage in his name?”

Before the Marquess could respond, Edys clapped his hands as if remembering something crucial.

“Ah, and this wasn’t a random idea. I gave it careful thought. The Empire sorely lacks proper facilities for children. Of course, if you have other suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them.”

The Emperor smiled, but his eyes were cold.

Hessiden turned to meet Duke Revart’s eyes. That gaze, barren and unyielding, said everything—this had been decided long before he arrived.

The Marquess read the room perfectly.

“A fine idea. A meaningful tribute to His Highness, and a step toward the Empire’s stability.”

“He was my brother, yes—but he was your nephew, too. He spoke often of you, did you know? As a child, I wished you were my uncle more times than I can count.”

A lie. Edys had barely spoken to the former crown prince while he lived—and everyone in the room knew it.

“And for the Empire’s children, for your nephew’s memory, wouldn’t it be a noble act? One that would elevate the House of Hessiden even further.”

There it was—the true motive: fund the orphanage. The dead prince’s name, the Empress locked away in a wing of the palace—it was all pretense, crafted to lend grandeur to a request for money.

The illegitimate emperor was as smooth as ever.

“Thankfully, Duke Revart, who has no blood ties to my brother, has already agreed to contribute. Said it’s only right to support the Empire.”

“It is my duty to do so, Your Majesty,” the duke replied, his tone even.

The trap had long since been laid.

So this was the reason for their strange alliance these past few weeks. The blow was perfectly executed—no warning, no escape.

Because of his nephew’s untimely death, the power he was meant to wield had slipped through his fingers. The sister he once believed would secure his position had been driven mad. And now, all for that boy…

It was laughable, really. But instead of laughing, the Marquess smiled as though honored.

“You’re right, Your Majesty. It’s only right that House Hessiden takes the lead.”

There was no stopping it. The Emperor had already made up his mind. And with Duke Revart at his side, it was a done deal. Best to ride the wave before it swallowed him whole.

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