One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 40

“You called for me?”

Judith, who had been preparing to sleep early, hurried to the Marquess’s office upon hearing that he had summoned her.

“Sit, Judy.”

She took a seat across from the Marquess, quickly smoothing her expression as she sensed the shift in atmosphere. A delicate smile spread across her lips, soft and charming.

“Why do you sound so serious, Father?”

Despite her attempt at lightness, the Marquess remained composed and stern.

“When do you plan to get engaged to Carlisle? Last time, you said the annulment would be handled soon, so I’ve been waiting. Yet, nothing has happened.”

Ah, so this is what it’s about. Judith furrowed her brow slightly, replying with a touch of a whine.

“I haven’t received the annulment yet. What am I supposed to do if that woman refuses to send it?”

“I spoke with Duke Revart. He said they already sent it.”

Judith’s shoulders stiffened at the Marquess’s calm, matter-of-fact tone.

So he’d already sorted everything out in his head. She hadn’t expected him to speak directly to Duke Revart. She’d gambled on the assumption that neither of them would mention the matter directly.

“I’m sorry, Father.”

“If you had just told the truth, I wouldn’t have been caught off guard.”

“I was wrong. Please don’t be upset, alright?”

She blinked her large eyes, shimmering with tears, and pleaded for forgiveness. The Marquess clenched his jaw tighter.

He had turned openly against Duke Revart for one reason alone: Judith’s happiness. Though Duke Revart had aligned himself with the Emperor’s faction, the Marquess had enough wealth and influence to counter him—though not without cost. Still, he had stayed out of the process with Carlisle entirely, knowing Judith disliked interference. He had only acted to clear obstacles, intending not to interfere directly. But this delay was unacceptable.

Speaking with Revart had been both a provocation and a test. He knew Judith wouldn’t tell him the full truth, so he chose to stir the beast himself. If Revart’s hatred toward Carlisle deepened because of it, all the better. If it earned him personal resentment, so be it. Either way, the future wouldn’t change—only the timing would.

He had already come to terms with everything. His current coldness toward Judith was only to push her into action.

“The Emperor is becoming increasingly direct. I won’t be able to wait much longer.”

“I understand. Just a little more time, please. That woman’s suffering is the only thing holding me back…”

“It would be better for you to finish this quickly.”

“Yes, Father.”

Judith knew well—when her father spoke this way, it meant he was deeply displeased. This situation was turning against her, and she couldn’t afford that.

And so her frustration turned directly toward Carlisle.

The next morning, Judith sought him out, only to learn he had already left for the palace.

Even more irritated, she stayed in his mansion, determined to confront him the moment he returned. This time, she wouldn’t back down easily.

Carlisle might not realize it, but the one who loved him enough to hate him—the one who always ended up as the weaker party—was Judith. Maybe that was why he hadn’t submitted the annulment. She had told her father otherwise, blaming it on that woman, but that was just to avoid incurring the Marquess’s wrath. The truth was, she was the one who wanted the annulment most.

Judith entered the room she always stayed in when visiting the Avergue estate. She stared long at the long, velvet sofa in the center before finally collapsing onto it. The plush texture was maddeningly soft—so much so, it only fueled her anger.

The sofa, dyed a vivid red matching her crimson eyes, was something she had ordered herself in the end. She had begged Carlisle for days to get one, saying she wanted something to lie on besides the bed, but he had flatly ignored her. Recalling the humiliation of those days, Judith clenched her teeth hard.

“Soon, I’ll make you live for me and me alone, Carlisle.”

It was a phrase Judith repeated like a spell whenever she lay on that sofa—its words lingering in the air like a thick, gray mist.

That day, training ended earlier than usual. The knights murmured about resting a bit before heading in, and Aileen, pretending she wanted extra practice, waited until everyone had left.

Eventually, she was alone with Carlisle.

Silence slowly settled around them like a dense fog. Only then did Aileen begin walking toward him, her footsteps soft and steady.

Carlisle stood still, his gaze lowered toward her. He didn’t ask why she had approached. She didn’t wait for him to; she got straight to the point.

“You still haven’t submitted the annulment, have you?”

It wasn’t a question posed as a knight. So, Aileen abandoned any formal tone.

“Why the hell haven’t you done it yet? After pushing me that far?”

“……”

Carlisle offered no reply—only a steady, unreadable gaze. Not even after a long silence did he break it.

Aileen couldn’t understand. She was the one who should be refusing to answer, not him.

When her father’s exhausted apology overlapped with Carlisle’s wordless expression, emotions she had buried deep began to rise and crash against the surface. The tidal wave of feeling swelled until she could no longer hold herself together.

“Stop dodging and say something! For once!”

“……”

“Or was it all a lie? Was I just a game to you? Or do you still see me as that pathetic girl who used to cling to you?”

“……”

“Unbelievable, Carlisle.”

The last line came out half-laugh, half-scoff.

Even after that, Carlisle didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t explain. And it only infuriated her more. How many times had he used Judith to pressure her? The annulment had been so important that he humiliated his former lover in front of his current one—and now what? Silence?

Her anger wasn’t just for herself anymore. Her family had been dragged into this—forced to carry the burden of Carlisle’s guilt right alongside her.

“So you’re really not going to say anything.”

Her voice finally gave out. What came next was quiet, exhausted—less rage, more resignation.

Only then did Carlisle lower his gaze to her lips. Her words had been sharp, biting—but her soft violet eyes were trembling with pain.

He hadn’t spoken because he had wanted to let her release everything. Because if she didn’t say it now, she’d only bottle it up again. He was the reason she was suffering—he knew that much.

But what he didn’t expect was how clearly her heartbreak would cut him. Her insistence that she no longer wanted to marry him… it was sharper, more vivid than anything he’d imagined. It pierced him like a thousand tiny blades.

“I’ll submit it officially soon. Don’t worry.”

He spoke only once her words had run dry. His tone was low—gentle, almost like he was trying to soothe her. Maybe it was just her imagination.

“You’re going to ignore it again, just like always.”

“I’ll take care of it within the next two weeks.”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

A quiet, complicated silence settled over the two of them.

Aileen was the first to break it.

“Please handle it quickly.”

Her voice was cold and clear. With that, she turned, her steps precise as she walked toward the training hall doors.

As she passed, the faint scent of sweat and jasmine clung to the air around her—Karisha jasmine. Not the lavender he used to know so well.

Carlisle noticed immediately.

So she’d changed her scent.

The realization stung, bitter and unexpected. He inhaled sharply and instinctively followed her shadow with his eyes.

Clack.

Just as the training hall door creaked halfway open and Aileen stepped through, she suddenly stopped.

Carlisle, keeping a distance, froze as well.

Her startled voice rang out—clear and sharp, cutting through the heavy stillness like glass.

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