One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 45

“It’s time we start preparing for our engagement ceremony.”

“……”

“Or we could just move straight to the wedding. That works too.”

Judith lowered her gaze to the curve of her belly, now visibly round.

Inside her grew a child. Not Carlisle’s by blood, but once born, the world would know it as his only child.

The horror of it had only lasted a moment. What she had once wanted to erase had turned into something she now held dear—like a treasure.

Because this child would be their bond. A child that would become the chain holding Carlisle to her.

Judith briefly thought of the baby’s real father. A man with dull green eyes and faded blonde hair—nothing like Carlisle.

He had pursued her relentlessly. Once, back when she was still chasing after Carlisle’s shadow, she had agreed to meet him lightly. That was all.

But the man never let go. Obsessed with a moment that had meant nothing to her, he clung to her with unbearable persistence. She came to loathe him.

And then came the mistake.

Just one night—one night where she crumbled at a single sentence from Carlisle. One night where she made the worst possible decision.

“I heard Carlisle and Aileen are getting married.”

One day, the Marquess of Hessiden had delivered that devastating news. After years of engagement, the two were finally going through with marriage.

Judith couldn’t bear it.

She had suffered countless miserable days from failing to win Carlisle’s heart, but she could survive because he hadn’t married Aileen. That had been her final solace.

But marriage?

Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of despair, Judith turned to alcohol. She drank and drank, emptying glass after glass until her body could barely hold her up. In her drunken stupor, she stumbled her way to Carlisle—and begged.

She would never forget the look in his eyes that night.

A gaze colder than stone. Emptier than if he were staring at some meaningless pebble.

There had been no trace of emotion in his eyes. None at all.

She had been crushed.

If he had even shown anger… if there had been even a flicker of contempt—it would’ve hurt less.

That night, she realized: Any emotion, even hatred, is better than complete indifference.

Cast aside, humiliated, and drunk beyond sense, Judith had staggered down the streets.

Judith! You’re wasted—what happened to you?!

And that’s when she ran into him. The man from before. Pure coincidence.

Torn and devastated by Carlisle’s rejection, she fell into his arms—sobbing out Carlisle’s name.

It was a mistake, made in drunken haze.

But the man… knowing full well she had mistaken him for Carlisle, still accepted her.

No—maybe it wasn’t a mistake after all. In the end, it gave her what she wanted most: Carlisle.

The child she conceived that night became her leash on him. And Aileen’s ruin.

She had always hated the way Aileen stood next to Carlisle, smiling. The way the two of them captured everyone’s attention.

Her twisted feelings for Aileen had eaten her alive—and Judith could finally admit that now.

“Soon, my belly will be as round as a mountain. We should finish the engagement—or the wedding—before that happens. It wouldn’t look right, holding a ceremony with a belly this big.”

She wanted to wear a beautiful dress, after all.

The weight of her shadowed past vanished in an instant. With a pleasant smile, Judith pointed to her stomach with her index finger.

Carlisle’s eyes followed her gesture. His fingers, still wrapped around a pen, tensed.

This—this was the moment he fully realized it. That the small, simple future he had dreamed of… had shattered into pieces.

The happy life he’d imagined with Aileen was gone.

Carlisle didn’t know who his real parents were. The absence of family had haunted him since he was young.

Even when he’d been lucky enough to enter the academy and train with a sword, he had remained reserved. The colorless days of merely surviving began to change—only after he met Aileen.

“Carlisle, it’s so strange. Why do I always end up telling you everything in my heart? I don’t even know why.”

“Probably because I’m the only one who listens.”

“…That’s a joke, right?”

“…”

“You always say jokes like they’re serious. Still… before I knew it, you became someone really important to me. I hope I became someone important to you too. Will you let me?”

He couldn’t tell if her glowing face had looked so bright because of the sunlight—or because she herself had been radiant.

Many had approached him before, drawn by his looks or swordsmanship. But none of them stayed.

They grew tired of his quiet nature, or turned away once they realized he had no family, no noble background. Or they simply decided he was too rigid—too difficult to manipulate.

There had been countless reasons.

But Aileen… Aileen had never once given up on him.

She was the first.

The first person who had ever made Carlisle feel like he was someone worth holding onto.

And so, Aileen’s presence took deep, unshakable root inside Carlisle.

Carlisle, I want to be by your side now, under a different name. For a very long time.
Me too, Aileen.

He had dared to wish for what had never been allowed in his life—he had dared to long for a family.

To be Aileen’s husband. Her home. To live a life where she came first. And in that life… a child.

A child who resembled Aileen, yet was his. What had started as Aileen’s wish had become his dream too.

But now, it could never be.

Aileen would believe the child Judith carried was his. And after a short-lived despair, she would eventually forget him—completely.

Maybe she already had.

Bitterness climbed up his throat, but Carlisle swallowed it down—forcing it back as both pain and joy.

This was all for Aileen.

So he had to be glad. His deepest wish had finally come true.

If she stayed by his side, Aileen would live a life of quiet unhappiness—or worse, call it a blessing. She would say she was grateful for being able to help him. For being able to stay near him.

Even knowing what tragedy, it would bring her… she would still do it.

Because that’s who Aileen was.

Which is why… it could never happen.

She had to be happy. She had to be safe. She had to live a long life filled with love—even without him.

That was the only way.

“…Let’s begin the engagement ceremony first.”

Carlisle forced the words past his lips. Even with his flat, emotionless tone, Judith smiled brightly, unfazed.

“Really? You’re not going to change your mind?”

Carlisle answered with a nod.

“Then I’ll get started right away. I would love to move straight to the wedding, but… with the tournament and subjugation campaign coming up, I understand. Honestly, I’d rather do it when things are less rushed.”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Oh, and it’s going to be grand. Huge. Something incomparable to what you had with Aileen.”

“……”

“That way, everything you want will go more smoothly. It keeps up appearances for me too. So just cooperate, alright?”

Let Aileen fall into despair.

Let her drown the way Judith had, back when she smiled beside Carlisle and made everyone adore her.

Judith swallowed the darkness within and smiled sweetly.

Not long after the official announcement of Carlisle and Aileen’s annulment, rumors began to circulate quietly through the social circles—Carlisle and Judith were preparing for an engagement ceremony.

A spark of interest began to flicker again in the once-dull halls of gossip.

Aileen’s family took great care to ensure the news wouldn’t reach her ears, but no one can completely silence the world’s whispers.

In the end, it was Aileen who brought it up at breakfast. She didn’t care much, and knew it would pass quickly. Social attention always shifted the moment something newer came along.

“I’m really okay now. I mean it. So there’s no need to keep walking on eggshells around me.”

“…Still—”

Ashite started to object, but Aileen gently cut her off.

“I’m not a child. I’ve already moved on. I train every day without a problem, and I’ve got the tournament and the campaign to prepare for. There’s no time to dwell on this. So don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Ashite’s brow twitched at the word training, but Aileen pressed on without pause, even adding with a firm look:

“If you ever run into Carlisle, just ignore him. Getting mad or causing a scene will only make it look like I’m the one still clinging. Whatever he and Judith do now—it’s none of my business anymore. Just treat him like you would any other knight.”

Ashite, ever the fiery one, huffed in frustration—but as much as she wanted to explode, Aileen wasn’t wrong. All she could do was exhale sharply through gritted teeth.

“And truly—thank you, and I’m sorry for all the worry. I’m not planning to meet anyone for a while, so there’s no need to ask Lady Bianto to match me with anyone. I’m too busy with Order duties anyway. And no, it’s not because of Carlisle, so really—don’t bring it up again, alright?”

Her voice was calm. Steady. There wasn’t a trace of sadness on her face.

No one could argue with her after that. Not even Ashite, who simply opened and closed her mouth like a speechless fish.

And then—
Bang!

The Duke of Revart, who had been quietly listening all this time, suddenly slammed his fist on the table. His expression was resolute, as if he’d come to a life-changing decision.

And what came from his mouth next was enough to leave everyone stunned.

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