One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 52

Aileen shook her head.

“I don’t think I’ll attend. I have to compete in the preliminary match first thing tomorrow.”

“I see…”

Disappointment was written all over Jeron’s face. His fading voice hinted at lingering regret, but Aileen pretended not to notice and decided to excuse herself.

“Then I’ll be going now, Jeron. I think I should conserve my strength.”

“Ah, yes. Please get some rest, Aileen. I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you.”

Thankfully, her act of being tired seemed to work. Unlike the last time, Jeron didn’t linger—he backed off quickly.

“…So tired.”

Aileen leaned against the backrest of the carriage and closed her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy. She was drained.

The political world was a jungle—tangled and suffocating. And now, with imperial power still unstable, going against the Duke of Diert’s family wasn’t a smart move.

Up to now, she hadn’t been able to respond coldly due to the delicate balance of power between noble houses. But she couldn’t hold back any longer. Jeron’s feelings ran deeper than she had expected.

She didn’t know how he would react to rejection, but it was better this way—clean and final. For both of them.

Once the tournament ended and the dust settled, Aileen resolved to draw a firm line.

Even just the thought of having another conversation with him was exhausting.
So she decided to forgo the banquet and postpone helping Tanil until another time.

If only Ashite hadn’t provoked her with one of his petty remarks:

“What, you scared of the preliminaries or something, Aileen?”

“As if. Sounds more like you’re the one who’s scared.”

“Then come to the banquet tonight. If you’re not scared, there’s no reason to skip it just to ‘save your energy.’”

“Fine, then.”

Clearly, she was more flustered about the tournament than she realized.
Or maybe her sense of loyalty toward Tanil ran deeper than she thought.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen for such a childish taunt.

Because of her sudden decision to attend, Sera rushed about, lamenting that there wasn’t enough time to get everything ready.

Aileen took off her knight’s uniform, bathed, and hurriedly picked a dress.

She felt like the preparations were more exhausting than attending the banquet itself.

“All done, my lady.”

With a sigh of relief, Sera wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and smiled with satisfaction.

“Thanks, Sera.”

“You’re already so beautiful, my lady. I didn’t even put in as much effort as usual, but you’re still glowing.”

Sera chuckled, though the image in her head was far from pleasant—she imagined the disgustingly smug expression of Judith, dressed to the nines.

Still, she kept her thoughts to herself and gave Aileen a gentle push on the back.

“Hurry now, my lady. Everyone’s probably waiting.”

“Alright. I’ll head out.”

Leaving Sera behind, Aileen boarded the carriage. The Duke and Duchess were already dressed and waiting inside with Ashite.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“If our daughter needs time to look her best, then we wait. No question.”

“Sera did a fine job.”

The duchess, her silver hair elegantly pinned up, covered her mouth with a fan and smiled.

“Ugh, why blue?”

“And you said red was the best—why are you wearing blue? People will think we coordinated on purpose.”

“I wore what they gave me! What was I supposed to do?!”

“You really have no conviction, do you?”

“You little—!”

As always, Ashite’s face turned beet red—defeated once again by his sister.

While the siblings bickered affectionately, the carriage reached the banquet hall.

Like before, Aileen entered on Ashite’s arm.

The hall was already packed with guests.
Among them were many knights—not often seen at typical social events, but all too familiar on the training grounds.

“Even the ones competing in the tournament are here,” Ashite muttered, sounding mildly surprised.

“Well, we are the stars of the night.”

“True. It’s rare.”

Ashite nodded. Duke Revart, standing nearby, added with a wry comment.

“Ashite, seeing you enjoy this rare event brings me a bit of relief as your father.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean, I feel more assured knowing you have the heart to look out for those under your command. That’s important, especially for someone who will inherit House Revart one day.”

“Father!”

Ashite’s sudden outburst drew attention from nearby guests—many of whom had already been sneaking glances at the Revart family.

Not wanting to become tonight’s gossip topic, Aileen quietly slipped away, searching for a quiet spot.

Just as she spotted Tanil and was about to head toward him—

A voice rang out, announcing the entrance of Carlisle and Judith.

There were no other names mentioned.

It seemed they had arrived together.

“Oh my, I heard those two are getting engaged. They look so close.”

“I know, right? Lady Bernel said she saw Judith recently, and her belly was already starting to show.”

The nobles’ whispers cut through the air and sank directly into Aileen’s ears. Slowly, her gaze shifted toward the subjects of their conversation.

Carlisle, with Judith practically clinging to him, entered her line of sight in a single sweep. At that exact moment, Carlisle’s eyes locked with hers. Their gazes tangled sharply, like a tightly knotted thread, then abruptly unraveled.

Aileen’s gaze dipped below his, as if unconsciously avoiding it. And as if responding in kind, Judith—who had just moments ago been looking elsewhere—was now staring straight at Aileen, crimson eyes sharp and unflinching.

“…Hah.”

The burning hostility in Judith’s eyes felt like a blaze aimed squarely at her. Aileen exhaled a soft, incredulous laugh.

Who was it that had shattered the fortress she thought would never fall?

Now that her mask had slipped, Judith apparently saw no reason to feign politeness in front of Aileen.

But Aileen was the one who broke eye contact first.
Rather than retaliating with an equally pointed glare, she calmly looked away.

It wasn’t cowardice.
She simply didn’t see the point in wasting energy on petty, empty confrontations.

“Maybe I’ve just seen it too many times.”

Even knowing the engagement was now official, even seeing them together at last—it didn’t hit her the way she thought it would.

The only thing that lingered in her mind was curiosity: how had their eyes met so clearly, with so many nobles crowding the space between?

That realization alone surprised her.

A quick glance told her Judith’s dress flared outward just beneath the chest, the fabric flowing gracefully. People had said she was a late-showing pregnancy.
Perhaps it truly hadn’t been a lie after all.

“God… really?”

It struck her like a slap. Had she subconsciously hoped Judith was lying about the pregnancy?

She barely held back a bitter scoff. Steadying herself, Aileen turned and made her way toward Tanil. She could feel something hot burning between her shoulder blades, but chalked it up to her imagination.

“Hello.”

“Ah—!”

Tanil, in the middle of an animated conversation, gasped and jumped in surprise.

“Oh—I didn’t think I’d scare you that much. Sorry.”

“No, no. I just didn’t expect you to come, Aileen. It’s really good to see you here.”

“It’s good to see you too, Tanil.”

Aileen greeted him with a soft smile, subtly glancing toward the person he had been speaking to.

Ah. Of all people, it had to be him—a known associate under the Marquess of Hessiden.

The man, with his kind, mild-mannered appearance, was infamous for his reputation behind closed doors. A manipulative opportunist, he preyed on the unsuspecting, charming them before sinking his claws in.

Retta had once spoken of him with a shudder—furious over what he had done to someone she knew. Aileen had committed his face to memory that day.

Why were all the men under Hessiden so thoroughly rotten?

Given how little time Aileen usually spent in high society, it was a small mercy that she’d remembered this particular one.

“Ah, Sir Tanil, I just remembered—I had something to discuss with you about the tournament…”

Whether he was irritated by Aileen’s interruption or hoping to gain favor by approaching a high-ranking noble like her, the man smoothly cut in before she could finish.

“You’re Lady Aileen of House Revart, aren’t you?”

Aileen tensed for the briefest moment, then forced a calm smile.

“I am.”

“I’ve been to a number of banquets, but I don’t believe we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. This is an honor.”

His smile was just a little too friendly. Too eager.
Was he really affiliated with Hessiden? Or was this a game?

Whatever it was, she had no intention of entertaining him for long.
Even now, he was treating Tanil like an afterthought.

The man’s silver tongue danced just close enough to the line to avoid reproach.

“I heard you’ll be competing in the tournament. Unfortunately, I missed the parade this morning. What a shame.”

“Excuse me—”

“I heard you stood out the most. The only noblewoman participating, no less.”

Aileen had been about to cut the conversation short after a few polite exchanges.
But he wasn’t giving her the chance.

“You’re truly remarkable. Most noble ladies wouldn’t dare dream of such a thing, would they?”

She couldn’t tell whether he was praising her or mocking her.

She was just about to end the conversation for good when, thankfully, a voice called out—an unexpected rescue.

“Is that Sir Aileen and Sir Tanil I see?”

“Vice-Captain Siran!”

The moment Siran approached, Tanil’s face lit up like he’d just been saved from a storm.

“Everyone’s gathering over there. What are you two doing tucked away in this corner? Come on.”

Siran nudged Tanil’s back, guiding him away.

“The Vice-Captain is calling—guess I’d better go. See you soon.”

Aileen quickly offered a parting nod and followed after them without a backward glance.

Thanks to Siran, she was spared further discomfort.
There might have been something shouted behind her, but… who cared?

Once they were far enough away, Siran finally broke the silence.

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