One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 69

“That soon?”

“There’s no time to waste. I’ll speak to Cylas myself, so don’t worry.”

“Alright, I can skip my personal training, but what about the special joint drills?”

“Keep attending those. They’re important.”

“So you mean I should complete the joint drills and then begin the mission.”

“Exactly.”

“It’s just… I’ve never done a mission like this before.”

“You’ll learn as you go. The Emperor is assigning the Imperial Knights as she pleases—there’s no issue, is there?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Only then did Edys smile in satisfaction.

“Good. Sending my best knights means I consider this situation very serious. I’m counting on you to handle it well.”

“Understood. Then could you please tell me exactly what we’re supposed to do, Your Majesty?”

Aileen respectfully bowed her head, and Edys snapped her fingers.

“Sir Carlisle, would you explain?”

Carlisle, who had been quietly listening the entire time, slowly lifted his head.

“My throat’s a little sore. You already know the objectives, don’t you? Go on, explain for me.”

He looked perfectly fine.

Still, Aileen wisely held back the comment lingering on her tongue.

With a resigned sigh, Carlisle turned his gaze toward her. His deep, distant eyes calmly met hers.

“The mission,” he began in a low voice.

Aileen raised her chin slightly, listening closely.

“First, identify the parent company of the merchant group selling the perfume. Second, if possible, find out what’s causing the perfume’s side effects.”

“…”

“Those are the two tasks.”

The tension that had been steadily building in the air eased all at once. Aileen let out a long breath.

Carlisle turned his gaze from Aileen to Edys, silently asking if that explanation would suffice.

“Sir Carlisle always keeps things too brief,” Edys said, narrowing her eyes. “Being concise is fine, but you could stand to be a bit more detailed.”

She folded her arms, clearly unimpressed.

“That kind of vagueness could easily lead to misunderstandings.”

There was something pointed in her tone.

Carlisle said nothing, instead glancing down at the documents still in Aileen’s hands.

Edys sighed and unfolded her arms, leaning forward slightly. It meant she was shifting to a more serious topic.

“We already figured out which merchant group is responsible. That part was easy. But of course, it’s just a front. The marquess isn’t an idiot.”

A cold smirk crossed the Emperor’s lips.

“A small-time trading company suddenly expanded overnight and somehow became exclusive enough to sell perfume even the Duchess could barely acquire.”

“…”

“Do you really think this is ordinary perfume?”

Aileen shook her head.

She’d heard the perfume was produced in very limited quantities—its rarity was what made it valuable.

“To someone like the marquess—one of the biggest economic powers in the Empire—puppeteering a company like this would be nothing. It won’t be easy.”

“…”

“I told you to look into his connection to it, but I know it might not go anywhere. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe someone else is behind it. Or maybe the merchant leader really acted on their own.”

“…”

“But I think I’m right. So do what you can to track it down. Even if you fail, that’s fine—just go as far as you can.”

Edys smiled faintly, bringing her explanation to a close.

“Carlisle knows the details of the situation, so if you have questions, ask him. The two of you must stay together at all times—especially in the field.”

She gestured toward Carlisle with her eyes.

“Oh, and Carlisle has full command over this mission.”

Even if the entire team was just the two of them.

Aileen stifled the sigh rising in her chest.

She held a lower rank, and she didn’t know the case as well as he did, so it made sense to follow his lead. But it still felt uncomfortable.

It had been a long time since they last worked together, and now that she was aware of her own unease, everything felt even more complicated.

“If that’s all, you’re dismissed.”

The Emperor casually waved her hand, crossing one leg over the other.

The gesture clearly said, I’ve seen enough—get out now.

Aileen frowned slightly and stood, her lips pressed together in protest.

That annoying attitude of hers… Some things really never changed since their Academy days.

“Oh, but Carlisle—stay for a moment.”

At those parting words, Aileen paused briefly, then nodded and left the room.

Only when her presence had completely faded did Carlisle turn to Edys with a sharp, cold expression.

“You said you’d take care of it.”

“What part?”

Unbothered, Edys even propped her chin on one hand.

“You knew I was trying to avoid getting involved with Aileen.”

“You were just being too frustrating.”

“What if I accidentally touch her?”

“I told you—Aileen wouldn’t want that.”

“Still, we don’t know what might happen during the mission.”

“Then be careful. You’d keep your distance anyway, wouldn’t you?”

The Emperor might as well have been a stone wall—no matter what reason Carlisle gave, she dismissed it without hesitation.

He had already accepted that Edys had forcefully paired him with Aileen. All he had asked was that she at least arrange their schedules so their paths wouldn’t overlap too much.

But after several exchanges, it became clear: Edys had no intention of reconsidering.

“She might end up resenting me even more.”

Carlisle finally let a part of his true feelings slip out.

Though he masked it as a resigned sigh to persuade her, the truth was—it came straight from the heart.

Every time he came close to brushing against Aileen, she recoiled as though even accidental contact with him was repulsive. Even when it wasn’t his intention—it still happened.

He had stepped back quickly only out of fear. But that reaction alone made her expression twist in pain every time.

If something like that happened again during the mission—

Could he endure seeing that face again—the face of the woman he loved, wounded and disgusted because of him?

He had once resolved to shatter her heart so completely, not even a scar would remain. Since that moment, he’d prepared himself not to exchange a single word with her.

He had hated himself for that contradiction—grateful to Edys for assigning them to joint training, even while telling her it was wrong.

But if they were to spend even more time together like this—

“Just stay focused. That’s all you need to do.”

But could he really?

Moments he thought were impossible had already become reality. A future with Aileen—just the two of them—was right there, within reach.

And he was supposed to keep his composure through it all?

Carlisle slowly ran a hand down his pale, drawn face. As that hand fell, Edys’s soft green eyes grew cloudy with sympathy, regret, and unspoken sorrow.

“Carlisle… listen.”

She finally broke the silence.

It was the first time Edys spoke aloud of the topic they had both avoided for so long.

Ever since Carlisle had confessed the truth, they’d kept silent—like it was an unspoken agreement.

“If you’ve decided to keep the truth from Aileen until the very end… then at the very least, I hope you allow yourself a little selfishness. Even if it’s unfair to her.”

Her trembling voice carried that pitiful honesty—raw and exposed.

“It was Aileen’s decision to join the Khan Order. But it was my decision to tie you two together under the excuse of joint training.”

“…”

“I know this might sound cruel, but if Aileen had shown even a hint of lingering affection for you, I wouldn’t have done it. I thought she’d moved on. That’s why I thought it would be okay.”

“…”

“Although… even if she hadn’t let go, maybe I still would’ve done it.”

Because your pain is heavier. Because you’re dying. And if that’s the case—what wouldn’t I do for you?

Her self-deprecating words were soaked in bitterness.

“I understand why you won’t tell her the truth. Aileen would give herself to you without hesitation. She loves you that deeply. Enough to throw herself into it, without regret.”

“…”

“I believe—even if she only had one year left—if it meant spending it with you, she would. She’d want to live out what time remains by your side.”

“I can’t let that happen.”

“Because that’s how you feel. I understand. But still… I wanted to give you time. Even if that time is filled with resentment or hatred, I know you’d still want to be by her side.”

“…”

“You want her so desperately… but you never let yourself reach for her.”

A heavy silence hung between them.

Carlisle said nothing, only stared at the empty seat Aileen had just left behind—as if her warmth still lingered there.

“I worry too, you know. What if Aileen, who finally managed to steady herself, ends up shaken again? What if she’s in pain? I know she probably hates me for this. Still, I pity you more.”

To confess the truth—back at the Academy, Edys had once loved Aileen.

There was a time she had resented Carlisle. Envied him. Hated him, even.

But now, all she could say was this:

“I’m on your side.”

“Until we find a way to break the curse, I won’t change my mind. So don’t you give up, either.”

Her voice carried that kind of quiet, sorrowful resolve. The kind that would never be shaken.

“I just want you to be happy, Carlisle. You and Aileen—both of you are precious to me.”

Her voice trembled softly at the end, weakening as her emotions overwhelmed her.

“Aileen will be grateful one day, too. Even if the worst happens—if she’s left alone in this world… she’ll understand, far in the future, when she finally learns the truth.”

That long, aching confession came to an end.

Carlisle sat quietly, turning her final words over in his mind.

He had planned to carry the truth to his grave. To give up his title, abandon everything, and disappear into some remote province. Live quietly, as if he were already gone.

So that Aileen would believe he had left her. That he had moved on, lived on, breathed on—without her.

But if… somehow… she ever found out the truth—

“If you could ensure that Aileen never learns the truth…”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect secret.”

It was a cold, absolute truth. A truth that left no room for hope.

If Aileen were to find out everything after his death—she might lose herself. No—she might even decide to die, to follow him.

They said the human heart was fragile and fickle, prone to fading and breaking over time.

But Aileen was not that kind of person. And neither was he.

So this must have been what Edys meant:

If Aileen had even a single memory of time spent together, maybe—just maybe—it would hurt a little less when she learned the truth.

Was it okay to be selfish? Even just a little?

He had wounded Aileen deeply, used Judith to drive that pain even deeper—did he have any right to want more? Did he even deserve to be happy?

There was no answer.

His agony drifted endlessly through the night, walking a path with no end in sight.

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