One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 70

The morning after receiving an unexpectedly awkward mission from the Emperor, Aileen found herself explaining the situation over breakfast.

“So, Her Majesty actually went through with it.”

Duke Laildro of House Revart let out a long groan.

“I mean really, even for Her Majesty, don’t you think that’s going too far? Don’t you, Father?”

Ashite scowled as he pushed the Duke.

“As I’ve said many times before, I’m fine with it.”

“I know I can’t let my personal feelings get in the way of the Empire’s safety. No matter how much I want to snap that bastard Carlisle’s neck, I won’t. I get that.”

Duke Laildro spoke like he was spitting out the words, his eyebrows furrowed with unspoken frustration.

“I admit the bastard’s skill. And I know, regardless of his private life, he serves Her Majesty loyally.”

Once a traitor, always a traitor—but if the Emperor is still using him, she must have her reasons.

Click. The duke smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in frustration.

“Still, I don’t get why she didn’t assign someone else to go with you.”

“I agree with that, Father,” Ashite chimed in. His plate, once filled with salad, was now a massacre of shredded greens.

“What’s Lord Cylas doing? Or Sir Siran, for that matter?”

“Lord Cylas just came back from a monster subjugation, and Sir Siran… I’m not sure.”

“Then what exactly are you doing, Ashite?”

The anger turned toward him now.

“I told you the other day—I’m leaving on assignment soon!”

“Oh… did you?”

The Duke awkwardly scratched under his nose, then sighed and calmed himself before continuing.

“Alright. If we’re going to use Carlisle—who could very well be a pawn of the Marquess of Hessiden—we need someone reliable to keep an eye on him. And who better than Revart’s most trusted?”

“I’m here too, you know.”

“Yes, and like me, your temper gets in the way.”

“…”

The mood suddenly grew tense and quiet.

The Duchess, who had been listening quietly, gently stepped in. Her soft voice instantly eased the stiff atmosphere around the table.

“Dear, Aileen’s not a little girl anymore. Life requires us to smile and say the right things, even when we’re disgusted on the inside. This isn’t anything more than that.”

For a moment, everyone at the table paused, their expressions subtly shifting—as if caught off guard—before returning to normal.

“We have to separate personal feelings from duty. If Aileen says she’s alright, just let her be, Laildro. I’m sure Her Majesty had her reasons for arranging things this way.”

Her gentle voice carried quiet authority.

Duke Revart nodded in agreement. He then downed his glass of juice like water and let out a refreshed laugh.

He looked like a man who had just come to a realization.

“You know… just think about how furious the Hessidens will be when they hear that Aileen and that bastard are working together. Isn’t that right, Esilly?”

“You’re absolutely right, Laildro.”

So that was it. The “two Hessidens” the Duke referred to must be the Marquess and Judith.

Aileen quietly agreed. Judith, who still couldn’t let go of her hostility toward Aileen, would definitely be furious.

Just as Aileen had once suffered because of them—no, more than that. Judith would suffer even worse. Aileen was certain of it.

The next day, Aileen arrived at the Khan Order’s training grounds and nearly teared up the moment she stepped inside.

“Ta-da! You did great, Aileen!”

“Well done, Sir Aileen!”

“Looking forward to working with you!”

As soon as she opened the training ground doors and took a step in, loud cheers and congratulatory shouts burst around her. Colorful flower petals rained down like a fragrant shower, gently landing on her hair and shoulders.

Caught off guard, Aileen froze in place. She couldn’t say a word.

The knights rushed forward, grinning, and handed her a large flower basket—clearly something they’d prepared in secret.

“What… What is all this?”

Still stunned, Aileen asked in a shaky voice.

“What do you think? It’s a celebration!”

Setz stepped forward proudly, clearly pleased with himself.

“Losers don’t matter. You were the top of the Khan Order, Aileen. So of course, we’re celebrating you.”

He explained it with mock seriousness, and though tears threatened to fill her eyes, Aileen couldn’t help but smile.

“If I hadn’t taken first place, I’d be in trouble, wouldn’t I?”

“Just look at Tanil—he got nothing.”

“That’s right, Sir Aileen.”

Tanil chimed in, pouting slightly in mock disappointment.

Many of the knights hadn’t attended the banquet the night before. Some had already offered their congratulations, but many were congratulating her for the first time today. All of them showered Aileen with praise.

She never imagined she would be welcomed like this. Back when she first joined the Order, facing cold stares and open hostility, she could’ve never imagined such a day would come.

The past few months—short as they were—flashed before her eyes like a panorama. Her chest tightened with emotion, making it hard to breathe.

Since she had first sworn to walk the path of a knight, it was the first time in a long while she had felt something close to fulfillment.

She would carry out missions, succeed, and offer help to others. And in time, she would reap countless rewards.

Aileen imagined the future she would slowly build with hard-earned experience and steadied herself for what came next.

The next day, after joint training ended, Aileen followed Carlisle to his office. There were many things she needed to understand before the investigation could properly begin.

As before, Aileen took the guest seat. Everything else felt the same.

The only difference this time was that Aileen drank a sip of tea on her own, before Carlisle could even press her to do so.

He had been half-prepared to force her again, as he’d done last time, but seeing her act first, he silently sipped his own tea.

Carlisle finished his tea first. Aileen set her cup down soon after. Several minutes passed in silence after the quiet clink of her teacup against the table—yet she didn’t speak.

In the end, Carlisle was the one who broke the silence.

“Now that you’ve finished your tea, shall we begin?”

His tone, as always, was steady and flat. Aileen gave a small nod.

“I’m ready.”

Without replying, Carlisle cleared the cups and returned to his seat.

“Then let’s get started.”

This marked the beginning of her very first mission as a knight of the Khan Order.

Before diving into the main topic, Carlisle informed her he wouldn’t be using formal or stiff language.

They weren’t training under a strict chain of command—it was a joint operation between equals.

Aileen nodded in agreement. It wasn’t something she found particularly important either way.

“First, there’s something important you need to know.”

As if to give her a moment to prepare herself, Carlisle took a slow breath before continuing.

“Officially, we don’t know that the perfume is the cause.”

“…So we’re supposed to pretend we’re starting the investigation from scratch.”

“Exactly. We begin by gathering and analyzing the information from the city guard. The documents you saw before were secretly compiled by Her Majesty when she first suspected something.”

He handed her a palm-sized notebook and pen.

“We’re knights, but we’ll need tools like this—at least in the beginning. Keep it with you.”

Aileen looked at the items for a moment, then picked them up and tucked them safely into her coat.

“As you know, the perfume is extremely popular, but produced in very limited quantities. Because of its rarity, most of the customers are noblewomen or wealthy commoners.”

Aileen briefly recalled something her mother, Duchess of Revart, had mentioned at breakfast.

—I ran into Lorena for the first time in a while, and something was off, dear. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she started muttering nonsense to thin air. I was worried she might be sick…

It had been a side effect of the perfume.

“If anyone around you uses the perfume, it’d be best to make sure they stop. A few uses might be fine, but the more frequently it’s used, the stronger the dependency becomes.”

“I’ve already taken care of that.”

The only close person she could think of was Retta. Naturally, she had already sent a letter.

Carlisle seemed satisfied with her answer and returned to the matter at hand.

“The number of people showing symptoms is gradually increasing, and the city guard has begun an official investigation.”

“So there really is confirmed intel.”

“Yes. But no progress.”

Crimes like these—dark and subtle—were usually passed off to higher authorities.

“What I’m about to explain now is our official reason for being assigned.”

“Understood.”

“Her Majesty took the matter seriously. But when the investigation stalled, and we gained attention through our performance in the swordsmanship tournament, we were chosen to take over.”

Aileen nodded in understanding.

“In truth, our mission is to uncover what’s behind all of this.”

“I understand.”

The prelude was over. And Aileen, as quick-witted as she was, already seemed to have grasped the full picture.

Still, Carlisle looked quietly past her gaze, as if trying to read the truth behind her calm expression.

Those violet eyes—so beautiful he could never stop admiring them.

But something felt different today. Ever since she stepped into his office, something had changed.

It had been so long since her warmth filled this cold and sterile space of his… just that presence alone was enough to make his heart race uncontrollably.

Where once only chill and silence remained, now there was joy—subtle, but real.

At first, he thought it was his own uneasiness making his heart pound. That maybe it was just nerves, a foreign discomfort.

But it wasn’t that.

The air around him—once icy with rejection—had shifted. It no longer pressed against him with bitterness or hatred.

Aileen… was different.

And Carlisle wanted to know why. He had to know. He was relieved that her coldness, her hostility toward him had faded—but at the same time, he felt strangely uneasy.

Because it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Still, every train of thought hit a dead end.

“Is that the end of the briefing?”

Her calm, collected voice pulled him back to the present. Aileen was looking at him without emotion, waiting.

Carlisle slowly lowered his gaze, withdrawing the intense look he had fixed on her for far too long.

Now wasn’t the time to be distracted.

They had a job to do.

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