One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 73

The door opened silently, and in an instant, the two people sitting at the table for dinner had cloths shoved over their mouths.

“Mmph!”

Startled, they tried to scream and flailed their arms, but it was useless. Aileen and Carlisle quickly restrained them and forced them to kneel.

“We meet again.”

Aileen smiled brightly at the man who had so kindly taken her perfume order just a day ago.

Her eyes, partially hidden beneath a black cloth mask, were unmistakable—the familiar glint of violet and the tone of her voice gave her away. The man stopped struggling, stunned by recognition.

He wasn’t entirely stupid. Even in this chaotic situation, he quickly pieced things together and accepted the absurdity of it all.

Banging his forehead against the floor a few times, he glanced at his younger brother, who was now crying in fear.

“Your brother is safe. For now. So don’t worry—and you, stop crying.”

Aileen’s voice turned icy as she shot the child a chilling glare. The boy, who looked to be around ten, immediately stopped sobbing.

She felt a pang of guilt for scaring a child, but there was no other choice. Without this leverage, the older brother would never cooperate—and that could endanger countless citizens of the Empire.

Of course, she had no intention of harming the boy. That would go against everything she’d learned and stood for as a knight.

“Much better. Now let’s begin, shall we?”

Carlisle, who had silently watched Aileen work, dragged over two chairs. He motioned for her to sit before taking a seat himself.

“So, that perfume shop of yours—Primère Parfums. You’re the one in charge, aren’t you?”

The man flinched.

He stayed silent, clearly weighing his options.

Aileen narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning sharp and cold as she applied pressure.

“Don’t forget who’s holding your brother’s life in their hands.”

Carlisle’s gaze shifted to the child, reinforcing the threat.

“Mmmph!”

Eyes wide with panic, the man frantically shook his head and signaled his willingness to cooperate. Carlisle turned his attention away from the boy.

With things more under control, Aileen leaned in and asked again.

“Let me ask one more time. Are you the one managing the store?”

The man nodded quickly and repeatedly.

Just as she suspected. Age doesn’t always equate to rank—assuming he was just a low-level employee had been a mistake.

“Good. I’m going to ask a few more questions now. I’d appreciate honest answers.”

She leaned in close to whisper in his ear, smiling sweetly as she did.

At that moment, something in the house made a faint cracking noise, like something had broken—but Aileen didn’t flinch. If anything had gone wrong, Carlisle would take care of it.

“I’m going to take the gag off. But if you so much as try to scream…”

Her eyes flashed with warning.

“…you know what’ll happen to your brother, right?”

The man trembled and nodded vigorously, even more desperately than before. Only then did Aileen pull away.

Using family as leverage—it always worked. Still, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Sensing her discomfort, Carlisle took the boy and wrapped a cloth securely around his ears before moving him to a safe distance.

Aileen breathed a small sigh of relief, then turned back to the man and removed the cloth from his mouth.

“Do you know what exactly those upstairs perfumes are?”

“I-I was told they had… special effects.”

“What kind of effects?”

“They’re supposed to, um, clear your mind… and improve focus.”

It felt like being yanked off a cliff after climbing halfway up. Did he seriously not know?

Aileen studied his eyes carefully. Frustratingly enough, he didn’t seem to be lying.

“Are you the only one who knows? Or do the other three at the shop know, too?”

“J-Just me…”

His voice shrank to a whisper as he trembled. Aileen let out a dry laugh.

He had clearly approached her on purpose, recognizing her status. Nobles were the primary market for these luxury perfumes, after all.

“So where are they made? Don’t tell me it’s the Hamilton Trade Guild.”

Primère Parfums operated under the Hamilton Guild—a dummy company set up by the Marquess of Hessiden.

That was as far as the surface-level investigation could reach.

“I-I don’t know where they’re made. I was only told they were… special.”

Aileen glanced at Carlisle. He gave her a subtle nod—it seemed the man was telling the truth.

He was a classic scapegoat. His polite demeanor and submissive attitude made him perfect for manipulation and eventual disposal.

It was the same tactic all unscrupulous masterminds used: set up a disposable middleman, then cut the cord when things go south.

Aileen forced down a bitter chuckle and asked one last question.

“Who gave you this job, and what did they pay you?”

“I… I never saw their face. They were always covered. But they promised me thirty gold coins…”

Thirty gold coins—that was enough to live in a home dozens of times nicer than this one.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Aileen gathered her thoughts, resisting the weight of the mood, then asked her final question—

“How do you receive the supply of the second-floor perfumes?”

“They… they bring it. Oh—three days from now. They said they’d be back in three days.”

A flicker of hope crossed the man’s eyes.

Carlisle gave Aileen a small nod—it was time to wrap things up.

“You’ll keep tonight’s events to yourself. Until everything’s resolved, your brother will be in our care.”

“What?”

“We’re not going to harm him, so don’t worry. As long as you cooperate, nothing will happen to him.”

Hope drained from the man’s face, replaced by bleak despair. Aileen forced down the churning in her stomach and added quietly,

“As long as you behave, we’ll let you see your brother every day. No matter how this turns out, we’ll make sure you’re protected and compensated for your trouble. So hang in there, just a bit longer.”

It was the kind of reassurance that really should’ve come from the side playing the villain. Yet here they were, offering comfort before walking out.

“I’ll take care of the child. You should get going.”

Aileen glanced between Carlisle and the boy before nodding slowly. It made her uneasy, but if Carlisle said he’d handle it, there was no need for her to interfere.

Leaving them behind, Aileen quickly returned to the Revart estate.

She had never interrogated someone like that before. It wasn’t just the confrontation—it was the shock of discovering he wasn’t some mastermind, but a middleman with a child to care for.

The guilt lingered.

“Hessiden… They deserve no mercy.”

She grit her teeth at the thought of all the innocents who had suffered. Just remembering it stirred the anger again. And despite how naturally cruelty should’ve come in the moment, she’d had to fake it.

Carlisle had probably been surprised. She always tried to seem gentle and calm around him.

And yet… strangely enough, it had been satisfying. Strangely freeing.

The three days flew by.

During that time, they searched the second floor of Primère Parfums and replaced all the dangerous “premium” perfumes with similar-looking but harmless ones. The color and scent were nearly identical—but the contents were completely safe.

From that moment on, any customers who visited would be in no danger from what they sprayed.

On the day of the drop-off, Aileen and Carlisle hid in position, just as the shop manager had instructed. Thankfully, they were able to trace the supply line.

Just like before, they followed the man who appeared to be in charge. And just like before, they used his weakness to extract key information—like the actual location where the perfumes were manufactured, and the identity of the true owner behind the Hamilton Trade Guild.

The challenge now was securing both without being discovered.

But that wasn’t Aileen’s problem.

After all, the Emperor had only ordered them to confirm the supplier and uncover the cause of the hallucinations, if possible.

All they needed to do now was pass the findings to Edys. From there, it would be the Emperor’s responsibility to decide how to take down the Marquess.

“As I mentioned before, we won’t be getting additional reinforcements. So conserve your strength.”

His flat tone reached Aileen’s ears. She nearly scoffed to herself.

Today was the day they would strike at the true owner of the Hamilton Guild—not the puppet figurehead, but the shadow figure planted by the Marquess of Hessiden.

When Aileen had voiced concerns about whether two people could pull it off, Carlisle relayed the Emperor’s reasoning: too many people risked exposure. Only the bare minimum had been permitted.

If she was too worried, Carlisle offered to go alone.

That had only fueled her pride.

“Let’s go together, then,” she’d said coolly, brushing off the risk.

And that brought them to this moment.

“I can fight just fine. Don’t worry.”

“…”

“I won’t be a burden.”

Carlisle opened his mouth as if to respond but said nothing in the end.

The tension hanging between them was broken by voices coming from deeper inside the building.

“I’m dead tired. Let’s get this over with.”

“I swear, we sell all that perfume and don’t even get a bonus. I’m so done with this crap.”

“The higher-ups are all the same. Stingy as hell. I should just quit.”

They were ordinary employees, unaware of the real game they were pieces in—complaining about the labor and low pay, blind to whose hands were truly pulling the strings.

Aileen’s grip on her sword tightened. The Marquess’s cruelty was more unbearable than ever.

The grumbling voices faded into the distance. Everyone who remained inside now was a target.

Once the building fell completely silent, the two of them moved swift and silent like shadows in the dark.

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