One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 82

After their first encounter with the monsters, Aileen and her party ran into several more monster hordes. Though their numbers were decreasing and they were mostly weaker than before, they were still a nuisance.

Even though these monsters were said to be easy to deal with, since they attacked relentlessly, the knights began to suffer minor injuries one by one. Their stamina was depleting faster than expected.

Among them, the Knights of Sel remained the most energetic.

“Isn’t some kind of terrifying natural disaster about to happen? Otherwise, why do these crazy monsters keep showing up like this?”

“Suspicious, suspicious. Something’s off here.”

As one knight grumbled, roughly wiping blood from his cheek, the others mounted their horses and followed suit.

Aileen also thought something felt off. Normally, there shouldn’t be any problems in this region at this time.

But I wasn’t just attacked once—I was attacked several times. And there were so many different types of monsters.

There was still a possibility this couldn’t be dismissed as a mere anomaly. Aileen hesitated to voice it—but just then…

“It could be the northerners’ doing. They’ve been acting strange lately, haven’t they?”

Piel, who had been quietly listening to the knights complain, finally spoke. As expected, this wasn’t an ordinary situation.

Aileen, riding beside Carlisle, asked carefully,

“Has anything like this happened before?”

“I swear, I never thought I’d lose sleep over monsters on a trip like this.”

Piel frowned and muttered under his breath. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he clearly hadn’t been sleeping well since day one.

“I’m going to wipe them all out. I’ll take out all this resentment on them.”

Piel, who was always known for his gentle demeanor, muttered darkly. And soon, he would get his chance.

Just as they neared their destination…

“This is insane. Absolutely insane.”

“I think this might be the last time.”

“There’s only one explanation. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible.”

The knights murmured in shock at the sight before them. Aileen swallowed a groan.

It was understandable.

Because now, a monster had appeared—one with a completely different, far more menacing aura than any they had faced before.

It was a kind of monster Aileen had seen before—a massive creature, at least three times the size of a healthy adult man. Its blue lips were split all the way to the ears, and its terrifying red eyes sharply contrasted with the earthy tone of its skin.

A rare monster stood right in front of me. There weren’t many—only five in total.

“Everyone, form up. They’re slow for their size, so keep that in mind and attack accordingly.”

Carlisle, completely unshaken by the sudden appearance of such a formidable monster, calmly gave out orders. His stance was steady, not the least bit disturbed, and his sharp eyes, partially hidden beneath his windblown hair, remained composed.

The noise quickly settled at the sound of his calm voice. At their superior’s command, the knights began to form a familiar formation.

Unlike previous encounters, where only weak monsters had shown up, this time called for a more serious approach.

“Attack.”

With that single command, the knights charged at the monsters. Aileen quickly sprang forward as well, gripping her sword tightly in one hand.

“I’ll strike from the side—coordinate with me!”

shouted the knight beside her. As he swung his sword, Aileen ducked low and sliced horizontally behind the monster’s knee.

“Kkieek!”

A piercing scream, far too shrill for a creature its size, burst from its mouth. It bent its leg where Aileen had struck and swung its fist, driven by both pain and fury.

The knights continued their assault without losing composure. While some drew the monsters’ attention from the front, others attacked from the sides or flanked them from behind.

As she swung her sword, Aileen realized that the training she had done with Carlisle hadn’t been in vain.

No—it had helped quite a lot.

The situation was quickly brought under control. At the last moment, Aileen leapt high to avoid the monster’s heavy swing and drove her sword into its head. The leader of their group was taken down.

Aileen wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and scanned the area. The other four monsters were nearly defeated, but she rushed toward the closest one.

I was trying to help.

That’s when it happened—

“Damage!”

someone shouted.

Aileen instinctively ducked.

Something gray shot out from the ground and charged straight at her.

“Kaaaak!”

The monster’s terrible howl echoed almost immediately after.

In that brief moment, Aileen looked up at the broad back of the one who had pushed her aside and swung his sword at the monster.

“Get up. Quickly!”

Carlisle spoke in a low voice as he faced the round creature covered in a hard shell. There was a sense of urgency in his tone.

Before Aileen could even process what had happened, she quickly got to her feet. Grabbing her sword, she slashed at the monster that was charging in from the side.

The surrounding knights also jumped in amidst the chaos. Fortunately, although the monster that had emerged from the ground was both strong and aggressive, it had been a surprise attack and was taken down quickly.

Carlisle limped toward her, wiping his chin with one hand, where the monster’s fluids had splashed. Droplets of the creature’s blood dripped from his cool, gleaming blade like rain.

Carlisle didn’t even take a breath before asking,

“Where is the injury?”

“…It doesn’t exist.”

Her voice was quiet. Carlisle barely moved his lips at her response, still looking down.

How long has it been since I’ve seen Aileen look this downcast?

He loved everything about her, but he couldn’t be happy seeing her like this—he knew what kind of emotions she must be grappling with.

After a long pause, Carlisle offered a short comment.

“It’s difficult to detect them. In this kind of melee, it’s not unusual to get ambushed.”

“…Yes.”

At her subdued reply, spoken with her head lowered, Carlisle briefly looked at her small frame, her head drenched in sweat and her hair in disarray. Her voice was still faint.

But he remembered what he had done to her, and he knew that any further interference would only cause more pain.

So he simply turned and walked away.

“I almost got into serious trouble, Sir Aileen.”

Piel, who had been standing a short distance away, came over and began fussing with concern.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you move that quickly, Captain. I’m really relieved. No one else noticed the incoming attack except you.”

“Oh—then it was you who shouted.”

“No, it was the captain. When I looked up in surprise, I saw Sir Aileen sitting down as if someone had pushed her.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway, it’s a relief no one was hurt. Let’s get out of here quickly.”

After finishing cleanup and mounting her horse, Aileen reflected on the intense moment.

She had barely managed to survive.

Since Piel had also said she didn’t notice, it wasn’t as though Aileen had missed the monster’s movements due to a lack of skill. I had wondered if she was causing trouble because her abilities were lacking—but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

A faint sense of relief washed over me… but then I realized I hadn’t thanked Carlisle.

Even though I had been completely out of sorts, it was only right to acknowledge him—as a fellow knight and as someone who had just saved my life. The other knights had been watching too.

She should have said it right away, just like she had during the fight with Niar. That moment had nothing to do with Carlisle’s betrayal. It was separate.

Of course, she still had regrets. The feelings that once burned when she had loved Carlisle—and those that flared into hatred and resentment after being betrayed—still lingered deep within her.

But over time, all of those emotions had faded, slowly oxidized into something dull.

They say indifference is more frightening than anger. And now, even the small bit of emotional energy I spend thinking about Carlisle and Judith feels wasted. It’s not that I won’t care at all—just that… it won’t go any deeper than that.

Even getting involved felt exhausting.

Judith would surely align herself with the Marquis of Hessiden. She had always carried a sense of superiority over Carlisle. Any show of indifference would only provoke her further.

And Carlisle—he had betrayed her because he was drawn to Judith. At this point, there was no reason to hurt him, no satisfaction to be gained from it. Expressing anger wouldn’t make a dent; it would just feel like shouting at a wall.

If I were younger, maybe I would’ve acted out, without hesitation or thought. But now… I was an adult. And with adulthood came the weight of restraint.

Carlisle, too, was no longer young. His emotions had dulled over time. He had become someone who believed that talking in circles or using subtle gestures was more effective than confronting someone with open hostility.

Even if I had caused a scene—if I’d shouted, raged, or fought back—society would have pointed fingers… not at him, but at me.

Because I’m the woman they think should have known better. A woman who already strayed too far from their expectations. A woman who held a sword. A woman who made them uncomfortable.

They were fools—those who pretended to admire my strength, only to turn around and whisper behind my back, mocking me as if I were a threat simply for existing outside their mold.

I still remember… someone had once whispered about my past, the day I proudly joined the Knights of Cell:

“—Princess Revart? I don’t get why she’s acting like this. She’s already a princess. Shouldn’t she just settle down with embroidery and marry a nobleman? Oh, right—wasn’t it Count Aberg she had a crush on? They say she barely even got to meet him. I heard she was really attached to him, but since he’s from a low-status family, she’s trying extra hard to prove something.”

Aileen had been the only unmarried daughter of the Duke’s children. There were plenty of noble ladies who were jealous of her.

And Irene—who had held both her pride as a knight and her love for a man—had been insulted all at once. When she heard those words, she couldn’t hold back. She had glared at the noblewoman and stood her ground, her fury unrestrained.

Back then… it was still a time when she could express herself freely. A time when she hadn’t yet learned to swallow everything just to survive.

What was the result?

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