One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 84

Though his tone was relaxed, his hurried movements betrayed a strong sense of eagerness as he approached Carlisle.

“You haven’t changed a bit. No, wait—you look like you’ve lost some weight. Are you eating properly?”

Before anyone realized it, he had stridden right up to Carlisle and was now scrutinizing him thoroughly with narrowed eyes, interrogating him with visible concern.

His coarse brown hair, rough demeanor, and gravelly voice could have come off as intimidating, but the genuine worry he displayed for Carlisle lent him the air of a dependable ally instead.

“You haven’t changed either, Captain. Please don’t worry—we’re all doing well thanks to your steadiness.”

Before Carlisle, who simply offered a slight bow in greeting, could reply, Piel quickly stepped forward and spoke up on his behalf. The man, clearly familiar with Piel, frowned and turned his attention to him.

“You’re still stuck to Sir Carlisle’s side, I see. Isn’t it about time you started working with someone else?”

“That’s because I’m the most competent one for the job.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that. Still, there are quite a few unfamiliar faces this time.”

The man scratched his chin roughly with one hand and cast a sharp glance over the assembled knights. His gaze began with Aileen—and ended on her as well.

A strange, uneasy feeling crept up Aileen’s spine. Just as her lips began to tighten into a firm line, he spoke again.

“Would you happen to be Sir Aileen Revart?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Oh, how curious. I’ve only heard about you through word of mouth, so seeing you in person is quite a surprise. I was wondering what kind of person you were, but I didn’t expect you to be assigned to the same unit as Sir Carlisle.”

Aileen immediately sensed the cold tension settling around them. Even among this newly formed subjugation unit, no one had dared bring that up so openly—until now.

She couldn’t tell whether he was being genuinely oblivious or deliberately provocative. For a brief moment, Aileen debated whether she should call out his rudeness or simply let it pass.

Her decision came swiftly.

“I didn’t expect a knight to bring up needless talk before battle. Especially not in such a roundabout way.”

If he had the guts to mention such useless gossip in front of her, he might as well have said it plainly like a knight should. No need for such cowardly insinuations.

She didn’t say that part out loud, but the implication was clear enough for anyone to infer.

The man’s face hardened at the pointed sarcasm in Aileen’s faint smile. Carlisle moved as if to intervene, but Aileen was faster.

“You can say it in front of me—say it in front of everyone, if you wish. But at the very least, don’t dishonor the name of knight on the eve of battle. It’s shameful—for both of us.”

“What are you trying to—”

“If you’re really that curious about why we’re in the same unit, ask Sir Carlisle yourself. You seem unaware, so let me inform you: unit assignments are made by the captain or vice-captain.”

Rendered speechless, the man shut his mouth like a clam. Technically speaking, he had been the one out of line first.

To be honest, he hadn’t meant much by it.

He really had been curious—it was his first time seeing Aileen in person, after all. He never imagined a casual comment would backfire so spectacularly.

The surrounding knights, who had remained silent until now, visibly tensed.

Truthfully, some of them had harbored curiosity about the rumors surrounding Aileen and Carlisle. But everyone understood this was hardly the time or place for such talk—not on the brink of battle.

And so, their reproachful gazes turned toward the man.

“…My apologies. I spoke out of turn without thinking.”

He bowed his head slightly in apology. His expression didn’t seem insincere, so Aileen decided to let the matter go—at least for now.

That didn’t mean she was about to forgive him, though. Instead of replying, she simply turned her head away. The man’s face turned visibly pale, but he said nothing further—he knew he had no excuse.

Once the situation had calmed down somewhat, Carlisle stepped forward.

“Well done, everyone. Let’s take a break.”

On the surface, he appeared calm as ever. But inside, a fierce storm of anger raged.

He’d known the man was a bit unfiltered—but to bring that up, and to do so right in front of Aileen? Hearing those brainless words had made his blood run cold.

If only Aileen hadn’t had to step in.

But he couldn’t blame anyone but himself—he had brought this humiliation upon himself, and all he could do now was quietly follow Aileen’s lead.

What he would do afterward… that was another matter.

“We’ll speak in private.”

As Carlisle passed him by, he muttered lowly. The man’s eyes darted between Carlisle and Aileen before silently following behind.

Clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, applause rang out, breaking the lingering tension.

Piel, clapping like a teacher trying to regain a distracted classroom’s attention, spoke in a bright voice to lighten the mood.

“Everyone must be tired. Let’s rest for an hour and then eat.”

“Boo—!”

Groans echoed from here and there.

“I’m starving! I’m so hungry!”

“Bring out the meat first!”

“Those of you starving to death might as well scrape off the monster fluids stuck to your armor and lick that.”

At Piel’s scathing sarcasm, the knights fell silent and trudged off to their assigned quarters. Watching the scene, Aileen was reminded once again—high positions were not for just anyone. She quietly followed behind Piel.

Her room was located right next to Piel’s, and adjacent to that was Carlisle’s.

Only three knights had been assigned rooms on this floor, slightly apart from the others. It seemed to be a measure of consideration for those in leadership.

“That knight—he’s always been a bit lacking in formality.”

Piel suddenly spoke, referring to the rude knight who had so brazenly mentioned the broken engagement earlier. Aileen listened in silence as he explained.

“Still, he’s actually decent in combat. Better than most of the Imperial Guard, I’d say. That said, as you saw, he’s got some serious personality issues. You should’ve seen how rudely he acted the first time he met the captain.”

Piel’s brows furrowed slightly, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

“He’s from a noble family. Knights should speak with their swords, but he was unbearably arrogant at first.”

This was news to Aileen. It must have happened before her engagement with Carlisle ended, yet she’d never heard a thing about it.

“But he backed down pretty quickly. During a skirmish, the captain took down way more northern bastards than he did. Ever since then, well—you saw it yourself. Now he clings to the captain like a lost pup, always begging for a sparring match.”

Piel glanced at Aileen, subtly gauging her reaction, then shrugged lightly.

“Anyway, that’s the story. Who knows how badly he’s getting beaten up right now under the pretense of ‘training.’ Since the captain called for him, they’re probably sparring. If you’re interested, Sir Aileen, you should challenge him to a match too. One round with him and all the fatigue from camping will melt away.”

With a bright laugh, Piel waved and entered his room. Still slightly stunned by his sharp commentary, Aileen eventually turned toward her own room.

It was more spacious and cleaner than she’d expected. She unpacked in a corner, then sank into the warm bath prepared inside.

As the aches in her body eased, a satisfying sense of relief spread through her. Aileen closed her eyes and lingered in the tub for a long time before finally getting out.

By the time she went down, in line with the schedule Piel had mentioned, the food was already laid out. Most of the knights had arrived and were busy tearing into the meat with gusto.

“Traitorous lot, can’t even wait for the captain.”

Niar muttered in discontent, sitting before the only empty plate. Aileen took the seat beside him.

“You’re here, Sir Aileen.”

“You arrived early, Sir Niar.”

“Yes. I couldn’t let myself arrive after the captain. But still, he’s usually the first one here, and now there’s no sign of him.”

Though he’d seen what had happened earlier, Niar mentioned Carlisle casually in front of her, unfazed. Perhaps it was just his nature to be indifferent toward anyone who wasn’t Carlisle—but something felt different this time.

It seemed deliberate, as if he were trying to ease her discomfort.

So, Aileen let out a quiet chuckle and decided to play along.

“He must be running late. Let’s eat first.”

At her carefree suggestion, Niar frowned as if betrayed.

“I didn’t take you for someone so disloyal, Sir Aileen.”

“I thought Sir Piel already gave the go-ahead to start without waiting. Was I wrong to follow that?”

“Still, how can we eat when the captain isn’t even here—”

Niar suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His eyes had shifted toward the entrance, and Aileen followed his gaze.

“The captain!”

Carlisle entered with a perfectly composed face, followed by the very knight who had spoken out of turn earlier—now looking utterly wrecked, as though he’d taken quite a beating.

“Tsk.”

Niar clicked his tongue beside her. Aileen recalled Piel’s comment about them likely being in the middle of a sparring match.

Despite his disheveled appearance, the knight seemed pleased, grinning to himself—until he spotted Aileen. At that moment, the smile vanished from his lips.

He hesitated for a moment, clearly torn, then gave Aileen a small nod of acknowledgment and followed Carlisle to his seat.

“Looks like he didn’t land a single hit but still came back happy after being beaten to a pulp.”

Niar muttered under his breath. Aileen popped a piece of meat into her mouth in response, chewing calmly as the evening resumed around her.

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