One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 94

It was nothing more than an injury sustained while trying to save her. Carlisle felt a sense of responsibility and debt whether he admitted it or not.

Still, even setting that aside, who could simply sit back and watch someone they could save disappear before their eyes?

“You don’t have to worry about anything else. Just take care of yourself. I don’t care.”

It was beyond comprehension. Her burning heart gave rise to a storm of assumptions.

Could he be doing this because of Judith? Even if he physically touches me, it’s just treatment. That doesn’t mean there’s any need to feel guilt or sympathy for Judith.

I’m only doing what I should as a knight—so why am I so obsessed with the past?

As I thought this, an uncontrollable anger surged within me.

“I know you hate even the slightest touch from me. I know. But is now really the time to be so stubborn? The bleeding isn’t going to stop on its own. Do you know what will happen if you keep resisting?”

At those sudden, blunt words, Carlisle dropped his gaze, which had been locked with Aireen’s.

She had never confronted him with such visible anger before. It was proof of how furious she truly was.

Even the polite tone he always used disappeared, though Aireen didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t care if you live or die—but not now. Don’t you dare leave me burdened with guilt.”

It was harsh, but it was true.

If he were to die now, the kind but hesitant Aireen would be tormented by guilt for the rest of her life. No matter how high the tower of sins he believed he’d built, in the end, it was because he was protecting her that he ended up this way.

But… does that mean Aireen should carry that burden?

It couldn’t be. How did he protect it? How did he endure all of this?

A fierce conflict raged inside him. Carlisle ran a hand down his face.

He already knew. He had used all the painkillers he brought, left only with the searing pain of the curse and his wounds in this sudden isolation.

There was no way he could treat his back by himself—it was a place he couldn’t even reach. Without Aireen’s help, it was hopeless.

What should I do? How…?

“Ah—”

Suddenly, a pain struck him like a hammer to the skull. As if it had been lying in wait, his back exploded with agony.

Carlisle clenched his eyes shut, suppressing a groan as the pain surged through him—so severe, he couldn’t distinguish between pain and consciousness.

“What’s wrong?”

I heard the faint sound of concern, but I couldn’t answer. Another wave of pain was crashing in. I felt like I might lose consciousness at any moment.

Meanwhile, I could feel Aireen approaching. I forced all my remaining strength into stepping back.

“Carlisle!”

Aireen’s scream rang out. As she extended her hand again, Carlisle raised his voice at her for the first time.

“Don’t do it!”

It was a cry of urgency.

Aireen instinctively took a step back, startled by his defensive shout.

It wasn’t just about not wanting to be touched. The reaction was too sharp, too desperate. It was impatient—almost anxious. It wasn’t like before.

And in that moment, Aireen suddenly wondered—why?

Up until now, I thought he was simply feeling sorry for Judith, or that he was just reluctant to have even the slightest contact with her.

Honestly, my unwillingness to dig deeper into the reasons had made it harder for me to reach a simple conclusion.

Carlisle was someone who valued efficiency. He wasn’t the type to let personal feelings come first or insist on his own way in a situation like this.

After spending several days in such a strange and tense situation, Aireen—just like Carlisle—had found it hard to think clearly.

A foreign place, a wound that might never heal, monsters appearing unpredictably, and being left alone with a hostile opponent.

And that very person had even saved his life. How could he possibly be, okay?

Aireen, who had been sorting through her chaotic thoughts, finally opened her mouth.

Thud.

At the same time, Carlisle’s body collapsed.

“Carlisle!”

He had lost so much blood that his vision blurred and eventually went dark. Then, he passed out.

Aireen rushed to his side. His body, which had been tossed about carelessly, lay exposed—soaked in sweat and blood.

He had passed out completely and needed immediate attention. Still, the image of him rejecting her touch until he collapsed lingered in Aireen’s mind.

You can try to keep someone’s hands away from you all you want, but if they move suddenly, there’s no guarantee.

A moment passed—one that felt like an eternity. It probably hadn’t even been a full minute before Carlisle slowly opened his eyes.

“…Lin.”

“Stop being stubborn. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll die. You just fainted. Do you understand?”

His breathing was unsteady. His face was pale and drained of color. Even so, Carlisle lay flat on his back and turned away from her touch.

At last, Irene confronted the truth they had both been avoiding. She knew this wasn’t the time to push someone already in pain—but there was nothing else she could do. He was being too stubborn.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Through his blurry, pain-filled vision, Carlisle looked at Aireen. Her face was just as expressionless as the quiet voice that asked the question.

“No, tell me the real reason. Why won’t you let me touch you—even a little?”

“……”

“I thought maybe you were growing cold because I disgusted you, or maybe because of Judith. But I realize now… that’s not it. It’s just too much, isn’t it?”

Carlisle’s eyes trembled slightly. His composure began to falter.

“The first day you left me… you acted differently. You looked startled, like you’d been burned, and pulled away the moment I reached out. Then you walked away without a word.”

“……”

“I don’t know if you remember, but that day—you really seemed confused and surprised. Then you apologized to me. You were kind, even affectionate. That’s when everything changed.”

Aireen recalled that day—one she had buried under layers of hatred and resentment toward Carlisle.

She had tried not to think about how he had stepped all over her heart without hesitation.

He had ended their engagement with the same lips that once whispered love. Then he brought a pregnant woman—carrying his child—and introduced her, leaving Aireen in misery.

For a while, whether it was lingering affection or just the pain of old memories, Irene had chosen to avoid thinking about it.

When Carlisle finally became someone who no longer mattered to her, she stopped caring. She didn’t need to know anything more.

But when he provoked her like this—how could she not ask?

“It doesn’t matter what the reason is. Just tell me—why are you so afraid I might touch you?”

Carlisle remained silent, as though trapped under the weight of the question.

Even with all the pressure, Aireen said nothing at first. But eventually, she pulled out the method she’d been holding back.

“If you don’t open your mouth, it will come to you.”

“…What?”

I thought I heard wrong. I didn’t expect Irene to make the first move like that.

“Whether you scream or curse, I’m going to touch your skin right now.”

“Irene…”

“If this were just about your attitude, I would have backed off. But if you’re still refusing… then there has to be something more.”

Carlisle finally closed his eyes, unable to withstand her persistent questioning.

I said I was fine—but in truth, I was starting to feel dizzy.

The headaches and sharp, needle-pricking pain from the curse continued intermittently. My throat was so ticklish, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I suddenly broke into a cough.

I was barely holding on to my senses. If Aireen had come near me unexpectedly, I couldn’t trust myself not to brush against her—even for a moment.

Aireen, who saw Carlisle caught in the middle of intense internal conflict, stood silently and waited for him to make his decision.

How much time had passed?

A voice finally emerged, trembling so faintly that it was still unmistakably clear.

“If you touch me… you’ll die.”

It was as though a thin veil separated them. Aireen couldn’t quite grasp what he had just said. It took her a beat to respond.

“…What does that mean?”

Carlisle, his eyes terrifyingly sunken, began to speak in a quiet, hollow voice.

The moment had come to reveal the truth he had tried so desperately to hide. But there was no emotion on his face—only emptiness in his deep blue eyes.

“I will take your life.”

It felt like a crushing weight had dropped on both their hearts.

Aireen couldn’t help but ask again, her voice fragmented by disbelief. The truth was far more devastating than anything she had imagined.

“…So, if you and I touch, you’ll take my life?”

“…Yes.”

“How… how is that even possible?”

Carlisle hesitated. His lips struggled to form the words, as if the very truth refused to be spoken aloud.

“So… so that’s it.”

“Tell me. Right now.”

“I’m cursed,” he finally confessed. “By the Tanil shamans of the northern barbarians.”

“…Curse?”

Aireen’s world shattered.

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