One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 95

It was so terribly real that it didn’t feel real at all. Aireen simply stood there, frozen, blinking in disbelief.

“It’s… not a lie?”

“No.”

“Then why? Why until now…?”

They say that when you’re too shocked, it’s hard to accept the truth. I was speechless, overwhelmed by the flood of questions and the storm of emotions crashing over me like a violent wave.

But there was no time to sit and debate. Aireen quickly refocused and chose to deal with what needed to be done.

“Show me your back.”

Aireen, who had managed to settle her emotions as if the confusion from earlier had never existed, gave the command with a calm and steady expression.

“Aireen…”

Carlisle called her name, flustered, but Aireen remained firm.

“Turn around. Quickly.”

“That won’t do.”

“If the curse is real, and if you feel even a little sorry for hiding it from me, then turn your back first.”

“…Aireen.”

“If you really hate it, I’ll move away.”

Before her words could lose their weight, Aireen got up and began closing the distance between them.

“Don’t come any closer, Aireen. Please.”

Despite Carlisle’s pleading, Aireen didn’t stop. Soon, they were standing face to face, close enough to see into each other’s eyes.

Their breathing mixed in the narrow space between them. Carlisle could only flinch back instinctively.

But there was nowhere to go—just a cold, solid wall behind him.

It was hard to stay conscious. My mind felt like it would shut down again at any moment. If Aireen suddenly rushed toward me, I wasn’t even sure I could block her—much less avoid her.

“I’ll avoid direct contact as much as I can. Just let me treat it first.”

It felt like Carlisle was using the very last of his strength. Only when his vision blurred again—so badly that he could no longer make anything out—did he finally relent.

“…Don’t touch it. If you touch it… just—don’t.”

Even in the midst of that haze, Carlisle voiced a desperate request. Aireen, understanding his fear, responded gently and moved with care.

She only held the very edge of the blade, her touch as light as possible, careful not to brush against anything else.

Rustle… rustle…

In the silence of the cave, the only sound was Aireen’s quiet movement—and then, a brief cry of pain.

Just like that, the treatment was done.

“I take your life.”
“Cursed. By the Tanil shamans of the northern barbarians.”
“Don’t ever touch it. If you touch it… don’t.”

Carlisle’s voice, filled with resignation and desperation, echoed in my ears. The weight of his unbelievable confession slowly settled on my skin, as if reality was finally sinking in.

It couldn’t be a lie. That voice, that look on his face—there was no way it could be a lie.

Aireen’s hands trembled slightly. She clasped them together tightly, as though in prayer.

“You might as well tell me… Why did you lie to me?”

I looked back on everything Carlisle had said—on all his actions leading up to now. It all fit together, like scattered puzzle pieces finally forming a whole. In the end, he had done it all for me.

But the resentment, the pain of betrayal, wouldn’t go away.

Could what I was feeling even be described with simple words like anger or resentment?

No. It was deeper. More complex. Aireen didn’t know how to process any of it—how to face Carlisle now.

Her heart had been wounded again and again, so many times that it had become worn down. Even after learning the truth—even if all his deception was for her own good—wounds like that don’t just heal overnight.

She had loved Carlisle with all her heart. Nothing in her life had ever been so painful.

It was devastating. She had seen Judith’s name on his lips countless times. Her heart had trembled with betrayal. And now, knowing the truth, it trembled again—with resentment that he hadn’t shared his suffering with her.

Knock, knock.

Before I realized it, tears were sliding down my cheeks, falling softly from my chin.

I cried uncontrollably. The tears wouldn’t stop. And even though they came pouring down like a storm, the chaos in my heart didn’t go away.

Was I someone who couldn’t rely on Carlisle anymore? Did I spend more time loving him than living alongside him?
Or… was it that he never let me?

A thousand tangled thoughts filled my head, refusing to quiet down.

Aireen took a deep breath, watching Carlisle as his brow twitched slightly—even in sleep, his dreams seemed haunted by pain.

“Just like you gave me happiness… I want to give you happiness too. A happiness only I can give.”

“I swear I’ll never betray you. I won’t change my mind.”

The love Carlisle had shown her had never been shallow or light—and that was why the hurt felt heavier; the pain so deep.

He had whispered words of love, and none of them had been lies. She hadn’t been betrayed after all.

But if that was true—then why didn’t he just tell her the truth from the beginning?

In the end… did he find her burdensome?
Had she become someone hard to deal with instead of someone to lean on?
Had she become a weight to him, rather than a refuge?

The thought crushed her.

Everything felt like a fog. The entire scene was a mess—hazy and clouded.

Aireen, who had been burying her face in her hands for a long time, finally raised her head.

“…Aireen.”

A voice, so soft it was almost a breath, reached her. Aireen’s sobs came to a sudden stop.

“…How is it?”

“Thanks. It’s okay.”

The bleeding had stopped. Carlisle’s complexion looked better now than when he had rejected treatment.

Before the curse, Carlisle had been unnaturally strong. His body had been blessed with terrifying resilience. Even after the curse, though the pain and decay were unbearable, his body still healed as it always had.

Because of that, I had been able to carry out the missions of the Sel Knights without raising suspicion from anyone.

“I still need rest… I’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“It’s okay. I just… wish we had talked about something else instead.”

Carlisle lowered his eyes, then glanced to the side—to her neck, to her face—and finally, after a moment of hesitation, he looked up again.

“I am…”

Aireen hesitated.

In that small pause, Carlisle bit the inside of his lip.

I’ve imagined this moment so many times.
How Aireen might react if I told her the truth.
Sometimes, I thought she’d be furious. Other times, I thought she’d cry until she collapsed.

But not once—not once—did he imagine her simply standing there, calm and silent.

Suddenly, fear gripped him. Carlisle’s heart pounded violently and seemed to sink into a cold, hollow pit deep within his chest.

From the moment he told Aireen the truth behind everything, he had given up pretending. He laid all his cards on the table, hoping she wouldn’t trade her life for his. And in doing so, he lost the will to continue the pointless charade.

As long as Aireen didn’t abandon the article, this kind of danger could resurface at any time. In that case, at least he could protect her. That much he could still do with pride.

But ironically, there was no sense of relief. Though he was finally free from the burden of keeping secrets and the guilt of being harsh with Aireen, a new fear began to take root—the fear of truly being abandoned by her.

Carlisle’s world had always revolved around Aireen. He didn’t just lie to protect her. He told the truth… to protect her, too.

And now, if Aireen—who knew everything—couldn’t forgive him, then there would be no one left to forgive him at all.

Carlisle opened his mouth, but no words came. His bold decision felt suddenly meaningless.

What if Aireen laughed at him?
What if she told him to disappear—right then and there—for betraying her?

I was terrified when I looked at Aireen’s face. It showed no trace of emotion—no sadness, no anger. Nothing at all.

Ever since I discovered the truth about the curse, a small part of me had wished Aireen would give up on him completely. That she’d feel nothing for him. And even now, I couldn’t stop that wish from surfacing.

Ironically… I did that. I knew it was shameful. But I still did it.

Before he realized it, Carlisle was gripping his own trembling hand, trying to keep himself from falling apart.

Then, Aireen broke the silence.

“I don’t understand why you kept it a secret. No… I do understand, but I just… can’t accept it.”

“……”

“Why did you hide something so important? Did you really have to hurt me like that?”

“……”

“If there’s anything else you’re hiding… tell me now.”

Her voice was steady, but the chill behind it was undeniable.

Carlisle could hear her heartbeat—it was so loud, it made his ears ring. He listened to it, trying to sense if she was still harboring more unspoken anger, or if she was done.

He took a breath.

Then, he opened his mouth.

Support