One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 96

“…Your Majesty knows too.”

For a moment, Aireen’s face twisted in shock. Carlisle’s trembling eyelids lowered, as if bracing himself for what was to come.

Some might scoff at this. Who would be foolish enough to confess something like that at a moment like this?

But now that his plan to deceive Aireen and quietly end his life had failed, he chose honesty—despite knowing that mentioning his broken vow might destroy everything.

I knew it would only make Aireen angry. But I couldn’t lie anymore. I was terrified. Terrified that even a single thread of connection would remain if I kept hiding it.

“I lied. I deceived you completely… and yet I told His Majesty.”

He muttered the words like he was speaking to himself. But they rang sharply in his ears, slicing through the silence like a blade.

Before he could even offer an apology, Aireen spoke first.

“Why?” she demanded, her voice raw. “Why did you do that? Was it because I wasn’t enough? Because I’m less useful or attractive than His Majesty? Was I just a burden to you?”

“No, no. That’s not it, Aireen.”

“Don’t say it was because you were worried about me. That’s just hypocrisy.”

Her words were cold—sharp as ice. Carlisle slowly closed his mouth again, unable to speak further.

“If you were going to keep it a secret… then you should’ve kept it from everyone. All the way to the end.”

“……”

“How… how could I have lied so thoroughly…”

Aireen choked back a breath. The weight of betrayal hit her so suddenly, her whole body tensed. The back of her neck felt cold.

He told Edys the truth.
The very thing he tried so hard to keep from me… he shared with her.

In the end, the tower of love and trust they had built together came crashing down. It was no more solid than dust, swept away by the slightest breeze.

A storm of bitter thoughts surged in Carlisle’s mind, but finally, he spoke—his voice low and hesitant.

“I needed someone I could work with. I had to catch Marquis Hessiden—he was colluding with the northern barbarians. And… I needed someone who could take care of things after I died.”

“…That was Edys.”

Aireen’s voice barely came out, almost like she didn’t realize she had spoken the name. She didn’t call her by title—just the name itself, heavy with meaning.

Aside from Aireen, Edys had been the only person Carlisle was somewhat close to during his time at the Academy. Even now, though they had long since graduated, the relationship between master and servant had lingered.

That didn’t mean they were close.

“I don’t even know whether to laugh or cry,” Aireen muttered bitterly. “The only person you could trust… was Edys?”

“If you had just told me,” she continued, “we could’ve looked for a way to break the curse together.”

“I didn’t know how long it would take. If I died before we found a solution… you would’ve never let me go. You would’ve stayed.”

“……”

“I didn’t want you to even have the chance to share my fate. I was afraid. I’m so sorry, Aireen.”

Carlisle’s eyes were filled with guilt as he looked up at her.

“I know it’s useless now, but… still…”

“Why do you get to decide everything?” Aireen snapped. “Even if what you said is true, it was still my heart. I wanted to share my life with you. You could’ve given me a choice!”

Her voice, thick with resentment, trembled as if she were about to cry.

The more I listened to Carlisle’s excuses, the more it hurt. Each word only reminded me of what had already been lost.

There was nothing wrong with what Carlisle had said. It made sense.

But if I had known about the curse… I would have never let him go.

I would’ve stayed.

I would’ve given him my life without hesitation—even if it meant my family grieved.

Because I loved him.

I loved Carlisle—enough to give up everything just to share my life with him.

That was why he hated and resented Carlisle even more. He could not forgive him for trying to abandon him so cruelly.

Aileen lifted the heavy burden she had been carrying ever since this merciless charade began.

“Fine. Let’s say you were thinking of me—that your selfish sacrifices were all for my sake, and you had no other choice. Then what about Judith? Why her? Why did it have to be that way?”

“…Because I thought it would be the quickest way to make you hate me completely.”

I let out a bitter laugh. It was true, so I had no response to give.

“I’m so sorry I hurt you like that. I truly am, Aileen.”

“If you understand, then stop. Don’t make this even more unbearable.”

“……”

“I still remember it clearly. The day you placed your arm around Judith’s shoulder in front of me—the day you told me you were getting engaged to her.”

“……”

“I suffered because of Judith. Back at the Academy, I liked you so much I convinced myself you were dating her. It was agonizing…”

“Aireen, Ai—”

“You know what? The pain I felt back then was far worse than what I feel now.”

Her voice turned dry, as though all emotion had been wrung from it. It sounded cold—merciless. Carlisle involuntarily took a step closer to Aileen, drawn by the chill in her words.

One day, Aileen distanced herself from him even further. Carlisle froze in place.

It wasn’t because of his curse. It was a rejection born of instinct.

“I suffered for so long because of the choices you claimed were made for me. Tell me—what woman wouldn’t go mad if, on the eve of her marriage, her trusted fiancé brought home another woman, pregnant with his child?”

A mocking smile tugged at Aileen’s lips. Carlisle clenched his fists, trembling. The weight of his past choices choked him—and he could no longer bear it.

“The path you chose was cruel.”

Carlisle closed his eyes at the harsh verdict. His long lashes fluttered.

I couldn’t begin to grasp how deeply his reckless decision had hurt Irene. But now—I finally understood.

When he appeared with Judith and spoke of breaking off the engagement, Aileen’s eyes wavered, her lips stiffened, and her hands trembled.

I wanted to die, staring at that blank, unfamiliar face—as though I were seeing a stranger. I wanted to scream that you were the only one for me. That it was all a lie. That I was cursed.

I barely survived that hellish time—because I knew my very existence was poison to Irene.

Thud. Carlisle’s body crumpled to the ground, as if the weight of it all had finally crushed him. And then—he fell to his knees.

“…Aireen, I’m so sorry. You were always the only one for me.”

His trembling voice sounded like it could vanish any second.

Carlisle looked up at her, his neck bent low in submission. His eyes, wet with tears, didn’t blink as they normally would. Before long, the tears began to fall, streaming silently down his cheeks like rain.

Aireen met his gaze—those deep blue eyes, now turned red. Once clear and bright, they were now dull and filled with pain.

But that was all.

“Will anything change just because you came to me now and apologized? It’s been a long time since that happened.”

“Aireen, I…”

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to touch anything anymore, just like you always wanted.”

Her words left a quiet ache behind. A heavy heart that refused to rise.

Yes, I understood it. I knew it all came from a place of love and care.

But the way he had treated me, the coldness, the image of Judith’s face—it kept flashing before my eyes. My heart couldn’t accept it.

What could I do? Her feelings and emotions were already out of reach.

Aireen spoke with eyes empty of emotion.

“Just rest. You need to get better so you can leave soon.”

“Aireen…”

His desperate voice faded into the air. His hands, which had been reaching toward her, slowly fell, unable to close the distance.

Carlisle turned his back without another word, watching as Aireen walked away, lost in a daze.

In his memory, Aireen had always been smiling. Her eyes, always filled with warmth and love, had once looked only at him. That kindness—something he longed for as a child but never received—remained in his memories.

“Stop kneeling. If your condition worsens, they’ll just lock you up again.”

Aireen’s words were sharp and cold as she pulled him back from the edge of despair. It wasn’t out of concern. She said it because she was tired of seeing him like that.

Carlisle understood what her words really meant. They weren’t care—they were sharp needles disguised as kindness.

Aireen had completely closed herself off. She lay in the farthest corner of the room, her back to him, as if even a glance would be too much.

Knowing he shouldn’t disturb her, Carlisle apologized again.

“Aireen… I’m sorry. I hurt you by judging everything on my own.”

“Stop. I’m tired.”

Her voice was cold. The rest of Carlisle’s words got stuck in his throat, unspoken. He wanted to keep apologizing until he couldn’t speak anymore, but Aireen’s back didn’t move. She had completely shut him out.

Saying anything more now would be selfish. He didn’t want to wake her. So he sat quietly, staring at her back, tears falling endlessly, whispering apologies she would never hear.

—

After a night as cold as winter, Carlisle’s wounds had mostly healed. With a bit more rest, he’d be ready to travel again.

But his face was still pale, and his body showed signs of exhaustion from staying up all night worrying. He tried to act fine—he didn’t want to burden Aireen—but it was hard to tell if it worked.

“I’ll try to figure things out… little by little… starting tomorrow.”

His tone had returned to polite formality. Aireen, who had been checking his condition, remained quiet, her face expressionless.

Carlisle didn’t even think of bringing up what had happened the day before. He couldn’t. His voice came out stiff and awkward instead, as Aireen continued speaking.

“You should rest today. I’ll clean up and bring you something to eat.”

“That won’t do.”

“If you keep moving around with your body in that state, you’ll just collapse again. There’s no food left. Someone has to go out.”

“I’ll go. I can at least do that.”

“Captain.”

Just yesterday, she had apologized in tears. And now, not even a day later, she was like this again. I knew what she was trying to do, but Aireen was clearly getting angry.

She was a knight. Her ankle was almost healed. Even if it wasn’t, she was still in better shape than Carlisle. And it wasn’t her who had caused him to end up this way.

Aireen opened her mouth to speak, not hiding her frustration.

That was when— “What, you two were hiding here?”

A strange voice cut through the air creepy and close, as if it had always been lurking nearby.

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