I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 15

The butler, who had assisted Eve in fulfilling her duties as the Countess for years, had a somber look on his face. Their relationship over the past three years hadn’t been particularly close, but she hadn’t expected him to be this saddened.

“Butler?”

“Oh, I apologize. Yes, you may leave tomorrow.”

The butler was the one who had taught Eve everything she needed to know about managing the household, guiding her into her role as Countess. Out of gratitude, Eve always spoke to him politely, despite his insistence that it wasn’t necessary. Eve, however, never budged on this. Even today, as they discussed divorce, her respect remained unchanged.

Unlike his usual, flawless smile, the butler’s face was clouded with worry.

‘It seems the people around me are more shocked than I am.’

Regaining his composure, the butler responded to Eve’s question, “And if you sign here, all the procedures will be complete.”

“Is that so?”

Eve took the documents he handed over and reviewed them. To proceed with the divorce, imperial approval was required, and the emperor’s seal was already stamped on the papers.

‘Already?’

The Count, who had always avoided facing the Emperor, had already secured imperial approval. It was unclear whether he was driven by some great love to rush things, but the divorce papers were fully prepared, save for Eve’s signature. After thoroughly reviewing the papers, Eve picked up a pen and signed.

The butler, watching her with a troubled gaze, handed her another envelope. “And these are the papers the master has sent.”

“Ah.”

Suppressing a laugh, Eve opened the envelope. Inside were documents related to the 100 million gold she had been awarded—half in cash, the other half in property. Eve decided not to think of Azazel anymore. A sum like 100 million gold was more than enough to soothe any guilty conscience. She scanned the documents one last time.

Over the past three years, Eve had been able to learn everything she needed, from etiquette to business, without lacking anything. With the butler’s help, she had also managed the Count’s estate finances herself. She was fully capable of reviewing contracts like these on her own.

“Yes, Butler, you’ve worked hard all this time.”

As Eve tidied up the papers and thanked him, the butler shook his head. “No, madam. You are the one who has endured.”

“Endured? Not really.”

Though Eve didn’t feel as though she had endured anything particularly difficult, the butler seemed to think otherwise. He lowered his head.

“The master…”

“Don’t dwell on it. It wasn’t a marriage made out of love to begin with, was it? And I’ve been generously compensated.”

Eve playfully shook the envelope of documents, but the butler still looked troubled. He sighed softly before asking, “Will you be staying at the mansion in the capital that the master has provided?”

Recalling the peculiar condition the Count had set, Eve’s expression momentarily darkened.

“Yes, I’m required to stay in the capital for a month. And I have to meet with him twice a week.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

It made no sense to her. The Count, perhaps due to concern for his image or being conscious of others’ opinions, had made several troublesome demands. But if he was so worried about rumors, wouldn’t it be better for Eve to leave the capital quickly instead?

‘If anything, showing up together will only attract more attention.’

Though Eve had expressed this sentiment to the butler, the Count’s decision was firm. To receive the 100 million gold, she had to agree to these strange terms, so Eve had no choice but to accept.

She shrugged. “I guess if it’s only for a month… It won’t be too different from usual.”

Eve tried to view the situation as optimistically as possible.

“Will you keep the servants of that mansion?”

“Yes, it’s too troublesome to hire new ones.”

When the Count had given her a mansion in the capital, he had also transferred the servants who managed it. Since Eve didn’t have time to recruit new staff, this arrangement suited her well.

The butler asked cautiously, “Will you be taking the maids who have been serving you?”

Now that he mentioned it, she remembered that she had been told she could bring along the maids who had assisted her closely over the past three years if she wished.

“Wouldn’t that be a demotion for them?”

Even though she was now wealthy, would the maids, who had worked for the prestigious Count’s household, really want to follow her, a divorcee? Before the butler could respond, the door burst open, and Eve’s maids rushed in.

“No, madam!”

“How rude!”

Though the butler scolded them, the maids ignored him and clung to Eve.

“Madam, please take us with you!”

“Yes, we want to come along.”

“We’re your direct servants, madam. If a new madam comes, we’ll be relegated to menial tasks anyway.”

Eve looked at the three maids who had attended her for the past three years. Though they were occasionally loud and overstepped boundaries, they had always been diligent in understanding her needs and doing their jobs well.

‘And they’re comfortable.’

They were also discreet. The only people who knew that Eve had to bear witness to the Count’s affairs were these three maids and the butler. The other staff only assumed that the Count occasionally brought his lovers to the mansion, as he always had.

“Well…”

Seeing Eve hesitate, the butler chimed in, “You should. There are maids at the mansion, but it will be easier to work with those you’re familiar with.”

True, it would be difficult to trust just anyone when attention would inevitably be on her for a while. Slowly, Eve nodded.

“…In that case, I can’t promise the prestige of working for the Count’s household, but your wages will remain the same. You don’t have to worry about that.”

As the maids brightened at her words, she added, “I’ll accommodate any other requests you might have.”

“Yes.”

“If you have any specific demands, just let me know without hesitation.”

“Yes!”

The excited maids chattered away about how they would redecorate the new mansion. Though the noisy atmosphere didn’t fit the situation, Eve was already used to it. As she considered dismissing them, someone peeked through the open door and spoke.

“Madam, the master wishes to see you for a moment.”

Though she thought everything had been conveyed through the butler, perhaps there was something more to discuss. Eve dismissed the maids and, before leaving the room, handed the divorce papers to the butler.

“Then, please make the necessary preparations for my departure tomorrow.”

It was unclear what else there was to say, but a final goodbye wouldn’t hurt.

‘He has given me such a generous parting gift, after all.’

With a light heart, Eve made her way down the hall.

***

As Eve casually walked to meet the Count, she found her steps slowing the closer she got to his room. The memory of her encounter with Azazel resurfaced. Eve didn’t think what had happened wasn’t sex. After all, what else could it be, even if they hadn’t fully gone through with it?

However, she had no intention of confessing to the Count about her time with Azazel. Eve wasn’t the kind of person to give up 100 million gold over some feelings of guilt. It wasn’t a proud secret, but it was one she intended to take to the grave.

The servant announced Eve’s arrival outside the Count’s study. “Come in,” came the response from within, and after dismissing the servant, Eve stepped inside and closed the door. While the servants of the Hound household were known for their discretion, one could never be too careful about what might be overheard.

The Count, seated at a table in one corner of the room, gestured to the chair opposite him as Eve approached. As soon as she sat down, he began to speak.

“So, did you finish with the papers?”

“I signed them and gave them to the butler.”

“Then it’s all over.”

“Yes. It wrapped up faster than I thought.”

Despite having been married for a not insignificant amount of time, everything seemed to be over too quickly.

‘Am I feeling regret?’

No, she didn’t regret the divorce. What she did feel was a slight sense of futility—thinking of all the effort she had put into becoming the Countess of Hound, only for it all to amount to nothing. It also felt strange to go back to being called Eve ‘Jenna’ instead of the Hound name, which she had grown accustomed to. But unlike Eve, the Count appeared quite relieved.

“There was no need to drag it out. You’ve done well for the past three years, so I don’t have any worries. Just make sure to abide by the terms of the contract moving forward.”

“Of course.”

He was referring to the terms regarding her residence and their meetings post-divorce. Eve still didn’t understand the conditions, but she nodded absentmindedly. This wasn’t the first time she couldn’t grasp what was going on in the Count’s mind.

The Count pulled out a document he had set aside and waved it lightly. “So, this strange contract is now over as well?”

The document he held was the prenuptial agreement they had made before getting married, and as he said, it was now just a meaningless piece of paper.

“It seemed pretty reasonable to me…”

Thanks to the agreement, they had managed to live a relatively comfortable marriage for three years. They both knew what was expected of them and what not to expect, so there had been little room for emotional friction.

Eve had tolerated some of the Count’s peculiar habits from time to time, but overall, they had maintained a decent relationship.