I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 32

“It seems it would be best to stay one more day. Rose agrees as well, and I’m thinking of holding the exhibition a little sooner.”

“Ah…”

As Eve hesitated, Rose quickly interjected. “To be honest… I’m terribly sorry, but I haven’t shown you all my paintings yet.”

There were apparently more hidden works that Eve hadn’t seen.

Rose nervously fidgeted under the table. “However, after seeing the Duchess’s collection today, I’ve come to think it might be fine to reveal those paintings as well…”

Smiling slightly at Rose’s belated confession, Eve reassured her. “It’s impossible to know everything from the start. Thanks to the Duchess, I’ll get to see more of your wonderful paintings.”

“I told you to call me Aeshath. So, will you stay another day?”

To be honest, the suggestion wasn’t welcome at all. She had a bad feeling that encountering Azazel any further would not end well. However, Eve couldn’t find a suitable excuse to decline Aeshath’s offer.

She cautiously looked toward Dane, hoping he might refuse on her behalf, but he simply winked at her as if everything was fine.

Far from being the help she had hoped for, Dane had only made her anxious all day. Resigning herself, Eve couldn’t come up with any more excuses and reluctantly accepted Aeshath’s proposal.

***

After dinner, Eve walked alongside Dane, who had dismissed the servants and insisted on escorting her to her room himself.

“Nothing happened between you and Azazel, right?”

Despite Dane’s worried gaze, Eve maintained her composure.

“Of course not. Thanks to you, I had a thorough explanation.”

“That’s a relief. But still, be careful.”

“Yes, I will.”

Before any further discussion about Azazel could arise, Eve changed the subject. “What did you think of the paintings?”

“I had a feeling they would be good since you were sponsoring the artist, and they were quite impressive.”

“Rose is an artist with a lot of potential.”

Despite her talent, Rose had remained relatively unknown for a long time due to the nature of her work.

“But that also makes her a bit dangerous, doesn’t it?”

As expected, Dane immediately pointed out the risks. Just as her paintings were polarizing, so too would be the public’s opinions of her work. When Eve decided to sponsor Rose, she had taken into account her own position at the time. As the Countess of Hound, such decisions came with heavy considerations.

Eve nodded in agreement. “Yes, her paintings tend to be on the darker side, don’t they?”

“More than dark—some of them were downright unsettling.”

Even though they were simply landscapes, they evoked such strong reactions. Eve couldn’t help but feel both anticipation and concern about the new paintings that Rose would soon bring.

“Outwardly, she may seem timid and innocent, but there’s clearly more to her beneath the surface.”

Eve chuckled softly at Dane’s concerned warning. “Well, that’s one way to see it.”

“I suspect the new paintings will be even more intense.”

It seemed Dane shared her worries. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Even if Rose were truly dangerous, she would never reveal that side of herself in front of Aeshath. Whether or not her art suited the public’s taste, Aeshath’s sponsorship would smooth over any issues. After all, who would dare question the artist backed by the Duchess of Seratine?

It was nothing short of a miracle that Rose, after losing her connection to the Countess of Hound, had crossed paths with the Duchess of Seratine. Rose, who had once lived only for her art, was now diligently seizing this opportunity.

“It’ll be fine. Aeshath is the one unveiling her art.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

With that, Eve felt a bit more at ease.

“By the way, is there anything you’d like to tell me?”

“Hm?”

“Behind that curtain, for example.”

Eve’s heart sank. Dane’s face had turned serious, and his question was laced with meaning. To keep her anxiety from showing, Eve swallowed dryly and looked back at him.

“What do you mean…?”

Dane stared at her for a long moment before breaking into a teasing grin. “What kind of paintings are hidden there? How could the artist be so confident in presenting them?”

Relieved, Eve quickly replied, “They were all quite ordinary.”

“I’m not sure I believe that.”

“I’m afraid I can’t say much more. I’m not the Countess anymore, just the daughter of a baron.”

Eve’s subtle refusal was met with a look of disappointment from Dane.

“Then how about becoming the Countess again and telling me?”

Her exasperated laugh prompted Dane to smile more brightly. “Ah, now that’s better. You’ve been looking down all evening. Did something happen?”

Though Eve appreciated his concern, she couldn’t very well confess to her ex-husband about the indecency she had committed with his son. Instead, she shrugged and offered a reasonable excuse.

“It’s not that anything happened; it’s just that I don’t find this place particularly comfortable.”

“Ah, so I was being tactless earlier.”

“What can you do?”

Her response was matter-of-fact. Dane, with an apologetic look, made a suggestion. “Tomorrow, I’ll handle Azazel while you spend time with Aeshath. She seems quite fond of you.”

“If you’re going to argue, I’d rather you stay put.”

She couldn’t let Dane see Azazel’s battered lips.

“I’ll do my best to keep the peace.”

Since the offer was made with good intentions, it seemed odd to insist otherwise. Besides, considering Azazel’s current state, there was no telling if he would even make an appearance tomorrow.

“Very well, go ahead. Though I’m not sure if the young Duke will join the day’s activities.”

“Is he very busy?”

“He didn’t share that sort of thing with me.”

Eve’s deliberately indifferent reply helped steer the conversation away from Azazel.

“But Dane, where exactly are we?”

She had been wondering this for a while now.

At first, she hadn’t noticed while they were engrossed in conversation, but Eve soon realized that they had been walking around the same hallway in circles. Dane burst into hearty laughter at her question.

“Haha, well, I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

Eve narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Please don’t tell me what I think you’re going to say.”

“Sorry, but I’m lost.”

He had arrived at the villa for the first time today, yet he had confidently dismissed the servants and offered to escort her, only to get them both lost. Staring up at Dane, Eve was momentarily speechless. His expression remained cheerful, despite her incredulous gaze.

Looking at his desperate attempt to laugh it off, Eve couldn’t help but break into laughter herself. When she finally composed herself, wiping tears from her eyes, she asked, “Should we just wait for someone to find us?”

Dane, regaining his composure, shook his head. “No, we should keep looking and try to find some servants.”

Now that she thought about it, Aeshath had mentioned during dinner that there were no servants stationed on the third floor where the guests were staying, to ensure their privacy. They would have to find the staff elsewhere.

Eve sighed. “Alright, let’s get off this floor first.”

As they continued down the winding corridors, Dane kept glancing at Eve, who was still trying to stifle her laughter.

Finally, she asked him with a smirk, “Dane, are you always this bad with directions?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, everyone struggles a bit at first.”

“Next time, make sure to let the servants guide you.”

This villa, fitting for a ducal family, had hallways that twisted and turned like a maze, unlike ordinary hallways. It was said to be one of the security measures against assassins, but because of it, finding the way around would take even more time.

“You’re right. It’s never wrong to seek help from others. It can make everything run more smoothly.”

Eve chuckled. “Stop with the pointless talk and focus on finding our way.”

The two bickered lightly as they continued their search for the stairs through the confusing hallways.

***

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to find a servant. While Dane exchanged pleasantries, Eve returned to her room, her cheeks still aching from laughing so much.

After receiving assistance from the maids, Eve remembered lying down on the bed. When she opened her eyes again, she realized she was dreaming.

Standing alone in the darkness, Eve wondered why, after spending the evening with her ex-husband, she couldn’t stop thinking about his son. At this point, she had to admit it—she felt lust for her stepson.

As she thought of his eyes, Eve couldn’t deny her desires. Just as she accepted this, the black-haired man from her dreams appeared. Eve resented him.

If you had fully satisfied me in my dreams, if I hadn’t been left wanting, I wouldn’t have been so drawn to Azazel’s absurd advances.

That half-realized pleasure, that lingering frustration, was why she found herself wanting Azazel. It was foolish to blame someone else, but then again, he was just a figment of her dream. There was no shame in it.