I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 34

Eve glanced at Dane, who covered his mouth as he let out a small yawn.

“It’s probably because I’m not used to this place.”

Dane’s answer made Aeshath tilt her head. “The Dane I know sleeps well anywhere, regardless of who’s beside him. You never seemed to be affected by your surroundings, did you?”

Aeshath’s mischievous tone and glance between Dane’s legs left little to the imagination. Dane, who had been nodding along absentmindedly, suddenly realized the implication and jumped in shock.

“What? No, what are you talking about?”

Dane coughed awkwardly as he glanced at Eve, who smiled slightly.

Aeshath shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, come on. Who here doesn’t know about your wandering eyes?”

Dane shot her a look of annoyance, but their conversation sounded more like a banter between close friends than an exchange between a divorced couple.

Eve chuckled softly, but her smile faded as she spotted someone approaching them from the corridor. It was Azazel, dressed in bright clothes with his neatly combed, shiny hair.

His lips, which had been swollen and scabbed the day before, were now completely healed. Just what kind of incredible medicine had he used to make such a recovery overnight? But before Eve could ponder further, Aeshath also noticed Azazel’s presence and greeted him.

“You’re here. Are you done with your work?”

Azazel nodded calmly. “Yes.”

“Good. Since we’re all up early, we should start today’s activities…”

“How about you spend the day with Eve? She’s a more important guest than I am,” Dane interrupted, winking at Eve.

Aeshath frowned briefly but, after a moment of thought, nodded readily. “All right, then today, I’ll go with Eve and Rose.”

Despite being the subject of the discussion, Azazel showed no reaction to the conversation unfolding without his input.

Rose, seizing the moment, eagerly guided Eve and Aeshath to a new painting. Gaining confidence as she saw no signs of discomfort from either of them, she introduced her work with increasing enthusiasm.

“This painting was created after receiving your patronage, my lady. It was my first time painting on such a large canvas…”

The painting was indeed the largest one of Rose’s that Eve had ever seen. It was wider than the span of both Aeshath and Eve’s arms together. It was clear that a lot of effort had gone into it, and it was by far the most intricate of Rose’s works. The contrast between the colors was especially striking.

The bright blue sky, glowing brilliantly, gradually darkened toward the right side of the painting, turning into an inky blackness, dripping with a visceral, sticky texture. The translucent, radiant sky slowly morphed into a blood-red hue that Eve liked before dissolving into a deep black night, filled with blotches of darkness that made it impossible to see through.

While one could interpret it as a depiction of a sunset, Rose’s signature dark style gave the painting an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.

While Eve lingered over the painting, Dane called Rose aside for a brief conversation. Left alone, Aeshath stared at the blackened sky on the canvas and finally spoke.

“It’s… a bit creepy.”

The darkness seemed ready to crawl out of the painting. For a piece so full of life, the liveliness felt like a curse. Even to Eve, who admired Rose’s work, this painting felt uncomfortably dark.

“Yes, it is.”

Aeshath let out a hollow laugh. “The talent is undeniable. In one way or another, it’s a painting that leaves an impression.”

As she mentioned, evoking any emotion—whether discomfort or fear—when viewing a painting was indeed a significant talent.

Eve, seeking confirmation, asked, “Would you be alright with holding an exhibition?”

Rose’s newer paintings exuded even more discomfort than her earlier works. Aeshath hesitated briefly before responding.

“It doesn’t bother me. After all, very few people would dare challenge me. And as far as the paintings themselves are concerned, they are remarkable. Feeling this level of unease from a painting is proof of Rose’s talent.”

Eve and Aeshath seemed to be of one mind. Eve then voiced her earlier thought.

“Aeshath, I think it might be best if my name is left out of the exhibition. There’s no need to invite unnecessary rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?”

Eve hesitated briefly before deciding to speak plainly. “Unpleasant rumors, such as sharing the same tastes as my former husband.”

As expected, Aeshath’s expression hardened. Anticipating this, Eve remained calm as she continued, “It’s already strange enough for people to see us together like this. If it becomes public that we are both supporting the same artist, it will only fuel the gossip.”

“But it’s a well-known fact that you were the one to discover Rose,” Aeshath replied.

“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be quieter if we kept that under wraps during the exhibition?”

Eve hadn’t been sponsoring Rose for long. Since Rose’s paintings were sure to create quite a stir, it was better to let Aeshath’s role as her patron take the spotlight. Once Rose gained recognition, people might dig into her past, but by then, any controversy would have little impact.

Understanding Eve’s reasoning, Aeshath frowned slightly. “You’re more concerned about Rose than yourself, I see.”

“Yes. Her paintings alone will already attract enough controversy. Adding a convoluted backstory with her patrons would only weigh her down.”

Eve didn’t want Rose’s exceptional work to be overshadowed by rumors. Hearing her explanation, Aeshath smiled slightly.

“You want people to focus on the art, not on us?”

“It’s a bit strange to say this while I’m using your name for the exhibition, but yes, I don’t want her work to be buried under her patrons’ shadows.”

“Won’t you regret it?”

“There’s nothing to regret.”

After all, she would soon be leaving the capital. Even if her name didn’t come up during the exhibition, it would eventually be known that she had been involved. That was enough for Eve. Aeshath sighed, glancing at Rose, who was animatedly talking to Dane.

“Let’s prepare thoroughly for the exhibition. Maybe we should even have Rose stay here for a while to work on more paintings.”

“Here?”

“Yes. I’ve often lent out this villa to artists preparing for exhibitions.”

Aeshath glanced at the heavily layered painting. “I’m curious to see how much better she can get in a more supportive environment. You mentioned that you liked the way she uses the color red?”

Eve nodded slightly. “Yes, that’s right. It’s a bit unique, don’t you think?”

Liking such eerie paintings was bound to draw some odd looks. Eve cautiously mentioned this, but Aeshath shook her head.

“No, I feel drawn to it as well.”

For a long while, Aeshath stood silently, gazing at the painting. Then, out of the blue, she changed the subject.

“So, what did you think of my collection? You spent quite a while looking at it.”

Eve quickly pushed the memory of her kiss with Azazel to the back of her mind and answered, “I enjoyed it very much. Especially the one about the black-haired demon.”

Aeshath smiled in agreement. “That painting left quite an impression on Rose. It’s what inspired her to bring all her work here. She said the painting exuded a profound darkness.”

“That painting?” Eve replied, her voice revealing her doubt.

Noticing the negative tone, Aeshath glanced at Eve. “Did you interpret it differently?”

Eve recalled the paintings she had seen. Her experience with Azazel had clouded her impression, but still, the paintings hadn’t felt that dark to her.

“They were dark, yes, but I felt more loneliness and love than anything else.”

While Rose’s paintings were unsettling, there was a distinct sense of emotion in them as well.

“You’re quite a compassionate person, aren’t you?” Aeshath looked at Eve warmly, smiling kindly.

The unexpected comment left Eve puzzled.

“We’ll need to meet more often in the future if we want this exhibition to go smoothly.”

Eve’s mind immediately went to Azazel, not Aeshath. As if reading her thoughts, Aeshath brought him up.

“Azazel has a good eye for art. He’ll be useful for the exhibition.”

“Isn’t that… complicated?” Eve asked awkwardly, though Aeshath seemed unbothered by the suggestion.

“It’s unlikely you’ll be able to avoid Azazel completely if you’re going to spend time with me.”

The certainty with which Aeshath spoke left Eve stunned.

“Pardon?”

“I’ve already told you, I like you.”

“But we’ve only just met once.”