I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 45

After the earlier incident, one might have expected him to be a bit withdrawn, but her ex-husband had quite a thick skin. Eve glanced at Dane, who had naturally seated himself next to her.

“Your seat is across from me.”

“You seem like you’re still upset, so I thought I’d help you calm down.”

“Does sitting next to me calm me down?”

Dane smiled nonchalantly, “If past experiences are anything to go by, yes.”

“Who on earth would calm down with this ridiculous behavior?”

Dane laughed, unbothered. “Aeshath used to, and so did my other wives after that.”

Now that Aeshath’s name had come up, it was harder to make snide remarks. Eve stared at Dane intently.

“…I guess you must have had quite a face.”

Dane lifted his hand, stroking his chin with pride. “You should’ve seen me in my twenties. I was much better looking than Azazel.”

Better looking than Azazel? Eve couldn’t help but ask.

“Is that even possible?”

Dane let out a small laugh. “So, you are still upset.”

“I’ve seen old portraits of you. You weren’t that stunning.”

“A portrait can’t fully capture my beauty.”

His arrogance was beyond belief, but it made Eve laugh, and seeing that, Dane beamed like a child.

“You laughed.”

Eve, unable to stop smiling, replied, “I’ve been laughing this whole time.”

“But this time, you laughed sincerely.”

“I laughed because it was absurd.”

“But you still laughed.”

His shamelessness was truly unmatched in the empire.

“Now that my anger is gone, shouldn’t you go sit across from me?”

Eve gestured to the seat opposite her, but Dane shook his head with a carefree expression. “Today, I want to stay closer to you.”

“You’re getting bolder.”

“When I act bold, you laugh.”

Eve was about to deny it, but she ended up laughing again, taken aback by his audacity.

“I didn’t know you had this side.”

Their pointless conversation was a great way to pass the time. Around five o’clock, when Eve checked the time, Dane playfully grumbled.

“Trying to send me off already, huh?”

Even though he joked about being upset, Dane stood up before Eve could say anything. He leaned in close, just enough for their noses to almost touch, gazing into her eyes with a small smile before tilting his head and placing a light kiss on her cheek.

“Alright, see you next time.”

He whispered the goodbye in her ear, then stepped back.

***

Like she had done the past few days, Eve bathed alone, slipping into a fresh nightgown before leaving the bathroom. Lina was waiting for her outside. Eve quickly glanced down to ensure her body was fully covered before asking.

“What is it?”

“I came to dry your hair.”

Eve sat at her vanity without protest, letting Lina attend to her. As Lina carefully dried her hair, she hesitated before speaking.

“Um, my lady?”

Eve glanced at her without a word.

“Is there something wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“…You’ve been refusing our help recently. If there’s a problem, we’ll fix it.”

Eve wasn’t surprised. She had anticipated that continued refusals of their service might lead to misunderstandings.

“You’re worrying over nothing. If I weren’t satisfied with you, would I consider taking you with me to the countryside?”

“Oh…”

“When we move to the countryside, things will be easier. The house is smaller than this one, and my sister is helping me find reliable servants, so they’ll be more manageable.”

After the divorce, Eve had purchased a new house in her sister Cynthia’s estate, preparing it as a place to live if she ever needed to move. Cynthia was meticulous, so by the time Eve moved, everything would be in order.

“Of course, I’ll need someone to manage this mansion, so staying here would be fine too. I’m not planning to sell it. You’re the only ones I trust with the mansion.”

Lina, startled, looked at Eve with wide eyes. “My lady, we’ve never considered…”

“It’s just something I’ve been thinking about. It would be convenient to have your help, but I also want to give you the choice.”

Moved by Eve’s words, Lina’s eyes welled up with tears. “So that’s why you’ve been refusing our service recently!”

That wasn’t the reason, but it was easier to let her think so, so Eve smiled softly.

Lina wiped her eyes, sniffling as she spoke, “Thank you, my lady. We’ll talk it over among ourselves.”

“Good. You’ve done well today. Go rest.”

Lina thanked her again and left the room. Eve collapsed onto her bed with a slow exhale. Another day was over—or so she thought, until her eyes flew open.

‘No, wait.’

Azazel was supposed to visit tonight, so the day wasn’t quite over yet. Eve blinked in confusion, realizing something.

‘How is he planning to come?’

If he visited officially, they’d only be able to exchange a few words, but their relationship wasn’t one of lovers, so there was no point in such a visit. Still, was it possible for Azazel to sneak into her room this late at night? Eve felt a strange sense of disappointment.

‘Why are you feeling disappointed, Eve Jenna?’

It seemed she had been secretly looking forward to the night they might spend together. At that moment, she heard a clicking sound. Surprised, she sat up, but the door was still closed. Eve turned her head toward the source of the noise.

‘The wall?’

The sound had come from the wall where a large painting was hung. Eve frowned as she looked in that direction, and soon, the wall shifted to the side, revealing a hidden passage. From within it, Azazel appeared.

“What is this?”

Eve stared in disbelief at the wall Azazel had emerged from. Could the Seratine’s heir create secret passages out of thin air? But the passage seemed too well-made to have been created on a whim. Was it a secret passage she didn’t know about? Why hadn’t she, the owner of the mansion, been told about it?

Many thoughts raced through her mind as she approached Azazel, looking between him and the passage he had just stepped out of.

Azazel calmly explained, as if soothing her. “It’s an old passage.”

“A passage that was already in the mansion?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t I know about it? Shouldn’t someone have told me when they gave me the mansion?”

“Well, even the Count didn’t know about it.”

“What?”

Eve looked back at the wall, astonished.

Azazel elaborated, “This mansion has belonged to the Hound family for a long time. It’s not unusual for records to have been lost.”

It wasn’t uncommon for records of old houses to disappear. But how did Azazel know about something that even his father, Dane, didn’t?

“How did you find out about it?”

“I came across it by chance.”

As always, he had no intention of explaining in detail.

“Are there more of these?”

“There are, but no one else knows about them. Why not focus on me instead?”

Azazel moved closer, wrapping his arms around Eve’s waist. She didn’t resist as he leaned in to kiss her, instead wrapping her arms around his neck.

Their lips met, tongues intertwining, and his hands slid from her waist to rest on her hips. At the same time, his firm thigh pressed between her legs.

Azazel nibbled on the edge of her ear before softly biting down, whispering between small kisses. “Your hair’s still a little damp. It smells nice.”

Burying his face in the crook of her neck, Azazel nuzzled her, and a soft laugh escaped her lips, though this wasn’t quite what she had anticipated.

Eve ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke, “That’s cute and all, but you’re not just planning to hold me like this, are you?”

“…You’re so straightforward, I love it.”

Instead of replying, Eve lowered her hands to caress his broad shoulders. His smooth skin was nice, but she preferred the feel of his firm muscles under her palms.

As her fingers traced his skin, Eve asked, “Are your shoulders this broad because you practice swordsmanship?”

Azazel let out a boyish laugh that tickled her ear. His lips, once pressed to her neck, began to trail lower as his grip on her waist tightened. Eve leaned back against his strong arms, and he eagerly kissed down her collarbone and between her breasts.

As his arousal pressed against her stomach, a warmth bloomed inside her. Still playing with the strong thigh nestled between her legs, Eve asked, “So, you took your medicine today?”

“Of course. You’ll take care of me, won’t you?”

“What are you, a dog? Why are you always asking me to take care of you?”

Azazel responded to her teasing seriously, “Wouldn’t it be better if I were a dog?”

“What?”

Pretending not to notice Eve’s shocked expression, Azazel murmured into her chest, his eyes peeking up at her.

“If I were a cute dog, you’d love me unconditionally. I’ve got good bloodlines and I’m obedient. I’d be a perfect loyal pet.”

Azazel playfully nudged his hips forward, laughing softly.