I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 55

‘If Dane has figured something out, that means he didn’t know until now.’

A secret unknown even to his parents.

‘So, does that mean Aeshath doesn’t know either?’

Azazel didn’t like it when Eve was with Dane. If Aeshath had known something, Azazel would have sent her to Aeshath, not Dane. As her thoughts reached this point, another question arose: how did Dane come to know Azazel’s secret, something even Aeshath might not know?

‘No, how he found out isn’t the important part.’

What Eve needed to worry about now was whether Dane would even meet with her. In fact, she was heading to Hound Mansion without prior notice, just in case he might refuse her visit. It would be hard for him to turn her away, given that she was once his wife, and if he allowed her inside, it would be even harder to avoid her.

‘He said he liked me, so he wouldn’t avoid me outright, would he?’

If the woman he liked came to visit him while he was sick, surely he would meet her at least once. Then again, if he cared for her deeply and was feeling very unwell, he might refuse to see her for that reason.

‘He cares a lot about appearances.’

Or maybe he wouldn’t meet her because he didn’t want to worry her.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the carriage arrived at the Hound estate. With Gina’s help, Eve stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the mansion that had once been her home. Beyond the gate, she saw the surprised butler hurrying toward her.

Taking a deep breath, Eve greeted the flustered butler with a smooth smile. “It’s been a while.”

“Madam… My lady.”

Eve pretended not to notice the butler’s slip and smiled, gesturing to the bouquet Gina was holding.

“It seems he must be very ill to have canceled our appointment. I feel terrible, thinking I may have caused him to overexert himself last week. May I see the Count?”

“Pardon? Oh, um…”

The butler hesitated briefly before leading Eve to the drawing room.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

“Is he very unwell?”

The butler, now more composed, managed his expression as he answered, “If he rests, he should recover.”

“The young duke suggested that I visit Dane.”

Though she had been allowed inside the mansion, if she couldn’t meet with Dane, her purpose for the visit would be unfulfilled. So, Eve deliberately mentioned Azazel. If Dane had uncovered something about Azazel, he wouldn’t easily ignore the fact that she had come at Azazel’s recommendation.

The butler, startled, turned to look at her. “Young Duke Seratine suggested it?”

“Yes, we happened to meet yesterday while I was out.”

“…I see. Please wait a moment.”

“Take your time.”

As soon as Eve gave her permission, the butler hurried away. His urgency suggested that Azazel’s name had worked. Sitting in the familiar drawing room, sipping the familiar tea, Eve recalled the face of the butler she had briefly seen.

‘He looked a bit thinner.’

There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was filled with an unmistakable sense of unease. The atmosphere in the mansion also felt a bit more disordered than she remembered.

‘Is he really that ill?’

Eve had come mostly out of personal curiosity, but now she was beginning to feel a twinge of guilt.

***

The previous day, after returning home with trembling limbs, Dane had shut himself away in his study, refusing to see anyone, including the servants. His labored breathing was as unsteady as a flickering candle on the verge of going out, and Dane was barely holding on to his sanity. Of the two letters he had sent, the shopkeeper had been the first to reply.

Knowing that the real patron of the shop was the Hound family, the reply contained the answer Dane had been seeking. The shopkeeper confirmed that there was indeed an item connected to the Hound family. But unexpectedly, the shopkeeper mentioned an item that had been entrusted to the shop by Dane’s ancestors—a story Dane had never heard before.

After exchanging several more letters with the shopkeeper, Dane learned that the item his ancestors had left was a dagger known to purify evil, and that a matching dagger had recently been sold to the Seratine family. Aeshath herself had visited the shop to retrieve the dagger, and now she was searching for its twin. Though skeptical of the story, Dane rushed to the shop.

The shop was far more ordinary than he had expected, but Dane wasn’t disappointed. The shopkeeper, who had been visibly shaken by Dane’s sudden visit, hurriedly ushered him inside and brought out a round metal container. When the shopkeeper opened the rusted, blackened lid, it revealed several similar-looking daggers inside. As Dane looked down at the daggers, the shopkeeper cleared his throat and explained.

“Ah, this… well, it’s…”

It was obvious that the shopkeeper intended to sell them as genuine relics. Waving him off, Dane said, “Enough. Just bring me the real item.”

The shopkeeper hurriedly pulled out one of the daggers.

“This is it. You can tell just by looking at it that it’s different from the others. It’s worthy of being called a weapon to eradicate evil.”

The shopkeeper was right. Though the dagger was as featureless and plain as the others, there was an odd, sacred aura about it, as if it were something not meant to be touched.

What followed wasn’t particularly remarkable. Knowing that Aeshath had come in person to retrieve the matching dagger, Dane sent a letter to her through the shopkeeper, hoping to speak with her without Azazel knowing.

After sending the letter, Dane carefully stored the real dagger. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he felt he had to keep it.

As the shopkeeper greedily eyed the box in Dane’s arms, he asked cautiously, “But if the Duchess doesn’t come in person…?”

Dane, sounding unconcerned, gestured to the pile of fake daggers. “Just give her one of those.”

“But these look too plain. She might notice right away.”

Given that Aeshath already had the matching dagger, it was a valid concern.

“Tell her to come to Hound Mansion if she has any doubts.”

Even if he didn’t meet her today, this would give him another chance to meet her later. Nodding quickly, the shopkeeper grabbed one of the fake daggers and placed it in a box.

“Anything else the Hound family has left here?”

“Well, there are a few items…”

Judging by the shopkeeper’s nervous expression, it seemed that he had sold most of the valuables while the family’s interest in the shop had waned. But Dane was too exhausted to be angry.

“What can I see right now?”

“Oh, I have some holy water. One moment.”

The shopkeeper returned with two small bottles, each no bigger than a palm. Dane eyed him suspiciously.

“Is that everything?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’ve brought it all.”

The shopkeeper nodded vigorously. Dane, unimpressed by the unremarkable items, quickly lost interest and moved on.

“Any records from the Hound family?”

“Of course. We’ve kept them all. But may I ask why you’ve suddenly taken an interest in this? I thought you weren’t interested in such things, unlike your grandfather.”

“You knew my grandfather?”

“Our family has been running this shop for generations.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ve recently become interested in this sort of thing.”

The shopkeeper gave Dane a suspicious look. “Did something strange happen to you?”

The persistent questioning irritated Dane. “Do I need to explain anything to you?”

At Dane’s sharp tone, the shopkeeper fell silent. Just then, one of the staff approached.

“Sir, someone from the duchy has arrived.”

“Has Duchess Seratin come?”

The shopkeeper eagerly welcomed the news.

“No, the young duke has come instead.”

At the mention of Azazel, Dane’s heart began to race. Years of fear and anger toward the one who had controlled his family surged within him.

The shopkeeper, noticing Dane’s pale and rigid expression, asked cautiously, “Are you alright?”

Dane forced himself to speak, his voice tight. “Make sure no one knows I’m here.”

Sensing the urgency, the shopkeeper quickly sent the staff away. With his face flushed, the shopkeeper turned to Dane and exclaimed, “You’ve sensed something, haven’t you? I always believed someone would discover it someday—the presence within the Hound family! And everyone who noticed it eventually came to our shop…”

“Have you read the records?”

Dane’s sharp question did little to calm the shopkeeper’s excitement. Instead, the shopkeeper reached out suddenly. “I’ll explain that later. For now, give me a bottle of holy water.”

“What?”

“I need to protect myself, don’t I? Once you use the holy water, you’ll understand whether it’s real or fake, and you’ll discover the truth about your son as well.”