I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 59

Kissing Dane had always been passionate and heated. For the past three years, he had been busy kissing Eve to sate his own excitement, and Eve would tremble from the unfulfilled desire that lingered after his kisses.

But today was different. His lips gently covered hers, his soft breath soothing her instead of fueling any fire, and his hands caressed her face tenderly rather than wandering over her body. It was a kiss full of warmth and kindness, something that comforted Eve.

***

After calming down, regret began to wash over her. No matter how caught up in the moment she had been, no matter how disheartened she felt, this wasn’t right. Seeing Dane smiling at her as if to say it was alright made her feel even worse. Eve, trying to steer the conversation away from her emotions, spoke up.

“I saw something similar to this dagger at the duchy.”

“What was it like?”

Eve tried to recall. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, so her memories of the event were fuzzy.

“It looked just like this. A plain white dagger. The young duke showed interest in it and even asked the servant when it had been brought in.”

“I heard from the servants that Aeshath had a bit of a dispute with someone over one of her belongings. Was it this dagger?”

Eve gestured to the white dagger inside the box. “You think that’s why she was interested in it?”

“Yes.”

Eve gazed at the dagger, which still didn’t feel particularly special, and asked, “What do you plan to do with it?”

Dane’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do. There were some additional records of the Hound family, but when I went to retrieve them, Azazel had already burned everything. I’ll have to keep searching for more about the dagger.”

After a moment of silence, Eve hesitated before proposing another possibility. “…What if we asked Aeshath for help?”

“What?”

There was one person who might know how to use the dagger: Aeshath, the owner of the other one.

“If she’s on Azazel’s side, why would she need the dagger? Azazel doesn’t seem too keen on it.”

Dane quickly countered Eve’s suggestion. “She could be trying to protect Azazel with it.”

“Maybe. But… didn’t she give you the quill? That was to protect you, wasn’t it?”

Dane sighed and ruffled his hair in frustration. “The truth is, the day you came to visit me, I received a letter from Aeshath. She seems to have a lot of questions and suggested we meet to talk.”

“Then doesn’t it make even more sense to meet with her?”

But Dane didn’t seem convinced. “I’ll investigate further. You should step back from this, Eve.”

“…What?”

“I told you everything because I wanted you to understand how dangerous this is.”

“You speak as if you’re not in danger yourself.”

Just like Eve, Dane was also in danger.

“I am in danger. But I can’t run away. My family is trapped. You, on the other hand, got involved because of me.”

His words weren’t hard to understand. Eve asked him once more, “So now you want me to leave the capital and return to my hometown?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re telling me to run away, forget all of this, and not care about what happens to you or anyone else?”

“Yes.”

Dane’s voice was clearer this time, and Eve scoffed. “I didn’t realize you were so naive.”

“Eve…”

Eve didn’t hide her disdain as she laid out what would happen if she followed Dane’s advice.

“Sure, I could walk away. I might be miserable for the first month or two, but eventually, I’d get back to being myself. My sister’s in our hometown, after all.”

Though she might feel a bit guilty about leaving Dane behind, since it would be his suggestion, her guilt wouldn’t last long. She could forget all about the capital, live comfortably with her sister’s family, and move on. But would things really go so smoothly?

Eve spoke sharply, “But do you think they’ll let me leave that easily? Are demons so kind that they’ll let their toys run away from the chessboard?”

As she watched Dane’s face turn pale, Eve continued, her words pouring out like boiling water, “Sure, they might let me go. But they could also take offense and make things even worse.”

“Eve…”

Still trying to persuade her, Dane pressed on, but Eve had another reason for refusing to run.

“My sister and her child are in my hometown. I won’t risk their safety.”

If the consequences of her escape fell on her sister’s family, it would be a nightmare. And there was another reason Eve couldn’t bring herself to leave, one she couldn’t share with Dane.

‘How pathetic.’

What held her back was the sense of betrayal. She had opened up to Azazel, only to discover that she might have been nothing more than a pawn in a demon’s game. Her chest burned with fury. She needed to understand what Azazel had been thinking when he involved her with Dane. And if it turned out that Azazel had indeed toyed with her, she wanted revenge, no matter the cost.

Eve locked eyes with Dane and made her decision clear. “I’ll see this through, and then I’ll go back home.”

A heavy silence filled the room. Dane, who had been staring blankly at her, rubbed his pale face with his hands and let out a long sigh.

“…You’re stronger than I am.”

It wasn’t strength, but stubbornness. Eve was a woman caught between confusion, anger, and the desperation to figure out her next move. She kept those thoughts hidden as she spoke.

“I’ve been invited to the duchy’s main estate.”

“You’re going to the main estate? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Eve knew the risks, but she had already discussed this with Aeshath during their last meeting.

“I can’t refuse the invitation. Besides, I need to go for the exhibition as well.”

Eve continued firmly, “If I suddenly avoid the event, it’ll be like admitting I know something.”

“Damn it… Let me know when you receive the invitation. I won’t let you go alone. There might be something useful to learn from talking to Aeshath.”

Though it was unlikely that his presence would change anything, his worried expression made it impossible for Eve to refuse. She nodded as she watched Dane rub his face wearily.

“You look exhausted. I should go for now. I need time to think things over on my own.”

There wasn’t much else to discuss. Eve just wanted to return to the comfort of her own space.

“…Yes, you’re right. That’s a good idea.”

As Eve stood to leave, Dane made one last request.

“Let me know when you get the letter.”

“I will.”

After sharing a brief hug with Dane, Eve returned to her estate and locked herself in her room. But even there, she couldn’t find peace. Azazel could come through the secret passage at any time.

***

Fortunately, Azazel hadn’t visited her in the past few days. Whether it was because he was busy or simply part of his game, Eve couldn’t tell.

‘Whatever it is, it’s better that he stays away for now.’

Yet, Eve had been suffering from insomnia during this time. She couldn’t fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. This unexpected reprieve only made her more anxious. Soon, Aeshath’s invitation would arrive, and she would have to face Azazel again. How would she navigate the situation?

Despite all her thinking, Eve hadn’t found any answers. She knew nothing about Azazel, so she couldn’t tell if anything he had shown her was real or a lie. The uncertainty gave her headaches. Were his glances, his touches, his heated body really all lies? The thought that his feelings might have been fake only made her angrier.

‘You knew this.’

How foolish she had been. She had told herself she wouldn’t get emotionally involved, yet she had let herself fall for him. Eve bit her lip. The room had brightened with the dawn. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to force herself to sleep. But sleep never came, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Azazel.

***

Eve checked her reflection in the mirror. She had lost a little weight, but the makeup hid the shadows under her eyes. She still looked beautiful.

Just as she had anticipated, Eve received the invitation from the Seratine Duchy a few days later, and today she was to visit their estate. According to the invitation, she would be staying at the estate for a day, so she needed to maintain a perfect facade throughout. As she practiced her bright smile in the mirror, she reassured herself.

‘It’s no different from any other day.’

Eve took a deep breath and stood up.

“Has the Count arrived yet?”