I Became My Son's First Love - Chapter 62

No matter how hard Eve tried to maintain her composure, she had no time to beat around the bush. Azazel slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

Eve clenched her fist tightly beneath the layers of her dress.

“You used it on Dane?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

It didn’t matter much whether Azazel was truly a demon or the one controlling the Hound family. What mattered most to her was whether the series of events unfolding around her were real, and, more importantly, if the emotions she was feeling were truly hers.

Was the turmoil in her heart, stirred by what she saw inside the music box, genuinely her own? Eve forced herself to keep her head up, resisting the urge to glance at the music box, and waited for Azazel’s answer.

“I have never used that power on you.”

His face looked sincere, but it was difficult to take his words at face value.

“You’ve used other powers before, haven’t you?”

Azazel’s jaw tightened when she pointed out how he had been entering her dreams for years.

“That was…”

“And yet you’ve never used this power?”

Azazel stepped forward as she sarcastically pressed him.

“Never.”

His response was firm and desperate, but the seeds of doubt had already taken root. No, perhaps it wasn’t doubt. Eve forced herself to cut off the thought.

“Do you think I can trust you?”

Azazel seemed wounded by her words, his eyelashes trembling as if in pain. Yet, despite his obvious hurt, he didn’t retreat.

“I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust,” Azazel said, taking another step forward.

“How? The very fact that you’re by my side makes me uneasy.”

“Eve.”

Eve ignored Azazel’s voice, which sounded both soothing and pleading as he called her name. Instead, she measured the ever-shrinking distance between them.

“From now on, I’ll be second-guessing not only your actions but mine as well.”

Eve lifted her head slightly to meet his gaze. “You and I… our relationship is a light one. And in this kind of relationship, this mental exhaustion is unnecessary.”

Azazel seemed to realize what she was implying and quickly moved closer to her.

“Eve, don’t say it.”

His voice, almost pleading, couldn’t stop her.

“So shouldn’t we end this now?”

“Eve!”

Azazel grabbed her by the shoulders. Eve didn’t avert her eyes from his, now so close to hers.

“Let’s stop. I’ll be leaving the capital soon anyway. Isn’t it time to stop this game?”

“Don’t say that!”

Azazel’s ragged breathing echoed through the quiet room. Eve stared straight at him, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, and asked with accusation in her voice, “Are you going to use your powers on me now?”

In an instant, the strength drained from Azazel’s grip on her shoulders.

“…I don’t force you to do anything.”

But despite his words, he still didn’t let go of her.

“I’ll say it again—I can’t trust you.”

Azazel took a deep breath and, with a trembling voice, desperately whispered, “Eve, I love you.”

Each word dripped with raw emotion. But Eve couldn’t waver.

“I don’t believe that, either.”

At last, his hands dropped from her shoulders. Looking directly into the eyes of the trembling man, Eve opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, a knock on the door interrupted them.

“My lady, may I come in?”

Eve and Azazel exchanged glances. Azazel hesitated, then stepped back.

“…It seems like today isn’t the best time. I’ll come back later.”

Eve clenched her teeth as Azazel silently disappeared. Staring at the empty space where he had stood, she unclenched the fist she had kept hidden behind her dress. Her heart ached as she thought of the wounded look on his face and how quickly he had vanished. If she hadn’t been sitting down, she might have collapsed.

Eve hesitated, glancing back at the music box. Her hand reached out, but before it could touch the box, she abruptly changed direction and opened the jewelry box beside it. Inside was the note she had written the night before.

‘I need to confirm one last thing.’

Her trembling hand unfolded the paper. As her eyes skimmed over the words she had written—her list of emotions toward Azazel—a dry laugh escaped her. Nothing had changed. Not a single word was different. The Eve from last night and the Eve from now were feeling the same emotions. Azazel hadn’t done anything to her.

These emotions were entirely hers. Eve crumpled the note in her hand.

***

Back in his room, Azazel struggled to contain the overwhelming force building inside him. He was too worked up. This body, other than its appearance, which Eve liked, had nothing good about it—it was far too fragile. If he didn’t control his power, the body would surely shatter.

Azazel crouched down, trying to regulate his breathing. His hypersensitivity made it easier to sense everything around him, from his pounding heart to the heavy footsteps approaching his door.

Azazel let go of the table he had been gripping, releasing the tension in his clenched fist, and flung the door open. A man, looking as though he had aged twenty years beyond his actual age, stared at Azazel warily.

“What do you want?”

“…We need to talk.”

Azazel tried to close the door without saying a word, but Dane shoved his hand in, grabbing the handle forcefully.

“I don’t want to cause a scene here.”

Azazel glanced down at the white dagger Dane held at his side. Seeing that Azazel didn’t react, Dane brandished the dagger threateningly.

“I’m not here to harm Eve or Aeshath. Just come with me.”

Azazel asked flatly, “Did you receive the dagger?”

“Yes. Even your mother abandoned you, so don’t make a fuss and come quietly.”

After a tense standoff, Azazel surprisingly complied, opening the door and following Dane out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, a pen on the desk began to move on its own, scribbling on sheets of paper until the carriage carrying Dane and Azazel left the mansion. After several pages were filled, the pen finally placed a period on the paper, and a note containing a simple message was sent to its owner.

***

Eve’s words to Azazel and her rejection of his feelings were partly intended to provoke him, but they were also an attempt to deny her own emotions. The night before, inside the music box, she had found a brief note.

“I hope you won’t fear me. My soul belongs to you.”

The letter was short, yet it shook all her doubts. Eve concluded that Azazel had been sincere in his feelings for her all along. But once she reached that conclusion, a surge of unexpected emotions flooded her.

The certainty of his feelings filled her with joy and excitement, making her cheeks burn with warmth. She barely recognized the changes happening within herself. But before the trembling had even subsided, she wanted to reject it all.

How could she like Azazel? There were plenty of reasons why she shouldn’t. Now that it was clear he was a demon, those reasons were only more valid. And yet, she liked him. Even knowing logically that she shouldn’t be involved with him, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing toward the music box. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t control her feelings.

At that moment, a thought occurred to her. Could she be fooling herself into thinking she understood the situation, swept up in feelings she had never experienced before? Was she blinding herself to reality, trying to justify everything with a single letter?

That’s why Eve had written down her emotions toward Azazel in a small note and hidden it in her jewelry box. She planned to meet Azazel naturally at the gallery and provoke him as much as possible. After observing his reactions, she would compare her feelings and the contents of the note to confirm everything. But unexpectedly, Azazel had come to her room first.

Though caught off guard, Eve proceeded with her plan, provoking Azazel and gaining certainty about his feelings and her own. She liked Azazel—quite a lot, in fact.

However, there wasn’t much time to dwell on her emotions. Anna returned with news that Aeshath was asking to see her. Eve composed herself and greeted the sudden visitor as calmly as possible.

“I’m sorry for the sudden visit, Eve.”

“No need to apologize.”

“There’s been an issue at the gallery, so the schedule has been delayed. But… your face looks a bit flushed. Are you feeling unwell?”

“…No, it’s just a little warm.”

As Eve gave a vague response, a servant entered with tea. Before leaving the room, the servant whispered something into Aeshath’s ear, and Eve thought she heard Dane’s name.

Once the servant was gone, Aeshath spoke, “It seems that Dane and Azazel have already left for the gallery.”

Eve froze. The two of them were together? The thought of the dagger flashed through her mind, and she started to rise from her seat.