Standing behind the folding screen, Eva found herself lost in a daze. She could still hear his voice, those low, smooth, and dark— lingering in her ears as if she was still in a room with him, close enough to whisper against her skin. The sound of it made her shiver, made her toes curl in a way she couldn't explain.
There was something about Hades.
He was dangerous, that much she could tell. A noble and a Seraph but that wasn't all, the air he held was something that demand people to bow down to him. Yet strangely, she didn't feel afraid. His presence didn't strike her as cruel. Instead, it wrapped around her like a quiet promise— dark, yes, but safe.
He also talked to her kindly, didn't once reproach her despite how she had destroyed his teacup.
It was the kind of air of a noble she never knew existed, the type that made one awe from how elegant they were.
He carried himself with a grace that didn't belong to this world. His voice was steady, while his chosen words were careful, his movements were also elegant —more refined than any Seraph lady she had ever seen. Like the way his fingers held the dainty teacup gentle and slow. How despite him leaning backward to the chair, his back was always kept straight.
Everything about him drew her in, made her want to listen, to watch, and to understand.
Almost like a foolish lamb, she was about to continue beg for his attention, a dangerous charm which could have let her to do things just so he would smile and praise her.
It was the first time Eva had ever felt this. She couldn't name the emotion but the giddiness she felt made her shy.
And those eyes— violet and bright like polished amethyst— never looked away from her. When he spoke, it felt as if he could see straight through her. It should have been unsettling, but it wasn't. Maybe because, for once, someone truly saw her— not the rumors, not the girl others wanted her to be. Just her.
Unknowingly, warmth crept up her cheeks again. Eva pressed her palms against them, hoping to cool the flush away.
"Are you done?" came the sharp voice of the maid, Mira, from outside the folding screen.
"Just a second," Eva replied quickly, snapping out of her thoughts. She hurried to slip her arms through the sleeves, fingers trembling slightly as she tied the ribbon in place. It took only a few minutes, but her mind was still half caught in the echo of that voice— his voice.
When she was finally dressed, she didn't step out right away. Instead, she turned toward the mirror.
For a moment, she simply stared, stared in an aw, so mesmerized she couldn't stop but admire the reflection of her own dress.
The dress shimmered under the light— soft silk that felt almost liquid to the touch, dyed in a pale blue so rare it seemed to hold its own glow. When she moved, the fabric caught the light like water rippling over like a mermaid scale. It was finer than anything she had ever worn— finer even than the gown Serena had bought.
"I'm busy," Mira muttered from outside, just loud enough for Eva to hear the impatience in her tone.
Eva smiled faintly, her fingers brushing the smooth silk at her waist. Even the annoyance that came from the maid who was forced to help her didn't bother her, as if she had just been given the present that she never knew she wanted.
"Thank you," murmured Eva as she stepped out from behind the folding screen.
Mira, who had been waiting with a bored expression, froze at the sight of her.
Evangeline had never been ugly—far from it—but she had always hidden herself behind shapeless clothes and tangled hair, as if afraid to draw attention. Her dresses were too large, her colors too dull, her light carefully dimmed. So the maid had never expected to uncover the gem that could even rival the ladies who frequently try to gain Lord Hades's affection.
But now—now the gown fit her perfectly. The soft blue silk clung to her shape, and her golden hair, no longer bound tight, spilled down her shoulders like sunlight over water. For a heartbeat, she looked almost noble.
Mira's breath hitched. Beauty like that was dangerous. It could change the way others looked at a person—it could threaten.
"May I ask you," Eva began gently, her smile shy but genuine, "to tell Lord Hades that I'm grateful for the dress? It fits so perfectly I almost thought it was made for me."
For a brief moment, there was warmth in her voice—pure, unguarded joy.
But Mira's face twisted, her words sharp and cold. "Don't flatter yourself. That dress was left behind by one of the guests. It isn't new—and certainly not chosen for you. Don't mistake pity for affection."
The words struck like a blade. Eva blinked, her smile faltering, her body stiffening as if rooted to the ground.
"I... I didn't mean it like that," she whispered, but the blood had already rushed to her cheeks, burning hotter with each second.
Of course the dress wasn't meant for her. How foolish she had been—to think even for a moment that someone like him would notice? Realization sinking into her head of how embarrassing it was for getting ahead of herself.
Now the silk that had felt so soft only moments ago seemed to weigh her down, heavy and borrowed, clinging to her skin like shame.
"Of course," she muttered again, forcing a faint smile as she brushed her cheeks, trying to hide the redness. Then, with her head bowed, she stepped past the maid, hurrying to collect her old, splattered dress—anything to escape the sting of those words.
Mira didn't stop her, her grin quirking over her lips when she saw how she had run with such speed to escape embarrassment but a maid who had been also in the room, the one who had been there to pass the old dress noticed and walked toward her.
"Do you think it was a right idea to provoke that lady?"
"Lady?" Mira scoffed, "A country bumpkin hoping to warm His Lordship's bed that's all she is."
"But you lied," the maid pointed out, "The Lord had that dress customized four days ago. He was detailed about the dress sizing, so much so that I heard the tailor herself said that this was a dress made for a specific person. Isn't she the specific person?"
"So what?" Mira narrowed her eyes, snapping back at the maid and puffed her pouted lips, lifting the corners with a smug expression, "Even if His Lordship is attracted to her, it would only be for a while. Don't you know? What Lord Hades love is nothing more than the thrill of chasing."
When evening arrived, Evangeline had arrived back to her house. She had walked slowly, fearing the idea that she would gain attention of her family, especially with how she was dressed. Her mother would demand for answers to how she could acquire the dress and that was still something she could endure.
What she couldn't was... Serena.
"What is that dress?"
Speak of the devil.
Serena snapped the question right as soon as Evangeline had entered the house. Sitting in the living room was Serena. In front of her was a velvet box that she must have placed on purpose to show off to her but Eva was never very keen on feeling jealous to her sister's gifts yet Serena never failed to showcase her objects from suitors like it was pearls.
"Someone I knew helped me today," Eva answered briefly. She was still upset with Serena but if she upsets her too long, her parents would once again scold her.
"Helped you?" Serena tugged her dress, making Eva to panic.
Sure that Mira had told her the dress had belonged to someone else and that she was just given what wasn't used anymore in the castle, but still Hades was the one who had offered it and a gift from such a kind man, she didn't want it to be ruined.
Instinctively, Eva swatted her sister's hands, frowning her bright green eyes at her, "Don't do that, Serena."
"Look at you," Serena scoffed toward her, the expression on her little sister's face changed into one full of mockery as she accused, "Helped? It must have been another man you seduced other than Lord Adrian."
"Think what you want," Eva walked away, making her way to the staircase toward the attic when Serena pulled the nearby vase and smashed it to the ground, startling Eva on her feet.
She turned behind to see the wicked smile that settled on Serena's face and immediately followed after that was the rushing footsteps coming from her parents.
Why of course. Serena wouldn't want to let this off, not when she had gotten on her nerves for days now.
Clenching her fists tightly, she tried to ease herself into composure, knowing how worse it was going to be since her parents would come to this conversation.
"What is that noise?! Serena step away from those vase shard! You can hurt yourself if you don't!" Her mother yelled at once, stepping aside the broken vase while her father who seemed to have turned early immediately found her as a source of trouble and glared back at her who was about to walk to the staircase.
"Where do you think you're going, Evangeline?!"