Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 13.3 All Again

Why had he come to the rose garden in the first place? He should have asked to be guided to the mansion. Regret always comes too late. Still, it was a little better than before. He had had some time to mentally prepare. After brushing his hair back once more, Kloff stepped forward and entered the rose garden. A presence followed him from behind. He glanced back and saw that Aeroc, whom he had expected to guide him and return, was following behind Kloff.

As the two entered, the people already gathered all looked their way simultaneously. More precisely, at Count Aeroc Teiwind. As expected, they soon swarmed towards the Count, a delicious prey, like a pack of hungry beasts running across a plain.

A moment later, Kloff found himself standing idly in a corner of the rose garden. Truly, like hungry creatures, people, without exception, tried to strike up a conversation with Aeroc.

High status and wealth didn’t seem to be everything. Among the ants swarming towards the sweet jam, there were already many Omegas with half-glazed eyes. Objectively, he was a very attractive single Alpha, so it was only natural. Occasionally, he even saw Alphas looking at him with sticky gazes. Had he looked like that earlier? Kloff quickly averted his gaze, but that Alpha didn’t. He couldn’t understand why it kept irritating him to see that Alpha naturally approaching Aeroc from behind.

Butlers and maids appeared, serving high-quality black tea, a taste he had never experienced before. Along with the tea that stimulated his sense of smell and taste, there were also various pastries that pleased the eye. Most urban upper-class people drank tea with cream. It was rare to drink it with only sugar. Unlike them, one spoonful of sugar was enough for Kloff. He didn’t particularly enjoy sweetness, and this was how black tea was drunk in his hometown.

While he drank two cups of black tea, Aeroc continued to converse with people with a faint smile. The tea in the Count’s hand was cooling, almost untouched.

Those directly in front of the young Count might not notice, but he, from his position, was fully aware that Aeroc kept looking his way. Occasionally, his blue eyes met Kloff’s, sensing the gaze. Each time, Aeroc offered a charming smile. In contrast, Kloff’s mood only grew worse. He had been pondering the meaning of that feeling since earlier. At first, he thought he was jealous of the beautiful young noble with status and wealth.

Until now, Kloff had never shown much interest in others. He believed in his own abilities, so he had never felt inferior due to a lack of wealth or status.

Just in case, he tried striking up a conversation and introducing himself to a wealthy-looking Alpha who, though not particularly handsome, held his head high. At first, the man showed interest, but then quickly lost it and gave Kloff an enigmatic sneer, yet Kloff felt no jealousy or inferiority. Rather, he scoffed at the opponent who had nothing to boast of but his family. Of course, he didn’t show it outwardly.

But that Count was different. Kloff intensely disliked seeing Aeroc laughing among the people. One Omega, seemingly on the verge of heat, subtly stroked his arm.

When he saw an Alpha, who had been persistently clinging and acting overly familiar, casually pat Aeroc’s shoulder, the teacup in Kloff’s hand rattled. He gripped the handle tightly to prevent the teacup, shaking on the ornate saucer, from spilling. Yet, he seethed with anger as he watched the Count, who didn’t immediately reject the other’s touch but merely shifted his body slightly to avoid it. This was clearly not a feeling one should have for someone they had just met. Something felt wrong.

His initial plan to seize an opportunity had vanished somewhere. Kloff remained constantly filled with unfulfilled dissatisfaction, his face perpetually frowning. It continued like that throughout the tea party. The sullen Kloff incessantly followed Aeroc with his eyes, and the Count, whether aware of his feelings or not, was full of composure and smiled at him whenever their eyes met.

Finally, perhaps tired of dealing with people, Aeroc politely dismissed the swarm of ants with a courteous smile and retreated. And then, somehow, he stealthily approached Kloff. It seemed unintentional, but there was no reason for him, the center of social activity, to come to this corner. Only when he was quite close did he, as if he hadn’t known Kloff was there, greet him with a fresh nod.

“Everyone is desperate.”

The Count, who approached with a faint smile, mocked those he had just politely dealt with. Although he had exchanged names with Kloff, it was an extremely arrogant act to speak so frankly when they were not close enough for such conversation. Kloff, already annoyed, cast a sidelong glance at the man who stood intimately beside him, then looked away and replied coldly.

“Perhaps you smell delicious.”

It was an excessively insulting remark. So much so that he regretted it as soon as it left his lips. Aeroc seemed deeply shocked by the accusation of being a loose individual who carelessly emitted pheromones.

If someone you barely knew said something so rude, they would usually explode in anger. Of course, the Count had also said things he shouldn’t have to a stranger, but it was on a different level from Kloff’s remark.

Especially for this noble Count, who lived off people’s flattery, he would surely expel such a rude person from the mansion immediately. Or perhaps he might even slap his cheek with that seemingly gentle hand. Kloff even wished they would fight and he would be thrown out. There seemed to be no desired outcome here anyway, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave on his own.

However, Aeroc merely frowned slightly and curved his lips subtly. Kloff wondered if he was too noble by birth to even know how to get angry. But immediately after, that thought shattered. Handing his now cold teacup to a passing butler, he retorted calmly but slightly quickly.

“It’s better than not being able to attract even a single bug that stirs around looking for prey.”

His quiet, unhurried voice trembled slightly, which made it sound even more arrogant. This, too, was as insulting as Kloff’s harsh words. It was a sneer implying, “Someone like you is so pathetic there’s nothing to see.” Aeroc even looked Kloff up and down.

The Count, who looked as if he had never smiled, glared at Kloff, and Kloff didn’t back down. Even though he had provoked it, he couldn’t help but feel extremely displeased at being insulted. At the same time, he found it somewhat amusing, no, quite satisfying, that the Count, who usually wore a mask-like smile for others, was glaring at him with such vivid eyes.

Whenever they encountered each other, whether in the garden or inside the mansion, the two began to hurl all sorts of insults at each other. Of course, this was only when they were alone. When others appeared nearby, Kloff also fell silent, but he didn’t instantly transform into a noble gentleman with a gentle smile like Aeroc. Kloff found that extremely annoying and wanted to somehow rip off that mask.

After continuously watching Aeroc smiling broadly at all the “bugs” in the garden, Kloff, his stomach churning, decided to explore the library while he was at the Count’s mansion. When he asked if he could look at the library, the elderly butler with silver hair readily guided him there personally.

The Count’s library, true to its reputation, was filled with high-quality books. Most were humanities and philosophy texts, each seemingly very valuable. He saw several books he immediately wanted to pick up and read, but since he would be leaving soon, he decided against it, not wanting to leave any lingering regrets by not finishing them. Instead, he admired the artworks hanging in the library.

Honestly, Kloff wasn’t deeply knowledgeable about art. More precisely, he was still unskilled in fields like music, art, and the arts, where acquiring knowledge cost a lot of money. It was an essential item for dealing with the upper class, and his lack in this area worried even his professor.

Even to Kloff’s eyes, the paintings hanging in the library seemed to be works of considerable mastery. Many large and small paintings hung between the towering bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Among them, several were famous enough that even with his limited discernment, he could tell they were by renowned masters.

But what captivated Kloff’s eyes as he looked around the room was a landscape painting depicting a midsummer pastoral scene. Looking at the painting, which expressed dazzling light using white and bright yellow amidst a strong harmony of colors, his mind felt at ease, as if he were seeing the scenery of his hometown.

Upon closer inspection, the artist’s signature and year were written in the corner, and it seemed to have been painted less than a year ago. By all accounts, it was a newcomer. It seemed a bit lacking to be hung alongside the other collections, but he thought this might also be a part of the “Rose Garden Tea Party.”

The quiet library door burst open loudly.

“Aeroc, think about it. It’ll be amazing.”

Turning around, he saw some Alpha and Aeroc standing at the doorway, bickering. That Alpha, slightly taller than Aeroc, thrust his greasy face close to the Count, giving him a sticky gaze. He even subtly stroked the Count’s arm with his thick hand. Kloff couldn’t help but be surprised by the blatant sexual intention, which was not even concealed but overtly displayed.

Was he crazy? No matter how handsome his face, the Count was clearly an Alpha. But the other man continued to cling and touch the Count with his dirty hands, unconcerned.

The problem was Aeroc. Was he naive, or was he enjoying it? He merely twisted his body slightly to avoid it, showing no strong rejection. If it had been Kloff, he would have broken the man’s wrist. Adding insults and kicks. But Aeroc didn’t, and he even showed a faint smile. He even seemed to be enjoying it.

He felt nothing but disgust. He couldn’t understand why he had to witness such a repulsive act between two Alphas, not even a simple romance, that was none of his business. But even if he tried not to, he couldn’t help but see and hear everything with his perfectly functioning eyes and ears.

“I’m not interested yet. If I ever feel like it, I’ll be sure to let you know. For now, I have a book I absolutely must find. Excuse me.”