Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 13.4 All Again

Aeroc politely refused the man and then entered the library. The lingering Alpha, seemingly uninterested in the library, gave a greasy smile and left. Closing the door and turning around, Aeroc frowned in obvious displeasure and walked a few steps with a slightly forceful stride before spotting Kloff and freezing again, surprised as before.

“Wh… What are you doing here?”

He had just exposed his raw vulnerability, so it was no wonder. However, Kloff had no reason to pretend ignorance or be considerate of others.

“I stopped by the library to clear my head and was admiring the paintings displayed when I saw some crazy Alphas engaging in shameless acts in broad daylight, and I was so dumbfounded I lost my words.”

“…For someone who lost his words, your tongue is working quite well. Just keep looking at the painting. You won’t get a chance to see such things when you go back.”

Aeroc, his face slightly flushed, said that and turned to go to the bookshelves. Kloff thought it was just an excuse, but he seemed to be genuinely looking for a book. He had unnecessarily provoked him, making snide remarks about him acting like an Omega, but Aeroc, as expected, didn’t back down and retorted in his refined voice. Then he picked up a difficult humanities book titled “Types of Sin” and headed for the sofa. Was he planning to read a book here? Kloff wondered if he should leave. Even while thinking other thoughts, his gaze was drawn to the painting.

“It’s a painting by a newcomer who had their first exhibition recently. It’s the midsummer piece from their four-season series.”

“…I know.”

He knew nothing about whether the artist was a newcomer or anything else, but he answered that way. He knew it was a lie as soon as he thought it, but Aeroc, who had approached him, showed no sign of it. Instead, he also looked at the painting and continued speaking.

“I happened to drop by the exhibition before, and no other painting caught my eye, but I couldn’t take my eyes off this one the moment I saw it. The bold use of color is like…”

“It’s like light poured in.”

“…Yes, exactly.”

“This artist loved this landscape very much.”

“That’s also true. This is a painting of the pastoral home of the artist’s most beloved grandparents. Have you met the artist before, by any chance?”

“…No, I haven’t. It just came to mind when I saw the painting.”

“I thought you were rude and coarse, lacking in refinement, but you surprisingly have an eye for art. How surprising.”

Kloff merely rolled his eyes downwards, glaring at Aeroc for the unnecessary exaggeration. Aeroc looked him directly in the eye and smiled.

“Do you know that Alpha just now treated you like an Omega? And you’re still smiling? I guess you have a preference for smelly pigs.”

“I’m smiling because I know. If I were to frown, they’d think I was interested. You, on the other hand, should watch your mouth. I don’t know where you got your invitation from, but given your circumstances, do you have the leisure to get so worked up over such useless meddling?”

“That’s my problem to handle, so why don’t you, Count, just focus on being a good Omega?”

“That, indeed, is my problem to handle, honor graduate.”

Those blue eyes staring directly at him were unbearably annoying. He didn’t use explicit insults but parried every word, which meant he wasn’t stupid.

In the Count’s library, as vast as the rose garden, only Kloff and Aeroc were present. That meant they wouldn’t be disturbed by others. It also meant they could have a blatant verbal sparring match.

“I thought you were just idly looking for a mating partner, but reading such a humanities book is quite shocking. That’s a classic that’s hard to read without considerable patience.”

“Klo…! …A truly excellent individual cultivates broad knowledge. Perhaps you should hurry and find a mating partner. Preferably a wealthy one.”

Sparks flew between the two again. They exchanged artificial smiles, bowed simultaneously, and turned away. Kloff towards another painting, Aeroc with his book towards the sofa in the center of the library. Kloff found it hard to concentrate on the painting, but Aeroc didn’t seem to have the same problem, as the regular rustling of turning pages soon began. He was reading surprisingly fast.

Is he really reading? Or just looking at the letters?

Kloff occasionally glanced back, and each time, Aeroc hastily lowered his head and turned the page again. He turned a few pages, then went back a few pages. He probably just wanted to pretend to be knowledgeable. Kloff scoffed and moved on to another painting.

After the tea party ended and he returned to his small rented room, Kloff was invited to many gatherings through his professor’s introduction. Most were elderly Alphas, but occasionally there were young nobles. Unexpectedly, they were ordinary cultivated people. At such times, he would recall the incomparably haughty Aeroc and get annoyed for no reason.

Months passed, and another invitation from the Teiwind Count’s family arrived. Before, he had received it through his professor. This time, the butler himself came directly to Kloff’s house, somehow knowing where he lived, and respectfully delivered it.

“You want to know my attendance immediately?”

“Yes, our Count instructed me to convey, ‘I cannot reserve a seat for you, so if you don’t decide in advance, you’ll be standing during dinner later.'”

“That damn bastard. Tell him I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“Yes, understood. Then.”

The butler, dressed in a neat black suit with a stern expression, respectfully bowed to Kloff and left. Meanwhile, Kloff slammed the front door shut and unfolded the luxurious card in his hand again.

The formal dinner invitation was handwritten, not printed. Judging by the elegant signature, the same ink and handwriting, it seemed Aeroc had written it himself. It was a challenge signaling a second round. This time, he felt he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw that white face contort in plain sight. Kloff frowned, curving his lips upward. The invitation was placed prominently on a bookshelf filled with various documents and books.

He had expected a fairly large dinner party, but this was… Was it a royal palace’s New Year’s banquet?

It was bustling with well over a hundred people, not only Omega men and women adorned in dazzling dresses and jewels but also Alphas in sharply tailored black suits that looked like they could cut with a touch, and gleaming shoes. He thought he wasn’t late, but Kloff was guided to the corner furthest from the head table. Of course, it was in a spot where he could see the head table immediately if he looked up, so they wouldn’t miss the fun of observing him.

‘Why did I come? No matter how I think about it, I’ve walked right into their game.’

Sipping expensive wine, Kloff couldn’t smooth out his wrinkled expression. He should have expected this, but he was shortsighted.

This time, perhaps changing his strategy, Aeroc, seated at the head table at the far end of the enormous table, had a beautiful female Omega beside him. Even from a distance, she was a sensuous and captivating beauty. Dressed in a deep green gown, her full lips emphasized with red, she smiled alluringly at the blonde Alpha who whispered something in her ear. Aeroc, whose face was even whiter than hers and who was impeccably dressed from head to toe as if for a beauty pageant, occasionally glanced his way and gave a knowing smile. He seemed to be sneering, but that wasn’t really the problem.

When his confident blue eyes met Kloff’s, as he lightly kissed his partner’s cheek with lips as charming as hers in the green dress, even without red lipstick, Kloff realized what he wanted.

My God. What was I just imagining? This is insane.

Kloff gulped down the remaining half of his wine in one go. A nearby waiter immediately refilled his glass. The wine was a well-aged, high-quality vintage, and it went down smoothly.

As the dinner progressed, Kloff, slightly tipsy, began to converse freely with the people sitting around him. As someone aspiring to be a lawyer, his eloquence was not bad, and soon the people around him, separating themselves from the guests at the head table far away, focused on Kloff and joined the conversation. From light jokes to witty remarks, everyone laughed and enjoyed the conversation, to the point where those at the head table, curious about what was happening, exchanged glances and whispered.

Even though he was leading the conversation, he didn’t really remember what he had said. He was too busy continuing the vulgar imaginings he called “disgusting” in his mind, whenever he saw the Count with the blue eyes glancing his way, to pay attention to the uninteresting conversation.

When the long dinner finally ended, Aeroc, seemingly untired, wrapped his arm around the female Omega’s waist and gallantly escorted her away somewhere. As the host of the dinner, he should have been leading the conversation, but he didn’t seem to care at all. After the dinner, people divided into Alphas and Omegas and moved to the lounges. In the Alpha lounge, people began to openly reveal things they hadn’t been able to say publicly, more explicitly.

“Count Teiwind has always had a secretive side. He only provides the venue and food; he doesn’t interfere with people’s socializing.”

“Actually, he’s been showing his face more often lately. Before, he often invited people to tea parties and then didn’t even show up.”

“Given how he politely cuts off any conversation, perhaps that’s just his personality?”

“His predecessor wasn’t very sociable either.”

“Perhaps he’s too noble to associate with commoners.”

“Perhaps. But Omegas seem to find that attractive. There’s already a huge fuss about who that beauty he brought today is.”

“And not just Omegas. Lately, Alphas are also targeting him.”

“Even if casual encounters are common, do you think Teiwind would fall for it?”

“Who knows. He might surprisingly give in easily. Doesn’t his body seem like it would suit being embraced well?”

From then on, the Alphas’ conversation eventually devolved into lewd talk. Kloff, who had not participated but merely listened, was so disgusted that he left. Everywhere he went, there were men whose lower halves were bigger than their brains. It wasn’t even time to go back, but feeling no need to stay longer, Kloff asked a passing servant to arrange a carriage for him.

“Leaving already? Shall I convey a message to our master?”

“No, it’s fine. The Count seems busy right now, and I don’t want to disturb his good time.”

Kloff replied curtly to the butler’s bow and got into the carriage.

In truth, the reason the Alphas’ lewd talk was so difficult to hear wasn’t simply because he felt disgusted by sexual acts between Alphas. Rather, it was the opposite. For some reason, when Aeroc appeared with the Omega beauty beside him and looked at Kloff with overtly sexual implications, it seemed not merely teasing but seductive.

At that moment, Kloff felt a rush of heat to his core. So he deliberately distracted himself with alcohol and conversation. Otherwise, he felt he would immediately rush over, grab Aeroc by the collar, drag him into any room, and violate him. Even now, thinking about it, he knew he wasn’t in his right mind.

In the rattling carriage, Kloff frowned and crossed his legs. He covered his forehead with his hand and sighed. He must have lost his mind. To have such shameless thoughts in front of countless people. The lewd talk in the lounge was also hard to hear for that reason. Every time he heard it, he imagined it.

This was clearly abnormal. He had only met the person recently, his personality had no pleasant side, and he was an Alpha. There was no reason for Kloff, whose ideal type was someone pure and Omega-like, to feel attracted. Yet, he couldn’t stop picturing Aeroc in a disheveled state. Perhaps appearing with such beauty was clearly an extension of Aeroc’s constant teasing, emphasizing the “poor honor graduate who has to work hard because he’s poor.” Kloff found it difficult to associate with such Omegas.

But this time, Aeroc’s teasing had little effect. All evening, Kloff was jealous not of Aeroc, but of that beauty. Having admitted that much, Kloff rubbed his face roughly with both hands.

I need to do something. If there’s no solution, I’ll avoid it. This is really not right.

When the next invitation arrived, Kloff immediately refused it and threw it into the fireplace to burn. He decided it was better for his future peaceful life not to associate with that side. He poured his time and effort into expanding his network through his professor and was soon hired by another influential noble family with wealth, introduced by his university professor.

Upon receiving his first commission, Kloff proved his exceptional skills in investment and negotiation without reservation, quickly gaining trust and earning a lot of money. Before long, he secured other contracts through the connections of his first client and began to prosper. His workload increased significantly.

He moved out of his rented room, bought a suitable house in the suburbs, and set up an office in the city. Soon after, he was also able to hire a housekeeper to manage his home. Kloff, who dedicated himself solely to his work, steadily became a successful investor, so engrossed in his work that his housekeeper, Martha, would nag him to eat properly. In the meantime, he was able to forget the Count who had irritated him and gotten on his nerves at every turn.