Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 20.4 Uncovering Secret Blossoms in the Dawn

Kloff, who had been sitting opposite him, looking out the window, turned his gaze to Aeroc.

“Not even the butler?”

“I’ve never told him directly, so I assume he doesn’t know.”

Setting aside the petty satisfaction of knowing Aeroc’s secret that even the butler didn’t know, the fact that the butler, who was practically a godfather according to what Kloff had heard, didn’t know was somewhat incomprehensible. Kloff brought his fist to his mouth to hide his smile, cleared his throat, and then crossed his legs and asked,

“I don’t understand how he couldn’t know. He’s your closest confidant, isn’t he? Not anymore, of course.”

“It hasn’t been long since I changed, and I tried not to let him know.”

“Wait, it hasn’t been long since you changed? What does that mean?”

Kloff looked at him, twisting his eyebrows, and Aeroc smiled awkwardly again. Kloff waited patiently while Aeroc chose his words, not trying to hide but unsure how to explain. As the carriage reached the entrance of the Teiwind mansion and waited for the massive iron gates to open, Aeroc finally spoke.

“I was originally an Alpha. It hasn’t been long since I changed into an Omega, so the butler doesn’t know either.”

“Is that even possible? For an Alpha to change into an Omega?”

No matter how happy Kloff was that Aeroc was an Omega, and how satisfied he was that he hadn’t gone mad but was simply drawn to him, he couldn’t believe the story of an Alpha changing into an Omega. However, Aeroc’s expression was completely serious, without a hint of playfulness, and he even looked at Kloff as if accusing him for not believing him.

“As I said before, this is all your fault.”

“I didn’t do anything about that.”

“Nonsense. My body changed after I met you… Before too… Even now, you made me like this.”

Accusations came with a cold gaze, as if Kloff were a cursed demon, but at that moment, Kloff’s mind was filled with thoughts of what great achievement he had accomplished to hear such wonderfully happy words. It didn’t matter if he was originally an Alpha who changed or if he was an Omega from the start. What mattered was that Aeroc was saying he had changed his body like magic for Kloff.

Kloff couldn’t resist and pulled Aeroc’s arm. He pulled him closer, sat him on his lap, and then kissed him, who was suddenly angry and asking what he was doing.

With one hand, he held Aeroc’s hand that was pushing his shoulder away, and with the other, he wrapped it around the back of his neck and kissed him. Aeroc, who initially tried to avoid him, eventually didn’t resist when Kloff’s lips touched his and he kissed him as if he would melt. He liked kissing. When Kloff exhaled warm breaths between his lips and slid his lips across his cheeks and jaw as if caressing him, Aeroc would always wrap his arms around Kloff’s neck and lean in. Sitting on Kloff’s lap, he wrapped his arms around Kloff’s neck, pressed his forehead against his, and breathed softly, then left a light baby kiss on his lips again. Kloff, drawn to his addictively sweet lips, whispered, his gaze fixed on him.

“You don’t like that you changed because of me?”

“…”

Aeroc said nothing. He seemed a little confused. If he had truly changed from an Alpha to an Omega, it was understandable. Kloff was overjoyed, but he guessed that the confusion Aeroc was experiencing was no ordinary matter.

If Kloff had met Aeroc and changed into an Omega, he would surely have gone half-mad. It was a major event that would overturn his entire life, and it could deal a significant blow to his self-esteem. It would have been difficult to accept easily, and he wouldn’t have wanted anyone to find out. That’s why he had rejected approaching Alphas for the past two months and wandered the bottom to buy medicine.

Yet, Aeroc had not ultimately refused sex for two days. He was completely unprepared and suffered because of it, but he eventually accepted Kloff. That alone made Kloff so in love with Aeroc that he couldn’t bear it. Even when the carriage stopped at the mansion entrance, he couldn’t let go of him. He held him close and buried his face in his chest.

“…Kloff.”

“I am very happy. I feel like thanking God.”

The person who possessed a sweet scent, a bitter scent, and also Kloff’s own scent, stiffened slightly. Even if he didn’t like all of this, there was nothing he could do. He had already changed into an Omega for Kloff, and Kloff had confirmed it countless times over the past two days. He had no intention of letting him go like this. Kloff raised his head. He gazed into the blue eyes of the man in his arms and stole another breath from him. This time, Aeroc did not resist.

As they were kissing for a long time, a sudden knock was heard. Aeroc, startled, broke the kiss and looked outside. The inside of the carriage was dark, so they wouldn’t be clearly visible from outside, but he belatedly realized they had been passionately kissing without even drawing the curtains, and he pulled away from Kloff’s embrace. Kloff tried not to let him go, but he slipped away so quickly that Kloff couldn’t catch him. Before he could even feel the emptiness in his arms, Aeroc wiped his lips with the back of his hand and stepped out of the carriage.

When the Duke stepped out of Kloff’s carriage, the footman, who had been smiling politely, was startled. And a maid standing next to him quickly went inside the house.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

“Does anything happen?”

“No.”

Aeroc walked into the mansion, exchanging brief questions and answers. Kloff, of course, followed him. The footman looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, but as an experienced servant who had served the ducal family for a long time, he didn’t ask unnecessary questions. As they passed the entrance and entered the hall, the butler appeared from the other side with somewhat hurried steps.

“Young Master. You’ve returned. I was worried as I couldn’t reach you.”

“I apologize, Hugo. Something unexpected happened.”

The butler, who courteously received the cloak, looked at Kloff and bowed politely. However, Kloff didn’t miss the sharp glint in his eye behind the monocle. The old fox of a butler had noticed that the ‘unexpected event’ was related to Kloff, and for some unknown reason, he seemed determined to strongly condemn him. The butler was indeed a formidable figure, but from now on, he too would have to change.

“Did your outing go well?”

“Hmm, there was something. I’ll tell you later. I’m tired now and want to rest.”

“Then for dinner?”

“No, it’s fine. Sleep first.”

The butler led Aeroc to the bedroom, and Kloff silently followed. It was natural. An Omega who had just gone through a rut, the Alpha wanted to stay by his side while he rested. Of course, he wouldn’t get pregnant since he took the medicine, but it was still an irresistible instinct. However, when Kloff followed him to the bedroom, the butler stared at him before opening the door, and Aeroc also cast his gaze.

“How far do you intend to follow?”

Kloff was surprised by the Duke’s calm question.

“Of course…”

“I told you. No one knows.”

“That’s!”

“You should go back for today. I’ll contact you later.”

“That’s absurd!”

Despite Kloff’s strong protest, Aeroc didn’t budge. With a nearly expressionless smile, he gestured to the butler. The butler called the footmen again. Two sturdy Alphas approached Kloff and offered him an escort with polite smiles. Kloff, dumbfounded, tried to grab Aeroc’s arm, but the butler quickly blocked him.

“Please return now. His Grace needs to rest.”

“Aeroc!”

Aeroc, who was just opening the door and stepping inside, looked back at Kloff.

“I’m not going to run away, so just go back quietly. You have work piling up too.”

“In a place like this, my Ome…”

Kloff stopped speaking there. He didn’t want to reveal that Aeroc was an Omega in front of the other footmen, let alone the butler who was like a parent to him. It was an act born of both possessiveness and wariness. When Kloff couldn’t continue, Aeroc smiled wryly and entered the room, and the butler followed him, the door closing with a thud. And the Alpha who had lost his Omega right before his eyes was expelled from the mansion.

It has been a week already. Kloff was once again trembling violently under extreme mental pressure. Documents and everything else blurred before his eyes. He had visited the mansion several times, swallowing his pride, but each time the butler said Aeroc was tired and sleeping. The butler’s polite demeanor, in particular, was colder and sharper than before. He always greeted Kloff accompanied by footmen and clearly stated his intention not to tolerate Kloff’s free movement within the mansion, regardless of Aeroc’s true wishes.

“His Grace needs to rest. Please come back later.”

“What kind of rest lasts for six days?”

“Noble individuals usually rest for that long. Though Lord Bendyke may not know.”

His subtle demeanor was filled with disdain. Kloff had long known that the butler didn’t like him, but now he was openly showing his displeasure. What he emphasized, in particular, was Kloff’s relatively low social standing. He was giving an unspoken warning not to dare compare himself to a Duke.

Kloff wanted to reveal to him that Aeroc was an Omega, but that would be a blow to his pride. Given the butler’s attitude, he wouldn’t believe it, and even if he did, he would clearly treat Aeroc as nothing more than the Duke’s bed slave. It was a very unpleasant thought.

“This is no different from before!”

Kloff yelled, throwing the file, and his secretary, who had been quietly drafting documents, glanced at him once, then lowered his gaze and returned to his work. He no longer flinched when his superior suddenly went berserk.

Kloff fumed, leaning his hands on the windowsill behind his desk, annoyed. He didn’t think Aeroc would do anything dangerous again without his knowledge. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t even think of going to dangerous places after what he had been through. Since communication had been cut off, the butler was also extremely worried, so he surely wouldn’t let Aeroc wander around alone. Yet, the unease persisted, undoubtedly because Aeroc’s words kept replaying in his mind.

I’ll just buy it again.

Kloff had no idea how Aeroc had found out about the existence of a medicine that even he, who considered himself knowledgeable, didn’t know about. But he knew well that Aeroc desperately wanted it enough to risk danger and wander the streets alone. He was extremely anxious and uneasy. First, the thought of Aeroc being in danger again was horrifying, and he also felt a faint anger rising at the feeling that the Omega was refusing to carry his child. Although he hadn’t heard it directly, he wondered if the butler’s attitude was Aeroc’s answer.

“I’m really going crazy.”

If he were just a simple Omega, Kloff wouldn’t have to rack his brain like this. The problem was that his partner was a high-ranking nobleman known to the world as an Alpha, and Kloff was not in a position to manipulate him as he pleased. He had never felt so regretful about his social status until now. Now it was different. He thought that if he had at least been the eldest son and inherited the title, he wouldn’t be pushed around so easily. Why was he a Duke? He pondered how he could completely control that annoying Omega. Then his secretary spoke.

“Lord Bendyke. Regarding the advisory position the Minister of Finance offered last time, I’m drafting the refusal letter as you instructed, but I’d like you to review the wording in this part.”

“Wait. About that. Bring it back.”

“The reply, or the letter?”

“Both.”