Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 27.1 - Side story 2 : My Noble Resistance Against Taichi, the Rude, Illegal Occupier - By Lennox Elhime Bendiwind

My name is Lennox Elhime Teiwind.
I am the eldest Alpha and firstborn son of the Teiwind Earldom. I know full well that many people gasp in admiration, “Ah…” at the mere mention of my name. That is, if they know the Teiwind name.
In this era where civilization is advancing and philosophy and politics are undergoing revolution, emphasizing the history of an ancient lineage might seem old-fashioned. However, it is also not right to completely disregard the deep traditions inherited over thousands of years. Especially for one who inherits the name of a great family that, by its very existence, represents a noble spirit. Thus, I learn the teachings of my profound ancestors alongside new advancements.
Just by inhaling, I savored the scent of classics, as if plunging into the essence of fierce scholars. I climbed the library ladder that had surely given itself over to the hands of dozens of earls until it shone with a deep luster. And I reached for the black book adorned with a golden seal, which I had yearned for since I first knew of its existence. Its volume was such that it could not be held in one hand. Its weight was such that it could barely be supported by two. This is the weight of the value held by classics.
I descended the ladder and placed the book on the well-maintained table. I pulled up a chair before turning its stiff cover. Moving a chair as tall as myself was quite an ordeal, but the classic was worth it. I climbed onto the chair, spread a cushion, and sat down.
Today, I would find the answer to the greatest adversity of my life. With trembling hands, I opened the sturdy pages. A feast of countless letters. It must be somewhere in here.
Ah, how agonizing.
Why does this classic not show me the answer? The vast sea of characters, totaling 2830 pages, was an utterly alien place. Unconsciously, I tore at my hair. The moment I saw the clump of dark brown protein in my hand, I grew angry. His curse had begun. Not only does he mercilessly dominate the Earldom without any authority, but he is also a wicked man who has bewitched the current Earl, seizing control of his mind and body and shaking them. I am still struggling today to drive him out of this house.
I nervously flipped through the pages. Had he cast some kind of spell? I couldn’t find a single legible word within this book. Time was passing, what should I do? It was then. I heard footsteps outside, thud, thud.
I quickly closed the book. I needed to pretend so my plan wouldn’t be revealed. He was quick-witted. Even the slightest sloppiness would lead to immediate discovery and a terrible punishment. I quickly pulled a large white sheet of paper and covered the book. Then I gripped a foolish rainbow-colored pencil. My preference was a weighty, engraved fountain pen, but that was not yet permitted. The door opened, and he entered.
“Lennox. What are you doing here?”
As if intent on sucking the lifeblood from the Earldom, he again placed numerous receipts and contracts on the massive desk. Those were important documents that Earl Teiwind, my parental authority, should personally examine and judge! If the Earl could not do so, it would rightfully be my duty as the legitimate heir, but he had arbitrarily seized authority on the pretext that I was not yet an adult.
To prevent me from showing interest in the documents, he placed a heavy ledger on top of them to conceal them, then approached me. I had to act like an innocent seven-year-old child. My pride felt shattered, but it was a desperate struggle for survival.
“I’m drawing, Father.”
This was humiliation. This was disgrace. Yes. Simply because I was born through the sperm he provided, I had to call him “Father” despite all this absurdity.
I looked at him and smiled. A noble aristocrat must smile in any situation. He, feigning innocent affection, extended his hand, like a weapon, and stroked my head. He smoothly stroked my glossy, chestnut-brown hair, then moved down to my shoulder, gripping it firmly before letting go. If his grip had tightened even a little more, I would have immediately met my ancestors. An honorable death would always be welcome, but now was not the time. I had not yet liberated the Earldom.
He looked at my drawing with dark, gleaming chestnut eyes, like an old beast. It was an unconscious expression of my desire for help from the ancestors’ power to drive out this wicked demon—the family crest, a lion.
He looked down at the drawing seriously. Was it working? These sharp claws and flowing mane. And the vivid eyes and terrifying teeth. Someday, this lion would drive out the evil that brought injustice and establish justice. I looked at him confidently. He stared blankly, overwhelmed by the vivid lion that looked ready to roar at any moment, then soon opened his mouth. I waited, anticipating what he would say. Would he be afraid? Would he scold me? Come on, if you have a mouth, say something…
“What is this? A hairy potato?”
Gasp… This… this wicked Demon King. Cruel poison of lies surely flowed through his veins. How could he compare the golden lion of Teiwind to a mere potato? I was in agony. My pride was shattered. My hands trembled.
“…It’s a lion. A golden lion.”
“Ah, yes.”
He smiled, having crushed the will of a hero with his cruel words. Then, belatedly, he added, “You drew it well,” spreading another lie, and went to sit at his desk. It was a relief. Although my pride had suffered a severe wound, the book was not discovered. He was extremely wary of me absorbing more knowledge, more information. It must be an instinctive fear that if I became smarter, I would threaten his position.
I carefully slid the book out from under the paper. I intended to wrap it in the lion drawing and take it to my bedroom. He was engrossed in sorting ledgers and documents, no longer looking my way.
Yes, monopolizing the sweet fruit must be very enjoyable for him. But that won’t last long. The moment I decipher this book, he will meet a miserable end. He will prostrate himself on the floor, his large body that I have to crane my neck to look up at, begging, “Lord Lennox, please forgive me. From now on, you may use your allowance as you wish. Here are the safe key and checkbook.” I think I smiled a little, imagining that day. It was then.
“Are you leaving now?”
Oh no. I shouldn’t have made a sound. I drew unnecessary attention. I decided to answer as usual, without panicking.
“Yes, I promised to play with Eurea.”
“It’s almost bedtime.”
Disaster. I hadn’t thought about the time.
“I’ll play for a little while and then go to bed.”
“Hmm.”
He seemed to be pondering. Don’t notice. I felt cold sweat trickle down my spine and smiled. Fortunately, he quickly returned his gaze to the documents.
“Alright. Don’t play too late. Waking up late in the morning is a bad habit.”
“Yes, Father.”
Phew. I exhaled a deep sigh of relief inwardly as I got down from the chair. Then I tidied the colored pencils and folded the paper in half, secretly wrapping it around the book’s spine. I carefully pulled it down with both hands when suddenly!
“Lennox.”
“Yes?”
“Leave the ‘General Principles of Civil Law’ here.”
How… how did he know? He hadn’t even taken his eyes off the documents. Did he have eyes on the top of his head? Don’t panic, Lennox Teiwind. You are the sole hope of this Earldom and a hero blessed with the spirit of a lion. You can do this.
“Wh-what is that?”
“The book under your lion drawing.”
“Oh, this?”
Why did the legitimate heir of the Earldom feel guilty, as if he were stealing something from the Earldom’s library? Was this the Demon King’s terrifying magic? Anyway, I had to overcome this crisis. I acted as if I knew nothing. He was completely fooled by my desperate struggle, where I abandoned my pride.
“Yes, that. Leave it.”
“Ah, yes.”
All hope was shattered. I had to flounder in overwhelming despair. How could I retreat now, with the magic book that could drive out that demon right before my eyes? The swamp of immense despair rose to my knees. But this was not the end. I still had countless hours left. A long time not permitted to that aged Demon King. Sometimes, one must retreat today for tomorrow’s glory. I must not let go of all threads of hope already.
Furthermore, this book was not yet at a stage where I could decipher it. This book might be a hasty overreach. Even if it was humiliating, should I have finished the punishment called “Spelling Memorization” that he gave me and acquired the “Children’s Dictionary” instead?
Tsk. I softly uttered a severe curse, “Idiot.” Fortunately, he didn’t seem to hear it. Leaving the book with the golden key right in front of me, I had to turn away. Holding the paper and colored pencils, just before opening the door, I asked him, needing to know the reason for today’s failure.
“But Father, how did you know that book was there?”
Cringe. This overly cutesy way of speaking. This was something the witch Eurea, his minion, had instilled in me. However, it had a very potent effect on him; whenever I used this tone, he would always answer sincerely. I continued my desperate life, even selling my pride to survive. He raised his head and smiled at me. Then he pointed to the bookshelf with the tip of his pen.
“Isn’t there an empty space there?”
“How can you know that? There are so many books here.”
“All the books on that shelf are mine. I remember where everything is placed.”
Ah, how could this be? Was that classic his property? What a disaster… While I was too shocked to speak, he smiled contentedly.
“I’m very happy you’re showing interest in the law. You truly are my son.”
“Ah… Ahahaha, of course, Father.”
Unlike my outwardly cheerful demeanor, I was shedding tears of blood inwardly. The reason I wanted that book was because I had heard from Butler Hugo that it contained all the legal principles of the world. Since all unjust matters related to personal issues were judged according to the laws contained in that book, I had risked danger and even used the forbidden library ladder to drive him out, but…
“That book is too difficult for you to read, as you haven’t even finished your collection of children’s literature. You might get seriously hurt if you drop such a heavy book, so don’t touch it from now on. And as punishment for using the library ladder without permission, you’ll memorize double the spellings today.”
“…Yes.”
Frustration. Despair. I lost my will to live. Foolish, idiotic me. Why didn’t I realize that his books were in this library? I walked with slumped shoulders and dragging feet down the path that held only hardship.
Double the spellings? Did that mean I had to memorize ten today before going to bed? He intended to torture me without letting me sleep. Wicked, wicked Demon King. He was clearly wary of me growing as powerful as him. Treacherous. Petty. Unfair. I glared at him resentfully. He looked at me and smiled again. Was he trying to make me even more miserable here?
“Instead, if you memorize them all, I’ll read you five more pages of ‘The Adventures of the Golden Lion’ when you go to bed later.”
Tsk. Did he think I would fall for such a shallow temptation? I straightened my gaze and looked directly at him. He smiled awkwardly. Yes, don’t underestimate Lennox Teiwind. Just a few more pages of a book that I’ve read over and over until the pages are tattered because it’s so fun, and Lennox Teiwind will…
“Ten pages.”
“Yes, Father. I’ll study my spellings diligently! I’m sorry for secretly using the ladder.”
“Good, my son.”
Cough. I couldn’t help it. It was exactly at the point where the golden lion was fighting the black dragon. Anyone who stopped right before that would have had no choice but to accept this deal. Moreover, he… reads with such excitement, and as a Demon King, he knows everything, so he resolves all my questions. Even Earl Teiwind, my parental authority, cannot do that.
I closed the library door and exited. Although I didn’t start a revolution today, the library expedition yielded not bad results. I straightened my shoulders and held my head high as I walked to my room. Because I had to memorize the spellings quickly. To put on my pajamas later and, in the Demon King’s warm embrace, find out what happened in the adventures of the golden lion.
It had been a year since I learned the true nature of Viscount Kloff Bendyke, my father and my beloved mother’s husband.
Around this time last year, when my youngest sibling Jester, who was then six months old, was still growing steadily in my mother’s womb, I witnessed the atrocious behavior of the man I had, until then, respected as my father.
That night, thunder and lightning raged. While my sister Eurea, as indifferent as the ancient trees of the vast northern forests, snored deeply in her sleep, I, being delicate, woke up startled by the flashes of lightning and crashing thunder. And, of all things, I needed to use the restroom. It was cold, so I didn’t want to get out of bed, but for the sake of the Earl’s Alpha firstborn’s dignity, I couldn’t stain the bedsheets at six years old, so I reluctantly got up and went to the bathroom in my room.
Rumble, crash!
I was startled while peeing. I quickly washed my hands and hurried back to bed, but I heard a presence outside. And I saw the flicker of a lantern under the door. At first, I tried to ignore it. If anyone caught me wandering alone in the dark hallway on a stormy night, I would be scolded.
However, with thunder and lightning raging outside and Eurea’s snoring beside me, I couldn’t fall asleep at all. Hoping that Mother or the man I then genuinely believed to be my father was still awake and would read me a storybook until I fell asleep again, I picked up the fairy tale book I had left on the table and left the room.
The corridor was dark, save for a faint nightlight leading to the stairs, as it was late at night. The atmosphere was so quiet that even old Hugo seemed to be asleep. At such a late hour, Mother would surely be in her bedroom.
Mother, who had finally conceived another sibling after Eurea, had been particularly tired lately and had gone to bed early. Just as I had a duty to protect Eurea at night, Father also had a duty to protect my pregnant mother and unborn sibling, so they slept together. Mother might be asleep, but Father stayed up late, so I thought he could read me a fairy tale. I naively rushed to Mother’s room, completely unaware of what he was doing.
As if foreshadowing the horror of that day, thunder and lightning struck relentlessly, and terrified by the chilling whistle of the raging wind and rain, I forgot to knock and opened the door. Just then, a nearby thunderclap roared, so the click of the doorknob turning was inaudible even to me, standing right there.
The large room was dark. All the lights were off, and beyond the half-closed curtains, the massive glass window rattled against the wind and rain. I clutched my fairy tale book and took a step inside. In the far corner of the considerably large room, I saw a dim yellow light.
Behind a small lamp on the bedside table, I saw Mother, with her large belly, her bare legs spread wide, held by him, the man I called Father, crying and begging for forgiveness.
That was the first time I saw Mother cry.
My mother is Aeroc Teiwind, the famous Earl Teiwind. Publicly, he was an Alpha, but when he met Father, he fell in love by fate and his body transformed into an Omega. My mother, always noble and elegant, was a high-ranking aristocrat respected by many, consistently beautiful, and possessed such high pride that he never carelessly displayed his emotions.
Yet, there he was, under a large man, his limbs spread hideously like a powerless stuffed bear, unable to cover his round, swollen belly, crying uncontrollably with tears streaming down his face.
“Ah, ugh, Kloff, no more, ah, no. I feel like I’ll die, hic.”
“No. Bear it longer.”
“You demon.”
Mother pleaded, his voice choked with tears, but Father, without mercy, bit his neck like a beast. My limbs trembled. Like a demon from a fairy tale, not content with biting Mother’s neck, he unbuttoned his thin nightgown and devoured his breast, which held milk for my unborn sibling. A shrill scream burst from Mother’s throat, and at the same time, I dropped the book.
At that moment, he froze. Even Mother, who had been gasping in pain, stopped instantly as if cursed. The moment both of them turned to look my way, I was so scared that I ran away like a coward.
Ah, unable to save my beloved mother, I cried, stumbling several times, returning to my room, hiding under the covers, and sobbing silently. No matter how much lightning struck outside and the thunder that followed assaulted my eardrums, all I could hear was Mother’s scream.
A moment later, a faint light appeared beyond the sheet covering me, and I sensed someone approaching. I wondered if it was Mother, but the hand that wrapped around my trembling back was his.
“Lennox.”
Even his gentle call made me jump in fright.
“Lennox. By any chance, just now. Were you in Mother’s room?”
At that question, I somehow ended up lying.
“No! I was asleep the whole time!”
My voice was strangely strained from trying to suppress my sobs, but he didn’t press me. He stroked my back a few times, then after a long sigh, he muttered to himself, “I don’t know how to explain it,” and then got out of bed.
“The fairy tale book you dropped is on the table. Don’t wander around at night, go to sleep.”