Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 30.1

The year after his ailing but not seriously ill father passed away suddenly without a specific reason. It was during Aeroc’s first rose garden tea party as Count Teiwind, having inherited the crest of a great family in his early twenties.
The midday banquet, a time-honored tradition, might seem like an ordinary garden tea party for fostering camaraderie, but in reality, it was a human competition where people assessed each other’s worth, assigned ranks, and decided whether to invest in someone or merely remember their name. Or, it was a place where families would present their children like honey-coated treats before others could snatch them up, gauging the potential for significant emotional exchange between two individuals, and if such a connection occurred, calculating the greedy benefits for the family if their union were to be declared in the name of God.
While well-known acquaintances, strangers, and even Aeroc himself acknowledged that he possessed the finest qualities, he felt uncomfortable in such a place where flattery, envy, and jealousy intertwined. Possessing the noble pride that formed the essence of aristocracy, having cultivated broad and deep knowledge, and endowed with rich artistic sensibility, he found such a blatant display of greed utterly distasteful. If it weren’t for family tradition, he would never have hosted such a “human market” himself, and he would have rarely accepted invitations from other families.
“I wish this would end quickly.”
Today, the scent of roses was unusually strong, to the point of being headache-inducing. He fled the rose garden as if escaping, seeking a place filled with the refreshing aroma of trees. Unlike the garden open to visitors, there was a promenade reserved for family members and close relatives. Since he had distant relatives but no frequently interacting ones, it could be considered Aeroc’s exclusive path for now.
Tall, straight trees, their tips seemingly touching the sky, lined both sides of the gravel path. Crunch, crunch. The clear sound of stones combined with the rustling of millions of leaves as the wind swept through them created a refreshing sensation. He walked slowly, inhaling the fresh air. He cleansed his lungs of the toxic fumes exhaled by humans losing their purity, filling them instead with the freshness of nature. The gills of his soul fluttered with uncontainable joy.
Sunlight, like special stage lighting, pierced through the dancing blue leaves and fell upon the ground. At the end of the path, filled with rippling pillars of light, stood someone. It was a man he had never seen before.
Clearly an Alpha at first glance, he stood tall, a massive figure like the embodiment of a cedar tree, glaring at Aeroc. His pupils, carved like the abyss, held a terrifying aura. Instinct sensed danger. He ignored the warning to turn back and return to the mansion, because his late father’s strict teachings still served as his most important principle. The vast estate, including the promenade, belonged to the Teiwind family. He was the master of this ancient, unshakeable kingdom of roses. Giving up his own promenade just because of a lost visitor was impossible from the start.
As the distance narrowed, the contours of the uninvited guest became clear. Although Aeroc was by no means short, the other man’s eyes were so far above his that he had to naturally lift his chin and look up. The dark suit was simple in design, which further emphasized his robust physique and long, straight legs. The man, holding his head high, had an intensely piercing gaze. Anyone not accustomed to the fervent gazes of kings or prima donnas would have trembled, unable to withstand such a fearsome, direct stare. But Aeroc was more accustomed to gazes than anyone. Especially to those of upstarts who, forgetting their place and station, shamelessly displayed obsession and possessiveness towards someone they dared not even look at.
Just like his impudent gaze, his attitude of standing like a statue, watching Aeroc approach, was irritating. It was like the posture of a master waiting for his servant’s obeisance. He was clearly a man who deluded himself into thinking he was something. Aeroc had intended to give him a mild warning and let it go, but he changed his mind and decided to thoroughly embarrass him.
The distance grew shorter. Aeroc averted his gaze from him and cast it far ahead. He maintained his walking pace. As the distance between them disappeared and then began to reappear, Aeroc warned him in a cold tone,
“This is for nobles only.”
His appearance suggested he was a poor nobleman or gentry, but Aeroc had no desire to treat him as such. If he had been humble, like those foolish, pathetic people who knew their place, Aeroc wouldn’t have treated him as lower class. Aeroc scoffed inwardly and passed him by.
“I knew you’d come to meet me.”
An unpleasant sneer stopped Aeroc in his tracks. Otherwise, he would have had no reason whatsoever to care about such a nobody. Just as he was about to turn around, wondering if the remark was directed at him, a rough hand reached out and firmly gripped Aeroc’s upper arm.
“You’ve grown quite handsome since I last saw you. Does hell welcome you, the cursed demon, that much?”
The powerful grip threatened to crush his bones and muscles. A strange pain assaulted him, but Aeroc was too startled to respond.
The venom pouring from the two dark, boiling eyes was potent. Moreover, the thick fangs nestled between his twisted lips gleamed as if they would chew on a freshly torn heart. If there truly was a cursed demon welcomed by hell, as this man claimed, wasn’t it he himself?
“Let go.”
He managed to utter the simple demand. At the same time, he resisted the pulling force stubbornly. His tightly held arm was losing sensation, perhaps due to compressed veins. Even as he strained, the other man seemed at ease. In fact, Aeroc was the only one exerting himself to the point of holding his breath.
The violent brute was not merely large in stature. He genuinely possessed terrifying strength. He had no difficulty holding onto a resisting adult alpha, and even leisurely scanned him from head to toe.
“You damn bastard, you’re so… beautiful that it makes me swear.”
“Hu… Go…”
His stiff tongue involuntarily called out the name of the one he trusted most. But his voice didn’t ring out loudly, as his entire body was tense from resisting.
“You’ll still act like an arrogant noble here, won’t you? Your complete lack of remorse… it’s perfect.”
And then the man laughed, as if pleased. With a crazed smile, he lowered his head. His white teeth looked as if they would tear into Aeroc’s neck at any moment. Indeed, when his warm breath touched Aeroc’s neck, his fine hairs, along with the hair on his head, stood on end.
“You have to be just as self-centered, selfish, and heartless a bastard as ever. That’s Aeroc Teiwind, isn’t it? I almost fell for it, thinking you were a crumbling tombstone. I almost admitted defeat to an ice-hearted demon.”
Then the man’s lips touched Aeroc’s neck and jawline. It was hot enough to burn, yet his heart felt as cold as crumbling dust. The temperature difference between inside and out made his brain refuse to function, and his reason was quickly paralyzed. Just as the monster’s poisonous breath was about to swallow his own, Aeroc suddenly realized his other arm was free.
Whack!
He punched the man’s cheekbone. But his arm was still firmly held. Watching the man’s head, which had snapped back, slowly return, Aeroc swung his fist again.
Thump.
His wrist was caught. The man in human form also had two arms.
“I’ll have to remind you of your place.”
The man, frowning as if bothered by his struck cheekbone, glared at Aeroc with hateful eyes. A cruel sneer flickered across his face, shadowed by the backlight. His ribs constricted, and his lungs fluttered. His racing heart felt as if it would burst with the slightest shock. The fear rising from beneath his churning feet threatened to engulf his entire body.
Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. Someone was beyond the cypress trees that lined the narrow path branching off the promenade. The man noticed it too, and his gaze shifted in that direction. Aeroc’s instincts immediately recognized that fleeting moment as his only chance.
“Hugo!”
He screamed with all his might. Even if the person there wasn’t his trusted butler, it was a desperate cry enough to attract attention.
“I chased that old man away a long time ago. You don’t know that?”
“Hugo! Hugo!”
“You threw me into a living hell and then lived happily pretending not to know anything, you demonic bastard? And you used to beg me to show you the children you bore, trying to elicit pity with all sorts of pathetic acts. And now, in a pinch, the only name you can come up with is a decrepit old butler.”
“You lunatic!”
“Why? Why don’t you call Raphiel? You told that child useless things. That you’re his birth mother. Didn’t you?”
The man was spouting utter nonsense. Aeroc didn’t know what kind of madman he was, but he seemed to think Aeroc was an Omega who had given birth. It was horrifying. Aeroc completely ignored the madman’s words and desperately screamed. He didn’t forget to struggle and resist.
“My lord?”
The voice from over there belonged to a gardener working at the mansion.
“Help! There’s a madman here!”
“Quiet. I am the master of this house.”
“Let go!”
He violently shook his trapped arms. Yet, the man wouldn’t let go of Aeroc. His shoulder felt like it would dislocate. He kicked the man’s log-like shins with his shoe and stomped on his foot. Kicking him in the groin was impossible as they were too close.
“My lord!”
The gardener, who had rushed over, widened his eyes at the sight of Aeroc struggling. The man, seeing the gardener, frowned.
“Who are you? I don’t recall hiring someone like you.”
“He’s a madman! Get him out of here at once!”
“Let go!”
The gardener rushed in, trying to pull the man away from his master. The elderly gardener was sturdier than Aeroc, but he was no match for the madman. Still, it was two men against one. He thought they would easily pull him off. But despite Aeroc’s best efforts to resist and the gardener’s pale-faced intervention, they couldn’t completely dislodge the man.
“Is anyone there? There’s a madman here! My lord is in danger!”
Finally, the gardener gave up trying to fight and ran off to call for others. The footmen, who had been scattered throughout the garden for the tea party, heard his shouts and began to appear one by one. Only when the gardener returned with two young footmen did they manage to pull the man away.
“Are you alright?”
The startled gardener looked worriedly at Aeroc, who was gasping for breath. Aeroc couldn’t even think about straightening his crumpled clothes. He just kept backing away, unnerved by the man who, despite being held by two strong men, was straining to get closer to him.
“This has become a demon’s lair.”
The man, grinding his teeth, reached out to Aeroc until the very end. Those who noticed the commotion rushed over. It took four or five footmen to completely subdue him.
“Aeroc!”
A terrifying voice called his name. Aeroc, with trembling hands, brushed back his disheveled hair. His palm was slick with sweat from his forehead. As he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, his vision spun, and his legs felt weak. After slowly steadying his breath, he quietly ordered the gardener standing beside him,
“It seems a madman snuck in during the tea party. Get him out at once before the guests find out.”
The gardener nodded and went to the footmen, who were struggling to subdue the mad dog, and relayed his master’s words.
“You demonic bastard! Don’t think this is the end! Not even in hell!”
The man cursed. His soul-shredding voice tormented Aeroc long after he had turned the corner of the cypress hedge.