Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 4 Waiting for my kind punisher

When Aeroc opened his eyes, he momentarily wondered if hell had a barn. But he quickly changed his mind. The place he was lying in was not the barn he had been using until now. It was a small cabin, and he was lying on something rough but still recognizable as a bed, covered by a clean blanket.

Slowly, he sat up. The last thing he remembered was cold water. But where Aeroc had opened his eyes was clearly a dry space. He couldn’t understand what had happened. As the blanket slowly slid down, his naked body was revealed.

Though he had scrubbed diligently with soap, the skin that had never shed its old grime was gone; even with scars and bruises, his smooth, clean complexion didn’t look like that of a street beggar. He brought his arm to his nose, and a fragrant floral scent wafted up. It felt as if he had bathed in water infused with luxurious bath salts.

He gathered his two legs neatly, placed them on the floor, and got out of bed. Relying on the faint light filtering through the tightly closed shutters, he searched for a table. There would likely be a sturdy, large table nearby.

As expected.

On it, he felt soft fabric that smelled of sunshine. Aeroc hugged it and inhaled deeply. There was no trace of a sewer smell. Somehow, his heart swelled. Burying his face in the fabric, he remained there for a long time, not with a forced, masked smile, but with genuine joy bubbling up into a laugh. Soon, he slowly put it on.

As he had expected, the length was a little short. But he was so thin that it wasn’t a great inconvenience. All he had to do was leave the cuff and collar buttons undone. His wrists and ankles protruded awkwardly from the hems, but there was no one here to tease him, so it didn’t matter.

Fully dressed, Aeroc rubbed the soft texture with his palms, feeling it, then opened the closed shutters. Bright light burst in, forcing him to shield his eyes with his hand. After blinking a few times, his eyeballs felt strained, and he began to adapt to the light. Soon, the view outside the window became clear.

Not far away, beyond a wall of cypress trees that stood like prison bars, the very mansion he had seen yesterday revealed its grandeur. Beyond the massive mansion, the tips of cedar trees reaching for the sky, pushed by perspective, appeared like densely packed saplings.

He didn’t know what had happened last night, but he knew Kloff had brought him here. Surely, meeting him yesterday must have led to another unpleasant outcome. He was afraid of what terrible torture Kloff, who displayed genius in inflicting pain upon Aeroc, might have prepared. It seemed he couldn’t even die as he wished.

Nevertheless, it was fortunate that Kloff had confined him here instead of abandoning him on the street again. As long as he was here, he would at least not starve or freeze to death. He wouldn’t be gang-raped either. Instead, there would be no conversation, even if it was a combination of worthless sounds, and no human warmth. Still, compared to the bottom, this was like heaven. It wasn’t because he would be beaten less, be less cold, or less hungry.

As long as he stayed in this cabin, Aeroc could wait. For Kloff to come and see him.

The first day, he spent his time sitting blankly on the bed. He just couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t grasp the reality of returning here after what felt like an eternity of terrible time, so he went in and out of the cabin several times. He circled the small wooden house, hoping someone might come through the cypress wall he dared not cross. It hadn’t changed at all, as if it hadn’t been used since Aeroc had last been there. It was only when hunger set in that he came to his senses.

The cabin, besides serving as a bedroom, sitting room, or living room, had a small kitchen if you went around the corner. He had never entered it before. Opening the creaking door, which hadn’t been used in a long time, a pungent dust rose. It seemed best to clean first. He picked up a bucket in the corner and a half-rotted mop. Then he went to the well outside the cabin.

The well had a manual pump. He remembered being very flustered when he first encountered this pump on the street, not knowing how to use it. Fortunately, someone had already placed a bucket full of water nearby. It was a thoughtful gesture. Aeroc carefully lifted the bucket, trying not to spill any water, and poured half of it into the pump’s opening. Then he vigorously worked the handle. The pump gurgled, and soon clear water gushed out.

With hands that were not particularly adept, he crawled on the floor until his knees ached, wiping away the dust. And he wiped everything he saw with the mop. Although it was nowhere near the skilled maintenance of a housekeeper, by the time it was clean enough to be called a home, beads of sweat had formed on Aeroc’s forehead. His pale face was slightly flushed from being bent over so much.

His stomach, which had been rumbling for a while, now growled even louder due to the labor. On the table where the clothes had been, there were some root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and green vegetables like asparagus and cabbage, along with salt. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be eaten uncooked.

He found a small knife in the kitchen and decided to try slicing a potato first. He placed the round potato on the table and struck it, but the knife glanced off. The potato was hard, not soft. He had never imagined a potato could be so firm. He touched a carrot, and it too was hard. The cabbage as well. The asparagus was tough. How was he supposed to cook such strong things? Aeroc pondered. He was hungry, but it seemed like it would be quite an enjoyable time.

It was late at night before Aeroc finally managed to conquer the potato. By the time he ate it, much reduced from its original size, he had cut three fingers and burned one on the stove. He had also struggled for a long time to light the stove with the firewood outside and the given matches, even burning a bit of his long hair. After blowing on and eating the half-cooked, half-burnt baked potato, Aeroc carefully took off his clothes, hung them on a chair, and got into bed naked.

Today, he was very tired from all the labor. Unfortunately, there was no lamp, so once the sun set, there was nothing much he could do. In fact, even if there had been a lamp, there would have been nothing to do. The physical exhaustion pushed away all the painful memories of the past that came every night, allowing him to sleep deeply without a single thought.

In his sleep, a cool breeze seemed to brush his cheek. He should have gotten up to check what it was, but he was too tired to open his eyes. If it had been the barn or the street, he would have opened his eyes instantly before the wind blew and crawled into deep shadow, but this was a cabin. No one came here except that person. Surely, he wouldn’t come. It must be the garden breeze coming through the ill-fitting shutters. The flow of cool air made him feel good. Aeroc seemed to have smiled a little even in his sleep.

He suddenly woke up in the dim dawn. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his clothes, but then something else caught Aeroc’s eye. On the table were a lamp, soap, clean towels, and other items. Someone had clearly come and gone. As far as Aeroc remembered, there was only one person who came and went from this cabin besides himself. Other servants might bring various items to the door, but they never enter. Aeroc, still naked, rushed out of the cabin.

“Kloff!”

He quickly ran to the cypress wall. And along the wall, to the path leading to the rose garden. But he couldn’t go any further. It would be troublesome to leave here. If Kloff was nearby and saw Aeroc stepping into the mansion, he might throw him out again. It was forbidden to desire anything beyond what was given. Only the cabin was allowed to him. Aeroc stood on tiptoe, searching for the shadow of a tall, broad-shouldered man. No matter how many times he craned his neck, he saw nothing. He called out to him again.

“Kloff!”

No response came. Indeed, it seemed there was no one there. Then, when a chilling wind blew, reminding him that he was completely naked, he quietly returned to the cabin.

The embers that still wouldn’t die out were so painful that he had tried to sink them in the river to extinguish them, but this time, he had pulled them out and fanned them, making them blaze fiercely again. There was no flesh left to burn anyway. Now, with his very bones glowing red-hot, Aeroc found himself hoping again.

Since he saved him, if he stayed alive, someday he would look at him, even just once. So, he shouldn’t act recklessly like before and miss this potentially last chance forever. When the time came for them to meet and speak, he would come and wake him. Until then, all Aeroc could do was wait, looking a little better.

Trying to roast a carrot for breakfast, he cut the same spot he had cut yesterday. He put his bleeding finger into his mouth and opened the box Kloff had brought at dawn. A white bandage was visible. He cut a small piece of thick cloth and wrapped it around his finger. It stung a little. While he was at it, he also wrapped yesterday’s rather long wound. Looking down at his hands, he suddenly remembered the white bandage on a softly smiling mouth. The vivid image of two loving people kissing a finger as if the wound would heal instantly remained clear.

“Hello, Count Teiwind.”

Raphiel, whom Aeroc met at the Viscountess Derbyshire’s tea party, greeted him with a bright smile. In truth, he didn’t want to acknowledge him, but Kloff was standing a step behind the happy omega, watching them, so Aeroc had no choice but to respond with a polite smile.

“Hello, Raphiel. The weather is very pleasant today.”

“I wish every day were like today.”

Despite the simple reply, Raphiel deliberately clapped his hands exaggeratedly and burst into laughter. Aeroc found the laughter gratingly unpleasant but never showed it. Instead, he smiled brightly at the stern-faced alpha standing behind the omega and nodded. All he received in return was a slight nod. Annoyance welled up.

You don’t have to be this cold.

Aeroc pulled up the corners of his mouth, which were already quite high, even further until his cheeks twitched, and looked down at the omega standing before him again. Raphiel, who had gathered his hands in front of his mouth to appear cute, had a white bandage wrapped around his finger.

“You seem to have hurt your finger.”

“Oh, I was practicing cooking recently.”

“Cooking?”

“I learned how to prepare fish. But I was clumsy and cut myself.”

At that, Aeroc frowned slightly. There were those who, as future mistresses of noble houses, learned to bake pastries or bread, or practiced tea ceremony as a cultural pursuit. But handling a kitchen knife to prepare fish was excessive. Now that he looked closely, besides the bandage, Raphiel’s hands had faint scratches in various places, and his smooth, delicate skin looked slightly rough.

“Was the Viscountcy of Westport so difficult? To the extent of making the eldest son cook?”

Raphiel, who had been shamelessly displaying his hand, belatedly blushed and lowered his hand, hiding it behind his waist. No matter how distant the relation, they were still cousins of the Teiwind family. Moreover, with their similar appearances, rumors about the connection between the two families had been circulating quite a bit recently. In such a situation, if Raphiel’s injury from cutting fish was spread throughout the noble society, Aeroc would either be treated as a stingy miser who hoarded immense wealth but didn’t care for his own blood relatives, or as a foolish simpleton who was unaware of his relatives’ difficulties.

He had thought that Raphiel’s simple attire, though of good quality and modestly adorned, indicated a noble sensibility, but it seemed even that was his misunderstanding. No matter how much he disliked Raphiel, helping relatives in difficult circumstances was a proper duty for a nobleman. Aeroc spoke in a tone carefully chosen to avoid revealing his annoyance.

“I will instruct my butler to send a suitable cook. I will bear all expenses, including ingredients. You will no longer need to touch fish. I apologize for not having considered it sooner.”

“It’s not that.”

Raphiel tried to refuse with a flustered expression. Then he glanced awkwardly at Kloff standing behind him. Was it because he didn’t want to be caught in front of the person he was dating? If so, he shouldn’t have come out with the bandage so conspicuously.

As Aeroc frowned and stared, Raphiel couldn’t meet his gaze and looked down. Even if he was suffering due to poverty, Aeroc disliked the servile way he accepted it, and just as he was about to tell him to lift his head, Kloff, who had been standing behind, stepped forward and stood beside Raphiel. He lowered his large hand and firmly grasped Raphiel’s bandaged hand. He coldly stared at Aeroc, who was surprised by this public display of affection. Soon, an unpleasant voice rang out.

“There’s no need for that, Raphiel. You’ve done nothing wrong, so don’t bow your head as if you’re guilty. If there’s any fault, it’s mine, for being so incompetent as to make my future wife suffer such hardships.”

Aeroc was startled by those words. He had only thought that Raphiel was embarrassing him, but he hadn’t expected Kloff to react that way. In fact, literally, Kloff’s position wasn’t something to be proud of.

Even if he wasn’t rich, to let his noble-born fiancée handle fish herself? What if the faint, almost invisible engagement ring got a fishy smell? If it was such a difficult task, he should have secretly asked for help, or at least bought and gifted her a pair of gloves.

To Aeroc, it was a shabby sight that he couldn’t easily overlook, but Kloff seemed not to think so. He conspicuously wrapped his arm around the waist of the blushing, flustered Raphiel.

“Excuse us.”

Leaving a brief farewell, the two departed.

That evening, while waiting for their carriage, Kloff did his best to cherish his fiancée’s hand, ensuring it wouldn’t be hurt.

Standing blankly by the table, he gently touched the cold surface with his fingertips, where a slight pulse could be felt. Then he raised his hand to his mouth. He wondered if this would make it stop hurting, but there was no difference. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t his kiss. Raphiel had truly seemed not to be in pain that day.

The days passed peacefully, sometimes a little boringly. In contrast, Aeroc’s heart grew increasingly excited. With each passing day, he became more restless, as if the promised date was approaching. He didn’t know when he would suddenly appear, but he was certain he would come at least once. This time, to avoid missing him, he stayed awake as late as possible even at night.

To conserve the lamp oil, he sat on the bed in the dark night, resting his forehead on his raised knees, waiting endlessly. If he heard any sound from outside, he would quickly light the lamp. Then he would look out the window. Days continued where he would observe for a long time, then turn off the lamp again, cover himself with the blanket, and wait. He couldn’t sleep properly, so in the early morning, he would inadvertently fall into a half-conscious doze, only to be startled awake by the chirping of passing birds. Calming his pounding heart, he would call out, “Kloff?” but only the rustling leaves in the wind would answer.

Waiting always brought rewards. One late afternoon, he was just about to take off his clothes, which were dirty with charcoal smudges, to wash them. The weft threads of the fabric had come loose from a torn buttonhole and wrapped around the button. Because of this, he couldn’t undo it properly. At first, he tried to carefully unravel the threads one by one, but the tips of his fingers, where the wounds had not yet healed, stung, and he finally became irritable. Since it was already small and uncomfortable, Aeroc, with uncharacteristically violent gestures, was almost tearing off his clothes.

Thud.

The door opened. Though it had no lock, the door, which never moved unless Aeroc touched it, swung wide open, and a tall man entered. Aeroc, holding his half-torn clothes and twisting off a button that was caught around his neck, froze.

“Kloff?”

Kloff, who seemed to have been out, meticulously wearing his coat, hat, and even gloves, looked at him with his usual somewhat serious expression. Seeing Aeroc looking at him in surprise, with nothing covering his upper body, the alpha scoffed, then cast his gaze upon the rags in Aeroc’s two dry hands. The man’s confident smile hardened into a straight line and trembled slightly.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, this damn clothing is being so troublesome.”

Startled by the sudden intrusion and not even properly dressed, he made an excuse and used rough language. Even after blurting it out, Aeroc felt vulgar and lowered his gaze slightly. Even if he had been living in the gutters, there was no need to let his nature fall to that level. No matter how much he tried not to, it seemed he couldn’t help but be influenced by his environment. He was a little worried about what clever sarcasm would come his way.

After a brief silence, Kloff removed his black silk hat, placed it on the table, and strode towards him. Then he snatched the clothes from Aeroc’s hands. When a somewhat startled Aeroc looked up at him, Kloff removed his black leather gloves, then raised his hand and slapped Aeroc’s thin cheek.

Slap.

His head snapped back. Before Aeroc, whose vision was filled with stars, could regain his senses, a hand as strong as steel grabbed his slender chin, turned it, and slapped his cheek once more. His body, which had gone limp from the first shock, couldn’t endure it this time and collapsed. Aeroc fell to the floor and spat out what pooled in his mouth. A little blood flowed. Before he could even understand what had happened or why he was being hit, Kloff, who had removed his gloves and now his coat, hanging them on a nearby chair, looked down at Aeroc with a cold, emotionless expression and unbuttoned his cuffs.

“Why?”

“Why? You still don’t know your place, how dare you.”

He had no idea what he had done wrong. As his already swollen cheek felt hot, Kloff roughly grabbed Aeroc’s hair and hit him several more times. His mouth was cut, and he tasted a salty, metallic flavor. As saliva and blood mixed and threatened to go down his gasping throat, he reflexively coughed. At that moment, something hot streamed from his nose. His vision was blurry, and it was hard to focus, as if his brain had been shaken from being hit on the head. He would have preferred to be hit on his thighs or back.

“…Kloff…”

“Did you remember? You must have. It’s what was left by someone who died in terrible fear because of you. I gave it to you to always remember the sins you committed, and you dare to defile and tear it? How dare you, with this ugly body.”

The enraged alpha’s voice was terrifying enough to make one’s blood run cold, and at the same time, it was laced with a poignant pain that froze his heart.

He had simply thought it was old, discarded clothing, which was why it was small. The slightly old-fashioned, simple clothes had a rather good quality, soft texture, so he vaguely assumed they were something nobles had thrown away. But they weren’t.

These were Raphiel’s clothes.

Even if he hadn’t known, he had torn them in front of Kloff. It was a mistake he shouldn’t have made. And it was something he shouldn’t have been ignorant of. Aeroc should have recognized those clothes, and because of it, he had made Kloff fall into extreme rage again, resorting to unbefitting violence. But as always, Aeroc’s realization came too late.

He accepted the violence Kloff unleashed without a sound, doing what was right in the face of the sin he had brought upon himself.