Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 50.2

Infertile? At that moment, Aeroc almost grabbed the doctor by the collar and threw him down. But before that, his knees buckled. He stumbled down the stairs and immediately jumped into the carriage. After the carriage had been driving for a while, Aeroc realized he had completely forgotten the main purpose of his visit to the doctor. The coachman dropped Aeroc off at the mansion and then went back to retrieve the medicine.

“You’re late.”
“I just came from the doctor’s. I left the medicine bottle there, so the coachman went back to get it. When it arrives, please put it in the medicine cabinet for me.”
“Understood.”

Hugo, who had taken the umbrella and coat, added as Aeroc was ascending the stairs.
“Shall I prepare tea?”
“A warm milk tea, please.”
“Understood.”

Aeroc hurried to the study. On such a rainy, dreary day, reading there with a warm cup of tea was the best. The study felt warm, as if the fireplace had been recently tended to. Messy papers were scattered across the desk. A knee blanket lay carelessly on the chair.

He left the empty study and headed to the Violet Room. It was deserted and showed no signs of being used. Leaving the cool air behind, he then went to the room with the terrace. That room was filled with the chilly, damp essence of the rain. In fact, the terrace door was slightly ajar, letting the rain in. The curtains were also wet and swayed limply. Just as he was about to close the glass door, Aeroc noticed someone standing in the garden where all the flowers had withered.

“What are they doing out there on such a cold, rainy day?”

Aeroc quickly went downstairs and retrieved the umbrella Hugo had put away. He opened the black umbrella and walked towards the garden. Raindrops, hitting the fine gravel covering the path, splattered everywhere. His trouser legs and shoes got wet, but he didn’t mind.

No one was there where he had seen them from the terrace room. Instead, white smoke was rising from the small chimney of the abandoned hut. Aeroc went to the hut. The hut door was open. He propped the umbrella at the entrance and stepped inside.

Crackling.

There was a small table, two mismatched chairs, and a worn, hard bed beneath the window. It used to be a much warmer space with embroidered cushions and cute patterned mats, but those traces were gone, replaced by gloomy patterned wooden boards. However, the dust that would have accumulated over ten years was nowhere to be seen. The furniture and floor were clean. The air was warm. As Aeroc looked around, the person who had been poking the fireplace stood up.

“Welcome.”
“Have you been here all this time?”

At that, the other person nodded. It was daytime, but the rain blocked the sun, making the surroundings a bit dim. Conversely, one side of his face, facing the fireplace, glowed brightly with an orange hue. The scars spreading out from above his right ear were clearly visible. Aeroc approached and gently touched the still reddish scars.

“Headache?”
“I’m fine.”

Feeling inwardly relieved, Aeroc cupped the other’s cheek with his palm. A red mark ran diagonally above his dark eyebrow. His cheekbones were also full of small scratches. Fortunately, there was no abnormality in his eyes. Instead, the large hand that covered Aeroc’s hand, which was tracing his cheek, moved awkwardly, unable to regenerate its completely shattered finger joints.

“Why are you here in the cold?”
“I like it here. And it’s warm here too.”
“That’s true, but your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so don’t overdo it. Do you know how much of a headache it is to find a competent financial manager?”
“I haven’t overdone it.”
“Ah, so the dusty hut cleaned itself, and the fireplace automatically cleared its ashes and lit a fire, did it?”
“Something like that.”

He chuckled at the attempt to pass it off as a joke. Still, he had to press the point.
“You were even getting rained on earlier.”
“Did you notice?”

He couldn’t bring himself to be angry at the smiling face.
“What were you doing?”
“I chose this.”

With that, he pointed to the table. There were several still-wet pebbles on it. He picked up a few and examined them closely. But he found nothing special.

“What is this?”
“Soft marble. I’m going to carve chess pieces out of it.”
“To play chess? I have an ivory chess set. I’d lend it to you anytime.”
“No. It only means something if I carve it myself.”

With that, he sat down in a chair. And he offered the mismatched, hard wooden chair to Aeroc. He seemed genuinely intent on carving it himself, pulling out a pocket knife. After briefly assessing the pebble, he actually began to carve the stone. Most of the pebbles, imported from a region famous for its stone, were soft marble. Carving was possible. He tried to carve with his clumsy left hand instead of his right hand, which couldn’t exert proper force. Aeroc didn’t understand why he needed to make new chess pieces when there was already a set of high-quality, finished ones.

“At this rate, it’ll take three months just to play one game of chess.”
“I have plenty of time. I got back what I once threw away as a bonus.”

What was so amusing, he grinned and focused on carving the pebble. Just watching him, alive and moving, was quite enjoyable. Not long ago, he almost had his head blown off. Wolflake, who had been wary of him, had deliberately sabotaged the gun, causing the chamber to explode instead of firing a bullet when the trigger was pulled. That alone was extremely dangerous, but fortunately, he survived, sustaining only severe injuries to a few fingers on his right hand and the top of his head above his right ear. He was completely unconscious and was taken to the Royal Medical Center by a passerby. There, he underwent emergency surgery. Afterward, a nurse, searching his clothes to identify him and bill for medical expenses, found Aeroc’s business card in his inner pocket.

When Aeroc, having received the telegram, arrived at the Royal Medical Center in a hurry, he was in a dazed state. He didn’t realize why he was at the medical center. Even afterward, his memory never fully returned. It wasn’t complete amnesia. All major recent memories remained. What was missing was Aeroc. To be precise, not Aeroc Teiwind here, but ‘that Aeroc’ who had driven him to such despair that he had abandoned his life. Could the amnesia have had an effect? After recovering from the head injury, he no longer had seizures. The medicine in the brown bottle was taken in very small doses to alleviate the lingering headaches.

“I know I’m handsome, but…”
“What?”

He, who had been diligently carving, suddenly blurted out something absurd. Aeroc, who had been silently watching, asked back, not understanding, and he turned his head to stare at Aeroc. His already very masculine face had become even rougher due to the scars. But the smile on his firm lips was still like that of an arrogant scamp.

“You’re staring too hard. Don’t glare so hotly at the only intact cheek I have left. If I get a burn mark, I might have to wear a mask from now on.”
“Who said I was staring hotly?”

He had become even more eccentric after his head injury. Aeroc wished he would moderate his enjoyment of flustering people. Though it was much better than spouting crazy nonsense. He placed the half-carved stone and pocket knife on the table and pulled Aeroc’s hand. Aeroc, who didn’t resist and was pulled along, spread his legs as he was told and sat on his thighs. Hard muscles pressed against his buttocks. Fingertips, slightly dusty with stone powder, brushed Aeroc’s jawline and lower lip. Then he looked up at Aeroc with an enraptured gaze.

“You said staring hotly causes burns. My facial skin is thin and delicate, so don’t look at me like that.”
“What way are you looking at me?”
“As if you can’t believe it.”

With eyes dreaming of a beloved. With very beautiful and pure eyes.
“What can I do if I really can’t believe it?”
“What can’t you believe?”
“One day I woke up, and a beautiful person, like something out of a dream, was looking at me with worried eyes, saying they were my lover. How could I believe that?”
“If you can’t believe it, let go and fall.”
“I can’t do that.”

The casual answer given to the nurse when she asked about their relationship was the cause of the trouble. It was easy to deceive him, whose memory was damaged. There was no more appropriate excuse than that for paying his medical expenses and bringing him to the mansion, so it had not been corrected until now. When his wounds healed and he was ready to resume social activities, Aeroc intended to explain why he had to do so. But now that the possibility of his Aeroc not actually existing had grown, he questioned whether it was necessary to explain the truth. Wouldn’t reviving his memory only make him writhe in agony and become a complete wreck? Or he might try to commit suicide again. The miserable end of a fate imprinted on a non-existent, unknown object would surely be that.

“Where did you go today?”
“To my parents’ grave. Today is the day my mother passed away.”
“You must be very sad.”
“It was a long time ago, so I’m fine. I just miss her sometimes.”

Even though Aeroc said he was fine, he hugged Aeroc tightly. Burying his face in Aeroc’s chest felt just like a spoiled child. But the warm hand stroking his back was definitely comforting. Aeroc embraced him as he burrowed into his arms.

“This is my mother’s hut. Thank you very much for cleaning and tending to it.”
“Thank yourself. I cleaned it purely for you.”
“For me?”

As Aeroc questioned, he nodded with a smile.
“You liked it here.”
“Of course I liked it, but did I ever say that?”
“You said that before.”

He stood up Aeroc, who was tilting his head, and went to the bed to open the casement window. The sound of rain falling became louder. Then he returned and led Aeroc to stand in front of the casement window. He smiled, seemingly very pleased to see it.

“You look best with the window facing the garden behind you.”

He approached, spouting absurd sentiments, and kissed Aeroc. As always, Aeroc naturally opened his lips and welcomed the hot tongue. It was a desperate kiss that explored the mucous membranes, traced the teeth, and ultimately seemed to drink even his breath. As saliva mingled and the sensation in his tongue dulled, they gasped for breath between their parted lips. The more they kissed, the more their thirst grew. An urge to become one with him arose immediately. Seeing the deep gaze that revealed dangerous desire, he seemed to feel the same. But Aeroc didn’t want to do that in his mother’s hut.

“Not here.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like it because it’s hard and cold. I prefer a warm bed.”

Instead of frankly saying he didn’t want to overlay strange scenes onto memories of his mother, he made another excuse. He nodded obediently.

Aeroc didn’t dare to share one umbrella, so he just used it alone. Instead of scolding his selfish lover, he gazed silently at the hut submerged in the rain for a moment. He was worried that getting wet in the rain might cause another headache.

“Let’s go back quickly.”

At Aeroc’s worried urging, he finally turned around. Then he approached Aeroc and wrapped his arms around his waist. The umbrella swayed. Warm lips touched Aeroc’s temple along with the rain.

“Let’s plant daffodils next spring.”
“Daffodils, all of a sudden?”

Aeroc asked back, slightly annoyed, unable to stand properly. He whispered, seemingly amused.
“Yellow daffodils would suit that hut.”

The moment Aeroc met his playful gaze, his chest fluttered greatly. It was slightly eerie and chilling, yet at the same time, much more lovely and cute. Aeroc didn’t know how a large man with terrifying scars could be cute, but the sight of him, with raindrops clinging to him, gazing silently, was heartbreakingly pitiful.

His Aeroc was now only himself. No, perhaps it had been only himself from the beginning. It was clear that he would forever look only at Aeroc and forever desire only him. Just as a newly hatched chick infinitely trusts and loves the first being it sees, he would trust and love Aeroc. He was a very eccentric and strange man, but that much was clear.

“Do as you please.”

When Aeroc said that, he smiled broadly, looking very pleased. The scars above his ear distorted and turned red.

“Thank you, Aeroc.”
“I’d prefer a different expression, if possible.”
“For example?”
“I love you.”

At those words, his expression stiffened slightly, then slowly relaxed. He wore an uncharacteristically shy, awkward smile, unable to look directly at Aeroc and bowing his head. As raindrops continued to fall, Aeroc had no choice but to share the umbrella with him. As they stood close together due to the cramped umbrella, he cupped Aeroc’s face with both hands. His rain-soaked hands were much warmer than expected. Under the umbrella, he looked directly at Aeroc. The water droplets on his eyelashes looked like tears.

“I love you.”

He whispered amidst the pattering raindrops. Embracing Aeroc with both arms, he uttered the short words once more, his lips, imbued with warm breath, pressing against Aeroc’s. The end of the syllables, which had tickled his lips, finally melted into his breath.

The umbrella slowly tilted. In the black world, there were only the two of them. Even as tens of thousands of raindrops tapped and awakened them, and the splattering rain tickled their ankles, all they could hear was the other’s throbbing pulse, and all they could feel was the other’s warm breath.