Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 53 (End Main Story)

Kloff slowly got up. Next to him, the person who always evoked wondrous admiration was sleeping with a weary expression. Illuminated by the faint night light, he looked vibrant, as one would after a passionate encounter.
Smooth skin. Flushed cheeks. A straight nose without blemishes. Red lips. Neat eyelashes. A moderately muscular body. There was no flaw anywhere. The rough skin, pale cheeks, cheekbones full of small scars, chapped lips, trembling eyelashes, and emaciated body that existed in his memory were gone. Yet, he was Aeroc Teiwind. He was a healthy soul who did not writhe in jealousy, and he was whole, just as he had not been ruined by him. A noble who knew how to shine on his own at any moment. Was it even appropriate to feel inferior to him? Kloff was grateful that the tragedy brought about by his own foolishness would no longer continue.
He hadn’t used any grand spells or legendary artifacts. He had simply seen him for who he was. The way he evaluated himself, his conversation style full of wary arrogance, his dignified posture and gaze. Everything was an element that formed Aeroc Teiwind, and there was no base intention in it. Simply seeing him as he was, everything fell into place. Everything was a disaster caused by his inferiority complex.
When he first recognized the changed world, it was utter confusion. He thought it was hell, without a doubt. But he soon regained his composure. It was because he had confirmed the existence of Aeroc, his only goal. How much effort had he put into reclaiming him? He worked without time to eat. Sleep was out of the question. Apart from the efforts that tested his physical limits, finding a way and making decisions was easy. It was because he had done it once before.
He first contacted Wolflake, who had fewer prejudices about his background. He joined forces with him and built a bridge to Derbyshire. After carefully gaining Westport’s trust, he finally retrieved the essential Martha. Not only that, but he even won over Duchess Clayton. These were things he wouldn’t have done before. It was solely to reach Aeroc Teiwind. He wanted to leave a good impression on him. He prayed that the aftermath of their awkward first meeting would not last long.
He believed without a doubt that even if there were bumps in the road, he would eventually find him. To that end, he carefully leaked investment information. It took some time to orchestrate the situation so that Aeroc would suffer a significant blow, making someone’s help absolutely necessary, while he himself controlled everything. He walked the destined path and came to him.
But he didn’t want to hurt him. He just wanted to see him. He cautiously gauged how far a relationship unentangled by madness could go. Simply being alive was an enjoyable pastime, and the sharp arguments they exchanged were the joy of his life.
Raphiel was also nowhere to be seen. In fact, he had almost no memory of him. It was just a fresh feeling of ‘was he like that?’ Guilt was certainly present. He was a regrettable soul sacrificed because of him. That’s why he didn’t approach him even more. He truly needed someone who cared for him. Whether the person by his side now was qualified for that remained to be seen.
Time and space. These were the minimum conditions for observing Aeroc closely. The fact that he interpreted it with sexual implications was, in fact, somewhat intentional. He wanted him to approach first. To do that, he had to give him a suitable excuse. His utterly naive lover walked straight down the promised path. He could have been happy enough as he was. If his seizures hadn’t started.
He hadn’t even realized he was imprinted in this world. After being coldly rejected by him and spitting blood for the first time, he became curious about his condition. Since he had experienced it once before, his recognition was quick. He met with a doctor for consultation but wrote the prescription himself.
After that, he was even more cautious. Immediately after realizing, his obsession with him intensified, but his caution grew even more. He thought he could control it appropriately. But he was mistaken. Hallucinations also progressed, and the violence due to dissatisfaction was uncontrollable. It was the same even when he hit rock bottom and saw blood. Even drinking medicine like water, he couldn’t control the already progressed imprinting; instead, he almost killed him.
It was then that he decided to end everything. This world was perfect. Only he, who had suddenly flown in, was imperfect. He didn’t want to hurt him anymore. He settled the businesses he had started and handed the house over to Martha. Half of his assets were donated to various organizations, and the other half was sent to his main family. It was gratitude for his tuition.
He thought he had taken care of everything, but when he came to say goodbye, he realized he had forgotten minor things. He was more furious than he had imagined and yelled at him to get out immediately. It was a relief that his already firm resolve could be strengthened. Otherwise, he might have wavered.
The last conversation was purely for him. He wanted to let him know that all the problems were his own and had nothing to do with him. The Aeroc he remembered was not here. His mate was waiting for him in a place he couldn’t return to.
He chose that place for the execution because it was where Aeroc had gone when he made his decision before. He felt as if the shabby Aeroc would be waiting for his ugly self there. What was he thinking as he faced the black water flowing serenely? With what state of mind would he push himself into the cold abyss?
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a worn-out wooden ceiling and a hard bed. And then he heard sobs and groans first. He thought he could finally face him. People in hazy clothes came and went, and at some point, a dizzying golden color filled his vision.
“He is my lover.”
The voice introducing himself was unmistakably his. My demon. The demon I created. He had waited for him all along. When he opened his eyes, he waited for him to embrace him with pale skin, lifeless face, gnarled hands, and cold arms, and whisper to him. To live through hell together. To sink forever together beneath that chilling garden filled with the poisonous scent of roses.
“Are you awake? I was worried sick when I heard the news. I’m glad you’re alive.”
His eyes slightly red, he overflowed with blue vitality. His eyes were so dazzling that tears wouldn’t stop. He held his hand and whispered that he was relieved.
It was two deaths. His withered side was not allowed to him. He had refused. He lived alone and left alone. He made it so. Only then did Kloff realize that his soul would never again have the chance to rest by his side. His already dead heart squeezed out rotten blood again and again.
The one who glorified a lovely life was the final punishment given to Kloff. Every time he felt a fated love for him, he vividly recalled how terribly he had ruined him. Watching him go out in neat clothes, he remembered him in rags, planting daffodils with dry hands. Seeing him discuss knowledge and art with a smooth tongue, he remembered him calling only his name with a foul-smelling tongue due to inflammation. Seeing him smile beautifully at banquets, he remembered him ravenously gnawing on dry potatoes. Each time, his whole body boiled with the terrible poison he had created.
“Kloff?”
He heard his name called in his sleep. And a hand fumbled for the empty space beside him. He took that hand and kissed the back of it.
“Stay by my side.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
He mumbled something, then fell back asleep. He pressed his lips to the back of his hand, quietly feeling the warmth. As he rubbed his cheek against it, undeserving tears flowed. They were the tears of a terrible sinner. Tears ran down his nose and wet the back of his white hand.
“I love you.”
He whispered a confession no one heard. May it be conveyed to him, wherever he may be, through this beautiful Aeroc Teiwind. May the whispers of a paltry love, never fully expressed, one day reach its rightful owner. With the faint hope that if he loved the one before him with all his might, the battered one might one day come to meet him.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
“I love… you…”
“I love…”
“I… love…”
Into the Rose Garden Gaiden
<In the Brilliant Abyss> Fin