Into The Rose Garden

contemporary romance

Vol. 2 Chapter 5.7 - The fate flows again

Come to think of it, until just a while ago, there was nothing unusual about his scent, but it was weird that it suddenly changed. It wasn’t something that could happen in just a few hours. Or perhaps he had been meeting an omega for a while, and until now, he had been careful to hide their scent.

If that’s the case, that means he only gave his body for them and couldn’t win their heart. But he’s the Count? He’s the Aelock Teiwind. How dare someone do that? Which omega took the Count and played him like a puppet? Klopp was getting multiple shocks. But why did he suddenly feel so furious, wanting to strangle that stupid and pathetic bastard who takes advantage of a perfectly fine alpha?

Being swayed by incomprehensible emotions was a very unpleasant thing. He wanted to give up on tormenting the unknown person who wasn’t even in front of him and couldn’t even confirm their existence. He sarcastically sneered, his voice twisted by jealousy he couldn’t understand.

“If you were heartbroken, it might be better for you to not wander around at night drenched with a scent that would make you pass as an omega. You might end up in a situation with more than a little embarrassment if an alpha passed by and mistook you as one.”

Aelock, whose tears hadn’t dried, smiled again and retorted, “As long as it’s not you.”

Although it wasn’t a particularly malicious statement, Klopp felt as if sanity was slipping away. Even without that, he was constantly getting turned on, and now that he could even smell Aelock’s intoxicating scent which was enough to make his head hurt, he almost lost control of his self-restraint. He clenched his fists tightly. His hand, pressed against the bandage, throbbed with pain, but it seemed to bring him back to his senses.

“Since it’s not my concern, you can act however you want with your body, whether as an alpha or omega. But I hope you’ll choose someone who doesn’t spend money excessively.”

He finally managed to utter the words he had intended to say for a while now. It was becoming agonizing to keep looking at him. Why did Aelock have to be an alpha? Klopp bit down on it and glared at Aelock. His tears that had dried started to fall again.

“What’s this? Did you really have a heartbreak?”

Klopp said sarcastically with a furrowed brow, and Aelock wiped away his tears with his already damp hand. Then, without retorting, he turned away from Klopp, intending to leave. That response seemed to come from his sarcasm, as Aelock deliberately nudged his shoulder while passing by. The remaining shred of Klopp’s shallow self-restraint was completely shattered.

Klopp reached out and grabbed the wrist of the figure that had moved a few steps away.

“Hey!”

It came out as a loud shout fueled by his rising anger. Despite Klopp gripping it tightly, Aelock swung his arm vigorously to push Klopp away. At that moment, his tear-dampened hand grazed Klopp’s lips. Like a slap, it was quite painful. In an instant, anger surged to his head, he grabbed Aelock’s wrist again as if he were about to break it.

“You.”

“It hurts, let me go.”

With eyes burning with simmering rage, Klopp glared at Aelock, who was now shedding tears while averting his gaze. Something damp trickled down his lips. When Klopp touched his lips with his other hand, there was clear moisture. It seemed to be the tears that dampened Aelock’s hand when it collided with his lips a moment ago. On instinct, Klopp licked the cold substance on his lips. It tasted sweet. Wait, sweet? For a moment, Klopp forgot that he was still in anger. Aelock’s tears tasted sweet.

“What is this?”

As he wiped away the tears that touched his lips with his other finger, Aelock looked extremely bewildered.

“…I apologize.”

Apologizing in a wet voice, his tears continued to fall. The air felt incredibly awkward. What was he doing, holding onto a person he didn’t want to run into on this moonlit night? After letting go of Aelock’s wrist, which Klopp had tightly grasped, Aelock rubbed his wrist with his other hand and turned his gaze in other directions.

“I hope you forget what you saw today, if you feel even the slightest remorse for the violent incidents you caused today.”

A little quick and sarcastic in tone, Aelock soon turned and walked away to the mansion. Klopp stared blankly at his retreating figure. After Aelock disappeared into the darkness, Klopp licked the moisture still clinging to his index and middle fingers. It was undeniably sweet.

This can’t be right. He’s an alpha. What is with that guy? Is his body made of sugar or something?

The walk he’d begun to take to clear his foggy head and ease his heavy heart had only reaffirmed his unsatisfied lust and added to his unanswered questions. Really, every meeting with the Count had only resulted in troubles.

He knew it wasn’t a particularly favorable situation, but the anger of Viscount Westport regarding his violence turned out to be more intense than he had imagined. The Viscount would usually invite Klopp to his home when he wanted to nag him, but this time, he unusually came to his office in the center of town and asked for some time away.

“You don’t have to worry about that. It was because they were very rude to me then…….”

“I’m well aware of that. But you did that just because of a minor thing. It’s not advisable to go into a frenzy over something like that, and besides, your name is now all over social circles. You can’t have an engagement like this. At least until the rumors die down.”

After the Viscount’s unilateral declaration, Klopp found it increasingly difficult to meet with Rayfiel. Whenever he tried to send letters through various routes, there was no response from Rayfiel. Viscount Westport, who was meticulous when it came to matters concerning his children, pushed Klopp away with various excuses. Later on, they managed to meet by coincidence at a tea party hosted by a certain aristocrat, but Rayfiel told him with a very sad expression.

“My father is very angry. It’s not about you fighting, but about how I tried to stop you, and you didn’t listen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Rayfiel lowered his gaze to the ground, shaking his head. Lately, his complexion hadn’t been good. It didn’t seem like a health issue, but perhaps the clashes of opinions with his father were bothering him. But Klopp had nothing much he could say. He could only hope that the Viscount Westport would quickly calm his anger.

The scandal that was expected to die down over time didn’t seem to fade away. Not only the victims were the children of prominent families, but someone was constantly spreading hostile rumors about Klopp. Later, during their business discussion, Klopp heard about it from the Viscount Derbyshire.

“You got into a fight, didn’t you?”

“Did you hear about it?”

“I hear things even when I don’t want to. So, how bad was it? There are rumors flying around about blood splattering everywhere and bone fragments flying.”

The voice of Viscount Derbyshire, sipping his tea, somehow sounded cheerful, and Klopp frowned for a moment. He told it as it was, without hiding anything about what had happened, and Viscount Derbyshire became even more enthusiastic, interjecting while holding his cup.

“Oh, really? So? Ohoho! That’s what happened, haha!”

When the story was over, he put down his cooled tea and patted Klopp’s shoulder. It felt like his shoulder was about to break from the strong force.

“Of course, alphas can also throw punches. You don’t need to avoid those idiots who come at you. And I don’t like those guys either. You did well. Hopefully, they’ll learn some self-restraint and stop their lowly behavior in the future.”

Klopp had thought that Viscount Derbyshire wouldn’t scold him, but he didn’t expect to receive praise from him too. He smirked and drank his tea.

“But, by the way, do you know Marquis Wolflake?”

“I just know his name and face. We don’t have any particular connection.”

Klopp stiffened slightly at the sudden mention of a name he didn’t like. Viscount Derbyshire placed both hands on his ample belly and comfortably leaned back in his armchair.

“You don’t know him? That’s strange. A few days ago, I met with Viscount Westport, and he was there too. He seemed to have a strong grudge against you. He said you guys were together in Teiwind?”

“Yes. It might have been just a coincidence, but he witnessed the incident that day. I also remember feeling bothered because he had been weirdly staring at me before that.”

“Really? Hm. Well, this is troublesome.”

Viscount Derbyshire clicked his tongue and lowered his head. Then he looked at Klopp, who didn’t understand his words, and gave a bitter smile.

“You should give up on this marriage. The Viscount Westport is a strange man who clings to his sons like a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He seemed to have made up his mind.”

He could tell from Viscount Derbyshire’s expression without even asking what was on his mind. Despite believing in his capabilities, Viscount Westport didn’t think that Klopp’s abilities would make him a good husband. He was also urging them to break up before they got engaged. The reason behind their potential breakup seemed insignificant, but it seemed that Klopp’s anger and his behavior in front of Rayfiel played a significant role.

Honestly speaking, he was venting out his anger. Klopp had to admit that. It wasn’t surprising that the victim didn’t press charges, considering their ongoing secretive affair. Moreover, the two alphas must be embarrassed by the fact they got beaten by an alpha, so they chose to keep it hidden. Of course, Klopp had given compensation, which resulted in a setback for his hard-earned wedding funds.

In retrospect, that was the final straw. Viscount Westport’s concern was about how Klopp could support Rayfiel and their future children if Klopp ever lost money again through such violence. The reason Viscount Westport and his family held Klopp in high regard was that he was a self-controlled, honest, and hard-working man. It wasn’t because he was an exceptional son from a great household or had significant wealth. This meant that if Klopp had any flaws of his own, they wouldn’t need to give their precious omega son to him. It was the rationality of a cold-hearted aristocrat.

Fortunately, before this incident, Klopp had a good reputation, and Viscount Derbyshire, who cherished him, held considerable influence in social circles. When rumors started to spread, Viscount Derbyshire quickly quelled them, saying, “Alphas have their temperaments; that’s how they are,” and put an end to them. Thanks to this, even after their breakup, his business was unaffected.

Rayfiel was deeply saddened, but he didn’t love Klopp enough to defy his parents and escape with him. Similarly, Klopp didn’t love Rayfiel to the extent of demanding such a sacrifice. Although they had been in a relationship for a considerable time, it was difficult for them to develop a deep relationship considering the times they couldn’t meet due to Klopp’s busy schedule. They had never even spent a heat together. It was not that their hearts didn’t ache, but it wasn’t to the point where they couldn’t live without each other. They felt sad, but what they had was a relationship where, if it turned out they were not fated, they could let each other go, just that much.

After the breakup was decided, Rayfiel secretly left his estate to meet Klopp without his father’s knowledge. At that time, Klopp, who was burdened with heavy thoughts and focused only on work, smiled softly upon seeing him in the office. The two walked together on a secluded path, while a carriage belonging to the Viscount followed behind.

“So, it ended up like this.”

“This is because my father is very stubborn.”

“No, it’s all my fault.”

“Sir Klopp.”

Klopp glanced at the coachman who was looking in their direction and led Rayfiel to a shady alley. The coachman stopped the carriage and turned his head in another direction. Klopp held Rayfiel’s hands and kissed the back of his hands. Even though he understood their circumstances, parting was still upsetting. Tears welled up in Rayfiel’s eyes once again. They closed their eyes and exchanged a brief kiss as a farewell. The first and last kiss in the slightly smelly alley wasn’t exactly poetic.

Klopp wiped the tears from Rayfiel’s wet cheeks with his thumb, then kissed his forehead and hugged him tightly. Rayfiel also hugged him back tightly, but he soon let go. They didn’t bid farewell from afar. In the few steps it took for them to reach the carriage, none of them said a word. Rayfiel didn’t look back at Klopp as he boarded the carriage.

Watching the carriage going far away, Klopp soon turned around. On his way back to the office, he saw the tear stains on his fingertips and unconsciously licked them. It tasted bitter and salty. Tears were normally indeed bitter and salty. That guy was the abnormal one. Did he take any drugs?

He threw the engagement ring on the desk. And then, he forgot about it.

This marks the end of Volume 2 Chapter 5.

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