Into The Rose Garden

“W-What are you doing here?”

Aelock displayed his obvious embarrassment, but Klopp had no reason to be considerate to the other person.

“I stopped by the study to cool my head and was admiring the decorated paintings. But I was dumbfounded when I saw some crazy Alphas engaging in such an embarrassing act in broad daylight.”

“…Even if you say that, you’re still talking fine. Keep looking at the paintings. You won’t have a chance to see them again once you leave.”

With a slightly flushed face, Aelock said that and turned his body, heading toward the other bookshelf. Klopp thought what he said earlier was just an excuse, but Aelock was genuinely searching for a book. He sneered at him, saying things about acting like an Omega for no reason, but Aelock didn’t even flinch and shot back with a dignified tone. Then he picked up a difficult humanities book to read, called , and headed for the sofa. So, he was planning to read a book here. Klopp debated whether he should leave the space. Even as his mind wandered, his gaze was fixed on the painting.

“This is a painting by a rookie artist who debuted in their first exhibition. It corresponds to early summer in their four-season series.”

“…I know.”

He actually knew nothing about rookies or anything of the sort, but he replied anyway. It was clearly a lie that one could immediately realize, but Aelock, who had come closer, didn’t show any signs of noticing. Instead, he continued talking while looking at the painting himself.

“I happened to visit the exhibition before, and while none of the other paintings caught my attention, I couldn’t take my eyes off this one from the moment I saw it. The bold use of colors is like…”

“It looks like it’s bathed in light.”

“…Yes.”

“This artist loved this scenery very much.”

“That’s also right. This is a depiction of the countryside where the artist’s grandparents lived, which they loved the most. Have you ever met the artist before?”

“…I haven’t. I just saw the painting and it reminded me of the artist.”

“I thought you were rude and uncultured, but surprisingly, you have a good eye. I’m impressed.”

At the exaggerated remark, Klopp narrowed his eyes and glared at Aelock. Aelock openly stared back and laughed.

“Do you know that you were treated like an Omega by that bastard just now? And yet you’re laughing. You must have a taste for smelly pigs.”

“I know, that’s why I was smiling. If I get serious, he’ll think I’m interested. You should be watching your mouth. I don’t know where you got an invitation from, but do you even have the time to meddle in trivial matters?”

“That’s a concern that I can handle on my own. For you, Count, you can stick to acting like an omega.”

“And that’s also a concern that I can handle on my own, honors graduate.”

Those blue eyes staring straight at him were annoyingly insolent. But seeing him effortlessly deflect every remark without uttering a single curse, Klopp thought maybe Aelock wasn’t a dimwit.

In the Count’s grand library, as vast as the rose garden, there were only Klopp and Aelock at the moment. That meant they wouldn’t be disturbed by others. It also meant that they could openly engage in a verbal duel.

“I thought you were looking for a place to mate leisurely, but it’s quite shocking to see you reading such a scholarly humanities book. It’s a classic that’s difficult to read without a considerable amount of patience.”

“Mate!… A refined individual must cultivate various knowledge. Aren’t you the one who should be finding a suitable partner for mating as soon as possible? Preferably, someone with a lot of money.”

Once again, sparks flew between the two. They looked at each other, putting on artificial smiles simultaneously, then bowed and turned away. Klopp moved towards another painting, while Aelock carried the book and headed to the sofa in the center of the study. Klopp found it difficult to concentrate on the painting, but Aelock seemed unaffected as the sound of pages turning continued constantly. He was reading faster than Klopp expected.

Is he really reading? Or is he just skimming at the text?

Klopp occasionally glanced back, and whenever he did, Aelock hurriedly lowered his head and flipped through the book again. After flipping through several pages, he went back a few pages. It seemed like he wanted to show off his knowledge for no reason. Klopp snickered and moved towards another painting.

After the tea party ended and he returned to his rent house, Klopp was invited to many gatherings through the professor’s introductions. Most of them were older alphas, but occasionally, there were young aristocrats as well. Surprisingly, they were just ordinary, educated people. At such times, Klopp found himself thinking of the incomprehensibly arrogant Aelock and felt himself getting worked up.

A few months passed, and another invitation from Count Teiwind arrived. Previously, he received it through the professor, but this time, a butler came directly to Klopp’s house to politely deliver it.

“He wants me to know right away if I’m going to be attending?”

“Yes, my Count asked me to deliver this message, ‘I cannot make any special arrangements for your sake, so if you don’t decide in advance, you’ll end up standing at the banquet.'”

“Damned guy. Tell him I’ll go, I am going there.”

“Yes, I understood. Then I shall take my leave.”

The well-dressed, stern-looking butler in a neat black suit, bowed politely to Klopp and left. Meanwhile, Klopp closed the front door with a bang and unfolded the fancy card in his hand once again.

The formal dinner invitation was not printed but handwritten. Judging by the elegant signature and the identical ink and handwriting, it seemed like Aelock had written it himself. It was a challenge letter announcing their second round. By seeing that fair face of his turning into a naked grimace this time, it felt like his anger would finally subside. Klopp furrowed his brow and raised the corner of his mouth. He placed the invitation in a prominent spot on a bookshelf filled with various documents and books.

He expected it to be a fairly large party, but this was something else entirely. It was like a New Year’s banquet at a royal palace.

Not only were there dazzlingly dressed men and women omegas adorned with jewelry, but also alphas who looked as if they could cut stone with their hands, wearing finely tailored black suits and shining shoes. The party consisted of well over a hundred people. He was sure he wasn’t late, but Klopp was guided to the farthest corner from the main seat. Of course, in this spot, he could just raise his head to watch and not miss the fun happening on the other side.

‘Why did I come here? It’s obvious that I’m just stepping into the game that he’s playing.’

Sipping on fine wine, Klopp couldn’t hide his wrinkled expression. He should have anticipated this, but his thoughts were short-sighted.

This time, Aelock, who sat at the far end of the table in the main seat, must have a change of strategy. He had a beautiful omega woman sitting right next to him. Even from a distance, she exuded a sensual and highly alluring charm. Clad in a deep green dress that accentuated her full red lips, she turned toward the blond alpha next to her, whispering something in a flirtatious manner and giving him a seductive smile. Aelock, impeccably dressed from head to toe, with not a hair out of place on his even fairer face than that woman’s, occasionally glanced in this direction and made an eye smile. It seemed like Aelock was mocking him, but that didn’t really matter.

Unlike the woman in the green dress, Aelock looked charming even without red lipstick. Aelock then gave his partner a short kiss on the cheek. And when those confident blue eyes met Klopp’s eyes, only then, Klopp realized what he wanted.

Oh my goodness. What am I imagining right now? I’m getting insane.

Klopp downed the remaining wine in one gulp. Immediately, a waiter nearby refilled his glass. The wine was of high quality and well-aged, it went down smoothly.

As the dinner progressed and Klopp’s slight buzz intensified, he began engaging in conversations with the people around him without any hesitation. As someone who once dreamed of being a lawyer, his eloquence wasn’t bad, and the people around him quickly joined in the conversation, distancing themselves from the guests in the center and focusing on Klopp. From lighthearted jokes to witty banter, everyone was laughing and enjoying the conversation. Later, the guests in the center were getting curious about this side and they exchanged glances.

However, even though he was leading the conversation, Klopp couldn’t remember exactly what he had said. His mind was too busy fantasizing about the count with blue eyes that occasionally glanced in his direction. His fantasies were crude enough that he felt disgusted with himself. The continuous fantasies made him unable to remember the uninteresting conversation.

When the long dinner was finally nearing its end, Aelock, still lively, wrapped his arm around the waist of the omega woman and affectionately escorted her somewhere, disappearing. He didn’t care about leaving early, despite being the host of the dinner and needing to lead the conversation. After the dinner, the guests split into Alpha and Omega groups and went to the lounges. In the Alpha lounge, everyone began openly expressing things they couldn’t say in public.

“Lord Teiwind always has a few secretive aspects. He only provides the venue and food, but he doesn’t engage much in socializing.”

“Actually, recently, he’s been showing his face more often. In the past, he invited us to tea parties but never showed up.”

“From the way he cuts conversations off at an appropriate time, maybe that’s just his personality.”

“The counts from previous generations weren’t particularly sociable too.”

“It’s probably because he’s too high-class and doesn’t want to associate with ordinary people.”

“Perhaps, but it seems like the omegas find that aspect charming. They’re already clamoring to find out who was the beautiful woman that he brought today.”

“It’s not only the omegas. Recently, even alphas have set their sights on him.”

“Even if casual dating is trending recently, will Teiwind actually go along with it?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible he might easily go along with it. Doesn’t his body seem to fit well with getting embraced?”

The conversation among alphas began with that and eventually led to gossip and rumors. Klopp, who had only listened without actively participating, became uncomfortable and decided to leave. Everywhere he went, there were people who think using their dicks more than their heads. It wasn’t time to leave yet, but he didn’t feel the need to stay any longer, so Klopp asked a passing servant to fetch his carriage.

“Will you be leaving already? Shall I convey your message to the master?”

“It’s fine. The count seems busy at the moment, I don’t want to interrupt his leisure time.”

Klopp curtly replied to the butler’s greeting and boarded his carriage.

In reality, the reason why he felt it was difficult to hear the gossip among alphas was not simply because he felt uncomfortable about discussions regarding sexual activities between alphas. It was quite the opposite. For some reason, when Aelock appeared with the beautiful omega by his side, engaging in behaviors heavily laden with sexual overtones while looking at Klopp, he felt as if Aelock was tempting him, instead of making fun of him.

At that moment, Klopp felt heat rushing to the center of his body. So, he deliberately distracted himself by focusing on alcohol and conversations in the other direction. Otherwise, he felt like he would immediately rush over and grab Aelock by the collar, before dragging him away to any room, locking him in there, and giving in to his desires. He still felt he was crazy to fantasize about that.

In the rattling carriage, Klopp leaned back and crossed his legs with a troubled expression. He sighed, holding his forehead with his hand. He had definitely lost his mind. In front of countless people, he indulged in such fantasies without any sense of shame. That’s why it was difficult to hear the gossip in the lounge. Every time he listened, he could fantasize about it.

He was clearly being abnormal. Aelock was a person he had only recently met, there were no attractive qualities in his personality, and moreover, he was an alpha. Klopp had always been attracted to people who were more pure and omega-like, so there was no reason for him to find Aelock charming. Yet, he couldn’t understand why Aelock’s disheveled appearance kept coming to his mind. Perhaps showing up with such a beautiful woman was an extension of how Aelock had always been sarcastic to him, calling him ‘the poor honors graduate who has to work hard because he’s poor’. It would be hard for Klopp to meet that kind of omega.

However, Aelock’s teasing this time was of little use. Throughout the evening, it wasn’t Aelock who made Klopp jealous, but that woman. Acknowledging it himself, Klopp rubbed his face with both hands.

I’ll have to do something about this. If there’s no solution, let’s at least avoid him. This can’t be happening to me.

When the next invitation arrived, Klopp quickly declined, tossing the invitation into the fireplace to burn. He considered it better not to get involved with him for the sake of his smooth future. He poured time and effort into expanding his network through professors and soon was introduced to another wealthy and influential aristocratic family and secured his employment.

Upon receiving his first fee, Klopp quickly proved his excellent skills in investment and negotiation, and soon earned the trust of the family, earning him a large sum of money. Through connections with his first client, it didn’t take long for him to successfully secure more contracts, and he began to prosper. His workload had increased a lot.

Klopp moved out of his rented house and purchased a modest house in the suburbs and an office in the city. It wasn’t long before he was able to hire a housekeeper to take care of his house. Devoting himself solely to his work, Klopp became a successful investor. He would sometimes get too busy with his work, and the housekeeper, Martha, would scold him to have proper meals. In the meantime, he was able to forget about the count who had gotten on his nerves and annoyed him at every turn.

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