Into The Rose Garden

Considering the guest list for today, it was obvious that whoever the two alphas he had knocked down were, they would cause some headaches for him in the future. But Klopp couldn’t think of anything right now. Despite having vented as much as he could, there was still lingering inexplicable anxiety, restlessness, and anger. He only wanted to make sure that the small and beautiful omega wouldn’t get startled anymore, so he made an effort to smile.

There wasn’t much commotion among the Count’s guests. However, those who knew exchanged serious glances. The two beaten alphas were influential figures in their respective families, and would undoubtedly cause a big stir if their parents found out the truth that they were engaging in the trend between alphas. The butler quickly arranged for a doctor to come and treat the two alphas before sending them home. Meanwhile, Klopp tried to see Rayfiel off, but Rayfiel declined, saying he was alright.

“You’re injured, you should rest.”

“But I have something to tell you.”

“Do it at another time.”

With some hesitation, Rayfiel left a kiss on Klopp’s cheek and boarded the carriage that came to pick him up. As the carriage door closed, Klopp kissed Rayfiel’s hand that was resting on the window sill, filled with remorse.

“Yes, next time.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

Rayfiel smiled, lowering his gaze.

After the carriage departed, Klopp felt extremely depressed, filled with disappointment in himself and regret for disappointing his lover. His chest felt heavy, and he had no energy left. He was about to ask one of the footmen to call a carriage when Aelock appeared out of nowhere and intervened.

“It’s late, go rest. I’ll prepare a room for you.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“You caused an accident in my house. Just in case the victims’ family contacts us, stay here tonight.”

“Regardless, it was them who initiated the violence.”

He made it clear to the Count, who could be a key witness in future conflicts, to firmly take his side’s justification.

“Of course, that’s true for you. But you can’t deny that it was a one-sided assault. And those were influential members of a family that cannot be disregarded in society.”

“Do you mean that it’s wrong for someone powerless and rankless to provoke noble individuals?”

Aelock sneered and raised his voice with a contorted expression.

“That’s not what I meant! They will seek revenge against you no matter what.”

“And I’m not the type to just sit back and take it.”

The Count who was frozen in place still glared at him with his pale face. His shoulders trembled slightly.

“I know that about you better than anyone in this world. But for tonight, stay at this estate. You must be tired.”

“Very well, then.”

In truth, Klopp was indeed tired, and as a legal expert, he knew there were various problems at hand. But, above that, seeing Aelock’s exhausted and sad expression, he couldn’t help but give in without putting up a fight. If he went back right now, Martha probably wouldn’t open the door for him, and staying a night in this spacious estate wouldn’t cause a big issue for the owner. Moreover, since the incident occurred in this estate, the Count would end up getting involved. It was better to do as he wanted for the trivial matters.

Soon, a maid appeared and guided Klopp to a guest room. Despite Klopp thanking him, Aelock didn’t respond and went somewhere else without a word.

The room the maid showed him was the one he had stayed in when he had first been invited to the estate. Left alone, Klopp felt frustrated and threw off his jacket, loosening his tie and unbuttoning a few buttons on his collar. Then he opened the window and stepped out onto the terrace. The cool night air cooled his heated head. Leaning against the terrace railing, Klopp gazed at the distant sky before lowering his gaze down.

From the window of this room on the second floor, he had a clear view of the rose garden. Now that the soirée ended, the area had been tidied up, left with only tables and chairs. As the servants passed by, extinguishing the lanterns, the lights gradually went out one by one. It was as if the light of the flowers was fading. The blowing breeze felt cool. Klopp closed his eyes and deeply breathed in the air, then exhaled. A faint scent of roses lingered.

Today had been a complete mess. He wouldn’t have come to the estate in the first place if he knew it would turn out like this. Pursuing an incompatible romance had only ruined everything. The last look of his disappointed lover haunted him. He would have to do something extraordinary to make up for this mistake. However, no matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind. He should have kept it simple, just like his personality. Wait, but what happened to the ring?

He opened his eyes wide, stood up, and searched his pockets. He looked at the jacket he’d thrown on the bed and remembered. He’d been looking for it after it fell, but he had completely forgotten about it because those other people showed up. Cursing under his breath, Klopp left the room.

In the rose garden, where everyone, including the guests, musicians, and servants, had left, only a chilly breeze blew. Klopp hurriedly rushed out without even putting on his jacket and borrowed a lamp from a passing maid, almost snatching it from her, and headed to where he had beaten those guys from before.

The ring was incredibly important. It wasn’t about its value, but because it was a special order from a high-end shop where Viscount Derbyshire had written a special recommendation himself. If he lost the ring on top of ruining the proposal, it wouldn’t just be a simple incident; it would be a significant problem for Klopp’s reputation. Although that seemed to already happen.

He scanned the area illuminated by the lamp, feeling around with his hand, but all he found were rose petals and silk ribbons that hadn’t been cleared away. Some might think this act was very romantic, but it only annoyed Klopp. He searched for a while but couldn’t find it. He couldn’t even see the box. Even if finding the ring was difficult, he had thought he would quickly find the box. But no matter how much he searched, the box was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it. Where is that goddamn ring.”

He bent down and searched until his back ached and the muscles in his back pulled. He didn’t even notice someone approaching from behind. So when he heard a calm voice saying, “You don’t have to look for it,” he was startled. Turning around, he saw the Count with a faint smile on his face.

“What?”

“Aren’t you looking for this?”

Glaring at him, Klopp straightened his back and stood up as the Count approached, extending a small box in his hand. It was the ring box, and the ring was still inside. Klopp looked slightly impressed as he looked at him. And Aelock smiled again. It seemed that Klopp could now sense a slight difference in his smile. It didn’t appear to be a teasing or joyful smile but rather a somewhat awkward and sad one.

“How did you know?”

“The butler found it earlier.”

It wasn’t a bad excuse, except that he knew the butler had been busier than Klopp or Aelock in treating and sending those two alphas back. Before Klopp could ask how Aelock knew it was his ring, Aelock broke the awkward atmosphere first.

“It seems that your proposal didn’t go well.”

As he smiled again on his pretty face, something stirred in Klopp. It wasn’t because the proposal had gone wrong or because the Count was mocking him. It was a kind of poignant sadness that seeped through. Even now, he could still hear the violin in his ears. It wasn’t just a performance, maybe it was a plea.

Why was the Count so entangled like this? Klopp had an impulse to see the Count’s pale face getting contorted with a genuine appearance, just as he was, not with a mask-like smile.

Even when his beloved lover had just left him with tears on his face, he only wondered how Aelock Teiwind would look on the bed. His lower body felt a surge of heat. This was the worst. He was still holding the engagement ring in his hand. Unable to deal with his torn feelings, he could only express himself with a grim expression and curt words.

“Thank you for finding it. I apologize for causing trouble today, but there’s no need for you to meddle in other people’s personal lives.”

The corners of Aelock’s mouth curled up at the cold response. His eyes weren’t smiling at all. Instead, they held a depth of indescribable sorrow. Aelock’s expression didn’t match his gaze, just like Klopp’s actions were different from his feelings.

“Right. You can handle it on your own. I apologize for meddling. I just…”

Aelock, who was turning away while answering in a stiff tone, paused for a moment. He stared at Klopp who was deliberately ignoring him, only looking at his direction.

“It’s just unfortunate that your preparations didn’t lead to a good outcome. That’s all, really.”

Leaving behind these words, he disappeared into the other side of the garden, as if carried away by the wind.

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