INTO THE ROSE GARDEN

Vol. 5 ITRG Volume 5 Chapter 13.1

Whatever Wolflake had done after he disappeared in the middle of the dinner, when Rapiel reappeared at the end of it, he was much more relaxed. His eyes were red from tears and his throat was a little lumpy, but his expression was cheerful. Wolflake, who usually kept a certain distance from people due to his secretive aura, was very attentive to the distressed Omega, speaking to him in a soothing voice that one had never heard before.

On the other hand, Ariel, seated next to Richard, shot him an unhelpful glare and turned away. Richard looked quite stumped. The Viscount Derbyshire seemed to be in good spirits, much to the chagrin of his son and others in attendance. But the dinner was over quickly due to the upset Westport brothers, who were the real stars of the dinner.

They greeted each other on the porch while waiting for the carriage. Richard, on behalf of his father, was to escort the Westports home, but he couldn’t as Ariel gave him a pass. Wolflake stepped forward instead. Rapiel smiled behind the corners of his red eyes at the harsh-looking man’s gesture of kindness. His mood seemed quite good .

As the instigator of the argument that surprised the innocent man, Aeroc felt a great deal of regret. He wanted to see them off, but it didn’t seem like Rapiel would be pleased even if he had beaten Wolflake to it. Instead, he sincerely apologized.

“Rapiel. I’m sorry about earlier.”

Rapiel shook his head, a little surprised at his apology.

“No, Mr. Aeroc was just trying to stick up for me.”

“It was still rude.”

“It’s alright.”

“There’s someone else who needs to apologize.”

Wolflake said coldly, casting a glance at Bendyke. Bendhke stood a short distance away and looked towards them. Bendyke was in conversation with Viscount Derbyshire. He must have been fully aware of the glance, but he didn’t show any reaction. The one who had verbally abused Rapiel seemed to have no intention of apologizing. Instead, he shot a cold glance at this side.

“Arrogant little man. He’s lacking even the bare minimum of character to admit his wrongdoing and apologize.”

Aeroc expressed his disgust openly. Revealing genuine emotions to others was an inappropriate behavior he had always avoided. Rapiel and Wolflake, some of the few people he could say close to him, were surprised.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen the usually gentle Count engage in an argument. I’m also a little afraid of him.”

“He’s a capable man, but there’s something off about him.”

Unlike the cautious Rapiel, Wolflake was quite outspoken. All three seemed to be relatively on the same page about Bendyke.

To send Rapiel and Ariel home early, Wolflake’s carriage was the first to arrive. After shaking hands lightly with Viscount Derbyshire and turning away, Wolflake jerked his head toward Bendyke in greeting. Bendyke returned the favor.

“Teiwind.”

Just before they boarded the carriage, Wolflake turned to Aeroc.

“Watch out for that man. I can’t say things in detail, but from what I know, he’s quite the dangerous one.”

“I know that he’s not quite the ordinary man.”

“He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I’ll say it again, he will really do whatever it takes.”

Wolflake emphasized it.

“That’s the reason I’m involved with him, but he doesn’t seem like a good fit for you. I’ve noticed you’ve been meeting with him a lot lately, and if there’s something going on…….”

“It’s not me you should be concerned with, it’s Rapiel.”

To think that Wolflake, of all people, being so considerate. couldn’t overcome the awkwardness and let out a forced laugh. Having realized that he might have interfered too much, Wolflake’s brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual unreadable expression.

“I’m sure the Count will do fine.”

“I appreciate your concern. If I ever need your help, I’ll be sure to seek you out.”

They shook hands and Wolflake climbed into the carriage. Aeroc’s carriage arrived shortly thereafter. He thanked Viscount Derbyshire for the invitation to dinner and shook hands with Richard.

“Next time, we’ll have to take our time to catch up.”

“I look forward to it.”

Richard gave him an affectionate, light hug. What could have been quality time with his childhood friend had been wasted in a fuss over nothing. He promised to see Richard before he left the capital again and climbed into the carriage. It was unnecessary to exchange greetings with the other man.

The carriage pulled out of the gates of Viscount Derbyshire’s estate and soon hit the pavement. Alone, Aeroc thought back to what had happened earlier.

His adorable Omega cousin, with his cute appearance and affectionate personality, had gotten along much better than he’d expected with the Marquis of Wolflake, whose temperament was the complete opposite of him. The combination of a blunt Alpha and a loving Omega was not traditionally welcomed, and it seemed to be the only accomplishment of the Viscount Derbyshire’s meddling.

And it was amusing that Richard cared about Ariel. He was more active and cheerful than his more reserved brother. He’s still young, but in a few years, he’s going to be a charmer who will sway numerous alphas’ hearts. Aeroc couldn’t help but smile as he watched Richard, who was quite cheeky, already swoon over the much younger boy. It was the season of the blossom.

But the smile didn’t last long. An unpleasant memory came flooding back.

The way Bendyke looked at his beautiful cousin was strange. It was the first time he’d ever seen the hard-nosed, arrogant man so shaken. The Viscount Derbyshire thought it was simply love at first sight. Aeroc, however, felt it was different.

Bendyke didn’t only fervently reject the idea while lashing out. He’d been agitated throughout the dinner. While Bendyke had maintained an outward appearance of calm, after spending a lot of time with him now, Aeroc could tell there was a hint of frustration and sadness in him. It was a delicate side that Aeroc hadn’t expected to see in a succubus demon, and it was far from a cute, love-at-first-sight situation. It was something much darker and deeper.

As far as Aeroc knew, Rapiel was not mature enough to be the subject of such a deep emotional exchange. Such dark emotions were reserved for intense conflicts with someone who could handle them more maturely, such as a relationship between two people who openly admitted to being in bad terms with each other, but who also sought carnal pleasure, or a same-sex relationship that they couldn’t openly discuss because of their social standing, or both. To Aeroc, one would be a pervert or a madman to unleash such an abyss on a child.

Ah, but could he actually do that?

Wolflake, who cared little for humans, had warned Aeroc that Bendyke was dangerous. Wolflake was an aristocrat of great lineage and reputation, but there was something unique about him. He kept many secrets, both personally and the Marquis Clan itself. Aeroc didn’t know exactly what those secrets were, but he had an inkling of them through his indirect influence. A warning from such a man was weighty.

But he could not dismiss Bendyke immediately. They were still in the midst of settling Teiwind’s financial affairs. The major losses had been taken care of, and now it was time to make general repairs to ensure the sound management of the other businesses. Aeroc was fully briefed on the process in a very thorough report. Did this mean he was getting further away from Bendyke now?

“That wouldn’t be a big loss.”

But it would undoubtedly cause a lot of headaches. The man was, indeed, Aeroc swore to God, a real irritation and an abomination, but he was also very capable and useful. It was just that the conditions he gave as his demands were a bit pressuring. However, after years of being the recipient of envious and lecherous glances from everyone in the center of social circles, Aeroc had expected it was bound to happen at some point. Bendyke was the first to discuss it in earnest, and the first to act on it. But Aeroc had been flirted with many times, by men and women of all ages. Bendyke’s prerequisites were not bad, and he was physically attractive. Objectively speaking, he wasn’t a bad partner. Sure, his arrogant demeanor was annoying, but for an alpha male of his stature, it was sometimes an attractive trait.

“As long as we don’t get too deeply entangled, I’m fine.”

Aeroc concluded. Aeroc had decided to scold Bendyke in the next ‘tea party’, as he was not even grateful for the excessive respect he got for just an employee, acting like he was an aristocrat with that eloquent mouth and inappropriate eye-contact. As he was contemplating the best approach to do this, suddenly there was a loud bang and someone hit the outside wall of the carriage.

Startled, the coachman quickly stopped the carriage. Aeroc’s body jerked violently in response. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the door flew open.

“Count, let’s take the ride together.”

It was none other than Bendyke, the man himself, who jumped in and slammed the door behind him. Aeroc glanced outside, and they were still in the middle of the road. No one was looking this way. Aeroc quickly drew the curtains that covered the carriage windows.

“What are you trying to do?”

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