Shadows in the Garden

Nodding to himself, Rocco continued walking through the garden.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him.

It was the voice of his family—Ragar and Georgio—who had remained silent since entering the main house.

"Young Master, can I talk to you now? I feel like I'm going to die from 'Master deprivation'!"

"Please, allow me to speak to you as well, Master..."

Having confirmed that they had entered an isolated area, Georgio erased his usual cool demeanor and suddenly hugged Rocco tightly from behind.

Ragar, flustered, wobbled around, and Rocco smiled wryly and waved his hand, signaling for him to come closer.

He pulled both of them into a tight hug, patting them gently.

"Thanks, you two, for staying by my side. I don't think I could have endured that atmosphere alone," Rocco said with a gentle smile.

Both Georgio and Ragar lowered their brows and leaned in, hugging him tightly while speaking.

"Seriously! That didn't feel like a birthday party at all! Everyone was glaring at Master! I almost wanted to kill them all!" Georgio huffed, clearly irritated.

"Especially that man with the glasses. He threw so many disrespectful words at Master… If you had given me permission, I would have twisted his neck right there," Ragar said, quietly seething with anger.

Rocco chuckled wryly, seeing how much frustration had built up in both of them.

"Calm down, you two. I've told you before that the people in the main house don't like me. Everything's going according to plan. In fact, this is a good thing."

Although it hurt to realize that no blood relative had a good impression of him, Rocco hid those feelings, speaking confidently.

Despite managing to put on a proud smile, for some reason, both Georgio and Ragar seemed saddened and squeezed him tighter.

"Yeah... You're right. Everything's going according to plan. Master, we're your family, and we'll stick with you. I'm sure everything will go well with the plan from now on," Georgio said kindly, his voice soft.

Ragar, without saying a word, held him even tighter.

For some reason, their words pierced Rocco's heart deeply, surprising even himself.

He buried his face in their shoulders, trying to suppress his sobs, as tears began to fall.

...

"...There's no way he doesn't sleep with those two people, right?"

"Watch your words, Mahmoud. You shouldn't say such vulgar things."

Perched on the window frame, Mahmoud looked down at a secluded, narrow space in the garden where Rocco was quietly embracing his two retainer.

While he couldn't hear their conversation from this distance, it was clear from their closeness that they shared an intimate bond.

It was disrespectful to entertain such crude thoughts in front of a six-year-old boy, yet Mahmoud had no hesitation in voicing his assumptions.

They say dogs resemble their owners, but that didn't seem to apply to this wild dog.

Mahmoud, unlike the silent young master, Sylas, was nothing like him.

Strasbourg couldn't help but wonder what had led Sylas to choose this disrespectful man as his retainer.