I'm not sure anymore if it was in the novel or my own understanding so take the reply with a grain of salt:
Spoiler!!!
I think Kloff admitted, that he actually wanted to court Aeroc in the first lifetime but he couldnt because Aeroc was alpha, so he projected his obsession to Raphiel because he's omega and looks almost like Aeroc's twin. I mean if he truly loved Raphiel, why did he inprint on Aeroc? I guess him going mad is just his toxic nature wanting to put blame on everyone else except of himself.
Also that head maid crying over Jr leaving got my blood boiling. She didn't even flinch while ignoring Aeroc's suffering but dares to cry and whine when the son leaves because her master was mistreating Jr's frigging own mother
Yup thats exactly it, he was toxic.
I don't think Clough was toxic to begin with. He certainly became toxic, because he refused to learn and grow. Aeroc made a bad choice that resulted in an innocent man's murder and, while that is horrible, at least he had remorse for it.
Because of the way Clough is, and his guilt over what happened to Raphiel, he suppressed any pity or remorse he could feel for Aeroc and what he was doing to him, causing him to have a mental breakdown.
But, yes, I do remember reading somewhere that Clough imprinted on Aeroc the first run-through. I believe it has carried over this time as well, if I remember correctly.
There are many theories to why he imprinted on Aeroc.
The first one is the pregnancy. Imprinting can be established through pregnancy, it’s a hormonal disturbance developed by omegas to ensure the protection of their alphas.
The second one which I firmly believe to be the case. Is the unhealthy obsession he had, the relationship he had with Aeroc. He spent years planning his revenge, how to corner Aeroc. The focal point is to turn Aeroc into an omega and impregnate him. If you recheck s1, I think it was chap 21, when Aeroc tried to commit suicide after the birth of his first son, Clough found him… his eyes were purple an indication that the imprint was established even before the birth.
Clough is slowly going insane under the influence of the imprint, he was able to keep himself busy throughout the years raising and ensuring his children were all married and provided for. Now that the task is over, he finds himself hallucinating in ep 27, the light in the cabin. Now that Raphael Jr. brings up Aeroc, it ignites an anger in Clough. The imprint from my understanding amplifies negative emotions, you need to vent out this anger or it will consume you. He needed a sacrifice, someone to blame, and Aeroc was easier to blame… he was a sinner who killed Raphael and now his taking their son away too.
As for Martha.. I hope she gets kicked of the mansion… scorned by the kids. She’s just as horrible as Clough, in the novel even as Aeroc was dying she still didn’t see the horrors her master inflicted on Aeroc.
Oh i also got so mad at her. And i remember in that one side story 'what if aerok didn't die' she said she can't wish him happiness and act coldly like that man almost died after got assaulted then giving birth to twins dammit where is your emphaty woman
Oh that made me mad too… she’s really a cruel as her master. It’s the problem of a blind follower…
Oh yes. I hated that woman
I've read this too through a spoiler section where people who read the novel discuss the synopsis of the timeline regression story. In there they said that kloff really was attracted to aeroc, but aeroc is an alpha and that's not what kloff is looking for. I think it was also established in the story that kloff wanted a stable life, hence he was working on it, financially before even meeting aeroc. So he does find him attractive, but him being an alpha shakes the very core of what he was trying to build. So he meets raphiel which looks like aeroc but has "family-making" capabilities and has the opposite demeanor as aeroc, which he considers "ideal" for his cause.
Regardless of aeroc being an alpha, he was also hesitant because aeroc was a teiwind and the teiwind family are like royalties, even surpassing what concept of "royalty" at the time because of their generational wealth.
But to sum it all up, the story executed what characters might truly feel at the moment. So regardless of what people think of what the characters should have done (also what I think because this is so twisted and I want a different outcome I want the ML to suffer in a different way than what the story made) the decisions they made feels more so natural for the characters that are being portrayed. In a sense, made them feel more human (although the atrocities is a monstrosity)
So~ there's a lot of speculation as to why Clough went back to hating Aeroc when he seemed to regret his actions when Aeroc died. I just want to point out two things:
1) Clough never loved Aeroc. He was drawn to him, attracted to him and obsessed with him, but never took the time to allow it to develop into love. Hence why he couldn't even lie and tell Aeroc he loved him while dying.
2) He projected all of that obsession and attraction onto Raphiel, so when Raphiel was killed, he broke and went more than a little insane. Most people cannot reconcile that someone they could have any feelings for (platonic or romantic) could do something as heinous as murder someone else, so when Aeeoc did what he did, it pushed Raphiel onto this untouchable platform in Clough's mind and heart and forever painted Aeroc as the devil incarnate. But when his own actions brought about Aeroc's death, he realized he made a grave mistake, but it was too late. The overwhelming guilt for being unable to protect Raphiel and then destroying Aeroc even while he professes his love to him utterly broke Clough. He hung on to his sanity for his children's sake, and for atonement purposes, but by the time Raphirl Vandyke (the son) has this outburst, he's lost more and more of his sanity. He was barely holding on and he needed to deflect the blame onto someone. That someone is Aeroc because Raphiel Westport is still too pure in his mind. He was the innocent here in all this. Although Clough felt justified in the beginning for what he did to Aeroc, I'm dead positive he didn't feel that way more than halfway through the years he kept Aeroc. This would have eaten away at him because he would feel guilty towards Raphiel Westport for forgiving the man who set up his murder. Even worse if he came to love him. So the cycle of rejection to anger, to almost-acceptance, back to anger and the rejection would continue. He literally went insane from it. . And we see that in this chapter because he just cannot cope with his feelings for Aeroc when Aeroc did what he did to someone so innocent.
Hope this helps.