The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 40: Late Night Conversation

If it was any other day like the ones when his father indulged and spoiled him. He would just smile and laugh coquettishly at his father because he knew that would get him out of the punishment. But after he had that dream, or more accurately, after his childhood memories returned, he now wholly understood his father’s actions and feelings. He really took his love for granted.

Maybe that was not the right word, but he didn’t understand why his father had been so protective of him before. The reason why his father never asked or agreed to anything he wanted to do and didn’t even question his choices or who he wanted to be friends with. He thought his father only spoiled him because he was his only son.

Now, as memories from the dream come back. As Arren thought about his father’s reaction to that bloody night, he could see the shock and hopelessness on his handsome face as he looked at the scene in front of him. The bloody image of his wife and son was burned into his heart and mind.

Suddenly, all of his love and even his fears were clear to Arren. By the way, his father froze, and how he looked and wailed afterward, Arren could feel his pain and anguish. That dream wasn’t just a way for him to remember his past; he lived through it all. He relived that night, but this time he wasn’t as innocent as a three-year-old. He also didn’t know whether it was a good or bad thing.

Arren didn’t say a word and sat next to his father with his head bowed the whole time. It was the first time he had ever acted that way toward his father. He would often talk sweetly to his father, and he loved to act even more spoiled. He was sure that the Duke noticed this strange thing about him too. After a long silence, Arren was finally able to say something.

"I’m sorry, dad." Arren’s voice was low, which was very different from his usual sweet and casual voice. He really meant it when he apologized to his father. In fact, he had a lot to say, but he couldn’t.

He was sorry for sneaking out of the house, for worrying his father, for doing something that might upset him, for not listening and only doing what he wanted, and, most importantly, for being stubborn whenever his father wanted him to be protected by bodyguards, knowing full well how special his identity was. Everything piled up and was reduced to a simple ’sorry’.

"You..." the Duke sighed, but he didn’t finish what he was going to say. Instead, His father’s fingers gently run his fingers through his hair, just like when he was a child. Arren lifted his head and met his father’s eyes.

"Dad, Aren’t you... mad at me?" Arren whispered. Deep down, he was confused.

He heard his father laugh for a moment before he said, "Silly son, why would I be mad? The truth was—"his father paused, and the hand that was stroking his hair stopped. "I feel angrier at myself that I became busier with the investigation, and I didn’t notice that my beloved son couldn’t sleep and was suffering from mental trauma. I should’ve known... son, how are you feeling now?" The soft voice cut right through Arren’s heart, intensifying his already complicated mood and causing his tears to fall.

He kept apologizing again while crying as his father panicked and dried his tears for him.

"Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?" His father enquired, but Arren only shook his head and apologized again. In the end, the Duke had to hug him and pat him on the back to calm him down. Arren didn’t want to cry either, but he couldn’t stop the tears from coming out.

They were like that for about five minutes before Arren started to calm down. He buried his face in his father’s chest and breathed in the pheromones that made him feel better. Parents’ pheromones were always able to calm their children’s emotions.

"I am sorry that I didn’t tell you... "I just—I didn’t want to bother you," Arren said honestly, his voice hoarse from crying.

His father shook his head as he tightly hugged him and said, in a soft voice, "How could you be a burden to me? Arren... you already know how important you are to me. I could drop whatever I’m doing for you... so please, son, tell father if something is wrong the next time. Father... Father felt like I was a failure if even my son couldn’t trust me,"

Arren stiffened when his father said that, and he quickly denied it. "It’s not like that, dad," he said in a quiet voice. "I trusted you the most, and you are always the best, dad. And... I’m sorry I didn’t tell you... I won’t make you worry again," he promised and reassured the Duke. His father hummed in response.

Arren thought his father would ask him something else or bring up what he did after he sneaked out, but he didn’t. Instead, his father just kept patting him on the back. The Duke didn’t seem to want to ask anything as he hugged Arren in silence and didn’t try to talk to him about anything. Thinking deeply, it was also not unusual.

Even before, when Arren got into minor mischief and did something incomprehensible, such as missing an important event, his father would not question him and would simply let him go. It looked like the Duke didn’t care about any of his business, but he knew that his father wanted Arren to open up.

The Duke was just waiting for Arren to take the initiative. And Arren knew that his father cared so much about how he felt that the Duke was afraid to get too involved in Arren’s life. The Duke may not have been the perfect parent, but he was always the best parent for Arren.

Arren told his father about what had happened in the past few weeks, like how he snuck out and what happened every time he had a nightmare. He said everything in detail except anything about Spade. It looked like his father was also aware that he didn’t mention specifically the Emperor and only gave vague information about their interactions. Fortunately, his father didn’t make it difficult for him as he just silently listened and didn’t interrupt Arren.

When he got to the events of his visit to Ashton, he trailed off and consciously gave vague details because he couldn’t possibly tell his father that the damn alpha just insulted him with vulgar words, could he?

Despite his suspicions, the Duke remained silent, with only the darkened color of his pupils indicating what he was thinking. The Duke was the one who broke the silence a few moments later. He sighed and let go of Arren to look at his son’s face, "My son, it’s been tough on you," he said.

The rim of Arren’s eyes was still slightly red, he shook his head and smiled, and his breathing became easier after telling his father about his experiences. "I’m fine now, Dad. Really..." for now, I guess? Arren mocked himself with that thought. He knew that the trouble was just beginning to haunt him from here on out.

Arren opened his mouth to say something else but was reminded of something and stopped. This action of his did not escape the notice of his father.

"What’s the matter?" asked the Duke, concerned.

Arren was conflicted once more. He wasn’t sure whether he should tell his father. The subject was extremely sensitive. However, he felt that if he didn’t find out anything about why his mother was killed that day, he would miss out on something significant that he would later regret.

When the Duke noticed Arren’s hesitation, he reached out again. "Arren, what do you want to say?" His father sounded more serious this time. Even he could tell that the situation was complicated, which is probably why Arren couldn’t say it right away.

"Dad... the day I had a fever, I had a dream..." Arren stopped and looked into his dad’s eyes for a moment. The years still couldn’t change the fact that the Duke was a handsome alpha. Despite the inevitable wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and forehead, the alpha’s appearance was still prominent even at his age. Unknown to him, time was really cruel; his loving father was getting older. For a split second, the image of the Duke and the one in his mind blend together.

"I dream of my mom..." Arren finished with his tiny voice; once he said those words, he could see his father’s eyes widen and the complex emotions that flashed within. The change in his face vanished instantly as if it had never existed in the first place.

"It’s okay... to dream of her sometimes," the Duke said, forcing a smile at Arren.

Suddenly, Arren noticed that his father’s voice sounded... a little lonely.