The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 41: Behind The Past (2)

Arren looked at his father’s expression and noticed a somewhat complex emotion flashing for a moment. Arren was unsure whether to continue the conversation about his mother. His father may have noticed him watching, and the Duke’s face quickly returned to a gentle and calm expression.

His father gave him a gentle smile and said softly, "If you have something to say, say it."

Arren was quickly soothed by the familiar smile and voice that gave him security. While he still hesitated, his eagerness to find out the answer overcame it.

He realized it wasn’t that simple after his mind cleared, and he reflected on his forgotten and tragic childhood memories. Arren had a hunch that what happened years ago was the main reason why someone was after him. He didn’t know who but felt he was on the right track.

Arren responded by nodding at his father and assuring the Duke. He needed to take a deep breath before speaking. The topic was too heavy.

Arren opened his mouth and told his father about his dream after he was sure he was ready: "I didn’t know if it happened. My dreams were extremely vivid. The emotions... the touch of my mother, whose face I had forgotten, everything felt so real. And then..." he had to pause, knowing that his following sentence could be triggering for both him and his father.

And, as if the Duke had guessed his own, he squeezed Arren’s hand. As if saying that he was there, they were both together to face reality.

Arren continued after a brief pause, his voice low and soft. "I... saw what happened that night—I saw how my mother was killed right in front of me,"

He didn’t know how he finished that extremely sensitive sentence or where he got the courage to look his father in the eyes while saying those statements.

His voice sounded tense, with the occasional crack in the middle. Arren noticed how his father’s expression changed as he continued to speak and how the hand that was holding him tightened.

It was his first time witnessing his father’s expressions change in a matter of seconds as if the emotions he had suppressed for decades slowly resurfaced with a simple sentence from his beloved son.

And ah, Arren was reminded once again that while the Duke was a father to his son, he was his wife’s husband first, his omega’s mate. And to live with the memories of that tragic night, Arren didn’t know how his father could hold on for so long.

He understood how difficult it was to lose a mate, let alone an alpha witnessing his omega’s death. It must be excruciating for his father, and it was already a miracle that he didn’t get crazy that night.

Arren didn’t know how to console his father, so all he could do was hold his father’s hand as tightly as he could. His actions appear to have an effect, as his father quickly regains his composure, but the complex emotion in his eyes persists.

"Dad, I wanted to know the truth," Arren said, leaning on his father, who remained silent. "Could you please tell me, Dad?"

His father stiffened, and the grip on his arms loosened for a moment. In his current position, he couldn’t see his father’s face and could only guess. His father may have been taken aback by what he said.

He didn’t push his father and instead waited quietly as he eventually transferred his weight to his father. He seemed to have returned to his childhood when he only wanted to lie down in his father’s body.

The silence lasted about five minutes, and the quiet atmosphere was oppressive but not suffocating. Arren could sense his father’s complex emotions, so he remained silent and let his father decide.

Not long after, his father’s deep voice broke the silence; his voice was still soft and gentle, but there was something different about it. As if years of grievances and pain were desperate to be expressed. At this point, Arren could sense the suppressed emotions hidden behind the soft and gentle voice.

"I knew this day would come," his father began, his tone now tinged with sadness. After a brief pause, he continued, "Still, I often wish this day would never come."

The Duke’s voice became distant as if blown away by the wind, and he began to reminisce on his own. The truth might be a little unbearable for his son, so he chose not to disclose the real reason for his wife’s death.

The event was also quite traumatizing for Arren, who was only three years old at the time, which is why the child fully activated the self-protection in his mind. Since then, Arren has never inquired about his mother, as if all of his memories of her have vanished.

The Duke was initially concerned that the incident would have a negative impact on Arren’s development and that he would not be as lively as before, as he had seen in other traumatized children.

However, as the days passed and the child quickly returned to being playful, the Duke decided it might be a good idea not to tell Arren the true reason for his mother’s death.

Throughout the years, the Duke had been careful not to reveal anything about his wife to Arren. Afraid that this would trigger his son’s trauma, fortunately, Arren seldom asked about his mother, or he didn’t ask at all. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing, but for the sake of his child, he didn’t take any initiative to talk about his wife and shelved all the yearning in his heart from that day forward.

No one would believe him if he said he had no grievances or resentment, that he was not planning revenge.

Of course, he had deep remorse with the intention of dying and sacrificing himself to give justice and revenge for his wife, and it was to the point where he went insane as he began to have hallucinations. He also began to question his existence and power in the Empire.

The Duke was furious at himself for not doing enough to protect his family and not being present when they needed him the most. Most importantly, he began to doubt his so-called loyalty to his Emperor.

Especially when the dying His Majesty ordered the investigation to be kept private and deleted all possible data from the database that night. Then, as soon as the thought occurred, he scolded himself.

He was well aware that his Emperor, like himself, was powerless. Unbeknownst to them, the organization had become a shadow in their hearts, especially as people feared the unknown.

They were unaware of the enemy’s size, but they were well aware of its power. The evidence from that night was still fresh in their minds. Unfortunately, all they could do was watch it grow right in front of their eyes.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t do anything, but they were aware of the consequences of the action. The Empire was unstable at the time; it appeared prosperous to the outside world, but an internal undercurrent was raging. That was a hidden danger that the current dying Emperor didn’t want to see but was powerless to prevent at the time.

The last thing he wanted to see was his succeeding son inheriting a burning Empire. The Emperor knew he was an inept ruler; all he could do at the time was pin his hopes on Spade. His son was far more stable than he was. He possessed all of the characteristics of a strong ruler.

The Duke relented not out of loyalty to the Empire but for the sake of his son. When he thought about his son, all the madness in his heart and mind was suppressed. Arren was the only reason the Duke remained sane, and he was also the reason the Duke decided to bury everything in his heart, at least for the time being.

He knew the day would come when his son would inquire about his mother’s death. He never expected that it was all because of a threatening situation. Now, he had had enough. He didn’t get to protect his wife, but the Duke swore that this time, he would protect his son with all his life.