The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 268: Initial History (10)

As there were a lot of things on Arren’s mind and he was also nervous, Arren didn’t start any small talk with Levin. His mood was obvious, as Levin also fell silent the whole way.

Arren had thought they would be going to the garden, where he usually meets the emperor, but when he recalled himself, they had already arrived, not that far from where he met Levin.

He raised his head and looked at Levin. His eyes carried his silent inquiry. Levin met his gaze and nodded while his hand was already touching the door handle.

"His Majesty is inside."

Arren’s throat moved as he swallowed nervously. Without waiting for him, Levin opened the door and motioned for him to go inside. By the looks of it, Arren would only be the one stepping inside.

Biting his lips, Arren took a step forward and went inside. His heart was still beating so fast, but there was also a bit of anticipation from finally seeing the emperor after a while.

As the interior of the drawing room greeted him, Arren’s eyes were already drawn to someone who stood in front of the window and looked outside with a serious expression.

His MAjesty... Arren muttered inwardly.

Arren’s hand was unconsciously clasped into a fist as he controlled the upheaval of his emotions. He thought that not seeing the emperor for quite a while didn’t take too much of a toll on him, but he seemed mistaken.

Did his feelings grow to this point? Arren didn’t know how to gauge the extent of his ’admirtion’ for the emperor; he was already lost in his emotions.

"Y-Your Majesty," Arren greeted. He wanted to say something else, such as a question like, ’Why are you waiting for me? or... Why did I do wrong? Yet, ultimately, he didn’t manage to do so and swallowed every grievance in his heart.

The emperor heard him, but he continued to look outside and didn’t face Arren; he didn’t even react to his greeting. Arren even became bewildered for a moment, wondering if the emperor had truly heard his greeting and sensed his presence.

Just as he was contemplating calling for the emperor again, the latter had already spoken in a calm voice, yet with a touch of indifference.

"I called you here to let you know that there will be no next time; Royal Mother won’t be able to invite you again in the palace." The emperor, without any greetings or anything, went straight to his point. He turned his head slightly and faced Arren, his deep gaze boring into him.

Arren flinched slightly from the tone and even the way the empeor looked at him. Sure, it wasn’t that the emperor was too gentle on him before, but at least he was never that indifferent toward him.

A pinch of pain assaulted his heart from the treatment, and Arren couldn’t speak for a while. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions and responded.

"Why? Am I... not allowed here... Your Majesty?"

No matter how Arren tried to compose himself, he always found himself returning to square one, facing the emperor. He couldn’t control his emotions at all.

No, perhaps it was bad. Was someone his age supposed to feel this way? Until when was the right age for the word ’love’ was justified to be uttered by someone? Did he deserve it?

Arren was utterly confused by his own feelings, but more than that, he was in pain from being indirectly dumped once more.

Swallowing his pain, Arren suddenly finds the courage to look into His Majesty’s eyes.

"Your Majesty... Can you, at least, tell me the reason?"

Hearing the reason or not, it really didn’t matter, but Arren would not give his own conclusions and speculations.

"Was it because of my feelings? Am I crossing the line?" Arren had begun rambling due to his emotions spiraling within him.

Yes, they did act like nothing happened, but his feelings for the emperor never changed, and he knew that the emperor knew it too. However, no one raised this topic again, and Arren was also close to mastering being oblivious and hiding his feelings over the past year.

If it were indeed his feelings, Arren couldn’t do anything about it. He would admit defeat; after all, he also didn’t know how to stop liking the emperor. Was he even capable of hating him?

The emperor’s eyes flickered with conflicted light for a moment before he sighed, and a cover veiling his emotions seemed to melt seeing Arren being emotional.

"It’s not like that." He took a step forward and sat on the couch, ignaling Arren to take a seat as well.

Arren didn’t move an inch; it wasn’t that he was being stubborn, but his knees were already shaking, and he seemed to be frozen where he stood.

"Then?"

The emperor didn’t urge him and looked at him; his stature was as commanding as ever, but his eyes softened a bit.

"I don’t want you to be involved in royal family affairs, Arren," the emperor exhaled again and leaned his back against the couch, his elbow resting on the arm of his seat. "This matter is... still complicated for you."

Arren’s brows knitted together; he couldn’t understand. How could simply visiting the palace get you involved in royal family affairs? However, he admits that if it was indeed complicated, like the royal family affairs, he was really in a blank state.

"Arren..." the emperor deeply stared at him; his eyes carried his solemnity. "Being involved with me isn’t necessarily a good thing."

Arren’s mouth opened, wanting to say something or even argue, but the emperor continued.

"You’re young, Arren. I know that saying your feelings are not genuine because you’re young is wrong. However, I want you to understand, Arren, that the royal game is not a simple matter."

"Why... Is that important?"

Arren simply couldn’t comprehend. Perhaps his age really was making him unable to understand the implications of his actions, but did visiting the palace really mean he was already a participant in this so-called royal game?

The emperor seemed unsurprised that he couldn’t process what he meant outright, and he was still gentle and patient in his words, trying to make Arren understand.

"The moment you become involved with me, you’re already part of the calculations of someone. Arren, I don’t want you to be a pawn that will be used by anyone." frёeωebɳovel.com

If Arren still couldn’t understand at this point, he was already too dumb. And about this someone, he already had a hunch of who it was, but understanding and accepting were two different things.

"The Duke already knew this. It’s better for you to stop visiting the palace for a while," the emperor continued. His words were like knives that stabbed his heart.

Arren weakly lowered his head and looked at his trembling hands. The silence fell between them, and no one spoke for a few seconds. It was until Arren shattered it with a question.

"Your Majesty... Do you like someone?"

It was like an out-of-the-blue question and seemed irrelevant to the topic at hand, but deep within him, Arren wanted to know. Maybe he wanted to torment himself because of it.

Would knowing that the one he liked had someone he liked help him move on? Arren had no clue.

"I don’t."

Arren’s head shot up in an unexpected answer.

"You... don’t?"

The emperor shook his head, and his eyes seemed to become distant for a while before he repeated.

"I don’t."

Arren nodded and firmly clenched his hand. A strange feeling consumed him; the emperor’s answer was not something he anticpated but still hoped nonetheless. Now, his heart was having conflicting emotions.

"Visiting you regularly might be an issue, but Your Majesty... Is it fine to come occasionally? "

Arren was pushing it too much; he wanted to try his luck.

The emperor stared at him, making him a bit obvious, but sighed in relief as he nodded his head.

"The palace is always open for visitors." His implication might not be straightforward, but it is still a reason Arren could exploit.

However, Arren knew visiting the emperor would be hard this time around. Yet, who knew... Someone he disliked would be the one who greatly helped him.

It was Levin and the rumors floating around them.