The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 273: Arren and Spade (5)

Arren had become busier, not mostly because of his studies but in college life in general. As he made quite a few new friends and acquaintances, including Ramon, he frequented clubs or bars in his free days.

Although he only sought out the wild atmosphere, he rarely drank, and he made sure that his bodyguards were standing by for any unexpected circumstances. Even if he disliked being followed most of the time, their presence still put him at ease.

He was an omega, and he needed to be responsible for that. Arren didn’t want to be taken advantage of, so he would immediately distance himself from people who obviously had ulterior motives.

His life seemed to be going for the better after a series of changes, but one thing still had yet to change. The moment he heard something that involved ’him’, Arren would instinctively step back and walk away to avoid it. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

That included going to the palace, a place that was too familiar to him after all these years.

"A banquet?" Arren was given a start, his eyes widening while almost spatting the food in his mouth.

On a normal Sunday morning, Arren had thought of resting at home, but this news was enough to almost shake all the defenses he barely managed to surround his heart within the past few months.

His father’s eyelids twitched; he was a bit guilty of speaking so suddenly. Wiping the corner of his lips with the white cloth, the Duke nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, son. Uh..." he paused. The Duke was a bit hesitant to continue, but he ultimately proceeded. "It’s been a while since His Majesty, the Empress, hosted a huge banquet for his birthday. The invitations were already sent yesterday; we need to attend." His last words were actually hard to say.

As a father who was with Arren when he was young and witnessed all the changes in his son’s life, how would he fail to notice the upheavals that happened in a span of merely a few months?

Arren’s expression sank, and his fingers trembled while his mind was spanning rapidly. There was a hint of panic that rose in his chest, but he swallowed to calm himself.

He lowered his head, his appetite waned, and he opened his mouth to respond in a whisper.

"Do I need to come... Dad?" He was truly afraid to do so.

There was a higher chance of encountering or even just seeing the emperor if he did attend the banquet. Arren was not confident that he could act normally in front of the man that he still liked to this day.

Just the mere mention of the emperor in his head could cause an upheaval in his emotions. What if they faced each other after a few months of not seeing each other?

The Duke took a deep breath, shook his head, and gave his son a comforting smile.

"If you don’t want to attend, it’s fine. I’ll... Just make an excuse for you."

Arren bit his lips and looked at his father, who was helping him escape his predicament. He was so grateful inside, and gradually, the panic in his heart somehow eased.

Honestly, Arren wasn’t ready yet to see the emperor or even set foot in the palace again. However, he didn’t want his father to lie to himself, and after thinking about it, Arren thought of facing this fear little by little.

How could he move on if he was only escaping and avoiding the problem? Once he confirmed that he wasn’t yet ready to face his problem, it was not too late to excuse himself. This was also called adapting himself to unexpected circumstances like this.

"It’s fine, Dad. I’ll attend."

Arren was pretty sure this would not be the last time he would be forced to attend a palace banquet. His status alone was extremely connected to the emperor, so being passive was not a good decision.

Perhaps, showing up for at least ten minutes... would do?

It was truly fascinating how events could change in a blink of an eye. Just a few months prior, and in the years that passed, Arren was always excited to visit the palace and the man that resided within.

At this moment, though, the moment that their car parked on the palace grounds and the familiar entrance greeted him, Arren’s heart was already thumping wildly.

His face was pale, and his hands were cold, with his back sweating. Seriously, if one didn’t know, they might suspect that Arren was there for an interrogation instead of a birthday banquet.

"Son,"

This call pulled Arren from his anxious thoughts, and he snapped his head to the side, staring at his father. The Duke was already frowning, and the crease between his eyebrows deepened, seeing his son in this state.

"Son, you don’t need to force yourself," he whispered while touching Arren’s cold hands, giving them warmth. "You can go home and rest."

Arren knew that his appearance was what made his father worried. He was also aware of how he wasn’t in a good state, but he couldn’t help but be stubborn.

He wanted to face this. This was a necessary step in moving on; if he couldn’t take it, he would try next time until he finally could.

And so, Arren shook his head and tried to give his father an assuring smile, which only came out as a fake smile from his end.

"I’m fine, Dad. I’m really fine." He convinced his father, who was obviously not convinced, but seeing his determination, the Duke had no choice but to relent.

Arren forced himself to calm down; he had to admit that, deep in his heart, he quite missed this place. All of the memories from the days that he spent walking in these hallways for years seemed to flash in his mind in an instant.

Fortunately, Arren was holding his father’s arm; otherwise, he might have stopped walking from all the thoughts that ran through his head.

When inside, Arren didn’t come with his father. For sure, he, as a Duke, would be greeting the empress with the emperor, and Arren avoided this for the well-being of his heart.

His father didn’t force him and went on his way, leaving Arren at a table closer to the entrance. Arren wanted to be as far away from the center as possible; after all, he was already getting anxious at this point.

This was a good position to sneak away later. If only... Levin didn’t see him.