The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 211: Loyalty Vs Filial Piety (2)

"Duke Merphen." Spade’s deep voice rang, and he quickly captured the attention of the people inside. His expression was still the same but his cold gaze could never be concealed from Arren.

"Your Majesty," Duke Merphen shifted his gaze from Arren and then look at Spade, his head slightly bowed, not looking in the alpha’s eyes. On the surface, it seemed to be a normal demeanor of a loyal subject to his monarch.

Spade’s gaze lingered on him for a moment and then it landed on Duke Merphen with the now sharp gaze. And under the watchful eyes of everyone said his decision without giving room for any objection.

"I don’t agree to release your son yet without giving him a punishment." Spade started, shifting his gaze to the elderly couple that was about to object but was shut by his eyes, they appeared to be Ramir’s parents.

"However, since Arren isn’t particularly harmed, giving them severe punishment is also unfair. We’ll release them of custody tomorrow, and Ramir together with his friends will be subjected to guard training and community cleaning." Spade finished.

On the surface, it seemed really a mild approach for punishment, but for a higher noble like Ramir who was used to getting away with their wrongdoings because of their status, it was more than enough to humiliate them. How could a member of the upper nobility be a part of community cleaner or guard training among their ’servants’?

Arren only stood in front of the door while watching everything unfold and didn’t interrupt Spade. Holding Ramir wasn’t very ideal from the beginning and there weren’t enough legal basis aside from the one harassed was Arren, the emperor’s lover.

It was like, if the one harassed was not Arren and an ordinary omega instead, something like this wouldn’t happen in the first place. It was unfortunate, but the reality nonetheless.

Spade arched his brows and motioned for everyone as he spoke with clear authority in his tone. "Is there anyone who doesn’t agree with what I said?" He roamed his eyes around as though gauging each reaction although he wasn’t really aiming for any refusals.

A smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips as he watched his lover in his element, he was too attractive! Even if anyone of them had objections, no one dared to raise them and silently acknowledged or was forced to accept them.

Arren thought that the situation would escalate, especially since his father was really furious this time, but it seemed it ended before it even began. His gaze focused on Duke Merphen, this old Duke that was one of the oldest nobility in the empire.

He couldn’t quite believe that he accepted Spade’s decision that easily, or he didn’t give Arren the vibe that he could be so loyal to the monarch and accept whatever he said at least not like his father who was extremely loyal to the crown.

As though sensing his gaze, Duke Merphen managed to made eye contact with Arren again. Under his almost closed eyelids due to his age that were almost could be ignored because of his strength in his age, he flashed a kind grin to Arren.

Arren had the instinct to avert his gaze and stay away from him for some reason despite his kind elderly demeanor. He frowned and became confused why he was suddenly having that feeling, which he was sure it registered in his expression. He managed to hold it in and bravely met Duke Merphen’s eyes, which were looking at him intently that truly confused him.

Fortunately, Spade called him and shifted his attention right away.

"Arren, you can come in." He said gently, and then nonchalantly dismissed everyone in the room. "If there’s nothing else, you all can leave." Spade seemed in a hurry to dismiss everyone.

Duke Merphen, who was about to say something to Arren was stopped and looked at Spade. He signed and bowed, "No, Your Majesty. Thank you for your benevolence." He then looked at the people he was with and they all left, without giving another glance as though really defeated in battle.

Through it all, Arren was only looking at Spade and the way he watched the group from leaving the room. Since he was in front of the door, the group would pass by him as he glanced at them and moved so he wouldn’t be in the way.

When they were already before him, Duke Merphen looked at him and whispered in passing that made him stop and blinked his eyes, stunned.

"A beautiful omega can create a war, indeed." Duke Merhpen grinned and continued on his pace as though nothing happened. Arren furrowed his brows when he recovered and pursed his lips, looking at the door where Duke Merphen exited.

What was that? There were a lot of meanings on it that it wasn’t necessarily about the upcoming war as well. But why was he having a bad feeling about this?

He couldn’t think further as he flinched when someone held his shoulder, he turned around and was now facing his father.

"Son? Is there something wrong?" The Duke asked, holding his shoulder and rubbing it as though calming him. Arren looked at his dad and then at the door again before shifting it back to him again.

"Nothing, Dad." he paused, but Duke Merphen’s words really was bothering him, and recounted it to his father. As Duke Katz frowned, Spade’s voice resounded, he was also much closer now to Arren.

"He’s part of the organization." Spade revealed casually, but his sharp gaze that lingered on the door showed otherwise. He didn’t want Arren to be in the same room as the spies of the organization, it made him extremely uneasy.

Not to mention how Duke Merphen was not a normal spy as well but part of their upper echelon.

Arren’s eyes widened and looked at Spade, shifting them back to his father and then to Spade again. Their expression was the same and they both nodded which further claimed that what Spade said didn’t imagine by Arren and was the truth.

The fuck? Arren cursed in his mind, he couldn’t speak for a moment. It surprises him so much since Duke Merphen was one of the pillars of the empire and at some point, he also agreed to some of his advocacies which was heavily about changes in the customs not only in the empire but in the world as a whole.

And to think, he was a dog of the organization from the start? It made him suspect just how much of those advocacies were genuine and the ones influenced by the vision of the organization.

"It must be hard to accept?" His father smiled, his soft tone easily easing his mood. Arren nodded his head.

"How the heck the organization leader managed to entice that old f--- I mean, old duke." Arren blabbered what was in his mind and still managed to hold it in and stopped the word ’old fox’ which he often called the Dukes except for his father but it was too late.

These people definitely noticed but chose to ignore it in the end, even though his father was giving him a judging eye. He was sure that if not for Spade’s presence, he was already reprimanded.

Spade shrugged, went closer to Arren, and wrapped his arm around Arren’s waist not minding that Duke Katz was there in front of them and watching them. Arren also didn’t evade it, although it was also somehow awkward to flirt in front of his father.

About Serrien who was also there and silently stood at the side, he was already used to this scene, he’d seen more.

"Who knows? The organization has so many secrets we need to be cautious about." Despite saying it lightly, it was a harsh truth. The organization had so many spies in their ranks and almost knew the structure of the empire, while they were still blind to the whole scale of their opponent.

This was why Spade wouldn’t detonate the bomb in one go since they were at a disadvantage and might explode it in their own backyard instead if they weren’t careful. He chose to split the chaos and gauge the opponent’s strengths and true capability little by little.

Arren could only agree to this reason, they would never know the reason why Duke Merphen was enticed by the organization to betray the empire.

They set aside the matter with Duke Merphen and Arren had a mini-reunion with his father as they took dinner together with Spade. This little time of peace they had, all of them were doing their best not to ruin it.

When Duke Katz was already bidding goodbye to them, Arren embraced his father tightly and nestled in his arms.

"Dad," he called, a tone he especially used whenever he wanted to be spoiled ever since he was young.

Duke Katz laughed and hugged him tighter, kissing the crown of his head.

"Why is my big baby acting like this? Do you want something?" his father played along, as he also missed his son acting like a spoiled brat before him.

Arren only closed his eyes and fell silent for a second, before he nodded his head and whispered what he wanted to his father.

"Yes, Dad. Please, I want you to always be safe."

And Duke Katz’s smile froze slightly, and after a while his smile widened, the corners of his eyes heating up, and kissed Arren’s head again.

"I’ll try my best son."