The Emperor's Omega Is An Extra-Chapter 214: Loyalty Vs. Filial Piety (5)

Levin was so stunned by this change that he couldn’t even think of any words at the moment. He couldn’t quite believe that the woman in front of him was the same as his gentle mother.

His hold on Princess Coreen’s arms tightened subconsciously. Levin couldn’t accept that this was really happening, but he had to accept it.

"Son," the smile on her lips slightly faded, "It hurts."

Upon hearing this complaint, Levin woke up and loosened his hold slightly, even though it was still firm enough that Princess Coreen couldn’t escape even if she wanted to.

The corners of his eyes were still wet from his tears, and his pupils were constricted as he stared directly into her eyes.

"Mom, who made you this way?" Levin’s voice was low but twinged with heavy pain, and each word carried his difficult emotion. His mom only looked at him; he couldn’t read what she thought behind her small smile. "Mom, who?" Levin couldn’t help but yell the last words in his frustrations that combined with his anger.

He knew, that some of it might be his fault. Or that his mother was only sick and no one really made her this... twisted. And yet each time he recalled the memories he had with his mother, Levin knew something had gone wrong and made her like this.

Levin blinked again, seeing the pain in his mother’s expression. His hand considerably loosened compared to before so that Princess Coreen could withdraw on her own, but she didn’t do so.

"Tell me, Mom..." His mind was now in chaos. He knew his cowardice had come again, as he refused to acknowledge that he was also to blame. If he had only been there to be with his mom, perhaps he could have prevented her condition from being this serious?

There were a lot of what-ifs, but it was now too late. When the confusion registered on her face, she touched Levin’s face and wiped the tears that streamed down his cheeks again.

"Son, don’t cry," she whispered, but she didn’t answer his question.

In fact, Levin somehow had a guess on who it would be. There were not a lot of people who could go near his mother and be with her all the time other than him. Was he now finally accepting it after all this time?

He raised his head and turned over to look at the side, knowing that at some point someone had already arrived and stood there at the entrance of the garden, a few steps away from them.

Their gazes met, and both held different emotions in their expressions.

"Father," Levin muttered under his breath. He ignored the bitter taste that suddenly appeared in his mouth as the word rolled on his tongue.

His mother heard him and also turned her head; her expression lit up slightly upon seeing her husband. "Honey! You’re here too," she gently called.

For a moment, they fell into a staring contest; none spoke as though waiting to see who would break the silence first. which, in the end, it was Levin who did after a few minutes had passed.

"Is it you?" Levin asked, confused, but somehow it sounded as though he was hoping for confirmation from him.

Only he knew deep inside that Levin still wanted to deceive himself and hoped that his father would answer differently from what he expected him to. He wanted his father to be mad and anxious like he was upon seeing his mother this way, surprised by the twisted thing she did.

And yet, this was all again an illusion that his father mercilessly shattered right before him, and the shards continuously pierced his heart, making it hard to breathe.

Marquis Ford expressionlessly looked at him; it wasn’t actually an answer, but in the same way, the silence was too deafening to ignore.

Levin finally found out why he felt pressured each time he was in the presence of his father and the suffocation that prompted him to escape. The way his father looked at him now, without an ounce of fondness for his child, he was a mere commodity he could disregard if he so wished.

He never thought his father could look so... ruthless. Even his wife? A surge of anger overwhelmed him in an instant. He removed his hand from his mother’s arms while still holding her hand and stood in front of her, protecting her from his father.

"Why?" There was nothing in his mind but the word why, and he did not know what it was about despite this most alarming thought that floated through his mind.

His father only looked at him, unimpressed. His gaze landed on the corpses of the servants, which soaked the ground with their blood. He arched his brow amusingly and shifted his gaze to his wife. An interesting smile appeared on his lips.

"What a good masterpiece, honey, he smiled, praising the twisted artwork she created. A pang of discomfort crept into Levin’s heart, and he tightened his hand again to his mother so that she couldn’t go to his father.

Princess Coreen’s expression brightened from the praise, and there was now a faint blush on her cheeks from the compliment of her beloved husband, ignoring the tight hold of his son.

"Thank you, honey. I made it for you," She responded, her voice tinged with joy.

The Marquis’ laughter then sounded, as though finding what his wife’s said truly funny.

"Father, is it you?" This time, Levin couldn’t suppress it anymore and yelled. He always had this fear towards his father, whom he rarely saw even when he was a child, but if it was about his mother, he could be brave.

Marquis Ford returned his gaze to Levin and sighed.

"Son, you always disappointed me." He shook his head, both hands on his back, and stared at his son with disapproving eyes.

Even after so many years, these words and gaze were still a shadow in Levin’s heart. The first time his father told him that was when he told them about his decision. Although he never heard those words again after all these years, he could feel them every time.

It would be a lie if he said that he was not hurt or that, at some point in his life, he also yearned for his father’s approval. But he also grew used to the fact that the pain brought by these words dispelled the anger that was accumulating in his heart.

"Why?" he shouted with all his might, making his mother flinch at his side as his voice echoed throughout the garden. His furious gaze landed on his father. "What is your intention?" he asked again, more desperate this time.

The Marquis only shook his head again, disappointingly.

"You already know the answer; why are you still asking me?"

Levin swallowed and took a deep breath. "Just answer me directly."

His father smiled and chuckled, "Oh, son, you are still as soft as you always are." He clicked his tongue and walked at such a pace that eventually he was already closer to them with only one step of distance. "Haven’t you already sensed why His Majesty is so cold to you? It’s because... you are my son; no, you are our son.

The Marquis’s voice carried such provocation that the muscles in his face twitched as he clenched his hand. Spade’s being cold to him and isolating him was even a deeper wound than his father’s disappointing looks, which he accepted he couldn’t change.

"What do you mean?" Levin inquired, his voice low, but the firmness didn’t diminish in the slightest.

Again, his father laughed, way louder this time. He was mocking his son for always refusing to accept the truth and deceiving himself with his false hopes, even if he already knew what it was.

The Marquis leaned forward, whispered beside Levin’s ears, and smiled. "Aren’t you investigating the organization leader’s identity?" he chuckled teasingly and narrowed his eyes. "Now, son, he’s in front of you now."

Levin’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated; he was too stunned to speak, which also loosened his hold on his mother. He met his father’s eyes, and until the last moment, his gaze still carried a questioning gaze, as though confirming and processing what he just heard from his father was the truth.

However, his father mercilessly shattered this last hope and laughed at his reaction, amused by it so much. Suddenly, It was like his world crumbled before his eyes. All of his exhaustion this past week came at once; his body grew weak and he let go of his mother.

The dizzying feeling shrouded him; his mind was too shaken to even look at his surroundings. He had a lot of guesses as to why, but this was the farfetched guess that Levin had been doing his best to set aside in the back of his mind.

He didn’t even know what came next, as his mind was in disarray. He thought he also dragged his mother but was stopped by his father, and Levin couldn’t breathe in their presence, and the stench of blood intensified it. All he wanted was to escape and take a breath, or he would die from suffocation.

When Levin left the mansion to go who knew where, Princess Coreen and Marquis Ford were left in the garden as the woman admired the corpses soaked with their blood.

"Is it okay to leave him like that, Your Excellency?" A man emerged from the side and spoke.

The marquis only shrugged and rested his hand on the armrest, watching his wife. "It’s fine. I know, His Majesty already knows who I am anyway."

After saying this, he smiled. and raised his head, looking at the one he was talking to. "Get ready to escape the capital. I feel like, something is going to happen in the coming days," he said, his eyes flickering with amusement.

It wasn’t only Spade who was getting ready for this moment.