Grounded (2)

Arren was not surprised by his father's actions, and he had no complaints. Still, it was his first time being grounded in the house. He couldn't leave the house for the time being, and his father had already notified his school of his absence.

When he inquired about Ashton's whereabouts, his father's face darkened instantly. He only stated that Ashton was detained and was still being questioned about who ordered him to drug Arren. No one was allowed to visit him for the time being.

Arren discovered that everyone he was with that night had been arrested and questioned about the incident. It was a chaotic night, but they were released soon after they were proven innocent.

Ramon, on the other hand, as Arren had predicted, Marquis Strellia personally went and dealt with his son for causing trouble. Whatever happened to Ramon after they returned home, was most likely not good. Arren would not beg for Ramon because he deserved it for befriending Ashton. In the first place, even if he wanted to, they were both grounded now.

Three days had passed since that incident, and Arren was truly bored to death in the house. He just watched anything on webflix these past three days. It was because his father had confiscated even his phone. Alas, the effects of what happened showed the strict side of the Duke. He hoped it passed quickly; he couldn't imagine how his carefree life would be if a swarm of bodyguards followed him around, even in school.

His eyes welled up with tears just imagining it. It was suffocating. He'd definitely cry and throw tantrums in front of his father; he knew his father couldn't stand seeing his tears. Yes, Arren immediately made a plan.

As his father spoke to him, Arren's wandering thoughts were put on hold.

The Duke set down the fork and knife he was holding and gently wiped his mouth. "Do you really not remember anything that night? Like anything at all?" he asked Arren.

Arren's brow furrowed in befuddlement at his father's question. He had been asked numerous times about this in the past few days. He didn't understand why his father was so adamant about this subject as if he had done something noteworthy.

He swallowed the meat he had been chewing before responding to his father once more.

"Dad, I told you many times that I didn't remember much and just some fragmented memories and nothing else, and the last thing I remembered was when I told the driver to take me to the hospital because my heat was flaring up so badly," Arren's tone was polite but now carried a hint of impatience.

Seriously, he had already answered this question several times and was becoming irritated. His father clarified again and again.

"Dad, did I forget something important?" he asked his father again. His father was acting as if he had truly forgotten something important and had most likely missed something.

As usual, his father simply shrugged while staring at him, and now Arren noticed a complicated expression flash across his face, but it vanished before he blinked, leaving him to wonder if his eyes were misled.

"It's nothing. You go eat more, son. I still have something important to do," his father gently patted and caressed his head as he stood up from his seat and walked away from the dining room, leaving a confused Arren behind.

It was always like this. He couldn't help but go through his memories, hoping to recall something from that night. Nothing else comes to mind. His expression changed abruptly as he became distracted. Don't tell him that the memories he thought were a dream were real. Someone carried him to the hospital, and it wasn't his driver?

Arren bit his lower lip unconsciously. Fuck, was it real or not? Then who was he? He tried again and again, but to no avail. He shook his head and pushed it to the back of his mind as he continued to eat. That was his personality, if he couldn't remember, then why bother?

Another day passed after Arren was barred from leaving the house. It had been four days since the incident. All he could do was watch TV and sleep. Overall, it was always a dull day for him. He had always been an outgoing person who preferred to party outside rather than to stay at home.

Perhaps it was also because he had heart disease in the past and was not allowed to do any strenuous exercises because of his condition. He was always at home and basically lived an otaku life his entire life. So Arren was determined to live his second life freely, doing everything he wanted and experiencing things he had missed out on in his previous life.

Aside from being bored to death, he had the impression that he was only wasting his time at home. His father hit the right mark for his punishment. But there was nothing he could do but wait for his father's emotions to calm down. He refused to believe that his father would lock him in the house forever.

With that in mind, he returned his gaze to the television. Arren didn't like watching dramas, so he tried documentaries instead. It looked interesting, so he chose it. The lights in the living room were turned on, and the French windows were open. He was leaning against the couch, his crossed legs resting on the glass table in front of him.

A bowl of pumpkin seeds was next to him, and he was cracking the shell as he ate it. Eating it while watching was more enjoyable than eating popcorn. The only sounds heard in this place are those from the television and the crunching of pumpkin seeds. It was peaceful and quiet.

Arren was always out before, and the Duke was the same. Aside from the servants and guards, there are only two of them living in the mansion, so everyone has grown accustomed to the peaceful atmosphere.

The long staircase leading to the second floor was just slightly beyond where he was. In fact, those coming down the stairs could already see Arren sitting there with his unusual omega posture.

Light footsteps reached Arren's ears as he subconsciously looked back to see who was coming down from the second floor. There were a lot of people visiting his father, and he occasionally ran into them. His father's study was on the second floor, and private visits or meetings were held there. He was unconcerned about these matters, however. He spent most of his time outside, so he only met a few people and could only recognize those who came by frequently.

As he turned back, Arren narrowed his eyes and observed the visitor. He hadn't met this man before, but he was aware that his father was holding a meeting in the library, so he ate alone. He wasn't curious, so he didn't ask who; in any case, he was certain it wasn't something he was interested in or likely related to the investigation. He believed they began in the morning and that the meeting only ended now, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

When he noticed Arren's gaze, the man also comes to a halt on the last step of the stairs. They both locked their gazes on each other. Arren squinted his eyes as he found the man very familiar but he didn't know where he saw him. He most likely met him at a banquet or once visited his father. But he soon abandoned thinking about where he'd seen the man and instead focused his attention on his appearance.

He was dressed in a dark, double-breasted suit. His posture was upright, and the way he stood exuded dominance and nobility. Anyone could tell he was a superior Alpha by the way he stood and presented himself. Arren had only one word to describe the man in front of him: Alpha. He had a very attractive face that lacked any hint of femininity. He was so manly, and his mature demeanor gave the impression of absolute security.

Arren screamed internally, fuck he was exactly his type. He was so fucking hot. This was what you meant by an Alpha! He exclaimed inside. Arren had no idea who the man was, but based on how he had visited his father and had a meeting all day, he assumed the alpha was probably involved in the investigation, and based on what Arren could assume, his rank was most likely high.

Arren really didn't recognize Spade at first glance. As someone who had avoided the upper nobility and official banquets like the plague for all these years, he had effectively barred himself from researching news or finding anything related to the plot. And when he went to a banquet in the palace, he just showed his face and went home.

For this, his father was helpless, wondering how his son, who was used to being surrounded by people, was acting as if he had social anxiety whenever they attended an official party as if he was hiding from someone.

Specifically, Arren was evading someone rather than hiding. He was terrified of meeting the protagonists or other important characters; he was always cautious, and he never enjoyed any official banquets he attended.

As for getting familiar with the faces of the main characters? As if. Arren acted as if they were an ominous calamity that would make him extremely unlucky if he even looked at their faces for too long. The same was true for the face of the Emperor.

Okay, it was irresponsible of him not to recognize the monarch who ruled the empire, especially as the Duke's son, but he hadn't looked at the emperor's face for a minute longer.

This was also why he thought Spade looked familiar. As Emperor, his face was everywhere, and not even the most popular artist could compete with him. In the Empire, it was nearly impossible not to notice his face. Arren's ability to forget his face was already astounding. An achievement he was somewhat proud of if ever someone would ask him, but not like he can blatantly shout about it, right?

Putting all of this aside, the self-proclaimed extra-Arren stood up from the couch with a mischievous thought and faced the Alpha in front of him. He was very interested, and this had never happened to him before. He'd met a lot of alphas and been courted by most of them, but no one had ever piqued his interest just by catching a glimpse of him as the alpha did now.