Bloody Year

Once Spade was sure the omega had fallen asleep, his expression darkened and his jaw tightened. The emotions that had been hidden inside of him for so long began to show on his face, and even his pheromones began to seep through. Even the bodyguards standing outside the bedroom stiffened.

Nonetheless, Spade did not allow his emotions to take over. He didn't want the omega to wake up because of his intense pheromones. He inhaled deeply, his gaze fixed on Arren's face. Slowly, his gaze softened, and his other hand, which was not grasped by the omega, caressed Arren's cheeks.

His mind could now carefully consider what Arren had said and recounted about his dreams. He had no idea Arren was hiding his trauma behind his sweet smile, to the point where he was having nightmares.

When Arren was screaming and crying in his sleep earlier, Spade tried everything to wake him up. He could deduce from this that something terrible happened in the nightmare.

He was suddenly resentful of himself for being unable to do anything, but it wasn't too late, and the omega had a very strong personality, leaving him powerless to decide whether this was a good or bad thing. At the very least, not being dependent on others was beneficial in some ways, but Arren should learn to open up more and not struggle alone.

Spade stared at Arren for a moment and watched how he slept peacefully, just a little discomfort and he would wake him up immediately. Fortunately, nothing happened even after half an hour.

Silence reigned until he remembered he hadn't called the Duke, who knew how stressed Duke Katz was right now looking for his son. He took his hand away from Arren's face, pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed the Duke's number.

He waited patiently, his eyes carefully fixed on Arren before averting his gaze and staring at his front. The amber eyes had already lost the gentle and warm emotions they had given off for the omega and had returned to their usual luster, calm and calculative with a dark hue in them.

There was something about him that even those who didn't know him personally could detect: the air of a powerful ruler. After all, Spade had been on the throne for over a decade. By now, the demeanor of a ruler had been etched into his bones and blood. Not to mention that he was a dominant alpha himself, unquestionably at the top of the food chain.

A few rings after the call was answered. There was some breathing and footsteps on the other end of the line before a greeting voice was heard.

"Your Majesty?" a pause, then the other end sighed, "Sorry, Your Majesty, I made you wait," his tiredness evident in his tone.

Spade understood the Duke and expected the Duke to be this way. One of the reasons he called was to let him know that Spade was with Arren, so he wouldn't worry. The other was something else.

"It's okay. I understand how you feel right now. You don't need to look for your son. What I mean is... Arren is with me right now," Spade said honestly to the Duke. He wasn't pretentious, and he didn't bother to hide his intentions, so Spade was certain he was aware of Spade's interest in his Arren.

As expected, the other end went silent for a couple of seconds, which Spade understood and he waited patiently.

The Duke asked a question that sounded like an inquiry, but asking a monarch would be disrespectful, so he downplayed it with his tone. "Why would he be with you... Your Majesty?" The Duke was perplexed. He knew Spade was interested in his son, but he had never heard his son mention the Emperor once, so how could they be together now?

"Mn, he's with me, for why, it was a long story," Spade said, grasping Arren's hand, and the other side of the line seemed to understand and didn't ask any further questions.

He went on, "Duke, Arren is sick, but don't worry, I already called a doctor to examine him, he only has a fever and fatigue, well, he's safe with me, I'll make sure of that," On a normal occasion, he, the monarch, wouldn't need to tell anyone about his actions, but this clearly wasn't a normal occasion at all.

Duke Katz was a loyal subject whom he also respected, and he was also the father of someone he adored. Spade's explanation was not excessive, and it was also what he should have done.

"Arren is sick?" the Duke exclaimed, his voice worried.

"Yes," Spade responded quickly.

"Your Majesty, I trust that my son is safe with you," the Duke said as he exhaled. Any reservations he had were dismissed. He could only blame Arren for being so lovable that even the monarch fell for him. The father's words were heavy, especially for entrusting one's son to others. It was a symbol of acceptance.

"Mn, you can rest assured," the reply was brief but sufficient. After all, these were the words of a monarch. Spade then went on. "One more thing, Arren is having nightmares and can't sleep these days."

"Nightmares?" the Duke's tone rose, which Spade dismissed with a nod, understanding his behavior.

"Yes, nightmares. It was related to his trauma. He wanted to meet the person who plotted against him, and I agreed despite my reservations." He told the Duke, he had the right to know about it. Even in his tone, Spade really was still not okay with Arren meeting Ashton, especially with what happened earlier.

"My son... really was losing sleep? How come... he never tells me about it? I... I'm so busy that I failed to notice," the Duke muttered in disbelief.

"Duke, it wasn't your fault. Let's just... support him. We'll go to the place once Arren was okay." Spade was at a loss for words; he wasn't particularly gifted at comforting others. His position also required him to look at everything through the eyes of the monarch, so empathy wasn't an option unless absolutely necessary.

"Thank you, and please accept my apologies for bothering His Majesty."

"It's fine," said Spade, who wasn't bothered at all.

"Oh, then I guess Arren wasn't ready to see me yet. I'll bother your majesty to take care of my son for a few days." The Duke knew the Emperor would take care of his son even though he didn't ask for it. It was only a formality.

The first matter had been completed, and it was now time to move on to the second. "Duke, it appears that we have something to talk about," Spade said, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Yes, Your Majesty, what is it?"

"It had something to do with the late duchess," Spade stated flatly, not beating around the bush,

The incident from years ago may appear to be unrelated to the current case. However, Spade had the nagging feeling that it was all connected after all. He didn't have any evidence, and he needed the cooperation of the Duke on this.

He only found out about it by chance, while reading through old records that might provide some leads. The records of the duchess incident revealed something unusual. Only the most superficial details remained, and even he, the Emperor, was perplexed by the obvious tampering with the records. Someone deleted them on purpose.

Nobody in the entire empire has the ability to do it so cleanly and without leaving a trace. Except if it was the Emperor who did it. Spade was immediately intrigued. How did his father become involved? Then he remembered something else that happened that year that he had only heard about.

The Bloody year. It had to be it. That event was the most massive to the Empire and yet also the most confidential as well. The general public lacked the qualifications to learn about it, and any news was suppressed. Even he, the Crown Prince at that time didn't know much detail and only heard about it.

On the other end of the line, there was silence. Spade didn't interrupt. The Duke had to make a difficult choice. Duke sighed after a full minute.

"As was expected of His Majesty, your old subject would listen to your arrangements," the Duke said, knowing his current liege would eventually inquire.

He wasn't ready, but he needed to. The time was right, and even the Duke suspected that the mastermind behind the plot to harm his son was the same as years before. He still hadn't gotten his revenge for what had happened to his wife, and now another was added to their blood debt. They were really fated.

The call was hung up after a few exchanges and a meeting agreement between the two of them.

Spade fell silent, still holding his phone and staring into the distance.

As countless thoughts raced through his mind, his gaze seemed to tear through the space. He calmed down, but an oppressive atmosphere surrounded him. His eyes were deep, and no one could tell what was going through his mind.

After a minute of silence, Spade curved a dangerous grin. "Interesting, uh, I think the days ahead will be more exciting than I anticipated."

He was somewhat bored anyway. He would play with them as much as he wanted. Hopefully, they keep him entertained... otherwise; don't blame him for flipping the table over.

A sharp light shines in those amber eyes at that thought.

Spade glanced at the omega that was currently sleeping Arren, he stared at him then leaned over and gently kissed his forehead, closing his eyes as he did so.

He would those rats where they were hiding, Spade swore to himself.