Chapter 7: Grounded (1)
Arren had just woken up and was starving. As a result, the Duke served him a light meal. He hadn't yet recovered from his unexpected heat, and hard foods were inconvenient at the moment. His father left him to rest after he had finished eating. He also didn't stop his father, as he knew he had a lot of things to deal with.
To be honest, he was a little groggy and sleepy. That was the side effect of just being injected with suppressant shots. Previously, a single dose of suppressants was insufficient to completely suppress the heat. It would only help to calm down the pheromones for a few hours before taking a new dose. Heats or ruts typically last three days at most, with an unexpected heat lasting only one day.
Though, as technology advances, the effectiveness of heat or rut suppressants is sufficient to last for months. Some variants claimed a year of effectiveness, and anyone didn't have to worry about their heats or ruts. It was eventually proven to be false. While some studies for a longer duration of suppressants or a complete solution to remove this trait of people were conducted, it was purely speculative, and many experts in this field were pessimistic.
Heats and ruts were actually necessary for everyone, no matter how much some despised them. Researchers also discovered that using suppressants for an extended period of time has a negative impact on the body. It was still recommended to go through normal heats or ruts on a regular basis.
They claimed that suppressing pheromones too much each time one was in heat or rut would cause the pheromones to become wilder for the next cycle, and so on. It meant that their next heat or rut could be twice as painful as a normal heat or rut.
Arren closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard. He was exhausted and upset. When it all became clear, he was also terrified. He was slapped by the realization that he was not in this world to take a vacation, and that it was far more dangerous than he imagined. He thought if he just stayed away from the main plot, he was at least safe from the turmoil and chaos. He had forgotten that his unique identity was enough to make him a part of this inescapable storm.
He sighed in resignation. Well, he can simply minimize his presence and save himself as long as he stays away from the main characters. But for the time being, Arren opened his eyes, a glimmer of remorse glistening from within. He had to find out who the damn bastard was.
He immediately noticed the folder that his father had left. Spade sent the file that his subordinates had brought to him, and the Duke only needed to verify it on his own. The investigation went smoothly because of him; while the Duke could do the same thing, it was much faster with his assistance. His identity came in handy at times like this.
Arren placed it beside him and intended to open it only when he was alone. He knew that when he found out who drugged him, all sorts of profanities would come out of his mouth. While his father was very tolerant of his son's behavior, he believed that no parent would want to hear filthy words from their children. His father was the same way; as long as he didn't hear it directly from Arren, he was fine with it. Arren was very bold but not enough to speak profanities in front of his father. That was why he held it in.