Hiding That The Damn Prince Is An Omega

Vol-5: Chapter 26.1 {There are no eternal secrets}

“Where do you put your mind?”

A roar as sharp as a scream resonated in the reception room of the empress's palace. Leona, her face red with anger, shouted at Etienne.

“To fall down in front of him when you couldn’t be more careful! Are you insane now? Why don't you cast a spell to get caught!”

"Sorry."

Étienne bowed his head and apologized to Leona. At times like this, he had no choice but to apologize and apologize again until her anger subsided.

“You shouldn’t have made something to be sorry for!”

Leona's anger did not subside easily. Unable to overcome her boiling anger, she hit the table with a bang. The wind caused the vase to tip over and fall to the floor.

Clink!

The vase hit the hard marble floor and shattered with a loud sound. At the same time, shattered glass flew in all directions. Étienne gently cupped his fingers at the moment he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his hand. It looked like a piece of glass had been rubbed off.

“Your Majesty, please fix it.”

A maidservant who was inferior to her stopped Leona. When she noticed Etienne's blood flowing from the back of her hand, Leona crumpled her expression. As if holding back her anger, she closed her mouth and sat down. Then the maid quickly brought water.

“Haah......”

Leona, who was breathing hard, emptied her water glass at once. As she drank the cool water, her hot stomach seemed to subside a little. But she was still irritable.

What a surprise she was when, a few days ago, she received word that Etienne had collapsed in front of Richard.

Leona glared at Étienne, who stood before her like her own criminal, with his disapproving look on his face. Thinking of that day, she still had her eyes wide open.

“…....Didn't he find out that he was an omega?"

"No."

“Can you be sure?”

She asked back as if Leona couldn't believe him. At her barbed words, Étienne gently bit his lower lip.

I said no, but it was an issue I wasn't sure about.

“Tsk.”

Leona clicked her tongue at Etienne's inability to answer her question right away.

I gave birth to a son because my stomach hurt, but from one to ten, there was no part I liked.

"Well, if he knew you were an omega, he wouldn't be quiet."

Leona, who made her own conclusions, tried to erase her anxiety. She glanced disapprovingly at Étienne, who was standing like a fly on her face.

“It really hurts.”

Putting her hand on her forehead, Leona muttered to herself, lost in her thoughts. The Duke of Herace was looking for the right time to raise the issue of Étienne's installation as crown prince, but the opportunity seldom came.

Neutral and minority aristocrats, who would become the casting boat for the installation of the crown prince, were more passive than expected. They questioned the duke's ability to request cooperation, pointing out Etienne's lack of political activity. At the same time, he expressed the opinion that it seemed too early to appoint Etienne as crown prince.
It was a plausible excuse, but in reality it was to give strength to the dominant side between Archduke Eckhart and Étienne. It was clear that he would probably weigh the scales without making a decision until the end.

----------------------------

‘At the moment, even if the agenda is raised, it is unclear whether it will pass. I think it would be better to proceed with the installation of the crown prince in a more leisurely manner.'

‘Are things that bad? We have more in number. If you somehow push.......’

‘If you push the wrong way, you can develop resistance. There are many neutral aristocrats who don't like our family's solo wine.'

‘You mean you support the Grand Duke to keep us in check? Stupid bastards.'

'It's all about politics. So, it's not just about being dominant. We have to win overwhelmingly. That way there won't be back talk. Didn't you already experience it once more than 20 years ago?'

'Mmm.'

‘Now we are in a more dangerous situation than we were then. There is no support from the previous emperor, and he has secrets that must not be revealed. We can never be relieved until the prince ascends the throne.'

‘… … The emperor is difficult to dethrone, but the crown prince can be dethroned as much as he wants?'

'You're right. So be careful. If we overreactedly put up an appointment and were rejected, the blow we would receive would be too great. For the sake of the future, the installation of the crown prince must proceed as smoothly as possible.’

------------------------

Recalling the conversation with the Duke of Herace, Leona gritted her teeth.In her mind, she wanted to ignore the neutrals and minority nobles and proceed with the work, but the situation was not very good.

In order to defeat the imperial faction, which had rapidly expanded in power over the past few years, they needed their strength, whether they like it or not.

“How nice it would be if you were an alpha.”

Leona, her head complicated, let out a long sigh. Étienne gently clenched his fist at her lamentation, filled with deep regret.

It's a familiar thing for Leona to do that. She would mutter something like that, as was her habit, whenever anything had to do with Etienne. So there was no need for her to be hurt again.

But why is my heart numb today?

Étienne cried and bit his lower lip, suppressing his rising sadness. The inside of his mouth was bitter, as if he was sick of it.

She said, “I wish it hadn’t been for Omega.”

Her murmurs followed one after another, and plunged into Étienne's chest. Étienne's head lowered even more.
Knowing she was this kind of person, what did he expect?

He sneered at himself, Etienne, he was foolish. Leona has always been like this. She always blamed Etienne and spoke as if he were the root of all her troubles.
It was the same today. It didn't matter to Leona that Etienne was sick or that he fainted. What mattered to her was that he almost found out Etienne was omega.

Leona, blinded by her efforts so far had almost gone to waste, was furious with Etienne, whom she had seen for the first time in weeks. She, of course, didn't say hello or say a warm word of concern.
'Are you okay?' She've always been like this. Étienne braced his sore eyes and calmed himself inwardly. His melancholy that had risen up his throat seemed like it would overflow at any moment. He felt empty, as if his heart had been hollowed out. As his body weakened, it seemed that his mind weakened as well.