My Perfect Omega - Chapter 71

“Y-Yes, sire.”

“Was your eldest daughter, Leila von Este, born blind?”

“…No, sire.”

“Then, when did she lose her sight?”

“That is…”

Benjamin couldn’t immediately answer the Emperor’s question. He couldn’t remember. The Emperor clicked his tongue loudly at Benjamin.

“As her father, you know less than I do.”

“…What?”

Sarah felt cold sweat running down her back at the Emperor’s question. She sensed that things were taking a strange turn, and the Emperor spoke again.

“I’ve heard that Lady Leila lost her sight after suffering from her manifestation fever as a new omega. Am I wrong?”

“Ah, that seems to be correct.”

“No, don’t tell me what it seems. Am I correct or not?”

“…”

Benjamin couldn’t say another word. Like Sarah, he started to feel that something was terribly wrong.

“I feel a great sense of responsibility for Lady Leila’s tragedy. As the father of this nation, it pains me to learn so late about the misfortune of someone who might have bloomed as an outstanding talent…”

The Emperor had a specific reason for summoning these insignificant people. Before the head of the noble faction could use their circumstances to create a scandal at the noble council, he wanted to preemptively address the issue. Although it was an extremely bothersome task, he had no choice but to act for his only nephew, who had insisted on it.

Therefore, he thoroughly investigated Leila, her deceased mother, and even her maternal family. The findings were somewhat suspicious. Although the manifestation fever was known for causing severe high temperatures, it rarely resulted in loss of sight unless the person had been born terribly frail.

However, Leila had been a very healthy child. She was good at horseback riding and showed talent in archery, typically learned by boys.

In short, she had excellent motor skills. This might explain why she could play the violin at a high level despite not being able to read sheet music.

“If I, who only recently learned about it, feel this way, imagine how much more heartbroken her deceased mother and her maternal family must have been. Although the Countess has been praised for being a good stepmother, no matter how well she treated her, she could never compare to her biological mother, could she?”

Sarah saw this as an opportunity and immediately responded.

“Yes, Your Majesty is right. I did my best, but it seems I could never gain Leila’s approval…”

While admitting this, she subtly shifted the blame onto Leila. The Emperor, thinking that the Countess was better than the Count, smirked imperceptively.

“It’s fortunate that you acknowledge it. Honestly, I have rarely seen a noble family where a child’s future is ruined by the manifestation fever. How neglectful must you have been to not manage a mere fever, thereby ruining the future of a valuable talent?”

“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”

At Benjamin’s apology, the Emperor sighed heavily and slammed a fist against his throne’s armrest.

“I find it all so lamentable. I am deeply distressed that we could not protect the future of Lady Leila—a rare and precious hyper-dominant omega. Do you understand my feelings?”

“Yes…”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Though the Emperor hadn’t raised his voice, Benjamin, Sarah, Amelie, and Timo found themselves sweating and filled with an inexplicable fear. Sarah felt like she could die from the frustration but dared not say a word.

If the Emperor suddenly took an interest in that day and discovered that it wasn’t the manifestation fever but poison that caused the blindness, their lives could be in jeopardy.

There was a high chance that even the Count, who claimed to love her, would turn his back on her.

“So, thinking of repaying my debt to Lady Leila, I arranged for her to be with my nephew. As you know, isn’t this marriage quite a loss for my nephew? But those with hyper-dominant traits have a duty to pass on their superior bloodline to their heirs.”

The Emperor crossed his legs and adopted a relaxed posture. The whole situation was so mundane that it bored him.