Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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‘I naturally assumed it was a friendship between the Grand Duke and the Duke.’
Though I was startled at first, upon reflection, I found myself bewildered at why I hadn’t noticed sooner.
House Elrad and House Diapel were among the few noble families with a lineage as ancient and distinguished as the Empire’s long history.
It was only natural that they had exchanged relations for ages, and with their estates positioned so closely together, the accumulation of friendship was inevitable.
‘But childhood friends with the Duke….’
Perhaps because I couldn’t imagine it at all—even though I had long known that the Grand Duchess was the eldest daughter of House Diapel, I had never connected the two.
“Don’t you like it?”
“Pardon?”
“The roses are truly beautiful….”
It was then that Askart’s disappointed voice pulled me from my reverie.
Interpreting my silence as a refusal, the radiant expression he had worn moments before wilted.
I was startled by the beautiful boy’s sudden melancholy, yet felt an unexpected warmth at the same time.
During this time, I had received invitations from Duchess Fairount to visit the estate with some regularity, but those were ultimately scouting overtures.
This was the first time I had been invited to visit a home in such a purely genuine sense.
As I hesitated, I looked toward Duchess Fairount as if seeking her permission.
Duchess Fairount, who had been watching me with an anxious expression, seemed to interpret my troubled look and quickly spoke.
“Young Master, the Marquis will be arriving soon—I worry it might be an imposition.”
“…!”
At Duchess Fairount’s words, I drew in a sharp breath.
It wasn’t that I was disappointed about missing the Marquis’s estate.
‘He’s coming too!’
When I thought about it, it was only natural. The Marquis was Askart’s grandfather, after all.
His parents were coming from distant Bellus Duchy to attend the graduation ceremony, so how much more would the Marquis, who lived within the same Empire, make the journey? When I considered it, there was no reason for him not to come.
And yet, I had assumed the Marquis wouldn’t attend because he was a lord who governed Diapel, a territory bordering the kingdoms with the threat of war.
In fact, until he passed his title to his youngest son, he had rarely visited the Capital City.
‘The Marquis….’
An image surfaced in my mind—an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane yet always carrying himself with an unbent spine.
When I was managing the café that served as Terenthium’s headquarters, he had visited periodically, and he was the only nobleman I had grown close to in my past life.
“The Marquis will be arriving in a few days, so it should be fine.”
Hearing Askart’s calm reply, I tilted my head in confusion.
‘Why does he call his grandfather “the Marquis” rather than by a familial title?’
But the thought didn’t linger long, for it seemed Duchess Fairount found it difficult to refuse again and looked toward me.
Fearing she might misunderstand my intentions once more, I raised my hand eagerly and spoke.
“I—I’d love to go! May I?”
Duchess Fairount’s eyes widened in surprise at my words, then slowly she nodded.
Askart broke into a radiant smile as well.
“You can come with Diana, or come alone—either way is wonderful!”
“Mm… the meal preparations should be nearly complete, so shall we head inside?”
Duchess Fairount, wearing an awkward smile, spoke again.
As we all made our way toward the dining room, I suddenly felt a flutter of uncertainty.
It struck me as odd that Duchess Elrad, despite her doting affection for her son, had barely exchanged a word with Lucio and kept her attention fixed solely on Askart.
Moreover….
‘Why does he keep staring at me?’
In truth, I had felt Lucio’s gaze upon my cheek from the moment I stepped down from the carriage.
I had pretended not to notice, assuming he was looking at Askart.
But when I glanced at Askart conversing with Duchess Elrad at a distance, it became clear—he was indeed looking at me.
‘Since he hasn’t called me over, it doesn’t seem like he has anything particular to say.’
Perhaps from the awareness itself, his gaze felt increasingly intense, but I steeled my resolve.
I would not meet his eyes unless Lucio called me directly.
Fortunately, the result was successful.
* * *
“Haah.”
In the afternoon, after the midday meal had concluded.
Unable to suppress the encroaching drowsiness, a yawn escaped me, and Lucio’s gaze—which had been resting on his teacup—shifted toward Askart.
“If you’re tired, why not return and rest?”
“B-but Duchess Elrad asked me to stay through dinner. It wouldn’t be proper to leave.”
“Is it proper to force yourself to remain?”
At Lucio’s sharp tone, Askart flinched.
“…It’s not forced. I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.”
“You returned to the dormitory early yesterday.”
“Right. I went to bed early, but I couldn’t fall asleep.”
Askart laughed sheepishly, looking embarrassed.
Having finished organizing all his belongings the night before and retired early, he had felt an inexplicable excitement.
The reason was simple.
〈Thank you so much, Your Highness.〉
The thought of seeing that child smile again had set his heart aflutter.
As a result, he had carefully attended to details he normally overlooked—his hair, his clothing.
“This is strange. I’ve never found a child cute before.”
Askart murmured to himself.
Unaware that Lucio had stiffened, Askart remained lost in thought.
Whether it was the memory of his lost sister, or perhaps a trauma—
Whenever he saw the Gifted Academy children passing through the Academy, he habitually averted his gaze, weighed down by guilt and sorrow.
Even Allen’s sister Diana, whom Allen boasted of whenever they met, had merely struck him as resembling Lucio; he felt no particular emotion toward her.
But Lia was different. Whenever I gazed upon her long, downturned lashes or her seemingly soft cheeks, I found myself smiling without reason.
When she blinked her gentle eyes and looked up at me, my chest would flutter.
Yet it was strange.
Until now, I had never considered myself dim-witted or particularly poor at remembering faces.
But after the festival ended, when I tried to recall Lia’s face, I found it frustratingly difficult to do so.
I had asked Lucio how Lia was faring, but my taciturn friend would have no knowledge of his sister’s maidservant’s wellbeing.
Naturally, he returned a cold glance as if to ask why I would care about such a trivial matter, and gave me no answer.
‘That’s why I wanted to take a good, long look at her today.’
Afraid that if I turned away, I’d forget her face, I couldn’t take my eyes off her from the moment I stepped out of the carriage through the entire meal, watching her over and over again.
But now, trying to recall her features, the child’s face had grown blurry in my mind.
Askart felt a bit frustrated. I wanted to see Lia, who had gone to put Diana down for her afternoon nap.
But knowing it was unreasonable, I tried to endure until evening, though the sleep I’d missed last night came crashing down on me.
“Sigh… I wish I could take her back to our home.”
Once the graduation ceremony ended and I returned to Bellus Duchy, visiting the Empire would be far off indeed.
The thought that I might not see Lia again filled me with an inexplicable melancholy.
Without understanding why I felt this way, I found myself wondering how wonderful it would be if Lia could come to Bellus Duchy with me.
Lia possessed not only magical power but also the aptitude to become a mage. Moreover, Bellus Duchy had an excellent system in place for orphaned children, so the duchy would spare no effort in supporting her.
Since I was acquainted with Bianca, the Knight Commander of the duchy, wouldn’t it be easier for her to adapt?
“I’m confident I could treat her very well.”
Clink.
At that moment, the sharp sound of a teacup being set down on the table cut through the air.
Askart looked up in surprise to find Lucio staring at me with a darkened expression.
His gaze was almost menacing, yet Askart asked with his characteristic bright smile.
“What’s wrong? Are you tired too?”
After hearing his response, Lucio sighed and pressed his forehead, while Askart merely tilted his head in confusion.
Had Askart been even slightly more perceptive, he would have noticed that Lucio’s mood had soured from the moment I eagerly accepted Duchess Elrad’s invitation, and had turned from mere discomfort to outright displeasure when we stopped at the flower shop before the visit…
Unfortunately, Askart was not particularly observant.
“So you’re heading back to the duchy right after the graduation ceremony?”
“That’s right. Well… my parents are coming, after all. I can’t leave the duchy unattended for too long.”
Though that’s what I said, Bellus Duchy was one of the powerful nations that had gained independence from the Empire, and it wasn’t so weak that the Grand Duke and Duchess’s absence for a time would cause problems.
But Askart’s expression had grown darker than before.
I couldn’t express how shocked I was when I heard that my parents were coming to attend my graduation ceremony.
Since leaving the duchy to enter the Academy, I had never once met my parents.
Perhaps that’s why I felt both joy and fear—eagerly anticipating their arrival while also hoping they’d come a little slower.
Whether Lucio knew of my complicated feelings or not, he spoke briefly.
“I hope they arrive soon.”
“…”
Askart couldn’t bring myself to answer and fell silent.
* * *
Sunlight shattered brilliantly across the sea.
The calm waters, undisturbed by waves, were beautiful and serene like a painting.
“Urgh!”
Then, with an ill-suited sound, the peace was shattered.
“My lady!”
“Your Highness!”
The Grand Duchess had been struggling with the chronic headaches that plagued her from the moment she boarded the ship after leaving the duchy.
True to form, even after departure, she had groaned in her cabin before coming up on deck, unable to enjoy the beautifully gleaming winter sea, and retched up the contents of her empty stomach.
In the past, I had never known seasickness—my constitution had been robust. But a body that had gone without proper nourishment or rest for so long, consumed by worry and grief, had withered to a fragile state. And now, the Empire’s bitter winter cold, so different from the Grand Duchy’s climate, only compounded my weakness.
The Grand Duke doubted whether she could endure the long journey to the Empire at all.
“This simply won’t do.”
The Grand Duke, who had been watching his wife with anxious and fearful eyes, spoke carefully.
“I’ve had a teleportation device installed in the ship. We can return to the Grand Duke’s Castle right now….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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