Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 114

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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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The Grand Duchess showed no outward sign, but she was taken aback nonetheless.
She had assumed that having such a young child serve the young lady while dressing her in a maid’s uniform meant she was being worked hard without receiving proper care.
The Grand Duchess, who had intended to apologize to the child and say something to Duke Elrad, realized she would have been embarrassed if she had learned this fact any later.
Yet the Grand Duchess’s embarrassment paled in comparison to Bianca’s dismay.
‘If she’s being cherished so dearly in House Elrad like this….’
The thought struck her that staying here would be far better for Lia than being taken to an unfamiliar Grand Duchy.
And yet, Bianca could not understand why her heart felt so heavy.
“Askart. Is this the child you mentioned?”
At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had been conversing with Duke Elrad, suddenly asked while looking at Lia.
Though he bore a striking resemblance to Askart, when Lia met the eyes of the Grand Duke—whose expression carried a deeper intensity—her heart began to race.
He was the warmest and most gentle-natured adult she had ever met.
She felt the same sense of comfort and tenderness as when she first encountered Askart.
Perhaps it was because she thought of him as her father.
“Little one, I’ve heard much about you from Askart.”
“Ah, I….”
Startled by the way he addressed me, I blinked, unable to offer a proper greeting.
His luminous emerald eyes curved beautifully as a smile graced his lips.
“You fixed the magical formation error, I hear?”
“Yes…? Yes!”
“I’m truly grateful. Do you have an interest in magic? From what I understand, you seem quite skilled at handling mana….”
As I suddenly found myself in conversation with the Grand Duke, my mind seemed to go blank.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”
But even that exchange did not last long.
“What is it, Duchess Elrad?”
The Duchess Elrad, who had interjected with an anxious expression, spoke up.
“Dinner preparations should be complete by now. Shall we dine first?”
At her words, the Grand Duke smiled somewhat awkwardly and nodded.
“How discourteous of me. Then, little one, let us continue our conversation another time.”
As the Grand Duke spoke to Lia with a note of regret, the Duchess Elrad continued with an awkward smile.
“Your Highness, do come this way. It’s a pity that Lucio isn’t here, but we’ve prepared your favorite dishes nonetheless.”
“Ah, now that I think of it, I don’t see the eldest son of this household.”
“Lucio has gone on an inspection of the Territory. And the mages who were insisting on meeting you went with him.”
“Ah, so that’s why the Duke’s Mansion has been so quiet.”
Had the mages been present, they would have swarmed out to catch a glimpse of the Archmage, causing quite a commotion.
The Duchess Elrad, following the Grand Duke as he nodded in relief, glanced back briefly.
Lia, who seemed unable to tear her gaze away for a moment, was now heading to the second floor with Diana, who complained of hunger.
‘Is this the right thing to do?’
The Duchess Elrad’s expression grew troubled.
She had saved her own life thanks to Lia. So she had resolved to dedicate the rest of her life to ensuring her family and Lia’s happiness.
Though adoption had fallen through due to her sons’ opposition, she had long since accepted Lia as family.
Yet Lia shone so brilliantly that countless people sought to claim her.
‘I could have dismissed Duchess Fairount easily enough, but…’
Bianca and Askart were formidable adversaries.
Moreover, the magic Lia displayed was even more threatening given the vast difference in magical standards between Bellus Duchy and the Empire.
‘I would grant her anything she desired, but…’
I wanted to keep her close and attend to her every need.
Though excluding the children from tonight’s dinner had been the Grand Ducal House’s request, the Duchess—who had felt secretly relieved—now found her heart heavy as she observed Lia’s slumped shoulders.
* * *
Regardless of anyone’s unease, the dinner atmosphere remained warm and convivial throughout.
From light appetizers through the main course of meat to the sweet dessert finale, the Duke’s table overflowed with cherished memories of those long unseen, conversation flowing endlessly.
Even Duke Elrad, who rarely spent such intimate time with anyone outside his family, seemed genuinely delighted by this rare gathering.
Yet when his gaze lingered briefly on the Grand Duchess seated across from him, the smile faded from his lips.
Though time flowed swiftly as water, his one true friend had changed far more than he had anticipated.
Ten years ago, she had smiled so brightly and radiantly—or even longer ago, her cheeks flushed red as apples as she ran about with unbridled joy.
Now the Grand Duchess’s face bore the weight of all the world’s hardships, and her words, when she spoke in sharp bursts, had lost their former edge.
Her gaunt frame and pallid complexion spoke volumes of the anguish she had endured.
“Duke, I understand your joy at our reunion after so long, but I confess I grow a bit uneasy when you cannot tear your eyes from my wife.”
At that moment, the Grand Duke spoke with a gentle expression and soft smile. Yet his tone belied complete indifference.
Still, it was enough to make the Duke’s brow furrow.
“Your Highness, even in jest, please refrain from such remarks. Stella and I are closer than mere acquaintances—we are like siblings. I was not staring; I was merely observing, if you will.”
Askart was greatly startled to see Duke Elrad, always so cold and rational, display such irritation uncharacteristically.
Yet everyone else seemed quite familiar with this reaction, watching the Duke with delighted expressions.
“True enough—we even made a promise to betroth our children to one another if they were born. I spoke rudely indeed.”
Still eager to tease the Duke, the Grand Duke added with another laugh.
This revelation was entirely new to some, and those who had been suppressing their laughter now wore expressions of utter shock.
Askart was certainly the most astonished.
“What? Father, what do you mean…?”
“Haha. Surprised, are you, Askart? Long ago, your mother and Duke Elrad made a promise. They said that if their children were born, they would betroth them to one another.”
“Then… that means…?”
“Had you been born a girl, or had the young Duke been female, we would have honored the promise.”
We would have betrothed you.
As the Grand Duke spoke with a casual shrug, the Duchess turned to regard her husband.
Her eyes asked: ‘Did you truly make such a promise?’
The Duke sprang to his feet.
“No, that was Stella acting on her own! She was merely jesting to provoke me. It meant nothing whatsoever.”
“Dominic. I have never understood this, neither then nor now. Why does the prospect of betrothing my children to yours anger you so?”
Then the Grand Duchess, who had remained silent until now, spoke with narrowed eyes.
“And we even wrote and signed a covenant. So strictly speaking, that promise remains valid to this day.”
“Ha! A covenant? You mean that scrap of paper you scribbled on carelessly while avoiding your studies? You forced me to sign that!”
“My recollection is that it was the legitimate result of a fair duel.”
“Fair play? That’s nonsense! By common sense, who would win in a duel between someone who taught swordsmanship and someone who’s only held a blade for less than three months? Let’s go again! Let’s have a proper match.”
“Sigh. Dominic, you’ve grown old and petty. At least when you were thirteen, you’d accept defeat through tears and complaints, but you’d accept it nonetheless.”
The Grand Duchess exhaled a long sigh and shook her head slowly.
Immediately, the excited Duke Elrad cried out, “That’s exactly why it makes no sense to make a promise at thirteen about deciding the future of a child not yet born!”
Watching my old friend bounce around with such vigor for the first time in ages seemed to lift the Grand Duchess’s spirits, as the corners of her mouth rose ever so slightly.
The pranks from the past, the words spoken just now—all of it had been meant to tease my friend.
As for the promise being valid, I didn’t even know where the covenant we’d written back then was kept.
‘Ah… could it be at the Duke’s Mansion?’
Now that I thought about it, I remembered that after Dominic had written the covenant and was so distressed about it, I’d hidden it in the Duke’s Mansion Main Library, where we used to play often.
I’d told him that if he found it, I would nullify the promise, but since he hadn’t said anything until now, it seemed he hadn’t found it.
As the Grand Duchess was thinking about teasing him further, Askart muttered with a bewildered expression.
“What is this…?”
I knew that my mother and Duke Elrad were childhood friends just like Lucio and I were, but I couldn’t understand the conversation or situation unfolding between them.
Then Bianca, who was sitting beside Askart, spoke quietly.
“Your Highness, Duke Elrad learned swordsmanship from Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Of course, she is also my teacher.”
“Really?”
Seeing Askart’s startled expression, Bianca smiled wryly.
When he was very young, the Grand Duchess would often handle a blade even at the Grand Duke’s Castle, so I thought he would remember, but his expression suggested he had no recollection of it whatsoever.
Then again, those old days felt like nothing but a dream to me as well, so it was only natural that the Crown Prince had forgotten those memories.
“If you keep showing such displeasure, I’ll send a formal marriage proposal to the Young Lady.”
At the Grand Duchess’s words that flowed out slowly, the Dining Room fell into silence.
How terrifying must family be to someone so cold-blooded that not a drop of blood would spill even if pricked by a needle.
The Duke’s face, drained pale and aghast, was so amusing that the Grand Duchess was about to let out a small laugh when—
“W-wait, Mother! Diana is far too young!”
A trembling voice came from beside me.

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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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