Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 12

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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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Despite my inner grumbling, I obediently began to undress.
The maidservants were waiting, and I was genuinely hungry, so I had no real excuse to delay.
The moment my body sank into the warm bathwater, goosebumps erupted across my skin.
But as I scrubbed away the matted hair and grime with clean, fluffy soap, the relief was exquisite. My exhausted body melted into languid comfort, and my spirits lifted considerably.
‘Oh!’
Looking down at the bathwater, I froze. The tub was filled with murky, blackened filth.
‘Now that I think about it… I don’t think I’ve ever properly bathed since childhood.’
“…Gasp.”
Sure enough, one of the maidservants washing my body let out a startled sound.
‘Oh no. She must be shocked at how dirty I am.’
The woman who had been staring elsewhere, lost in thought, turned her head at the sound, and I watched her expression shift to alarm.
“I’m so sorry.”
As I apologized hastily, fidgeting with my fingers, the woman sitting in the chair suddenly stood and approached, grabbing my arm.
“Did that Director person do this to you?”
Her voice trembled slightly.
Blinking in confusion, I soon realized that the “this” she referred to were the old scars now visible on my clean body.
“Well, that was… a long time ago.”
I nodded and let my words trail off.
Meeting her worried gaze felt unbearably awkward.
The woman clenched her fists, emanating an inexplicably dark aura.
‘A righteous person.’
Watching her display such hostility toward the Director, I found myself growing fond of her anew.
Just then, my shoulder, which had peeked above the water, felt the chill, and I shivered involuntarily.
The woman seemed to think I was startled by her aura, so she caught herself with a small gasp, reined in her power, and spoke in a much gentler tone.
“I have no talent for healing magic… but once we reach the Duke’s Castle, I’ll have a priestess called for you. Since you’re still young, most of these scars should fade with holy power.”
“A, a priestess? That’s really not necessary!”
I was startled and waved my hands in protest.
Among priestesses, only a few could wield holy power.
They were naturally high-ranking personnel, and receiving healing through holy power was unthinkable unless one were a wealthy benefactor or nobility making substantial donations.
Even if I had cared for Diana for several days, being taken in like this was already more than I deserved—I couldn’t possibly ask for a priestess.
‘If I get greedy and lose Diana’s favor before I even restore Jack’s position, what will I do?’
With that thought, I shook my head firmly in refusal, but suddenly my body moved on its own.
Blinking in bewilderment, I realized the woman before me had pulled me into an embrace.
“…I’m sorry.”
Perhaps she too had acted on impulse, because after a moment, she released me, her eyes reddened as she spoke.
“I don’t know why I’m doing this. When I look at you, I just keep…”
Watching her mouth move without finding words, I sensed instinctively that she harbored some unspoken burden.
‘If I were truly just an ordinary child, I would have simply been confused… but I’m grateful I’m not.’
Thinking how fortunate it was that I wasn’t a normal child, I changed the subject for her sake.
“Are you a mage, then?”
“Huh?”
“You said it was healing magic earlier….”
My curiosity about her identity burned so intensely that I asked with sparkling eyes, and the woman laughed brightly.
As if sharing a secret, she wiped away the water and dismissed the maidservants, insisting she would dress me herself.
Once we were alone, the woman helped me out of the bath, dressed me in a loose-fitting one-piece dress, and dried my hair with a towel as she spoke.
“You may not understand yet, being so young, but I am a Spellblade. A mage and a knight simultaneously.”
My eyes widened before she even finished speaking.
On this continent, the title of Spellblade was not something one could claim lightly.
A “Spellblade” meant someone recognized as a mage while also reaching a certain level as a knight—in other words, a knight who could wield “aura.”
If that were the case, could the woman before me possibly be….
“What is your name, sister?”
I asked carefully, unable to control the tremor in my voice.
The woman’s eyes widened at “sister,” and after laughing for a long moment, she spoke.
“My name is Bianca. Bianca Mareta.”
Thump.
My heart plummeted to the depths before racing upward, pounding wildly against my ribs.
Bianca Mareta.
She was the idol I had yearned for even in my dreams.
* * *
“How dignified you are.”
At Bianca’s praise, I helplessly flushed and lowered my head.
I thought something was strange.
I had jumped from the attic with all the mana from my heart wrapped around my body.
It was a sort of gamble—since this body couldn’t yet perfectly control the suddenly amplified mana, I had even considered the possibility of a runaway.
‘That’s why I was surprised I regained consciousness so quickly….’
It turned out Bianca had helped me control my mana.
At that thought, despite having no pain, my head grew dizzy and my body twisted of its own accord.
Her tender gaze toward me, and holding Bianca’s hand as we descended to the first floor—it all felt like a dream.
‘Oh my, what do I do. She’s so amazing.’
For some reason, I felt as though I had achieved something great. My heart refused to settle, pounding relentlessly.
Bianca Mareta was born as the illegitimate daughter of a humble viscount, yet through her outstanding swordsmanship and overwhelming combat magic, she achieved tremendous feats in war and even received a countess title—a self-made legend.
And she was someone I had long admired.
A woman who proved her worth to the world through ability alone, unconstrained by status.
But when I learned of Bianca’s existence, she had already stepped down from her position as Knight Commander of the Belus Duchy and entered a long seclusion, so I could only hear of her through stories.
I felt an overwhelming emotion at this unexpected encounter.
As we arrived on the first floor, I spotted Diana eagerly gnawing on a large chicken leg that seemed disproportionate to her small frame.
I was about to go straight to Diana when I froze in place.
Duke Elrad, seated beside the child, was staring at me with a terrifying expression.
‘Did I take too long?’
As I wondered, I soon found the answer.
When I was at the Orphanage, I had no choice in the matter. But now, circumstances had changed entirely.
The disparity in status between Diana and myself was unmistakable.
In my previous life, most of the nobles I encountered—save for a select few—were exceedingly authoritarian, with some treating commoners as little more than inferior beings.
‘Duke Elrad may not be quite that extreme.’
Regardless, one thing was certain: I could no longer call Diana by her name, speak to her casually, or presume to share a meal with her so naturally.
I surveyed the first floor discreetly while gauging the Duke’s mood.
Bianca Mareta had left the Inn with her subordinates after delivering me, so I was uncertain where I should take my meal.
It was then that I spotted a familiar face among the knights seated at the table—Taize Seidian.
I was about to approach him when—
“Onni!”
Diana cast aside her chicken leg and rushed toward me.
‘She abandoned her chicken leg.’
Moved by this gesture, I forgot my earlier reservations entirely and gently patted her neatly braided hair as I spoke.
“Dana, your hair looks lovely.”
“Mm! Papa did it!”
“Huh?!”
A gasp of surprise escaped my lips before I could help myself.
The flawless braids suggested this was no novice’s work—someone had done this many times before.
I found it difficult to imagine that cold-faced man braiding his daughter’s hair with such care.
“Onni, sit here.”
Diana then grasped my hand and pulled me toward the seat beside her.
I could neither resist her grip nor bring myself to sit, hovering awkwardly instead.
As Duke Elrad’s gaze narrowed upon me, my spirits sank further.
“Dana, I…”
“Sit down and eat.”
Click.
I was in my chair before the Duke had even finished speaking.
When a man of power—especially one as formidable as Duke Elrad—gave an order, one obeyed without hesitation.
Lowering my gaze to avoid his penetrating stare, I found myself gazing at the spread before me, my mouth falling open.
Though it might have been insufficient for a high-ranking noble and his daughter, the Inn appeared to have spared no expense, utilizing every ingredient at their disposal.
Unable to resist my hunger, I cautiously lifted a spoonful of the stew before me.
As the rich broth—simmered with pork, potatoes, and carrots—entered my mouth, warmth bloomed in my belly, and my appetite surged uncontrollably.
Abandoning all pretense, I reached for one of the brown loaves piled high in the basket, when Diana suddenly offered me a chicken leg.
“Eat!”
“Th-thank you.”
Still acutely aware of the Duke’s scrutinizing gaze, I hastily stumbled over my words in response.
Though my mind knew better, the memories of my time with Diana at the Orphanage made formal speech difficult.
Embarrassed, I quickly bit into the chicken leg when an unexpected question cut through the air.
“You said she was eight years old, did you not?”
“Pardon?”
“Your age.”
I couldn’t even swallow the meat in my mouth and quickly nodded my head.
I had already stated my name and age on the way here—why was he asking again all of a sudden?
Tilting my head in confusion, Duke Elrad posed another question.
“But why are you so small? You’re similar in size to Diana.”
His expression conveyed genuine bewilderment.
And I shared that same confusion. Why would he even care about such a thing?
“Can’t eat much, so hungry all the time.”
“Cough!”
Just then, Diana chided me as though I should have known better, her voice carrying a reproach.
The content clashed so starkly with her adorable tone that I barely managed to keep my food from flying out of my mouth.
Even the knights at our table, pretending not to listen, couldn’t suppress their snickers.
Yet for some reason, Duke Elrad’s expression remained grave.
“What do you mean, Diana?”
“Dana hungry, eat rice only once a day. But bread this small.”
Diana made a tiny circle with her fingers, answering in a dejected voice.
“Dana, surely it was bigger than that….”
“But sister give Dana all bread. Sister starving herself.”
Diana casually dismissed my feeble protest and raised her voice.
In that instant, my jaw went completely slack.

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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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