Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 127

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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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Even with a curse attached, the sound of “big brother” is so sweet.
I was so dumbfounded my mouth fell open, but I adored Askart like this.
So I quickly covered my eyes with both hands and peeked at him through the gaps between my fingers as I spoke.
“Oh, how dazzling! To think such a handsome and kind big brother is my big brother.”
“…!”
In that moment, Askart’s eyes—which had been crying and laughing—widened.
Askart, who had been frozen for a moment, suddenly sprang to his feet and swept me up into his arms. Then he began spinning in place, shouting with joy.
“She’s my sister! She’s really my sister!”
“Eek!”
“Lia was Adriana! My sister!”
The world spun dizzily before my eyes from the sudden movement, but the radiance of Askart’s smile as he held me close in his embrace was so brilliant I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop.
Moreover, my own cheeks flushed crimson and tears streamed down my face.
‘I must have inherited my crybaby brother’s nature—I’m a crybaby sister too.’
Even as I grumbled inwardly, my heart swelled so full that I suppressed my embarrassment and cried out.
“I have a big brother! I have a mother and a father, and a family!”
At my shout, Askart spun around with even greater delight.
I had always envied watching the close siblings of House Elrad every day, and now that I had become one of the protagonists in that scene, I was intoxicated with wonder.
Knock, knock.
It was then. A knock sounded, and Bianca’s voice followed.
Startled, I tried to slip down from Askart’s embrace, but he kept me held close and walked toward the door, proudly opening it himself.
“Commander Bianca! What perfect timing. I’d like to introduce you. This is my sister.”
“Haha…. Your Highness, thank you for the introduction. Congratulations to Her Highness on reuniting with her family.”
Whether she had heard my cry from in front of the door or not, Bianca’s eyes glistened with moisture as she smiled brilliantly, her gaze warm and radiant.
“I too am truly delighted to meet you this way.”
Embarrassed and awkward, I simply nodded quietly and said, “So am I.”
Her gentle gaze—whether from our first meeting or now—had never become familiar to me, and my ears burned hot.
“But Commander, what brings you here? I heard Father and Mother were going to the Imperial Palace. You’re not going with them?”
“Yes. I received orders to remain here and protect you and Her Highness.”
Bianca’s faint smile faded as she spoke with the composed bearing of a commander leading the Magic Swordsmen Corps of Bellus. Her eyes, fixed upon me, conveyed an unwavering resolve.
My cheeks grew warm and my heart pounded.
“And more importantly, word has come that the Prince and Princess of House Elrad are visiting. If it suits you, they say they could depart in a carriage at once.”
As Bianca looked at me questioningly, as if asking “What shall we do?”, I spoke quickly.
“I was planning to visit anyway. Everyone must have been startled by what happened yesterday….”
“Then I shall escort you to the Duke’s Mansion personally.”
Bianca nodded again with a resolute expression.
* * *
“Oh, how lovely…!”
“Is this the fairy of Bellus…!”
“Like an angel…!”
Small squeals of excitement rippled through the maidservants.
Though they were whispering as quietly as they could, beads of sweat trickled down my forehead as I heightened my senses.
I was in the midst of preparing to depart for House Elrad.
According to Bianca, all the maidservants attending to the Grand Duchess were loyal to the Bellus Grand Duchy and trustworthy.
She assured me that they had all been informed of my true identity.
Perhaps because of this, they treated me with utmost courtesy, yet no matter how much they understood the circumstances, I couldn’t imagine they would immediately accept and treat a strange child with unfamiliar hair as the Grand Duchess.
‘So I had steeled myself to bear their rejection.’
Their reaction was so vastly different from what I’d anticipated that it became equally awkward.
While they maintained impeccable manners and attentiveness in front of me, the moment they turned away, I heard excited whispers like “Oh my, she’s so gentle and well-behaved!” and couldn’t lift my face from sheer embarrassment.
My body stiffened involuntarily, and as I fidgeted with my fingers, another voice squealed, “Kyaa, she’s absolutely adorable!”
‘Please, stop this…!’
I was so mortified that I wanted to bury my face in my hands.
Then, like my savior, Bianca appeared.
“I’ll handle the finishing touches, so all of you may leave.”
The maidservants looked bewildered at Bianca’s words, asking “Captain?” but reluctantly filed out of the room.
I didn’t show it so as not to disappoint the maidservants, but I was genuinely relieved to see Bianca.
Compared to the maidservants who seemed utterly smitten, Bianca’s composed and solemn presence felt far more comfortable.
“Grand Duchess, allow me to attend to your appearance.”
Bianca adjusted the loose, comfortable fabric of my dress while wearing a troubled expression.
She would have liked to scour every clothing store in the Capital City to find the perfect beautiful gown for me, but she had to be careful not to let word spread before we reached the Grand Duchy.
Regrettably, I wore the dress I had worn at Duke Elrad’s Castle, but seeing how little I had grown during all this time pained her.
Even so, she didn’t forget to discreetly examine the backs of my hands and the area around my neck.
“Not a single scar remains now!”
Noticing Bianca’s gaze, I spoke cheerfully to reassure her.
Bianca laughed awkwardly, embarrassed, but her heart was in turmoil.
The girl I had been so concerned about was the Grand Duchess I had been searching for all along.
The memory of our first meeting at Tessar Orphanage, still lingering like an afterimage, struck me with overwhelming sorrow.
“…Something felt strange from the moment we first met. My heart kept drawing toward you.”
Taken aback by Bianca’s sudden sincerity, I blinked before shyly replying, “I knew that too.”
“You asked me to go to the Grand Duchy with you back then.”
At those words, Bianca’s fists clenched tightly.
She found herself wondering what might have happened if she had stubbornly insisted on taking me to the Grand Duchy then.
Yet I merely smiled awkwardly, understanding the feelings in Bianca’s heart.
Though it took much longer before I could reunite with my family, I harbored no regrets about that choice.
Duke Elrad’s Castle and the Duke’s Mansion in the Capital City.
The time I spent in those places was sometimes difficult and sorrowful, but looking back now, all of it had become precious memories.
My heart, which I had forcibly closed to avoid further hurt, had opened once more, and above all, I had been able to save the Duchess Elrad.
Then Bianca carefully withdrew something from the hem of her garment.
“If they find out that I was the first to give you a gift, it would surely cause tremendous trouble….”
“…?”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. It’s not as though I did it knowingly, and I prepared it long ago anyway.”
Bianca carefully removed an elongated hairpin embedded with pale green glass beads and fastened it into Lia’s hair.
“It’s nothing particularly special. I happened to think of it while passing through the streets and purchased it on impulse.”
She had brought it along, anticipating she would meet Lia again before arriving in the Empire, but now that she was actually giving her first gift to the Grand Duchess, it felt rather embarrassing that it was something so modest.
“Did you really buy this yourself just for me?”
Yet Lia trembled with emotion and asked in a hushed voice.
Despite everything that had happened, Bianca remained an object of admiration in Lia’s eyes.
The mere thought that she would protect me from now on was overwhelming enough, and now a gift too!
Bianca’s breath caught as she watched Lia’s eyes sparkle, and she managed only a slight nod.
“Yes. I thought it would look lovely with your forehead exposed, and as expected, it suits you beautifully… oh.”
It looked fine with her brown hair, but how would it look with her pink hair…?
Seeing the hesitation in her voice, Lia quickly glanced at the mirror attached to the vanity.
Soon Lia smiled broadly and spoke.
“It’s truly, truly beautiful. Thank you so much.”
* * *
Lia visited the Elrad Duke’s Mansion, holding Askart’s hand while under Bianca’s escort.
Whether orders had been given beforehand, the mansion’s servants were nowhere to be seen, and the Duchess Elrad stood alone to greet them.
Seeing Lia hesitate, uncertain what to say, the Duchess Elrad stepped forward and embraced her tightly first.
She did not ask what had happened, nor did she offer words of sympathy for her hardships, yet Lia could understand the Duchess Elrad’s heart.
Following the Duchess Elrad into the reception room where Diana and Allen awaited, that was when it happened.
“Sister!”
Diana, who had been restlessly searching for Lia since last night, rushed directly into her arms.
Lia found Diana so endearing that she held the child close and swayed gently.
“Young Lady…”
At the words that slipped out unconsciously, Bianca let out a small cough from behind.
The Duchess Elrad spoke with a smile.
“Wouldn’t it be better to call her by her name now rather than ‘Young Lady’?”
“Oh…”
Even though Lia had just experienced the attentive treatment of the maidservants, the change in her status still felt unreal.
Moreover, changing the form of address so abruptly felt somewhat embarrassing.
“Hello, Allen!”
At that moment, Askart, noticing Allen standing awkwardly before the sofa, greeted him cheerfully.
Lia looked at Askart with surprised eyes, wondering if he had deliberately changed the subject upon noticing her discomfort.
“Here, let me introduce you! My sister, Adriana!”
“…”
Seeing him announce it with such a bright expression, it seemed he simply wanted to say those words.
“Mm.”
Allen nodded awkwardly and said, “Congratulations, brother.”
Yet his gaze remained fixed not on Askart, but on Lia.

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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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