Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 128

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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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Noticing Allen’s fixed stare, Lia smiled awkwardly, then suddenly realized his gaze was lingering oddly over her face.
‘Ah… he must be bothered by my hair color.’
It made sense—Diana had surely described how I looked to him, so it was natural he’d find it strange and fascinating.
But contrary to Lia’s assumption, Allen wasn’t studying her hair because it was strange or fascinating.
To be precise, he was far more interested in the hairpin adorning her locks than the hair itself.
Allen carefully placed the hairpin he’d been holding into his pocket.
〈Brother, can’t you give this to Sister? She’d look so beautiful wearing it…〉
Diana’s hesitant words from last night echoed in his ears.
At the time, Allen had promised to give it to her himself and taken the hairpin from Diana.
But now, seeing the different pin already fastened in Lia’s hair, he found himself unable to speak.
‘Maybe we could have met sooner. If it weren’t for me…’
The image of Lia weeping before the Grand Duke and his wife yesterday refused to leave his mind.
Shaking his head as if to dispel the faint guilt rising within him, Allen deliberately raised his voice.
“I can use aura now.”
“Pardon?”
“Aura, I said. Aura.”
Lia tilted her head at the sudden announcement, then moments later clapped her hands with a delighted “Wow!”
“That’s truly amazing!”
“Right?”
Allen puffed up proudly, looking like his usual carefree younger brother self.
‘But to already master aura at that age…’
Though she often forgot while living alongside him, Lia couldn’t help but marvel inwardly that the makings of a future Sword Master were indeed different.
Then, as a face suddenly came to mind, Lia asked.
“By the way, where is Jack?”
The Duke had gone to the Imperial Palace at this hour, but she’d naturally expected Jack and Taize to be present since they’d been at the scene of yesterday’s commotion.
At that, Allen scratched his head and replied flatly.
“He’s not feeling well.”
“What?”
“He’s sick. Says it’s body aches.”
Lia’s eyes widened in surprise, then her face darkened rapidly.
Last night had brought heavy snow and a sharp drop in temperature—it seemed like the coldest day of the entire winter. Yet he’d spent the late hours searching for me, running about in such conditions. He’d definitely caught a cold.
She wanted to rush to see Jack immediately, but hearing that Taize had already summoned a physician and Jack was likely resting now, she hesitated, worried it might interfere with his recovery.
It was then.
“Oh, and I sent someone out early this morning to share this joyful news with Lucio, but apparently the heavy snowfall last night has blocked the teleportation to the Capital City.”
The Duchess seemed concerned that Lucio would only learn of this remarkable event upon returning from the Duchy, murmuring, “He should arrive before the graduation ceremony, though…”
At those words, Lia felt a pang of guilt and recalled Lucio, whom she’d met last night.
‘The snowfall was unusually severe…’
She knew that teleportation could be temporarily disrupted, but she hadn’t realized it would be today.
Thinking of Lucio, who must have barely made it back, she felt oddly unsettled.
Given her current situation, she hadn’t thought deeply about it, but why had he come all the way to the Capital City alone?
‘That means I’m an important client and a management target for Darel.’
The inner workings of the Information Guild were an open book to me. Understanding the situation wasn’t particularly difficult.
But when I recalled Lucio—who had never spoken such words to anyone else, saying he hoped I would be happy—my heart fluttered strangely.
It was just as I found myself unconsciously turning over his words from yesterday.
“Where is she! Where is she!”
The sturdy and solid mansion of House Elrad trembled as if struck by thunder, and immediately the reception room door burst open.
At the overwhelming presence radiating from the massive figure of a man bearing the weight of a bear, Allen let out a small gasp.
It was Marquis Diapel.
* * *
“….”
“….”
My grandfather, who had searched for me with such urgency that the mansion nearly shook, found himself unable to speak a single word now that I stood before him.
Yet though he did not weep, I could see his eyes reddening at the rims.
Askart beside me, unfamiliar with such emotion from my grandfather, merely blinked repeatedly, while my parents wore expressions of lingering apology.
“Father….”
“I can die without regret now.”
When Mother, unable to bear the prolonged silence, finally spoke, Grandfather suddenly said this.
“Father!”
“My Lord!”
“Grandfather!”
Followed by voices of shock.
Grandfather, avoiding Mother’s piercing gaze, looked at Father, then Askart, and finally at me.
His voice emerged as though his throat were constricted.
“Indeed… ‘Grandfather’ sounds most pleasant to my ears.”
I felt Askart’s shoulder flinch beside me, as if struck by guilt.
But I had no capacity to focus my attention elsewhere.
“Lia, won’t you call me Grandfather once more?”
His eyes were more vigorous than my memory of them, yet still bore the deep wrinkles that spoke of long years and accumulated hardship, now contorted with emotion.
In my previous life, I had called him Grandfather countless times, but never with trembling like this.
After my lips had quivered for some time, I spoke with deliberate composure.
“If you promise never to say such things again—that you’d be content to die—then I’ll call you that.”
“I promise.”
“…Grandfather.”
At his immediate response, I couldn’t help but smile. And at once, I rushed into his solid embrace.
“I’ve always wished you were my grandfather. I’m so happy.”
Sharing a little of what I had hidden away for so long.
His large hands lifted me onto his lap, and soon gently patted my shoulders and back.
“I too am truly delighted that you are my granddaughter.”
At his words that followed, I looked up in surprise.
Given my grandfather’s shy nature, I had never expected to hear such candid words from him.
As expected, Grandfather’s ears and neck flushed crimson as he rolled his eyes skyward and grumbled.
“Hmph! You wrench my heart like that and now you think one little display of affection will make it all better? Do you really think I’ll forgive you so easily?”
“Then what would it take for you to forgive me?”
I asked with a bright smile, and Grandfather’s eyes widened.
Now flushed all the way to his eyes, Grandfather cleared his throat before speaking.
“Do you really care for this old man so much?”
“Yes, I do!”
At my quick response, Grandfather’s mouth fell open as wide as a basin.
He hurried to close it, but that only made his trembling lips all the more apparent.
That was when it happened.
“Grandfather! Let me introduce her properly. She’s my younger sister.”
Askart suddenly interjected.
At first glance, one might have thought he was simply jumping in to introduce me as he had with Allen, but the way he addressed Grandfather was different from usual. It was clear that Grandfather’s earlier words had struck a chord with him.
“Isn’t that right, Lia?”
When I turned my head, Askart was gazing at me with sparkling eyes like a large dog waiting for praise.
For some reason, I could almost see an invisible tail wagging behind him, so I suppressed my laughter and gave him the answer he wanted.
“Yes, older brother.”
At that, Grandfather also grumbled at Askart.
“Hmph, she may be your sister, but she’s also my granddaughter. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
As I eagerly went back and forth answering them both, I suddenly froze at the small voices coming from one side.
“Our daughter….”
“Our daughter, and yet….”
My parents, whom I had expected to be watching this scene with joy, wore expressions of deep melancholy.
“Father-in-law may be one thing, but even Askart is being called older brother.”
“It seems she’s still angry with me.”
“But why won’t she do the same for me….”
“No, Your Majesty! What are you saying? Aren’t husband and wife supposed to be of one heart and one body?”
As the usually harmonious couple seemed on the verge of quarreling, I finally squeezed my eyes shut and cried out.
“Dad, Mom! Please stop!”
At my words, my parents turned their heads simultaneously and froze in place.
Watching them stand motionless, their very breath suspended, I felt my nose sting inexplicably.
After that, my memories became hazy.
It was because Father and Mother clung to me, begging me to call them again, while Grandfather and Askart pestered me relentlessly.
Then I heard a voice that made my ears perk up.
“Blast it! That Emperor kept interfering until the day he found my granddaughter! If he hadn’t, I would have learned this joyous news yesterday!”
No wonder Father and Mother had gone to the Imperial Palace since morning.
Grandfather, who had played chess with the Emperor late into the night the day before, had slept at the Imperial Palace because the Emperor kept detaining him, so he had only heard the news late and was jumping about indignantly.
I glanced at him nervously, worried someone might overhear such dangerous words, but Grandfather spoke as if it were nothing.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. If I can’t even curse the sovereign in my own home, is it really my home?”
“…This is the Elrad Duke’s Mansion.”
“…Huh?”
Grandfather had suddenly burst into the Reception Room of the Duke’s Mansion, so the Duchess Elrad kindly suggested we have a comfortable family reunion and withdrew, taking Allen and Diana with her.
At my words, Grandfather looked around in confusion, glancing this way and that. He seemed to have genuinely misunderstood where he was.
I laughed awkwardly and rose from my seat.
“Then should everyone go to the Marquis’s Residence first? I’d like to see Diana’s face before I leave.”
Diana, who had been clinging to my side until just recently.
We hadn’t even managed a proper conversation before parting ways earlier, and it weighed on my mind.
‘Besides, there are things I need to discuss with her properly….’
“Adriana.”
At that moment, Father spoke to me with a serious expression.
“There is someone you must greet first at the Elrad Duke’s Mansion.”

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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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