Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 161

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

* * *
After a quick lunch, we arrived at the Tournament Grounds where the Sword Tournament preliminaries were being held.
The moment we headed to the waiting room, Jack, who had already finished maintaining his weapons, greeted us with his usual stoic expression.
However, the faint blush creeping up to the tips of his ears suggested he was feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Are you all set? Not nervous?”
Finding Jack’s bashfulness endearing, I struck up a conversation despite knowing he was waiting for something, and Jack slowly nodded in response.
Then Allen interjected with a scoff.
“Nervous? Even if this were the finals, Jack wouldn’t get nervous.”
He then teased Jack about not intimidating the other knights too much and taking it easy on them.
Watching Allen openly display his pride in Jack’s abilities, I felt oddly pleased, as if witnessing the perfect example of a good rival.
However, Jack barely seemed to be listening, his gaze fixed solely on the hand bag I was holding.
I was stifling quiet laughter internally, about to stop teasing him.
“Oh? This…”
I noticed the ornament attached to the sword Jack had placed on the table and my eyes widened.
Before I could even recognize it, Jack answered.
“Father gave it to me.”
“…So he finally got his wish to share a token, and you ended up with it.”
I spoke with an awkward laugh, but for some reason, my heart felt unsettled.
In the past, Jack had become Taize’s son, but he had never possessed the ornament from his sword.
Each time I discovered these subtle differences between the past I knew and the present, I felt both wonder and a strange unease.
“Lia, you told me to let Father play that role, didn’t you?”
At Jack’s following words, my discomfort deepened.
Intellectually, I understood that my own life had changed from the past by meeting family, so naturally others’ futures could change too…
Yet I kept feeling as though I stood at the center of these changes.
‘Am I being too self-conscious?’
I quickly shook my head to dispel the thoughts and moved on to the main matter.
“Jack, I know you’re strong, but still be careful not to get hurt. And…”
As I slowly began to speak, Jack’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Biting my lip to suppress the laughter threatening to burst forth, I looked at Diana, who had been standing blankly in the waiting room the entire time.
While Jack wore a puzzled expression, Diana, catching my gaze, lifted one corner of her mouth and produced a white handkerchief.
“Here, a handkerchief for Sir Seydian. Please accept it.”
“…What?”
“What?!”
Diana, who looked triumphant, Jack, who looked bewildered, and Allen, who cried out in alarm, all reacted at once.
“Diana, why are you giving one to Jack…! I haven’t even received one yet!”
Jack, who had accepted Diana’s handkerchief in confusion, looked at me with a flustered expression.
I smiled warmly and recalled yesterday’s events.
&〈Lia, could you possibly give me a handkerchief tomorrow?〉&
I was genuinely startled when Jack asked me for a handkerchief.
If I hadn’t known that Jack’s feelings for Diana ran deep enough to pledge a knight’s oath, I would have been completely mistaken.
‘I nearly made a fool of myself.’
Though Jack deserved some blame for creating the misunderstanding, I chose to take pity on my friend instead.
That night when I returned home, I asked Diana if she would be willing to give Jack a handkerchief on my behalf.
Diana looked slightly flustered but readily agreed.
‘Poor Jack. He’ll definitely present flowers to Diana if he wins this tournament, yet he can’t even ask for a handkerchief.’
“Lia. What’s going on?”
Jack asked me then, his tone somewhat awkward. He clearly felt embarrassed.
I quickly erased the pitying look from my eyes and spoke lightly, pretending not to notice Jack’s feelings.
“You said a handkerchief from someone you don’t know has no meaning. Then what could be more meaningful than Diana’s handkerchief?”
Jack had known Diana for a long time and was one of the representative knights of the Lexion Knights, the pride of House Elrad. So my words wouldn’t sound strange to him.
“That’s not what I meant….”
“Oh, and this is from me.”
I then pulled out the handkerchief I had prepared.
Jack, who seemed about to say something, blinked as he saw the handkerchief in my hand.
“Actually, I prepared this from the moment I heard you were entering the Sword Tournament. I was going to give it to you regardless, so thank you for asking first.”
Of course, it wouldn’t carry the same weight as Diana’s handkerchief, but since he had asked for it directly, it held its own significance.
“…So you were planning to give it to me all along?”
Jack asked then, receiving the handkerchief with a somewhat dazed expression.
I nodded.
“Of course! I’ve bragged to my parents several times that my friend would definitely win!”
At my words, Jack’s ears turned even redder than before.
Jack, whose expression seemed both joyful and strangely melancholic, spoke.
“…Lia, thank you so much. And thank you as well, Young Lady.”
He then carefully tucked the handkerchief away in his chest.
As I watched him with satisfaction, I suddenly felt a sinister aura and turned around with a start.
Allen, standing beside me, cried out with a dejected expression.
“If I’d known this, I would’ve entered the tournament this year!”
* * *
Unlike the finals, the preliminary tournament grounds didn’t separate the seating areas for nobles and commoners.
Since few nobles attended the preliminaries unless they had a particular interest in swordsmanship, most of the spectators were commoners aside from the knights.
Diana said she always watched the finals of the Sword Tournament each year, but this was her first time seeing the preliminaries, and she found it fascinating.
Allen then realized belatedly that Diana hadn’t come to watch his preliminaries last year and complained about it, which was only natural.
Watching the siblings bicker again, I suddenly noticed something of her childhood in Diana’s annoyed expression.
‘She’s only grown taller, but she’s still so childlike.’
Diana’s actions were still immature, not just her appearance.
Yet suitors were already flocking to her.
Of course, it was common among nobles for betrothals to be arranged in the womb or for engagements to be made in the teens.
The old me had viewed noble society as a different world from my own and accepted such customs as inevitable, but….
‘Now that I think about it, they all feel like thieves.’
I could now understand why Duke Elrad and Allen had burned the marriage proposals and love letters that arrived at the Duke’s Estate a few days ago in anger.
‘Especially Prince Nicholas is twelve years older!’
Since I’d always thought this man lacked conscience even in the past, I nodded without hesitation.
Truthfully, Jack had an age gap with Diana as well, but given his nature, it was certain he’d harbored feelings for her for a long time.
Yet with Prince Fairunt eagerly pursuing her and Prince Nicholas—already being discussed as the next Emperor—openly declaring his affection for Diana, even Jack must have grown desperate, fearing a sudden betrothal regardless of Diana’s youth.
‘Come to think of it, I believe Nicholas sent Diana a marriage proposal around this time.’
I vividly remembered what happened afterward—Jack swearing a knight’s oath to Diana, which had astonished everyone.
I was heading toward the spectator stands, thinking I should support my friend over Nicholas, when—
“You should attack there, damn it!”
“Well done, excellent! Keep pushing!”
“Don’t lose! I’ve wagered my entire fortune!”
Raucous voices erupted nearby.
I turned my head naturally and saw people shouting at the knights competing in the arena.
And then—
“No, this can’t be!”
The moment the match concluded, I spotted Kenneth Petite tearing at his hair as he watched the defeated knight.
I let out an involuntary laugh upon seeing Kenneth, whom I’d encountered so unexpectedly.
I knew his circumstances had improved considerably since the past, yet today he looked identical to how he’d been, frequenting gambling dens.
‘Circumstances may change, but character remains the same.’
The moment I was mentally clicking my tongue, my eyes met Kenneth’s, who was frowning.
Seeing his eyes widen in surprise, I pulled one corner of my mouth upward.
I suddenly found it amusing—why had my younger self been so frightened of this fool that I’d fled through the rain? It seemed ridiculous now.
“…?”
As I continued mocking him thoroughly, Kenneth suddenly flushed and averted his gaze first.
‘Ha! Who does he think he’s blushing for?’
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment and opened my mouth.
Just then, Diana, who was leading the way ahead, called out “Sister?” and urged me forward.
I quickly turned my head and made my way toward the seat Allen had reserved.
Fortunately, the absurd feeling vanished quickly.
“Wow, it’s Allen Elrad!”
“What? Lord Allen?”
“Kyaa! The guardian of justice!”
The surroundings stirred instantly as people recognized Allen.
Ardent gazes of admiration poured down upon him, regardless of age or gender.
Allen, who had been gloomy about having Diana’s handkerchief taken by Jack, immediately changed his expression and straightened his chin proudly.
Then he glanced at me with a face that seemed to ask, ‘Did you hear that?’
I felt laughter bubbling up, so I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and cleared my throat with a soft cough.
Since our reunion, Allen had subtly remained awkward around me.
Because of that, I too found it uncomfortable to be around him.
But right now, he looked exactly like the thoughtless young master from our childhood.
‘That expression… it really does seem like he’s hoping for praise, doesn’t it?’
I opened my mouth, seeing this as a golden opportunity to become as close to Allen as we once were.
* * *
“Wow! You’re even more popular than I expected.”
“…Mm.”
“Guardian of Justice. It’s such a fitting title for Sir Allen!”
Lia laughed brightly as she spoke, and Allen’s lips twitched involuntarily upward.
Hearing her praise just like when we were children, the awkwardness seemed to melt away effortlessly.
But then.
“So what? He’s a womanizer anyway.”
At Diana’s sudden interjection, Allen turned to his sister with a bewildered expression.
Diana merely shrugged and continued.
“Did I say something wrong? You know it too. I’ve already written about it several times in my letters.”

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