Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 164

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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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“Damn it!”
Kenneth Petite burst into the Back Garden connected to the Banquet Hall, unable to contain his fury as he kicked at the ground.
The image of the young Lucio Elrad and Grand Duchess Bellus that he had glimpsed moments ago flashed through his mind, shattering the sweet dreams he had briefly entertained.
“Curse it all! That damned Elrad again!”
Kenneth could not hold back his curses.
“Ugh, I hate monsters!”
The day when that spoiled young lady had screamed those words at him in front of the Academy remained vivid in his memory.
It was the first insult Kenneth Petite had ever received to his face in his entire life.
Had the person who said it been anyone other than Lady Elrad, he would have taught her a lesson regardless of her age.
But her status was higher than his, leaving him no choice but to let it pass with a forced laugh.
Kenneth had dismissed that day’s incident as an unpleasant memory and moved on.
Until problems suddenly erupted in every endeavor the Petite Family touched.
Though he had falsified inspection documents, trading ships that had operated without issue just days before were barred from sailing; light gifts given as customary business courtesies were branded as bribes, resulting in hefty fines; even the loan-sharking he had conducted in secret was exposed, forcing him to abandon the business; and he was even sued for assault after merely correcting the vulgar habits of a commoner.
Yet even then, Kenneth had not taken the situation particularly seriously.
There were prominent nobles with whom he believed he had cultivated long-standing intimate relationships.
But not a single one of them offered help.
Far from helping, they pretended not to know him, as if they wished to have nothing to do with the Petite Family.
Only after the once-great trading family, which had boasted considerable prominence in the Empire, stumbled did Kenneth realize that the misfortune befalling him and his house was not merely a matter of ill fortune.
And he became convinced that all of this was Lucio Elrad’s doing.
His family dismissed the thought as baseless and treated him like a madman, and Kenneth himself knew it was an irrational judgment, yet he could not shake the conviction.
So he had run about in various ways, trying to show sincerity toward House Elrad and mend relations, only to receive complete indifference in return.
His father’s words—Count Petite’s assurance that he had a trump card to restore the family’s fortunes—fell on Kenneth’s despondent ears.
Then hope came to him.
It was Grand Duchess Bellus.
The moment Kenneth Petite saw her, he felt a powerful pull of destiny.
‘She definitely smiled at me.’
Simultaneously, a dreamlike future unfolded in his mind.
He saw himself becoming the son-in-law of the Grand Duke Bellus, the wealthiest noble on the Continent, and beginning a new life.
But.
“Damn it!”
How far did Lucio Elrad intend to ruin his life?
Watching Lucio Elrad holding the Grand Duchess’s hand—a hand he himself had yet to grasp—and flirting with her, his eyes nearly rolled back as he nearly lunged forward.
Unable to bear watching any longer, he had fled to the Back Garden, but he could not simply give up.
It was when Kenneth returned to the Banquet Hall.
“Then I’ll rest for a while on the third floor.”
Apparently tired of the pressing crowds, the Grand Duchess was saying she would go to the Third Floor Lounge that she had prepared for distinguished guests visiting the Empire.
Kenneth’s eyes widened at this.
Though not at its former peak, the Petite Family had long engaged in trade and frequently made contact with other kingdoms.
As a result, he had often frequented the exclusive envoy lounge that even the Empire’s nobles could rarely access, save for the Foreign Ministry.
When he confidently mentioned the name of a noble from another kingdom, the guard on duty hesitated but ultimately couldn’t withstand Kenneth Petite’s commanding presence and opened the door to the Third Floor Lounge.
Perhaps even this was an arrangement of fate?
Kenneth Petite, smiling wickedly, finally located the terrace where the Grand Duchess was resting.
Without even knocking, he burst through the door.
* * *
I stared at Kenneth Petite with an expression of utter disbelief, his creepy smile plastered across his face.
After Lucio Elrad left, seeing the people around me pressing closer with more questions than before, I decided to slip away until my parents arrived.
So I yielded Diana to Aiden and came up to the third floor, thinking I might finally catch my breath.
‘And now this uninvited guest shows up.’
Finding the situation so absurd that I let out a hollow laugh, Kenneth Petite cried out with an expression of rapture.
“As I thought!”
“…?”
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, you recognized me!”
“How would I know you?”
Disgusted by his arrogant demeanor, I responded immediately, and Kenneth Petite asked back with a vacant expression, “Pardon?”
“Did you forget what you just said? You claimed that I recognized you. I don’t know rude people like you.”
I shook my head slowly.
Kenneth Petite hesitated for a moment, then smiled as if he understood and spoke.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess must be quite shy. I apologize. Shall I introduce myself again? I am Kenneth Petite, the eldest son of the Petite Family. We met a few hours ago at the preliminary grounds of the Sword Tournament. To be direct… I fell for you at first sight. I felt I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t tell you this, so I apologize for my rudeness in coming to find you like this.”
‘Wow, this is truly unbelievable.’
Ever since he saw me and his face flushed, I’ve felt disgusted.
“This is genuinely repulsive.”
“…Pardon?”
“I was originally going to give you a chance, but just looking at your face makes me feel sick, so I can’t.”
I frowned and quickly waved my hand dismissively.
“I’ll overlook your rudeness this once, so if you’re done talking, leave immediately.”
“What exactly do you mean by that….”
As I turned my head away, clearly unwilling to look at him any longer, Kenneth Petite, who had been looking vacant, suddenly burst out shouting.
“Stop playing coy!”
“What?”
“I know that Your Highness the Grand Duchess has feelings for me.”
“…Are you insane?”
It was shocking.
But despite my sincere words and expression, Kenneth Petite remained unmoved.
“Is it because of that vicious man? Did he say something bad about me again?”
“What are you talking about….”
“I saw it just now! Lucio Elrad, the way he was troubling you!”
In that moment, my expression turned cold.
“Vicious man, you say.”
He wasn’t even introducing himself properly—who was he calling vicious?
It was true that Lucio had put me in a difficult position earlier, but hearing Kenneth Petite speak so carelessly made my blood boil in reverse.
As I released a bit of my mana in anger, Kenneth began breathing in shallow, frightened gasps.
‘If I so much as lifted a finger here….’
Catching myself before the scene could unfold naturally, I quickly shook my head.
I couldn’t cause a major incident here, of all places—in the Imperial Palace.
But just as I was steeling myself to repay this debt and reaching my hand toward the door.
“G-Grand Duchess….”
Kenneth, who seemed to have no immunity to mana whatsoever and looked ready to faint at any moment, seized my hand as though it were a lifeline, gripping it with desperate force.
Feeling the pain, I frowned and immediately tried to wrench my hand away.
But in that instant, the door burst open with a violent ‘bang!’
“…What?”
Lucio appeared and roughly tore Kenneth’s hand away from mine.
* * *
“Why are you…? No, how did you even get here?”
Lucio frowned as he looked at Lia’s bewildered expression.
“Is that really what matters right now?”
“…Doesn’t it?”
“Ha.”
Lucio let out a short, bitter laugh, his lips twisting savagely.
“I said I’d come quickly. Unlike some people, I keep my promises.”
“What do you mean by that….”
“You really won’t let me take my eyes off you for even a moment, will you?”
At Lucio’s words, Lia’s expression turned dumbfounded.
There were so many things she wanted to press him on, but seeing his expression was anything but normal, she decided to hold her tongue for now.
Instead, Lia looked at Kenneth’s wrist, which appeared dangerously close to snapping, and spoke.
“Let go of his hand first.”
“…Why?”
“Why indeed….”
“Was it really blondes you were interested in? You weren’t scared—you were interested?”
As Lucio lashed out without thinking, Lia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Lucio immediately closed his mouth, regretting his words, but the emotions churning inside him were difficult to suppress.
Honestly, it was the worst.
In truth, ever since hearing that Lia had come to the Empire, Lucio had been anxious about missing her again.
He’d been so desperate to abandon his duties and return to the Empire immediately that his criticism of the Imperial Princess for being irresponsible seemed hollow.
Having barely suppressed those feelings and frantically finished his work before rushing here, only to witness this scene.
‘If only it had been Jack from the Knight Order, or someone else… No, that’s not it either.’
Lucio quickly shook his head internally.
He’d spent his entire life being called composed and rational, yet he never realized he could be so fickle and emotional.
And once again unable to resist his impulse, Lucio asked sharply.
“Were you having a secret meeting or something?”
“What? What do you mean? A secret meeting? That’s not what this is!”
I’d intended to make it clear that while others were off-limits, he was especially forbidden—no strange ideas allowed.
But Lucio’s irritation melted away in an instant at Lia’s reaction, her displeasure radiating so visibly as she bounced indignantly.
Still, maintaining a deliberately stiff expression, Lucio tossed Kenneth’s unconscious hand aside and asked as if to confirm.
“Really?”
“Of course! This man just barged in uninvited. How dare you suggest a secret meeting—that’s insulting.”
“I see. For you to be concerned about such a thing….”
“Is your imagination just running wild, or do you only see what you want to see? Isn’t that just how you normally behave?”
As Lia spoke with a surge of emotion, her eyes narrowing, Lucio faltered.
A moment later, he asked with an oddly delighted expression.
“Does it bother you? Are you worried I might have had a secret meeting?”
When Lia couldn’t answer and her expression grew uncertain, Lucio’s smile deepened.
“Tell me. Who do you think I had a secret meeting with?”

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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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