Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 192

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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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“Very well. Let us go at once.”
The Emperor nodded vigorously at my words.
Since the Treasure Vault was the Emperor’s private domain, I could not simply send an Attendant to retrieve the item. By showing him the proof with his own eyes, there would be no room for further suspicion.
As the Emperor took the lead, Clara too began to grasp the reality of the situation.
The smug confidence that had painted her face while accusing me of theft gradually gave way to anxiety.
‘If one spreads false accusations so carelessly, one must be prepared to face the consequences.’
I steeled myself against any lingering sympathy for Clara.
Besides, this was the truly critical moment.
“Look here. Do you believe me now?”
“Th-this cannot be…!”
As we stepped into the innermost chamber of the Treasure Vault, the Emperor’s mana stone lay preserved in its glass case, exactly as before.
Clara’s face drained of all color. Losing her composure entirely, she rushed forward and placed her hand against the glass.
And then.
“Aaaahhh!”
A piercing scream tore from Clara’s throat, accompanied by the acrid smell of burning flesh and wisps of smoke.
The protective magic of the glass case activated, searing both of Clara’s hands with severe burns.
Tears streaming down her face from the agony, Clara collapsed to the floor and gazed up at the Emperor with a pitiful expression. Yet his brow only furrowed deeper.
Only then did Clara seem to fully comprehend her predicament. Her lips trembled as she began to plead with the Emperor.
“Y-Your Majesty, please forgive me. I truly believed Adriana had stolen your possession… and rumors of a theft in Your Majesty’s Treasure Vault spread throughout the Capital City…”
In her desperation, Clara’s words tumbled out incoherently, and she seemed oblivious to her own damning admissions.
The Emperor, already displeased at the loss of the artifact, contorted his expression into something far more menacing.
“To speak of Imperial Palace matters so carelessly! Has the authority of the Imperial Family diminished so greatly, or does House Amber hold the Imperial Family in such contempt?”
“No, Your Majesty, that is not what I meant…”
“Silence! Your insult to the Imperial Family and your false accusation against the Grand Duchess, a distinguished guest of the Empire—neither crime is trivial. You shall receive the punishment befitting such transgressions. Clara Amber, prepare yourself to atone for your sins in the Convent for the rest of your life.”
At the Emperor’s pronouncement, Clara, who had been sobbing, suddenly lifted her head.
The sentence was far harsher than she had anticipated. Shock painted her face as she turned to look at me.
“A-Adriana!”
The eyes that had always burned with twisted jealousy and hatred now gazed at me as though I were the world’s only remaining savior.
“Adriana, you know, don’t you? I never meant to harm you! I was only worried about you, that’s why I did this!”
I wanted to hurl a cutting remark at Clara for her endless lies, but I could not.
From the moment I entered the Treasure Vault, the mana stone, the false accusation—all of it had already ceased to matter to me.
“Sigh.”
At last, having completed my objective through intense concentration, the tension drained from my entire body, and an involuntary sigh escaped me.
In that moment, Clara crawled toward me on her knees, pleading desperately.
With her injured hands useless at her sides, she clung to my legs in a pathetic display.
In that instant, my body swayed and I nearly fell.
“Are you unwell, Grand Duchess?”
Fortunately, Nicholas, who stood nearby, quickly caught my arm and prevented my fall. I nodded in acknowledgment but gently pushed his hand away.
Then I looked down at Clara, who lay prostrate at my feet.
Clara had barely leaned against me, yet she feigned weakness so pathetically that I found it repugnant. When our eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze.
“….”
A hollow laugh threatened to escape, but as if paralyzed, my facial muscles refused to obey my will.
The truth was, I had just destroyed the demon’s relic.
More precisely, I had absorbed all the powerful mana and immense demonic energy the relic contained into my own body.
And as a result, my physical condition was at its worst.
But now, standing before the Emperor, I could afford no weakness. I forced strength into my neck and opened my mouth with difficulty.
“Clara.”
The moment I called her name, Clara’s head snapped up.
“Yes, Adriana! I’m your cousin Clara. So please tell His Majesty—we’re family, aren’t we? You don’t want me spending my whole life locked away in a convent, do you?”
When had she slandered me? And now she brazenly invoked family ties.
Yet Clara appeared pitifully terrified, as if life in the convent was nothing short of hell itself.
I exhaled slowly.
Contrary to my deteriorating physical state, the heavy stone that had pressed upon my chest since destroying the demon’s relic seemed to have vanished.
Perhaps because of this, I felt a measure of mercy stirring within me.
‘Of course, it’s unforgivable that she entered my room without permission, touched my belongings, and tried to ruin my honor….’
Clara likely hadn’t deliberately set a trap. She had probably seized upon what appeared to be a power stone identical to one from the Emperor’s Treasury in my room, and acted rashly without deeper thought.
While she should bear responsibility for her recklessness, I found myself unwilling to sever her life as a noble Young Lady entirely.
‘Grandfather would be heartbroken.’
Above all else, I couldn’t bear to see my Grandfather’s face grow sorrowful.
Having made my decision, I bowed toward the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I am grateful that you have cleared my name. However, I bear some responsibility for my cousin’s disturbance of Your Majesty’s peace. I humbly ask that you regard this as the mistake of a foolish person and show mercy by withdrawing the harsher punishment.”
At my words, Clara—who had been trembling with sobs—immediately begged the Emperor that such a thing would never happen again.
The Emperor continued to regard Clara with cold eyes, but after stroking his chin in brief contemplation, he spoke.
“Very well. I cannot be so harsh toward the bloodline of House Diapel, which has served the Empire with unwavering loyalty across generations. I shall withdraw the punishment I imposed moments ago. However.”
It was the moment Clara exhaled in relief, looking up at the Emperor.
“Until I grant my permission, you shall not leave Amber County and must conduct yourself with restraint.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Prepare to depart for your territory at once.”
“Your, Your Majesty! Not a convent, but Amber County?! For how long, how long will this last?!”
Clara called out to the Emperor in bewilderment, but he merely gestured to the Imperial Knights and turned away.
As I watched Clara being dragged outside by the knights, the Emperor spoke.
“Pay that troublesome girl no mind. You must have been deeply wounded, yet you even plead for mercy…. Then again, the Grand Duchess has always covered for the Countess’s failings as well.”
“….”
“But your face is far too pale. You seem quite shaken. Perhaps you should rest here in the palace for a while….”
“No, Your Majesty. I am already grateful for the grace you have bestowed. I think I shall take my leave now.”
With my business concluded, I had no desire to remain in the Emperor’s presence any longer.
It had always been uncomfortable, but learning the truth—that he had attempted to use the demon’s relic to oppress my family—only deepened my unease.
‘Honestly, I even begrudge giving up the power stone….’
I glanced at the power stone the Emperor held tightly in his hand, then shook my head inwardly.
I felt no guilt over destroying the demon’s relic, but since I had indeed damaged his possession, I decided to consider the power stone as payment rendered.
After that, the Emperor urged me several more times to rest at the palace before leaving, but the moment I mentioned my parents would worry, he quickly relented.
As I watched the Emperor mutter, “The Grand Duchess must be quite shocked,” I couldn’t help but shake my head at how relentlessly consistent he was, and that’s when I stepped outside the Emperor’s Palace.
“Adriana!”
Someone called out to me in an urgent voice.
It was none other than Clara, who had just been dragged away by the Imperial Palace knights moments earlier.
“You still haven’t left the Imperial Palace? Have you been negligent in carrying out the Emperor’s orders?”
Nicholas, who had come along to see me off, furrowed his brow as he asked, and one of the knights replied awkwardly.
“My apologies. The Young Lady insisted on waiting for the Grand Duchess, claiming no one dared lay hands on her, and she caused quite a disturbance.”
No matter how much the Emperor had commanded her to exercise restraint, the knights couldn’t simply treat a noblewoman of high standing and imperial blood relations roughly.
I could fully understand the knights’ position, fearing potential repercussions should she complain to the Emperor later.
Seeing the knights glancing nervously at me, I let out a small sigh and took a step forward.
“Clara.”
“Adriana!”
At the sound of my voice, Clara, who had been sitting pathetically on the ground, scrambled to her feet.
And with strength from nowhere, she shook off the Imperial Palace knights and rushed toward me.
“Adriana, let’s go back inside. If you speak to His Majesty again, he’ll surely change his mind!”
“….”
“Come on, let’s go! Why are you just standing there?”
“…Why should I?”
“Huh?”
“Why should I do that?”
Astounded by her audacity, I asked, and Clara stared at me as if she couldn’t believe I would say such a thing.
Even in this situation, she genuinely believed I would ask the Emperor again on her behalf—the absolute certainty in her expression filled me with revulsion.
That was when I began to regret asking the Emperor to reduce Clara’s punishment.
“Ha! So this is your true self? You’ve been pretending to be good all this time! You orchestrated today’s events, didn’t you? You deliberately tried to trap me! You wanted to confine me to my territory for life! What would everyone think if they knew about this hypocritical side of yours? Grandfather, Older Brother….”
“Clara, so this is truly who you are.”
Watching her resort to such crude threats, I could only laugh.
I shook my head gently and took a step closer to Clara.
When I moved toward her with such intensity, Clara flinched and stumbled backward, as if afraid I might hurt her.
I paid no mind and placed my hand on her shoulder.
And I spoke to the terrified Clara.
“Clara, you said it yourself. In pain, in loneliness, in circumstances so dire that no amount of struggle can escape them—it’s only natural to become twisted.”
“What? I, I never said that to you….”
“But what exactly were you suffering from, feeling so lonely and trapped in such hardship, that you became this twisted?”

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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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