Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 193

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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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At my question, Clara’s eyes, which had been trembling rapidly, were soon consumed by fury.
“You, you…!”
As Clara contorted her face and raised her hand, I glanced at her lifted arm and asked coldly.
“Can you handle it? This time you might actually end up in the Convent. Or perhaps an even greater punishment will befall you.”
“…!”
Her eyes appeared to have rolled back completely.
Whether she hadn’t entirely lost her reason, or simply dreaded the Convent more than death itself, Clara—trembling violently—slowly lowered her arm at my words.
In that moment, the Imperial Palace knights, having received a signal from Nicholas, began binding Clara on both sides and dragging her away.
Watching Clara’s pathetic retreating figure, I moved my hand lightly.
‘Given Clara’s arrogant nature, it seems unlikely she would remember words spoken to a mere maidservant a decade ago at the Imperial Palace, much less associate me with that child…’
Still, it seemed prudent to cast a geas upon her just in case.
The petulant Emperor would never forgive Clara, so she would be confined to her Territory from now on, and I would never encounter her again—or so I thought as I turned to leave.
My condition had already been poor, and using magic only brought a wave of dizziness crashing down upon me.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes, I’m fine.”
Nicholas, startled upon seeing me, approached and extended his arm as if to support me.
“Let us depart at once. I had a carriage prepared, so we should leave immediately…”
“Ah, wait.”
I cut off Nicholas’s words and offered an awkward smile.
“There’s no need for you to see me off personally. You can go now.”
“What? That’s impossible. Your complexion is quite pale… And His Majesty specifically instructed me to see you off personally.”
Damn that Emperor—utterly useless to the end.
I had no choice but to overcome my embarrassment and speak.
“It’s not that. I have some business at the Imperial Palace.”
“What? At the Imperial Palace? What kind of…Oh!”
Nicholas, who had been puzzled, suddenly seemed to understand, nodding his head with a knowing smile.
“The Foreign Ministry building is in this direction.”
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t know how he had guessed I intended to meet Lucio, but faced with his unnecessary kindness, I quickly turned away to hide my reddening ears.
In my haste to reach the Imperial Palace, I hadn’t had time to retrieve the communication device Lucio had given me.
With that alone, I could have contacted him immediately.
‘He’ll be absolutely delighted.’
Perhaps he would even wear a dumbfounded expression from sheer shock.
From rapidly absorbing the formidable mana and demonic energy contained within the demon artifact, my stomach churned even at rest, and cold sweat poured down my face.
Yet imagining Lucio’s joyful expression made me forget my pain entirely.
Rather, I quickened my pace, eager to deliver the news as soon as possible.
* * *
At that very moment.
Lucio too had received word that Lia was visiting the Imperial Palace and was hurrying out of his Study.
Originally, he had invited the Grand Duke and Duchess and the previous Marquis to lunch today, and his father had sent word that he must attend, but he had been unable to do so due to handling matters from the recent incident in the Liven Kingdom.
It was because I had finally uncovered the critical evidence that the New King of Riben was preparing to wage war.
I had discovered not only the smuggled weapons but also the locations where soldiers were being trained, which meant I could prevent the inevitable casualties that war would bring.
Following my father’s instructions to attend the gathering late, I was hurrying to wrap up my work.
That was when a subordinate I had planted in the Emperor’s Palace came to find me urgently.
They brought unbelievable news—that Grand Duchess Bellus had come to the Emperor claiming she had been falsely accused and pleading for her innocence to be cleared.
Unable to learn more details, I was descending the staircase to head to the Emperor’s Palace myself when Lucio stopped short.
“Oh? Lu… Count Lucio!”
At a voice I never expected to hear in this place, Lucio paused and turned his head.
Lia stood before the main entrance, having just entered the building, waving at him with a smile.
Seeing Lia, who had come to meet me in the space where I usually worked, I felt a tumultuous rush of surprise, worry, and joy churning inside me.
Lucio approached Lia at once, took her hand, and asked urgently.
“What happened? I heard you were falsely accused. Who on earth did such a thing to you? Your hands are so cold. And now that I look at you, your face is pale too….”
“Wait, please. One question at a time.”
Despite her composed appearance, Lia let out a hollow laugh watching Lucio bombard her with questions without pause.
She glanced subtly around her surroundings.
This was a building where Foreign Ministry staff were stationed, and perhaps because of her activities during the Founding Festival, everyone passing by seemed to recognize Grand Duchess Bellus, casting sidelong glances at her and Lucio.
Only then did Lucio notice Lia’s concern for her surroundings. He quickly looked both ways before taking her hand and moving forward.
The Foreign Ministry had several reception spaces to welcome visitors from other nations, and since Lia was also an imperial dignitary, there was nothing improper about using an empty reception room.
Passing quickly through the curious onlookers, they walked until they were far enough away that no one could overhear their conversation.
It was Lia, who was actually more eager than Lucio, who spoke first.
“I’ve resolved everything.”
“Hmm?”
“I pushed myself a bit, but I’ve resolved it all.”
Mindful of any listening ears, I avoided mentioning the “Demon’s Relic,” so Lucio stopped walking and asked.
“You mean the false accusation?”
“No! That’s not it….”
Lia grew a bit frustrated that Lucio didn’t understand, so she clasped her hands together and rose onto her tiptoes.
When Lucio quickly bent down, Lia whispered into his ear.
“The Demon’s Relic. The Duke’s contract has been completely nullified, and the relic itself has been destroyed.”
Now that she had said everything she needed to say, Lia beamed with relief. “So there’s nothing to worry about!”
And she looked up at Lucio with sparkling eyes.
In truth, when I had detoxified the Duchess’s poison long ago, though I hadn’t shown it, I had desperately hoped for Lucio’s praise.
But Lucio had said nothing, and deep down, I had held onto that disappointment.
If he let this moment pass without a word, I had resolved to demand at least some acknowledgment.
“So… truly?”
Lucio, who had been silent for a moment as if at a loss for words, asked slowly.
Lia nodded eagerly.
Though it wasn’t the enthusiastic reaction she had hoped for, she felt her mood lift slightly seeing him look so astonished and dumbfounded.
Lia raised her chin with a hint of pride and said.
“Didn’t I tell you? I said to trust only me… Mmph!”
And before I could even finish speaking, a kiss that threatened to consume me entirely began.
Our lips collided with such force that I tasted blood mingled with a sharp sting of pain.
But the soft, wet sensation of his tongue tracing my lower lip made my mind go completely blank.
Shocked beyond measure, I parted my lips without thinking, and his hot tongue immediately invaded my mouth.
All his usual composure and coldness were cast aside—the kiss was urgent and desperate.
When I unconsciously grasped at Lucio’s clothes, the force pushing me intensified.
Unable to resist any longer, I stumbled backward, certain my back would soon hit the door.
But when he had opened it, I wasn’t sure—my steps continued endlessly until I saw the door slam shut behind Lucio with a resounding bang.
Even as the relentless kiss continued as if he had been waiting for this very moment, my mind grew hazy, and my body fell backward.
Fortunately, I landed on the plush sofa in the reception room, and with Lucio’s firm grip on the back of my head and waist, I felt no impact at all.
Yet I couldn’t regain my senses, overwhelmed by the vivid desire burning in his blue eyes.
Unable to bear meeting that gaze any longer, I squeezed my eyes shut, and the kiss deepened even further.
Lucio was now experiencing firsthand what it meant to lose all reason, understanding with his entire being what it felt like to be intoxicated by such blissful ecstasy.
Fireworks exploded in his mind, and the sound of bells rang in his ears.
He thought that all his life until now had been meaningless, and he finally understood why the world overflowed with romantic poetry and hymns to love.
Even by his own judgment, he was not in his right mind.
The mere news that the contract mediated by the demon artifact had been broken caused the walls he had so firmly built in his heart to crumble in an instant.
Perhaps it was that very contract that had allowed him to endure nearly ten years apart from Lia.
And now, with the fear of being unable to protect Lia from the Emperor gone, there was nothing to hold him back.
Lucio no longer wanted to be separated from Lia even for a moment, and if possible, he wanted to be with her every second.
As that desire manifested in relentless pursuit, Lia—struggling to breathe in the heat of the moment—gently pushed him away.
At that slight pressure, Lucio, who seemed as though he would never let go, yielded obediently and withdrew his lips.
Lia gasped for breath, her eyes glazed and wet as she looked up at him.
Lucio’s pupils and breathing were equally disheveled, and the skin beneath his eyes flushed a deep red.
Yet that ravenous gaze remained, seeming even more unhinged than before.
Seeing him appear far more out of control than my own trembling body—which could collapse at any moment—sent shivers down my spine.
I had hoped for praise, but not like this….
My mind spinning, I relied on the tingling sensation lingering on my lips to regain some composure and opened my mouth.
“Um….”
“I love you.”
And at the sudden confession that reached my ears, I froze entirely.
Lucio spoke again to me, whose eyes were wide with shock as I looked up at him.
“I love you, Lia.”
It was actually an impulsive confession that bypassed his mind entirely.
But only after the words left his lips did Lucio realize that he had wanted to say this for a very long time.
It felt as though something he had been desperately suppressing—something he knew would overwhelm him once released—had finally burst forth.
Now he could no longer bear to hold it back, so Lucio pressed his lips firmly against mine once more before pulling away to speak.
“I love you—so much that I cannot imagine a life without you.”

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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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