Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 212

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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 that very moment.
Lucio was resting in his Bedroom, heeding his family’s insistence that he take proper rest.
While his expression appeared languid as he reclined against the bed, his mind was racing faster than ever before.
Lucio was a rational man, and though he trusted few others, he placed absolute faith in his family.
So despite feeling as though nothing was amiss, he accepted his family’s words and had come to terms with the current situation.
“The Imperial Princess has become a Demon Worshipper, then….”
And the reason was not for the throne, but to possess him.
Neither logic nor emotion could easily accept such a thing.
Yet whenever he tried to recall Serphin, his mind grew foggy and a vicious headache would surge forward, gradually making him aware of his own abnormal state.
Furrowing his brow and dragging his hand across his face, Lucio instead recalled the Grand Duchess Bellus, whom he had encountered moments before.
The instant consciousness returned, Lucio sensed the intruder’s hands upon his body and immediately subdued her.
And when he saw the woman pinned beneath him, he was deeply startled.
A complex tangle of emotions he had never experienced before crashed over him all at once.
Tender yet resentful, and simultaneously….
‘Lovely.’
Realizing this, Lucio was taken aback.
Objectively, the woman was extraordinarily beautiful.
But he had never once felt his heart sway at another’s appearance.
‘I never thought such seduction tactics would work on me….’
His bewilderment was brief before Lucio quickly deduced the woman’s identity.
As someone holding an important position in the Foreign Ministry, he frequently faced advances from other kingdoms seeking secrets.
And among them, some engaged in such despicable tactics of sending women, so he had naturally assumed her to be a spy.
Yet she was not only Askart’s younger sister, but his betrothed.
This was harder to believe than the Imperial Princess having made a pact with a demon to possess him, and Lucio had confirmed the facts with his family multiple times.
But the strange emotion he felt upon seeing the Grand Duchess Bellus.
〈Lucio….〉
The moment his name spilled from those delicate lips, his heart raced wildly as though recognizing its master.
“I cannot help but believe it….”
Thud.
Then suddenly, as if plunged into darkness, his thoughts snapped abruptly to a halt.
The faint smile that had settled at the corner of his mouth vanished without a trace.
As his eyes blinked slowly, his vision, which had grown hazy for a moment, cleared.
‘What was I thinking about?’
Lucio stared blankly.
His head throbbed and his eyelids felt as heavy as iron weights.
It seemed his family was right—something was indeed wrong with him.
Lucio’s expression turned cold as he moved his lips.
As if waiting for this moment, Bert, dressed in black, appeared and knelt on one knee, bowing his head.
“My lord.”
“Report everything that happened before and after my visit to the Princess Palace today. Leave nothing out.”
I vaguely remembered leaving the Study, but once I’d entered the Palace, I couldn’t recall a single thing that had transpired within its walls.
Beyond that, I needed to verify every fragmented memory that seemed to have been torn away.
Lucio’s eyes darkened as he issued the command.
* * *
“Lucio… or rather, the Young Master isn’t in his Bedroom?”
“Yes, Crown Princess Bellus. The Young Master went to work as usual this morning.”
At the Maidservant’s words, I couldn’t help but wear an expression of bewilderment.
Last night, there was something I wanted to say to him—the man who had completely forgotten me.
So I rushed to the Duke’s Mansion as soon as dawn broke, but I never expected he wouldn’t be here….
“Wait! Work? You mean he went to the Imperial Palace?”
I cried out in surprise at the realization, and the Reception Room door swung open as Diana entered.
“Diana? Are you feeling any better?”
I hurried over to Diana.
Diana smiled and nodded, but her complexion was terribly pale.
Seeing the dark circles beneath her eyes from a restless night, I waited until the Maidservant closed the door before asking carefully.
“By the way, Diana. Is it true that the Young Master went to work?”
“Yeah. I went to my older brother’s room as soon as I woke up this morning, but he was already gone.”
“But countless people saw him return in that condition yesterday. How did no one stop him?”
“He moves around so early in the morning that even the family didn’t notice. What could the servants do to stop him? Besides, since you finished treating him, he looked perfectly fine on the surface.”
A sigh escaped me at Diana’s explanation.
“I was completely careless. I gave a thorough explanation of yesterday’s situation, so I thought he’d take leave.”
The Princess Palace was suspected to be the location where he’d been afflicted by the demon’s sorcery.
Moreover, if he went to the Imperial Palace, he’d inevitably encounter the Imperial Princess—surely he wouldn’t be foolish enough to go back of his own accord….
“Oh, wait.”
“What?”
“Could it be that he went there against his will because of the sorcery?”
At my suspicion that Lucio might have lost control of his own will and acted involuntarily, Diana’s expression grew serious.
“That’s true…. Since my brother’s soul is bound to the Imperial Princess, I can’t dismiss that possibility.”
And she added bitterly,
“If we could check whether my brother has magical resistance, we’d know the answer.”
“Magical resistance?”
As I tilted my head in confusion, I soon recalled that it was one of the abilities the Priestesses at the Temple cultivated to counter demons.
“If he has it, could he break free?”
“It would certainly be easier. Regardless of what sorcery was cast, there’s a good chance that brainwashing wouldn’t take hold.”
So Diana said she’d gone to find Lucio this morning to verify this.
I’d been resigned to waiting for Raezl to return and perform a purification, but this unexpected glimmer of hope made my ears perk up.
Lucio is someone exceptionally skilled at manipulating mana. He can move while completely suppressing his presence.
Since mana is the foundation of magical power, perhaps he might have resistance as well….
“Young Lady!”
At that moment, the Reception Room door burst open, and a Maidservant hurried inside.
“What is it?”
“The Young Master has just returned, my lady.”
“Is that so?”
Diana rose from her seat without a trace of surprise.
It seemed she had already given orders to be notified the moment Lucio arrived.
And when I too rose to follow Diana, it happened.
“Well, but….”
The Maidservant glanced at me, her expression growing restless.
“What is it?”
“That is….”
As I watched the hesitant Maidservant, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.
“The Young Master has arrived with the First Princess, Your Highness.”
* * *
“Please be careful.”
As Lucio descended from the carriage first and extended his hand, Serphin naturally grasped it and slowly revealed herself.
Ordinarily, she favored elaborate dresses in vivid crimson tones that matched her hair color.
But today, Serphin wore a bright yellow dress adorned with pristine white frills, as innocent as a young lady embarking on her first date, complete with a matching hairpiece.
Her expression was brimming with anticipation and joy—unmistakably that of a woman in love.
Standing outside the Entrance Hall with Diana, I watched silently as Lucio escorted Serphin.
Outwardly, I forced myself to appear composed, but inwardly, I was seething.
I wanted nothing more than to rush toward Serphin, who was holding Lucio’s hand, and scream at her for daring to do such a thing and brazenly set foot here.
Yet I could not afford to let a moment of anger ruin everything.
‘Lucio could be in danger.’
I muttered this to myself, but I knew the truth—I was far more afraid that Lucio might take Serphin’s side and show me a cold demeanor.
Before I realized it, my fists clenched and I grasped the hem of my dress.
A soft snicker.
Someone let out a quiet laugh.
I reflexively turned my head, and Serphin, who had been watching me with a contemptuous smile, deliberately grinned and gently brushed Lucio’s shoulder.
I froze for a moment, then quickly widened my eyes to gauge Lucio’s reaction.
I hoped he would frown and brush away her hand, or at the very least show signs of discomfort.
But.
“Your Highness?”
Lucio spoke in a respectful and measured tone, tilting his head slightly.
Compared to the famously cold Duke Elrad, his manner seemed almost gentle.
Serphin withdrew her hand with satisfaction, offering the absurd excuse that dust had gotten on him.
As I watched this unfold, seething with indignation, an even more ridiculous scene unfolded.
“Allow me to hold it.”
Lucio took a parasol from the Maidservant who had descended from the following carriage.
He unfurled it and placed it over Serphin’s head, as though deeply concerned that the autumn sun might damage her skin.
At that tender gesture, Serphin’s face flushed as she spoke.
“There’s no need for the Young Lord to do this himself.”
“It is my pleasure.”
Lucio, speaking thus, offered the faintest of smiles.
His expression bore no trace of falsehood, yet the turbulent heat within me cooled to something far more unsettling.
It was then.
“Imperial Princess, we’ve heard nothing from the Duke’s Mansion—what brings you here?”
Diana, who had drawn near to Serphin, posed the question with a sharp edge to her voice.
“Ah, Young Lady! It feels like it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other.”
The Imperial Princess did not rebuke Diana for her discourteous manner, treating her like an unwelcome guest.
Instead, she smiled warmly, as though addressing a beloved younger sister—or perhaps as one desperate to make a favorable impression upon the family of the man she loved.
‘To fashion him into a puppet and show such shamelessness!’
For a moment, fury blazed in my eyes as I glared at Serphin, yet she spoke with unruffled composure.
“I happened to mention in passing that I wished to see the Duke’s Mansion’s famous Maze Garden, and the Young Lord was kind enough to extend an invitation. I hope my visit isn’t an inconvenience?”
“How could it be? It is a great honor to our house that the Imperial Princess graces us with her presence.”
It was Lucio who answered.
He paid Diana no heed, his gaze fixed solely upon Serphin as though she alone existed in his world.
Witnessing Diana’s trembling fists clench in fury, I hastened forward.
“I pay my respects to the Imperial Princess.”
“Oh, so the Crown Princess Bellus was already here at the Duke’s Mansion.”
As though she hadn’t known all along that I had arrived.
Regarding Serphin’s feigned innocence with displeasure, I spoke with directness.
“Yes. The Young Lord suffered grave injuries last night, you see. I came early this morning out of concern.”
And I turned my gaze toward Lucio.
As fortune would have it, he was already looking at me, and our eyes met at once.

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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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