Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 258

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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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“Hmm…?”
Father apologized silently, taking full responsibility for everything as if he had lost all will to defend himself.
Watching him and my family members gauging my reaction, I tilted my head in confusion.
Though I had clearly heard Father’s voice blaming Lucio as we entered, insisting that Mother’s words were correct….
‘Something tells me Father has been falsely accused.’
I placed my hands on my hips and spoke to my family.
“Tell me honestly right now. Did Father really orchestrate what happened at today’s meeting?”
“….”
“….”
“…I’m sorry.”
Following Grandfather, who swallowed hard, and Mother, who quietly averted her gaze, Askart apologized.
“Why are you apologizing, Older Brother?”
As I tilted my head in question, Askart hesitated before speaking.
“Well, actually, when I went to Elrad Duke’s Mansion last week….”
And shortly after.
“So you deliberately did this because you were worried I might marry right away?”
“Yes, they said the wedding preparations are in full swing….”
“And the newlyweds’ quarters are nearly finished.”
“We felt like we were about to lose you.”
At Grandfather’s, Mother’s, and Askart’s words, I let out an exasperated sigh.
“Lose me? What kind of thing is that to say.”
Of course, I understood my family’s alarm.
I too had been quite flustered when Lucio told me that Duke Elrad had begun preparing the newlyweds’ quarters.
But no matter how I look at it.
“I would never marry without telling my family. If I had such intentions, I would naturally have told you. And even if I did, if Mother and Father, Grandfather and Older Brother said it was too soon, I would naturally have reconsidered….”
Just be honest with me.
If you understood how precious my family is to me, and therefore how much influence you hold over me, you should never have worried about such things in the first place.
Lucio knows this, yet my family did not….
I felt both a little hurt and regretful.
Perhaps I hadn’t expressed myself enough.
“Don’t make that face, Adriana.”
Then Mother approached me with an apologetic expression.
“It’s not your fault. We simply felt we had no right to object….”
Mother apologized, saying that in her anxiety, she had instead made the worst possible move.
“No, why would you have no right?”
Just as it wasn’t Lucio’s fault that he lost his memories, it wasn’t my family’s fault that they couldn’t find me.
“You never gave up and continued searching for me. That alone is enough qualification.”
Desperately hoping my sincerity would reach my family, I held back my tears and spoke.
Mother’s, Father’s, Grandfather’s, and Askart’s eyes grew moist.
Then, as if to change the mood, Askart asked with a deliberately bright voice.
“So, Lia, you’re saying you have no intention of getting married right away either?”
I nodded in agreement.
“We’ve only just started dating. Marriage already? That’s far too hasty.”
“You truly feel that way?”
“I do.”
Though I felt apologetic toward Duke Elrad and Diana, who were already anticipating a wedding, my words were sincere.
I had been happy all this time, yet I’d always carried a shadow of anxiety in the corner of my heart.
Now, the thought that I could finally spend time with my family without that burden filled me with joy.
My family’s expressions softened with relief at my answer.
I was smiling softly at the sight when—
“Still, since you’ve only just begun courting, parting won’t be easy…”
Perhaps Mother’s words stemmed from her own past experiences.
With the imminent return to Belus Duchy in mind, Mother murmured her concerns.
Then Askart hesitated before asking.
“Lia, you’re not planning to stay in the Empire indefinitely, are you?”
If that were the case, wouldn’t it be no different from being married, save for the ceremony itself?
Askart regarded me with that exact expression of worry.
Father and Mother wore the same look.
Even Grandfather, who couldn’t speak openly given the atmosphere, gazed at me with hopeful eyes, clearly wishing I would remain in the Empire.
Seeing them all waiting for my words, I couldn’t help but laugh at my own nervousness.
And with a shy blush coloring my cheeks, I spoke.
“Actually, Lucio said he would come to Belus Duchy once the coronation is over.”
* * *
The next morning.
“Your Highness, how do you feel?”
Jane, who had devoted herself to my appearance once again, asked nervously.
Unlike yesterday’s refined style, I was adorned with a more vibrant look, and I smiled with satisfaction at my reflection in the mirror.
“I love it.”
“Truly?”
“Yes!”
“Hehe, it’s the Crown Princess’s first date, so I put in extra effort.”
My face flushed instantly at Jane’s words.
“But Your Highness, you’ve already had a formal meeting—surely a date shouldn’t embarrass you so much?”
Jane, unaware of what had transpired at Elrad Duke’s Mansion yesterday, asked innocently.
I swallowed hard in that moment.
Jane, a member of the Grand Duke’s Castle and as devoted to me as my own family, would surely burn with fury if she learned my engagement had been broken, regardless of the circumstances or reasons.
‘She certainly wouldn’t have taken such care with my appearance.’
Eventually she would learn the truth, but for now, I averted my gaze and fidgeted with my fingers to let the matter pass quietly.
“A formal meeting and a date are different things.”
Fortunately, to Jane’s eyes, my behavior appeared to be nothing more than bashfulness.
“Kyaa!” Jane exclaimed, pressing both hands to her cheeks and swaying her body, before suddenly speaking in a wistful voice.
“It feels like just yesterday when I first met Crown Princess Bellus, and now she’s already grown up so much that she’s going on dates….”
Never mind that the age difference between us wasn’t all that significant.
I found myself exasperated at Jane speaking as though she’d become quite the adult, so I asked her a question.
“What about you, Jane? Don’t you date?”
It was a counterattack born of embarrassment—I wasn’t about to be the only one feeling mortified.
But then.
“Me? I’m already in a relationship.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Aha. Surprised, are you? My goal is to become like Captain Bianca, who married a sword. Of course, I won’t abandon my position as Crown Princess Bellus’s attendant either, but I’ll train even harder than I do now and become a knight of the guard that Your Highness can trust with her back!”
Watching Jane burn with determination even though she knew my magical prowess made bodyguards unnecessary, I felt an indescribable surge of emotion.
Moreover, with her even mentioning Bianca, who still held a place of honor as my idol in my heart, any urge to tease her vanished entirely.
“Jane….”
I was gazing at her with moved eyes when.
“Lia! Are you almost ready?”
Askart’s voice came from outside the door.
Oh! Had Lucio already arrived?
I hastily opened the door.
Then Askart, standing before the door, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Wow! Our Lia looks absolutely beautiful today too.”
Askart’s compliments whenever he saw me—calling me cute and lovely—were already familiar, but today they sounded especially pleasant.
However, unlike me, who was simply in good spirits, Askart muttered with a somewhat melancholy expression.
“He’s really too good for Lucio….”
“Older Brother?”
“Oh, sorry. My true feelings just slipped out without me realizing it.”
At Askart apologizing for his slip, I was at a loss for words.
Yesterday, I had relayed to my family the conversation I’d had with Lucio, telling them that he genuinely wanted to be recognized by our family.
And when they learned that Lucio had even made plans to come to the Duchy following me, my family was quite shocked.
〈Goodness, I thought we were losing our daughter entirely….〉
〈It seems we’ll be gaining a son. I feel sorry toward Duke Elrad.〉
My parents, who had been conversing with gentle smiles, seemed to regret having opposed the marriage at the formal meeting, and they wanted to clarify to Lucio that it hadn’t been their true intention.
And I had said that since things had come to this, it would be fine to take our time with the engagement.
It seemed better for everyone if Lucio, who felt guilty for having saddened me, made the effort to earn recognition again through his own understanding.
‘Besides, my family’s opinion seems favorable too.’
The wedding would be at least two years away, and the ceremony would be held in Belus Duchy!
When I think about it, I’ve spent far more days living in the Laksten Empire.
Yet in terms of affection, it was incomparable to the Duchy.
For the first time, it was my home, my country—a place where I belonged without the slightest anxiety or doubt.
Of course, I had no intention of pushing my opinion unilaterally; it seemed like something we should discuss together.
In any case, having heard everything, I now understood that Lucio was sincere with me, so I shot Askart a pouty look, wondering why he still seemed displeased with him.
“Still, it’s true that you’re precious to me, isn’t it?”
“Really, Older Brother?”
“Anyway, since Lucio’s here, let’s go down and see him.”
Askart deftly changed the subject.
Though I saw right through it, I could only nod in agreement.
My heart had begun racing wildly at the prospect of our first date.
With my chest fluttering like that, I descended the staircase.
“Huh…?”
I stood frozen at the unexpected sight before me.

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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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