Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 276

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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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I found myself at a loss for words, confronted by something that could hardly be called human—a beast wearing a human face.
〈I’m sorry. I was far too careless in my judgment.〉
He had assumed I was a helpless woman with limited capacity for action, and so had assigned me a lower priority, allocating fewer intelligence resources accordingly.
As a result, not only had he missed tracking my contact with enemy forces, but he had also lost my trail after I crossed into the Liven Kingdom—Lucio apologized with evident shame.
The shocking revelation sent a chill down my spine.
Yet I could not blame Lucio for this failure.
After all, I myself had only begun to suspect something was amiss when I heard that the Former Countess had fled to a foreign land.
Who could have imagined that she would betray her own homeland?
〈It appears the other party had been concealing their true identity for quite some time. It took time to investigate everyone who had contact with the Former Countess and ascertain their real identity.〉
〈Who is this other party?〉
〈The Former King of Riben Kingdom.〉
But wasn’t he supposed to be imprisoned, awaiting execution?
Lucio explained to me, seeing my bewilderment.
He had escaped long ago because they had failed to root out his remaining faction, and the Liven Kingdom had tried to handle it quietly on their own—only revealing everything when Lucio pressed them on the matter.
They had handed over all the evidence and laid out the entire situation, yet we had failed to properly act on it!
Lucio, who had only wanted to prevent war from breaking out on this land and had no desire to become deeply involved in another nation’s politics, seemed to be taking on unnecessary responsibility—so I quickly turned my criticism toward the incompetent Liven Kingdom instead.
Lucio let out a short laugh, as if pleased that I was taking his side.
〈Don’t worry too much. I’m sharing the situation with the Marquis, and we’ll resolve it as quickly and quietly as possible.〉
He had contacted me out of concern that I might lose sleep waiting for news, and true to form, Lucio continued to reassure me until the very end.
‘Yet the man himself seems not to have rested for a moment since finishing our date.’
I expressed my worry and urged Lucio not to overexert himself.
After arranging for him to keep me informed of how matters progressed, I ended the communication.
‘But why has Duke Elrad come here?’
As I recalled Lucio’s promise to handle things quietly, I swallowed hard, and Duke Elrad opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“It appears something has occurred in the Diapel Marquisate.”
“What…?”
Mother’s eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately asked what had happened, but Duke Elrad shook his head.
“The details are classified. I cannot speak of them here.”
The fact that he had revealed even this much was already a considerable courtesy.
Yet for Mother, it was a thoroughly unsatisfying answer.
Naturally so—it involved her birth family, and her uncle was in the Marquis Territory.
Mother’s face flushed red and then pale in rapid succession, and she was about to raise her voice in protest.
“Is this related to Regina, by any chance?”
Grandfather suddenly asked.
“Why would Regina’s name suddenly come up here?”
Unlike Mother, who was bewildered, Duke Elrad showed a moment of surprise before nodding with a darkened expression.
“His Majesty awaits. I shall provide you with the details in the carriage on the way to the Imperial Palace.”
At the mention of entering the palace, not only Grandfather but our entire family was taken aback.
Grandfather swallowed hard for a moment before speaking.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
Just as Grandfather followed Duke Elrad away, leaving Mother’s desperate cries behind—”Explain yourself here, or we’ll go to the Imperial Palace together!”—I hastily thrust a glass vial into his hands.
“Grandfather! If you take this, it should help calm your nerves at least a little.”
I pressed the potion forward urgently.
I had prepared it beforehand, just in case.
‘I wish there had been no need for this….’
Lifting my head while barely suppressing my regret, I watched Grandfather offer me a faint reassuring smile before accepting the potion and turning to leave.
With Grandfather and Duke Elrad gone, a heavy silence settled over the Marquis Residence lobby.
It was Askart who broke that stillness.
“Lia, did you know what was going to happen?”
I nodded heavily.
Then I immediately offered a potion to Mother as well.
“Please take this first. I’ll explain everything to you step by step.”
And then to Father and my Older Brother.
‘They might be relatively less shocked than the others….’
But they were both rather delicate by nature, so it seemed wise to protect their hearts beforehand.
Recalling Askart, who had collapsed while standing with his eyes wide open, I sighed inwardly.
* * *
Inside the carriage heading to the Imperial Palace.
Duke Elrad suspected that the Previous Marquis would suffer a tremendous shock upon learning of the atrocities committed by Regina Amber—or rather, Stella, who had become Regina Diapel again after the divorce.
But it was far better to explain it himself first than to let the Emperor tell him after entering the palace.
Though he had already decided to do so, Duke Elrad hesitated for quite some time before finally opening his mouth.
And as expected.
“Your Lordship!”
“…I’m fine.”
After hearing the entire account, the Previous Marquis’s head spun momentarily, and he lost his balance, his body swaying.
Duke Elrad steadied him, grateful they were inside the carriage, but the Previous Marquis waved him off and straightened his spine again.
He drew several deep breaths in succession.
Thanks to the potion his precious granddaughter had given him, he could endure the overwhelming sense of despair that threatened to swallow him whole.
Of course, it was utterly devastating nonetheless.
‘Regina… that child, in the end….’
She had already crossed a line once, yet failed to come to her senses and committed another grave sin she could not bear.
‘It’s all because of me.’
The Previous Marquis could only blame himself once more.
In fact, not long ago, he had received word from his son Ivan.
Regina, whose whereabouts had been unknown since the divorce, had appeared at the Marquis Castle.
It was entirely unexpected, given that Regina had insisted on living in the Capital City rather than the Marquis Territory since childhood.
By that very fact, he could sense how dire her circumstances had become, how utterly lost she was.
No matter how much he severed ties and pretended not to know her… she was still his daughter.
Though he never showed it before his grandchildren or his eldest daughter and her husband, the Previous Marquis was consumed by guilt over his failure as a father, yet could not entirely release his concern for his second daughter.
He thought it would remain so until the day he died.
So when I heard that Ivan hadn’t coldly turned Regina away, but had instead welcomed her into the castle, provided her with a meal, and given her travel expenses, I found myself relieved without realizing it.
And from that moment on, I desperately hoped that Regina would finally abandon her greed, reflect on her actions, and live a better life.
But even that hope seemed to be nothing more than wishful thinking.
Perhaps I had known it all along.
The moment I heard that trouble had arisen in the Diapel Marquisate, Regina immediately came to mind.
Of course, she ended up committing acts that far surpassed anything I could have imagined….
As I exhaled a heavy sigh, the carriage came to a halt.
The Previous Marquis ignored Duke Elrad, whose eyes were filled with concern as he looked at me, and headed toward the grand hall.
There, I spotted Lucio in the midst of an animated conversation with the Emperor and Nicholas, and I faltered.
At the sight of Lucio offering a slight bow, the Previous Marquis couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
Now that I thought about it, how could I have overlooked this?
Even with leave granted, in the face of such a grave crisis, he should naturally have been present.
Perhaps the reason Lia was able to prepare the potion in advance was because she had received a hint from Lucio.
While Duke Elrad was unavoidable, the thought of appearing shameful before the man who would become my grandson-in-law made my chest tighten involuntarily.
But the incident had already occurred.
Not just Lucio, but the entire Empire would come to know of it.
That the bloodline of House Diapel—proud and honorable, having served as the Empire’s shield and guarded the borders for so long—had leaked classified information to a hostile nation and brought the Empire to the brink of crisis….
The thought of the stain my inadequate daughter would leave upon the family’s history made my heart feel as though it would tear apart.
Though I wished to cross into the Liven Kingdom myself and apprehend Regina, unable to do even that, the Previous Marquis, unable to bear the anguish any longer, fell to his knees.
“Your Majesty, I have failed to raise my child properly and brought upon you immeasurable distress. Please, impose your punishment upon me.”
I had never shown such weakness even before the late Emperor.
Having always fulfilled my duties with responsibility, I had never known shame for even a moment.
But now, I could not bring myself to lift my head.
It was then.
“Please, rise at once!”
Nicholas, who had been seated on the throne, hurried down and helped the Previous Marquis to his feet.
“I did not summon you to assign blame. To hold you responsible for the actions of a child you have already severed ties with would be far too harsh for one who has protected the Empire throughout his entire life.”
“But….”
“Besides, what matters most now is seeing results, is it not?”
Nicholas continued with a gentle smile.
“The Young Duke rarely disappoints, so let us set our minds at ease and wait and see.”
At those words, the Previous Marquis, realizing who was taking the lead in managing this crisis, felt his trembling gaze settle upon Lucio.

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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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