Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 279

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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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Even amid the chaos, I caught sight of a woman with sky-blue hair slipping covertly up the staircase, evading the eyes of others.
It was none other than the Former Countess—the very architect of today’s catastrophe.
‘She’s definitely going to retrieve the classified documents from House Diapel!’
I had initially assumed she’d surrendered all her information long ago. But I was wrong.
Fearing she would be used and discarded, she had hidden something away in secret.
‘Of course, she already revealed my Uncle’s schedule to the Capital.’
Even that alone was an unforgivable transgression.
At least we’d discovered it before the assault—had we not, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
Admittedly, the Diapel Marquisate boasted formidable military strength, and its gates, walls, and armaments were famously maintained with meticulous care, so I doubted the castle would fall so easily even with my Uncle absent. Still, no fortress, however impregnable, could withstand an army without its commander—a ship without its sail.
An army without a commander was like a ship without a sail.
Especially if the assault’s cause became known—that it stemmed from the lord’s negligence, orchestrated by none other than trusted blood of House Diapel—morale could shatter, and the battle’s outcome would become uncertain.
‘Had things spiraled that far, it would have been nearly impossible to salvage.’
Grateful that hadn’t come to pass, I suppressed my presence and followed the Former Countess.
Though I’d deliberately ordered her not to be apprehended, the Former Countess—bearing the martial lineage of House Diapel—moved with unexpected swiftness, entering what appeared to be a study.
She surveyed her surroundings, cautiously approached the bookshelf along the wall, bent down, and withdrew a single book. From within it, she extracted a thick bundle, muttering to herself.
“Good thing I hid this. At least I didn’t hand this over, so surely they’ll show some leniency… Ugh!”
The Former Countess, struck from behind, lost consciousness and crumpled instantly.
I’d incapacitated her with a precise blow to the nape of her neck, swiftly claiming the classified documents while clicking my tongue.
“Mother and daughter—equally delusional even now.”
Turning away and marveling at their resemblance, I spotted Rose, Darel’s information agent, dressed in the same black robe as me, pursuing from behind.
Not only Rose, but Darel’s guild members—cloaked in black robes to conceal their identity as agents of the Information Guild—were stationed at the doorway and throughout the corridor.
‘It seems my arrival transformed this mission from reconnaissance into a protection detail.’
For a moment, I wondered if coming had been a mistake, but there was no time for such thoughts.
“Handle the cleanup.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it!”
Entrusting the Former Countess to Rose, whose eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, I departed the study.
Both inside the devastated mansion and without, fierce combat raged.
Particularly at the main gate, where the Deposed King of Liven attempted immediate escape upon detecting the Empire’s assault, while defenders scrambled to block his flight.
And there, in that very place, stood the person I sought.
‘My Uncle!’
Sky-blue hair and teal eyes. His imposing frame and features were unmistakable—I could only imagine Grandfather must have looked much the same in his youth.
The Former Countess shared the same hair and eye color, yet I’d never felt kinship toward her.
My Uncle was different.
Meeting my other family for the first time after exchanging only letters all these years—my heart raced with excitement.
‘I was right to come.’
I immediately dismissed the regret I’d felt moments before.
The moment I learned that House Diapel’s Knight Order had crossed into the Liven Kingdom, I’d known coming here would let me see my Uncle, but the reality far exceeded my expectations.
I wanted nothing more than to reveal myself as Adriana right then and there.
Yet I carefully adjusted the robe I wore, fearful my face might be glimpsed.
I didn’t wish for our first meeting to occur amid such devastation—with my sister’s betrayal and my cousin’s complicity—and besides, my presence here was meant to remain secret.
‘Even if House Diapel is my maternal family, if it’s discovered that the Crown Princess Bellus was involved, it could become an unnecessary point of contention.’
Concealing my identity in this manner, I watched my Uncle fight, my eyes narrowing slightly.
The blade of my Uncle, who wielded the swordsmanship of House Diapel, was extraordinarily sharp.
Yet it scarcely touched the Deposed King of Liven’s Sword Master Bodyguard.
The same held true not only for my Uncle but for the others as well.
‘That person… they seem like a Sword Master?’
Now I understood how the Deposed King of Liven had escaped prison and what audacity had driven him to attempt this war.
With one of the continent’s rare Sword Masters under his command, he must have believed it was worth attempting.
Moreover, appearing older than both Jack and Allen, his blade certainly exuded seasoned expertise.
So it seemed he believed the fight was worth pursuing even with those two present.
‘How naive.’
Even among Sword Masters, there existed hierarchy.
From what I could discern, this Sword Master Bodyguard was inferior in skill compared to Allen and Jack.
Yet he remained an opponent beyond the reach of ordinary knights.
Multiple assailants surrounded and attacked him, but no opening appeared easily.
My Uncle, who wielded aura, was visibly beginning to struggle.
His jaw clenched rigid, and I saw my Grandfather’s features reflected in his face.
“….”
When I had told Lucio I would visit this place briefly, I had promised never to involve myself in combat and to prioritize my safety above all.
‘But surely offering a little assistance wouldn’t be unreasonable?’
In the moment of my deliberation, a blade thrust sharply toward my Uncle’s chest.
I moved my hands swiftly.
Simultaneously, invisible chains of mana surged from the ground, binding the Sword Master Bodyguard’s arms tightly.
At the sudden halt of the attack, bewilderment flickered across both the Sword Master Bodyguard’s face and my Uncle’s.
But my Uncle quickly erased his shock and launched a counterattack with tremendous speed.
Of course, the Sword Master Bodyguard immediately twisted his body to evade—
“Ugh!”
Yet I instantly bound his legs as well, leaving him no choice but to accept my Uncle’s strike directly.
As the knight fell to his knees with a blade through his shoulder, the Deposed King of Liven he had been protecting was naturally subdued by the other knights in short order.
Watching the Deposed King, who seemed unable to believe this situation, being dragged away while repeatedly crying out “What is this!”, I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Hehe, I’ll have to boast about this to Lucio later!’
I was collecting my mana, feeling quite pleased with my own performance, when—
Suddenly I felt a gaze upon me. Turning my head, I found my Uncle, having subdued the Deposed King’s Sword Master Bodyguard, staring directly at me.
“Hmm….”
With my face completely hidden beneath the hood of my robe, there was no way he could recognize me.
Yet under his piercing stare, I instinctively turned my body slightly—only to belatedly notice the classified documents I was holding.
As if I had never been hiding, I rushed toward my Uncle in quick strides.
Then, with both hands, I respectfully offered them to him.
“Do you know what this is before giving it to me?”
I nodded silently instead of speaking, offering it again, and my Uncle lowered his gaze to look at my hands.
Before I could even wonder if that pause seemed a touch prolonged, my Uncle answered with a curt “Much obliged,” and took the thick bundle from me.
Watching the Diapel Marquis Family’s treasure—more precious than gold itself—finally settle safely into my Uncle’s hands, I felt my shoulders drop with relief.
When I glanced subtly around, I noticed the Diapel Marquis Knights observing with the same sense of relief as mine, while the Liven Kingdom’s knights, though feigning indifference, could not quite hide their disappointment.
Though we had formed a temporary alliance due to the crisis, it was abundantly clear that we could never truly be on the same side.
‘I was right to come after all.’
I had been anxious that someone might harbor ulterior motives amid the chaos, so I came in person—and it proved to be a sound decision.
Of course, Lucio would not see it that way….
‘He must be worried even now.’
He had even said he would rather go himself if he were not obligated to remain at the Imperial Palace.
I needed to contact Lucio at once and assure him that everything had concluded safely without incident.
I fingered the communication device in my pocket and quietly withdrew into the shadows.
* * *
At that very moment, in the Imperial Palace.
Marquis Diapel stifled a sigh that threatened to burst forth.
It had already been hours.
Hours of waiting for results while facing the Emperor—a man of seemingly boundless kindness.
‘Is this my punishment?’
He had certainly asked for it himself.
His sincerity in that request was beyond question, and yet….
This was truly exquisite torment.
Though he complained inwardly, his body was anything but uncomfortable—it was, in fact, luxuriously at ease.
The Grand Hall had no available seating, so at Nicholas’s suggestion, he had moved to the Emperor’s Reception Room long ago.
He sat upon a plush sofa, savoring a dessert crafted by the Imperial pastry chef.
‘This is hardly the time for such indulgence…’
The Emperor kept insisting he not worry, offering reassurance, and when Marquis Diapel refused the refreshments, the Emperor made it clear—not quite a threat, but close enough—that he himself would not eat unless his guest did.
With his body at ease but his mind in turmoil, this felt like a new form of torture altogether.
Even as he thought it might be preferable to be locked in a cell, Marquis Diapel brought the fork to his lips, then paused, and without realizing it, closed his eyes as if savoring the taste.
‘It is admittedly delicious.’

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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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