Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 28

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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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“Ugh! How infuriating!”
Letisha threw a tantrum, hurling the child’s fan she’d been holding onto the carriage floor.
Baron Jude, Letisha’s father, immediately furrowed his brow at the sight.
“Letisha, can’t you behave yourself?”
“But this isn’t the dress I wanted!”
“Someone else already bought it—what do you expect me to do about that?”
“You should have bought it for me sooner!”
As she stamped her feet and cried out, Baron Jude clicked his tongue.
A dress of such exorbitant price was hardly within his family’s means!
The Baron, who had been glaring at his unreasonable young daughter, swallowed his urge to scold her harshly and spoke gently instead.
“How was I to know the Duke’s Castle gates would open like this? I thought His Excellency disliked gatherings, so I assumed we’d quietly head to the Capital City as usual. Had I known a banquet would be held, I would have purchased it long ago.”
Yet Letisha only leaped up at his words and cried out louder.
“So you’re saying you won’t buy me that dress unless it’s for a banquet at House Elrad? I hate you, Father!”
As his daughter grew even more unruly, Baron Jude pressed his forehead and shook his head, then spoke firmly.
“Letisha, stop that nonsense and compose yourself at once. You must make a good impression on the young lady. This is an opportunity that won’t come again!”
With the Valery Count Family and the vassal families loyal to them recently purged, several key positions in House Elrad’s retinue had opened up.
If his financially struggling family could secure even one of those positions, they might finally overcome their hardships.
“His Excellency cherishes the youngest lady, so if you conduct yourself well, our family will prosper. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Hmph!”
As Baron Jude watched Letisha turn away, he was about to lose his patience entirely.
The Baroness quickly opened her mouth to ease the tension.
“Come to think of it, wasn’t this whole incident triggered by a single word from the young lady’s beloved little maid?”
“Nonsense. That’s just an excuse. Don’t you know His Excellency has been displeased with Count Valery, who held power in the Council of Elders? He’s simply a meritorious family who rose to prominence long ago, so it took time to deal with him properly.”
As Baron Jude dismissed her with a click of his tongue, the Baroness smiled bitterly but continued.
“But according to the rumors I’ve heard, both the young lady and the Duchess seem quite fond of that commoner child. And there’s talk that the girl discovered some rare medicinal herb that supposedly only exists in legends, causing quite a stir. She might be quite remarkable. Perhaps she’ll receive patronage….”
“Bah! What skills could an untrained commoner girl possibly have to receive House Elrad’s patronage? It’s all baseless gossip.”
In the end, Baron Jude merely twitched his mustache, dismissing it as nothing more than the young lady’s affection.
In truth, the incident of Diana’s disappearance had been carefully contained within House Elrad to prevent future rumors.
The key retainers belonging to the Council of Elders knew all the details regarding Sid Valery, but other retainers were only informed of the disappearance itself, and the details were especially kept from spreading to other regions and noble families.
As a low-ranking retainer, Baron Jude had no way of knowing what treatment Lia received within House Elrad.
Similarly, Letisha, who knew little about Lia, inwardly nodded at Baron Jude’s words.
Recently, in the salons where young noble ladies and gentlemen gathered, the story of the youngest princess’s commoner maid—whom she had picked up from outside and favored—had become the talk of the town.
They all remembered how the finicky youngest princess had shaken her head at them, saying, “You look scary! I don’t want to play!”
Everyone was curious about just how beautiful a child must be to catch the eye of such a princess.
Hearing she was around Letisha’s own age, the girl who had so easily captivated the young lady seemed utterly detestable to her.
‘This was supposed to be my chance to win the young lady’s heart.’
She deeply regretted missing out on the dress she had carefully selected, and felt hurt that her father didn’t understand her feelings.
Upon hearing they had arrived, Letisha stepped down from the carriage and widened her eyes.
The Duke’s Castle, which she visited after so long, remained as splendid and beautiful as ever.
Letisha’s eyes widened in astonishment as she stepped into the Banquet Hall, her excitement reaching its peak. And then she spotted it.
‘That dress!’
It was the very dress she had yearned for these past several months.
It was unmistakably the gown she had set her sights on to impress the young lady at today’s banquet—this girl had stolen it right from under her nose.
Tap, tap.
“…?”
As she approached the child and lightly tapped her shoulder with her fan, a girl with an awkward demeanor turned her head.
Her innocent, deep brown eyes blinked in a manner that was somewhat endearing, though not particularly beautiful.
Letisha, secretly relieved, lifted her chin haughtily and inquired.
“Which noble house do you hail from, young lady?”
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I never imagined I would be this busy on the day of House Elrad’s banquet.
Having fallen asleep late the previous night, consumed with thoughts of what awaited me in the Capital City, I awoke in shock as maids arrived at the crack of dawn.
Diana was still young, so she shouldn’t require the same preparations as the other noble young ladies.
Bewildered as I opened my eyes, I found myself utterly overwhelmed as the maids suddenly began washing and adorning me.
The staff from the Clothing Store would have no reason to confuse me with Diana, nor would the maids of Duke’s Castle who lived alongside us.
Yet why were they preparing me instead of Diana?
Unable to comprehend the reason, I tilted my head in confusion, but the maids merely smiled knowingly without uttering a word.
Not until I discovered the dress that had been delivered from the Clothing Store.
“We went through considerable effort to create this in the same design as the young lady’s, completing it by the day of the banquet.”
As the designer from the Clothing Store spoke, the Duchess Elrad, who had come to see me in my new attire, laughed and offered additional compensation for their trouble.
At those words, I realized this entire affair was her plan.
Then I noticed Diana peeking out from behind the Duchess Elrad, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“Sister, why are you like that?”
“Because you’re so beautiful!”
Diana spoke shyly with a bashful smile before suddenly rushing forward and embracing me.
The child wore an identical pink dress adorned with frills and jewels.
“My, the two of you look absolutely adorable like this. I would believe you were sisters.”
The Duchess Elrad gazed at us in our matching dresses and smiled.
Truthfully, the other maids didn’t seem to share that sentiment, but my heart felt lighter nonetheless.
Of course, I didn’t delude myself into thinking that wearing the same dress made me as precious as Diana.
I was simply delighted by the warmth the Duchess Elrad showed me.
“Diana and I will need to make our entrance a bit later. Could you go in first and wait for us?”
“Yes!”
I answered eagerly.
When the banquet began, the Duke’s immediate family—the Duke, Duchess Elrad, Allen, and Diana—would make their grand entrance together, and I had no intention of tactlessly inserting myself into that moment.
Yet young Diana found it difficult to accept being separated from me, her lips pouting slightly.
Only after I had soothed her for some time did Diana turn away, taking the Duchess Elrad’s hand.
After that, I followed the maids toward the Banquet Hall.
Having donned the same dress as Diana, I could hardly work while wearing an apron, so I awkwardly positioned myself against the wall and surveyed the lavishly decorated hall.
The space that the Duchess Elrad had meticulously arranged over several days with the butler was truly beautiful.
‘Once we depart for the Capital City, this place will remain unused for quite some time.’
Perhaps even longer than that.
In my previous life, after the Duchess Elrad passed away, Diana spent all her time in the Capital City.
Naturally, the lights of the Banquet Hall in Duke’s Castle, now without its mistress, would never have been lit.
But in this life, I was resolute—I would never allow such a thing to happen.
Tap, tap.
When someone touched my shoulder and I turned around, I was startled.
‘It’s that girl from the Clothing Store….’
“Which noble house do you hail from, young lady?”
The girl who had shrieked at me before didn’t seem to remember me at all.
‘Her tone is different too.’
Unlike when she had squealed, she now spoke with the refined manner of a grown noblewoman, and I found myself momentarily dumbfounded.
‘More importantly, did she just call me a young lady?’
“I am….”
I hastily opened my mouth to explain.
“The Lord of the House and his family are entering.”
With a loud announcement, the doors to the Banquet Hall swung open.
Everyone stood with proper decorum to receive the members of House Elrad.
I too had bowed my head, but I couldn’t resist lifting it slightly to catch a glimpse of Diana’s dignified entrance.
With her hair adorably draped on both sides of her face, Diana carried herself with pride as she nestled into Duke Elrad’s embrace.
Though the retainers surely knew of the Duke’s affection for his daughter, I could sense many of them holding their breath in surprise.
I recalled how I too had been astonished when I first witnessed his behavior toward her.
‘Though I’ve grown accustomed to it now.’
Duke Elrad, whom I had once vaguely feared, was not as terrifying as I had imagined.
Of course, he still appeared indifferent and sharp, and I knew there was cruelty beneath that facade, yet he no longer seemed as unsettling as before.
It was a change that even surprised me.
That was when it happened.
My eyes met Allen’s directly. At the same moment, I saw him hesitate and turn away.
‘He’s still quite upset, it seems.’
I resolved that I absolutely must apologize to him today.
“Lia! I missed you so much!”
Upon spotting me, Diana descended from the Duke’s arms and rushed toward me, embracing me tightly.
“Young lady…?”
The girl standing before me murmured in shock.
Diana paid her no mind and rubbed her cheek against mine, like a beloved kitten seeking affection.
“…That’s impossible.”
The girl, her voice still trembling, began to scrutinize me from head to toe.
Her gaze was so blatant that when I turned my head away, she fixed me with a sharp, piercing stare.
Despite her youth, her eyes gleamed with such venom that I stiffened in alarm, prompting Diana to position herself protectively in front of me.
“Why are you tormenting our sister, you wretched creature!”

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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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