Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 39

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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’d almost foolishly fallen for it again. The maidservant had an ulterior motive all along.
I knew that whenever the maidservants went to the Dormitory, they’d take a wide detour around the Training Grounds just for a chance to glimpse the knights, even from a distance.
They had to content themselves with those distant views, but today, since I was being sent on an errand inside the Training Grounds itself, they wanted to use the excuse of helping me to slip inside and get a proper look.
“I can go alone.”
I spoke to the maidservant, whose eyes were gleaming with anticipation, my tone deliberately curt.
To be honest, carrying an enormous picnic basket laden with food and heavy dishes alone would have been impossible.
“What? Alone? How do you expect to carry all this by yourself?”
The maidservant, thinking I was being stubborn, raised her voice in surprise.
But whether it was because my mind had grown as small as my body, I had no desire to indulge her selfish whims.
As I grunted and lifted the basket, a sharp voice rang out from behind me: “I really hate her!”
‘I hate you too.’
I shrugged and stepped outside the building. Then I immediately cast a weight-reduction spell on the picnic basket.
‘Now this terrifying thing is nothing but cotton candy, mwahahaha!’
I giggled mischievously and moved quickly.
Somehow, I was using magic far more practically than I had as an informant.
‘Honestly, when Master was teaching me, I thought it was strange that he’d refuse to give me difficult assignments but would teach me so many different things.’
Realizing anew that knowledge is always worth gaining, I’d been walking for quite some time when I entered the Training Grounds and immediately dispelled the spell.
“Young Master, Jack!”
The moment I called his name, Jack came running.
“I’ll carry it.”
‘Just as expected.’
Jack was truly a knight among knights. I was glad I’d dispelled the spell, anticipating his help.
Jack looked at me with wide eyes, seemingly surprised by how much heavier the basket was than expected, but I pretended not to notice.
Instead, I looked at Allen standing in the distance, and his deeply furrowed brow made me uneasy.
‘Surely he didn’t call me here to actually torment me…?’
As I approached him with suspicion, Allen, whose eyes had been sharp and menacing, suddenly began whistling and leaned on one leg as he spoke.
“So you two really are like that, huh?”
What is this brat talking about?
I was left speechless by his absurdly lighthearted teasing, which made me want to shout nonsense in response.
But then I noticed Jack’s face turning bright red beside me, and I realized my mistake.
Unlike me, who’d heard Jade say far worse things about Master—that I was seducing him, showing off, and so on—Jack was an innocent boy. Moreover, I couldn’t let him be misunderstood because of me.
‘What if rumors spread later about complicated relationships, and he can’t even confess to Diana, or gets rejected?’
Among the men who’d shown interest in Diana, Jack—who was only half the age difference—seemed far better than that thieving prince who was twelve years older than her.
Of course, if we’re being fair, Prince Fairunt, who’d been the most enthusiastically pursuing her and was her age, would be the best match, but still—what’s friendship if not this?
“That’s not it at all! I’d rather not hear such things said.”
‘This is my friendship and loyalty on display!’
I drew a clear line with Allen, then turned back to Jack with a triumphant expression.
But Jack was looking at me with a face even redder than before, wearing a strange expression I’d never seen from him.
He seemed confused, yet also angry somehow.
‘Why is the kid making such a complicated expression?’
A child should be a child, but it was clear that she’d matured far too quickly from enduring so much hardship.
‘From now on, things will only get harder as she grows to love the Duke’s beloved daughter, adored by all.’
I felt a pang of sympathy wash over me as I gazed at her with tender concern.
Suddenly, Allen burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking, and pulled a drink from the picnic basket to hand to Jack.
“Jack, you look absolutely parched.”
“….”
Jack stared at the cup without a word, then drained it in one long gulp.
‘I’m not even warm.’
The weather had been pleasant and cool during our journey here—it felt more like a leisurely stroll than anything else.
But Jack seemed genuinely thirsty.
Then Allen seated me nearby and handed me a sandwich.
“Eat. Enjoy the view while you do.”
Delighted by Allen’s sudden generosity, I forgot my earlier suspicions of him and eagerly accepted the sandwich, thinking to myself:
‘Someone who gives you food is a good person!’
I watched as Allen dragged Jack, whose complexion had looked off, away to spar.
Jack’s eyes seemed to burn with an intense fire.
The two of them clearly harbored a sense of rivalry and trained with fierce determination.
‘Ah, the future of the Lexion Knights looks bright in this life as well.’
I thought to myself.
* * *
After the sparring session ended, Allen, who had afternoon lessons, left first.
I waited until Jack finished organizing his weapons, then handed him the remaining sandwiches and fruit.
The knights’ meals were surely adequate, but he was still growing and might get hungry at night.
‘It would be even better if he shared them with the other knights and grew closer to them.’
Watching Jack reminded me of how I used to stand apart from others at the Guild. Perhaps it was because I’d seen him struggle to fit in with the other trainees before.
I hadn’t managed it myself, but I hoped Jack would get along well with his fellow knights.
Fortunately, Jack accepted without much fuss, thanking me quietly. Then he insisted on carrying the picnic basket back for me, though I wasn’t particularly pleased about it.
‘That sparring match looked incredibly intense.’
I’d thought that since both Allen and Jack were barely ten years old, their sparring would be nothing more than child’s play—a grave miscalculation on my part.
I could have made the return journey far more comfortable by using a lightening spell, but Jack stubbornly insisted on carrying it himself, which meant we had to walk all the way back to the Dormitory. It was a waste of time and effort in every way.
‘I could have rested more during that time and reviewed today’s sparring session.’
But the stubborn boy wouldn’t listen to my insistence that he could go alone.
In the end, I found myself trailing behind Jack, my mind drifting as I began to mentally replay the sparring match I’d just witnessed.
‘Jack’s improved far faster than I expected, but he still has plenty of openings.’
Of course, it was inevitable given that they’d learned different material up to this point.
What surprised me was that Jack, whom I’d thought was composed, seemed to have a surprisingly hasty temperament, making careless mistakes throughout the match.
Then again, recalling the sword evaluations of both of them from my previous life, this was entirely predictable.
Both Jack and Allen were called geniuses of the century, masters of the blade, but their natures were completely different.
Most praised Jack’s sword as fast and sharp, while Allen’s was described as heavy and lethal.
Seeing Allen’s playful and hot-tempered nature, I’d privately wondered if something was amiss, but witnessing him today, I was surprised to see he possessed a more serious side, just as the evaluations suggested.
‘Anyway, they’ll both become exceptional knights soon enough.’
They would develop as good rivals for each other, and sometimes as friends.
I turned my head, thinking it was a very desirable relationship.
“Jack…? Are you hurt? Did something happen?”
Jack’s expression had grown quite dark. Concerned, I rose on my toes to examine his face, and suddenly his pale cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
‘Did his body suffer from such an intense sparring match?’
I hastily reached out and placed my hand on Jack’s forehead. He flinched and drew in a sharp breath.
“You don’t have a fever, though…”
I tilted my head in confusion, but Jack suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled it away.
“Ah, you really are hurt.”
I frowned as I looked at Jack’s hand holding mine.
The sparring must have been fierce—his palm was torn open. Beyond that, I could see countless small wounds and scars accumulated from training.
“What should I do? Does it hurt a lot?”
As I examined his hand this way and that with concern, Jack suddenly withdrew it. Then he asked with a serious expression.
“Lia, do you perhaps have romantic feelings for Allen?”
“What?”
“Social status is strictly observed. Even if Allen is close to you now, a mere maidservant…”
Upon grasping the meaning of his words, I wore an expression of utter bewilderment.
“Are you seriously asking if I romantically like Allen right now?”
Did all the children suffer from heat exhaustion today? Allen was one thing, but Jack too?
I revise my earlier assessment of their relationship.
Jack has become strange!
Looking at Jack, whose face was tense for some reason, I spoke honestly.
“Honestly, I can’t say this to anyone else, but…”
“…Yes.”
“Allen feels like a younger brother to me.”
“What? Allen is the same age as me…and older than you?”
“Well, what does that matter? He’s still very much a child. And I heard from the Mistress that he still sleeps hugging a doll.”
Jack’s mouth fell open.
He must be shocked too. After all, he’d just learned an enormous secret about someone he considered a rival.
‘I’m sorry, Allen. But I think of this as punishment for making Jack act so strangely.’
After a moment, Jack, having finally composed himself, asked with a calm expression.
“Then what about me?”
“You? What about you?”
“Do I feel like a younger brother too?”
“No, you’re a friend.”
Jack, who had been pondering my words with a subtle expression, soon smiled faintly.
“That’s a relief.”
I nodded and recalled the absurd question Jack had asked moments before.
Since the other person was Allen, it was simply amusing, but thinking about it, Jack seemed to have genuinely wrestled with this concern.
I worried that my friend from the Orphanage, who’d come all this way with me, might suffer heartache when confronted with the wall of social status.
‘He’s truly a good person, but he doesn’t realize that no one can predict their own future—yet here he is, worrying about others instead.’
Of course, Jack would be adopted by Taize, and after his knighting, he’d receive a title and escape his commoner status.
Besides, I had no reason to worry about such matters for myself.
‘I know my place well and maintain proper boundaries.’
In my previous life, I’d had no luxury for such rational affection—no room for those kinds of feelings. Simply earning recognition for my abilities had been burden enough.
And in this life, I harbored no grand expectations either.
‘Who would ever look at me in that way, anyway?’

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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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