Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 45

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“Your Highness.”
Lucio’s brow furrowed.
Nicholas, who smiled knowingly in response, shifted the conversation and turned his gaze toward Diana.
“But shouldn’t you introduce us properly now? I’m a busy man, after all.”
Lucio’s expression was displeased, but he turned his head to look at Diana.
“Diana.”
“Mm.”
Diana’s face turned pouty at Lucio’s call, but having spent considerable time with the child, I could discern that she was merely shy.
It seemed that unlike Allen, with whom she’d grown up together, Lucio was someone she liked yet found unfamiliar.
Lucio, unbothered by Diana’s reaction, lifted her into his arms.
“This is the First Imperial Prince, His Highness Nicholas Lakshten. Greet him.”
Frightened at the prospect of facing a stranger, Diana quickly clung to Lucio’s neck.
Yet the way she nodded in greeting was absolutely endearing.
Nicholas seemed to share my sentiment, breaking into a broad smile.
“She’s truly adorable, isn’t she? Surely I can hold her just once?”
Is he insane?
“Are you mad?”
I was startled.
I thought I had failed to suppress my inner thoughts and had spoken them aloud.
Fortunately, it was not I who had uttered those words.
“Oh my. Lucio, even if I am a neglected prince, surely you needn’t be so harsh…”
Nicholas shook his head with a pitiful expression.
‘What kind of person is this?’
I released the tension I’d been holding due to his imperial status and regarded him with displeasure.
Nicholas Lakshten, the sole imperial prince and born second only to the First Imperial Princess, was seventeen—the same age as Lucio—and twelve years Diana’s senior.
‘Yet he’s still that vicious thief who targeted our Diana in the future!’
Of course, at present he could only find baby Diana adorable and mean her no harm, but still, something about him felt distinctly thief-like and unsettling.
“Put me down!”
At that moment, Diana, frustrated by how tightly Lucio was holding her, struck his arm and cried out.
The moment Lucio set her down, Diana rushed straight to me.
I embraced Diana as though shielding her from Nicholas, subtly turning my body away.
Nicholas let out a hollow laugh, but it was Lucio who spoke first.
“Now that you’ve seen enough, you may take your leave.”
“What?”
At Lucio’s abrupt dismissal, Nicholas’s expression turned bewildered.
“I’ve only just arrived, and you send me away without even offering tea?”
Nicholas, with his emerald eyes growing melancholic, looked utterly pitiful—especially to those who understood his circumstances, given the complicated affairs of the Imperial Palace and his mother’s origins.
Yet to my eyes, he remained nothing but a thief. Moreover, though he spoke of being a neglected prince with cunning charm, I suspected that his lighthearted demeanor was far from the entirety of who he was.
‘His relationship with Lucio is surely not merely that of friends.’
Among the information the Information Guild dealt in, the most lucrative and delicate matters were invariably those concerning the Imperial Family.
Understanding the relationships with high-ranking nobles, the intricate power dynamics, and the political landscape was paramount.
In Terenthium, an organization unparalleled in handling such intelligence, Nicholas Lakshten—a prince born of lowborn descent and the only legitimate heir, yet excluded from the succession dispute—had become a subject of keen interest.
More precisely, his ambitions.
Unlike other members of the imperial family, Nicholas’s unusual enrollment at the Academy led Terenthium to conclude that his motivations extended beyond merely seeking a path to survival without imperial aspirations.
Particularly given that his closest companion was Lucio Elrad, they harbored suspicions that perhaps House Elrad was covertly supporting Nicholas from behind the scenes.
Of course, since Duke Elrad—the Emperor’s sword—always maintained a position of neutrality and followed only the Emperor’s will, they didn’t dwell on it further.
Thus, few actually paid attention to Nicholas, and neither the Empress nor the First Princess regarded him as a threat.
‘But his movements became decidedly suspicious around the time I came of age.’
The seemingly unassuming Nicholas suddenly displayed extraordinary negotiating prowess in disputes with foreign powers, safeguarding vested interests, and through charitable endeavors, he won the hearts of the people and ultimately caught the Emperor’s eye.
“…?!”
At that moment, I sensed a faint magical aura emanating from Nicholas. It was something I hadn’t noticed in my previous life, having only glimpsed him from a distance a handful of times.
However, since it was refined magical power rather than pure mana, it appeared he was using a magical artifact. Considering the astronomical prices of such items….
‘Even if he’s treated poorly, he’s still imperial blood, I suppose?’
But his concealment was so masterful that I couldn’t discern which artifact he was employing.
“Sister…?”
As I stared intently at Nicholas out of curiosity, Diana suddenly tugged at my sleeve.
“Hmph.”
Diana, whose lips were pouting as if something displeased her, suddenly asked.
“Sister, our brother is handsome, isn’t he?”
“Pardon?”
“Hehe. Diana, why are you asking something so obvious?”
Allen made a strange expression, struggling to suppress his laughter. Diana seemed absolutely delighted.
Even as Allen glanced at me, seemingly waiting for my response, I was about to answer with a cool expression when—
“Sister, sister. Our brother is….”
Diana whimpered and tugged at Lucio’s sleeve instead.
“Huh! Diana!”
Allen, realizing the question wasn’t about him, clutched his chest with a shocked expression.
Yet Lucio’s face, held by Diana’s hand, showed no change in expression whatsoever.
“Huh? Our brother is handsome, isn’t he?”
As I remained silent in bewilderment, Diana, growing impatient, asked once more.
Blinking, unable to fathom why Diana was asking something she’d never asked before, I finally grasped the answer and smiled as I spoke.
“Of course. Since he resembles such a lovely young lady, the young master is certainly very handsome as well.”
“Hmm.”
Diana’s expression turned pouty, as if unsatisfied.
“Well, though I hate to admit it, Diana does resemble our older brother more than she resembles me.”
“Doesn’t the young lady resemble Duke Elrad rather than Lucio?”
As Allen, having successfully healed himself, shrugged and spoke, Nicholas countered. Then, as if realizing something, his eyes brightened.
“Ah! So that’s why she was so frightened!”
“Frightened?”
“Yes. This maid froze up and trembled the moment she saw Lucio. I suppose it was because he resembles the Duke.”
“Hmm.”
Allen tilted his head in confusion.
It seemed he couldn’t understand why I didn’t fear Duke Elrad as I normally did.
That was when it happened.
“Brother!”
Diana suddenly tugged at Lucio’s sleeve, calling out to him.
In that instant, an inexplicable sense of dread sent a chill down my spine.
‘Surely not….’
It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.
Contrary to my hopes, Diana’s lips parted with cruel inevitability.
“Brother, isn’t my sister pretty?”
No!
I barely suppressed the urge to scream, instead biting down hard on the soft flesh inside my mouth.
Though Diana had called me beautiful in front of many people before, this moment was by far the most mortifying.
Unable to lift my face from the shame, I felt Lucio’s gaze upon me.
His unwavering stare made it difficult to breathe.
Those infinitely cold, azure eyes pierced through me like frost-laden blades.
My throat began to sting inexplicably.
“No. You’re not pretty.”
I couldn’t trust my own ears. I tried not to show my shock, but my composure crumbled.
And without even understanding why I was so startled, indignation suddenly flared within me.
‘I know! I know I’m not pretty!’
But what’s with saying it so bluntly like that?
Still, I’m far cleaner than when we met as a beggar in my past life, my body bears no scars, and today I happened to wear a fine dress!
As I fumed inwardly, I suddenly wondered what on earth I was thinking.
“Not pretty…?”
Diana, seemingly even more shocked than I was, began to whimper.
Nicholas watched Diana’s round cheeks tremble, forcibly suppressed the smile rising to his lips, and reproached Lucio.
“Lucio, I knew you were honest, but… isn’t this too much? Wounding a young girl’s heart like this!”
You bastard, you’re worse than him…!
As a member of the imperial family, I couldn’t openly glare at him, so I swallowed my anger, but Allen spoke up as well.
“Wow, brother! Really, wow….”
…This fool can’t even speak properly.
And what’s with all this “wow” anyway?
Is he saying it’s admirable that you said it to her face, or that it’s too much?
As I grumbled to myself, the answer came swiftly.
“Lia, are you alright?”
Surprisingly, Allen asked me with a worried expression.
I answered, somewhat exasperated.
“Of course I’m fine. There’s even a young master who calls me a failure every day.”
“Puh, puh-hehehehe!”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Nicholas clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
Deeply displeased by the situation, I cast him a sullen glance before turning to Diana, who still wore a pouty expression.
“Miss Diana, let’s head back. We have time before dinner is prepared, so shall we play with dolls in the meantime?”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Diana’s mood brightened instantly, and she bounced excitedly while grasping my hand.
I bade farewell to Nicholas, Lucio, and Allen before turning to leave.
I made a mental note to ask Diana never again to compliment my appearance in front of others.
* * *
“Quite bold, isn’t she? I thought she’d be hurt.”
Nicholas watched the retreating figures of Lia and Diana, followed by Allen trailing behind them, before speaking.
“But Lucio, why did you do that? If you didn’t want to say anything insincere, you could have simply remained silent as you usually do.”
“….”
“At the Academy, you don’t say a word to those bothersome young ladies who prance about. You seem rather on edge today—is something the matter?”
“…No. Nothing at all.”
“Then why?”
“I’m not sure.”
It was at that moment when Nicholas narrowed his eyes with a questioning “Hmm?” at Lucio’s peculiar response.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————