Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 47

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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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Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
At the voice from within, Lucio stepped into the Study.
Duke Elrad sat before his desk, his face heavy with exhaustion—evidence of a night spent buried in administrative duties.
“You’ve arrived earlier than expected.”
“Yes.”
“Did you lose sleep as well? You look tired.”
The Duke rose from his seat and settled onto the sofa as he spoke.
My son’s face, bearing such a striking resemblance to my own, was like gazing into a mirror—equally haggard, with that same peculiar darkness shadowing the hollows beneath his eyes.
“Tsk. You’ve only just returned home after so long, and you won’t even rest properly.”
“I did sleep. I merely tossed about a bit.”
“Could it be that you were too excited to meet family after all this time?”
“….”
Deeming the question unworthy of response, Lucio offered only a cold, piercing gaze in reply.
And he proceeded directly to the matter at hand.
“So, what is it you wished to discuss?”
“Impatient, aren’t you? Here I thought you’d be warmer toward family after such a long absence, yet you remain so distant. I wonder where you picked up such a temperament.”
The Duke shook his head, not expecting the charm that came so naturally to Diana, nor the playful wit that made Allen entertaining—only this taciturn eldest son.
Yet Lucio’s expression remained utterly unchanged.
Instead, his unwavering gaze seemed to carry an unspoken question: “I wonder whom I take after?” The Duke hastily cleared his throat at the implication.
It was painfully obvious—Lucio resembled him in appearance and temperament alike.
Realizing he’d said something awkward, the Duke shifted to the main topic.
“You’ve likely heard, but much has transpired in the Territory.”
As the heir to House Elrad, Lucio was privy to all matters of importance, yet hearing it directly from the Duke was different. So he began to explain, methodically recounting the events of recent days.
From the rescue of the missing Diana, to the expulsion of Sid Valery and House Valery, to the banquet held with gathered retainers and the discovery of rare medicinal herbs in the Territory.
And among all these incidents, there was one child whose story could not be omitted.
“So, Father, regarding that….”
“Lia. The child’s name is Lia.”
“…In any case, you’ve explained at such tedious length your desire to sponsor that child?”
“What do you mean ‘tedious length’? It’s decided. The girl is too precious to remain merely a maid. She’s clever, remarkably talented. Whatever is taught to her, she will excel at it.”
“….”
At the Duke’s unequivocal words—spoken by a man who rarely allowed anyone close save family—Lucio fell silent. And he recalled the moment he first encountered Lia yesterday.
In that instant, he had felt something utterly incomprehensible.
A pain as though his heart were being carved away by a blade, a deep resentment welling up from within, and…longing.
Even now, thinking of that child, his chest throbbed with a dull, aching sensation.
Lucio, feigning ignorance of such pain, slowly opened his mouth.
“Then sponsor her as you see fit. Must you consult me on such matters? Have you already grown so frail with age?”
“What? Is that how you speak? You’ve always lacked manners, but today seems particularly severe. Is it just my mood?”
“….”
Lucio closed his mouth and turned his head away.
Duke Elrad let out a hollow laugh, but seeing his son’s profile—sharper and more irritable than usual, likely from lack of sleep—he spoke again with generosity.
“Why wouldn’t I have tried to persuade her? I’ve already been refused.”
“She refused the Back Garden position?”
“Yes. She said she wanted to be a maid instead. When I told her to say what she wanted, she asked me to prepare a maid’s uniform. You can imagine how absurd I found that.”
Duke Elrad sighed, thinking of Lia.
“She’s still young, and since Diana cherishes her, everyone will treat her well enough. But the child has such a stubborn nature that I worry she’ll bring trouble upon herself. Yet I can’t force her to study something she doesn’t want to do either.”
“…So what is it you wish to tell me?”
“Ahem. You’ll need to step in.”
Lucio looked at Duke Elrad as if he didn’t understand what he meant.
“Allen is older than Lia, but mentally he’s far behind. All he does is tease her—he lacks the finesse to handle delicate matters tactfully. And even if he tried, I doubt Lia would listen to Allen.”
“So… surely you’re not asking me to persuade that child?”
As Lucio narrowed his eyes and asked, Duke Elrad smiled as if to say why not.
“Lia is infatuated with Diana above all others. You resemble Diana, and I hear you’re quite popular with the young ladies at the Academy. The maids seem to favor you as well.”
“…”
“Since you’re attending the Academy now, couldn’t you bring it up naturally? The curriculum, or even the facilities…”
“Diana takes after you, not me. And since you’ve already failed, why are you asking this of me? Besides.”
Lucio spoke sharply.
“That child is afraid of me.”
“…Afraid of you?”
At his father’s bewildered question, Lucio’s brow furrowed slightly.
When I first saw the child trembling in fear, I had naturally assumed, as Nicholas had suggested, that it was because of my notoriously fearsome father.
But at dinner last evening, the child showed no sign of fear when looking at my father.
‘Rather, she seemed faintly pleased.’
I myself have a cold impression, so most people find it difficult to approach me easily.
But I have never become an object of terror like my father.
‘So why…’
Lucio let out a small sigh as he looked at Duke Elrad, whose face still bore a question mark.
“If I speak to her, it may have the opposite effect. This matter should be handled by someone else. Ah, perhaps Mother would be better. I saw yesterday that they get along well.”
Duke Elrad, who had been staring at Lucio with a surprised expression the whole time, asked in a puzzled voice.
“It seems like you’re upset about something. What on earth has put you in such a mood?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Indeed, one lives long enough to see everything. To think I’d witness such a side of you.”
“If you’re finished speaking, I’ll take my leave.”
As Duke Elrad continued with his teasing remarks, as if he’d found an opening, Lucio rose from his seat.
And as Lucio reached for the door handle to leave, he paused and turned back.
“By the way.”
“…?”
“If that child agrees to the Back Garden position, does that mean she’ll be leaving this house?”
At Lucio’s question, Duke Elrad was startled.
I had never given that matter any thought whatsoever.
In truth, House Elrad spared no expense in supporting those they patronized, providing everything from basic living stipends to furnished quarters complete with servants, should they desire it.
But the Duke immediately shook his head and spoke.
“He’s still too young to be sent away. Whether he attends the Gifted Institute under the Academy or studies magic, he will remain at the Duke’s Mansion. Diana won’t manage without Lia either.”
At his resolute answer, delivered without hesitation, Lucio nodded in acknowledgment.
“Very well then.”
With that settled, Lucio departed the Study, his footsteps falling into an easy rhythm.
The Duke’s Mansion in the Capital City was a place he knew intimately—where he had spent his childhood before entering the Academy.
Moreover, even after moving into the Dormitory, he always had a designated room reserved for his visits, so he moved through the halls without the slightest hesitation.
Just then, as Lucio walked briskly forward, he suddenly furrowed his brow and pressed his fingers lightly against his eyes before releasing them.
Last night’s dreams had been turbulent, waking him midway through and robbing him of proper sleep.
Upon waking, he couldn’t recall what the dream had been about, but one thing was certain—it had left him with an unsettling feeling.
‘Unsettling,’ he thought.
In truth, it was a complex tangle of emotions that couldn’t be defined so simply, but he lacked the leisure to dwell deeply on a dream he could barely remember.
He had far too much to accomplish.
* * *
“Truly? The Library in the Main Building, not the Annex Building?”
Lia asked again, her voice trembling with barely contained excitement.
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, no! Not at all!”
If anything, she felt like she might burst with joy.
“That place houses only precious books, so you must maintain the temperature and humidity carefully. Not a speck of dust. Understood?”
“Yes, yes! I will!”
Lia nodded eagerly at the senior maid’s words, forcibly suppressing the smile that threatened to spread across her face.
She feared that if she showed too much enthusiasm, they might refuse to assign her the library cleaning duties next time.
It was bitter to be in a position where she couldn’t openly express her joy, yet at this very moment, the prospect of visiting the library filled her with such happiness.
‘And not just any library—the private collection of House Elrad, accessible only to direct family members!’
As an ancient and distinguished house, House Elrad’s library was impressive in scale alone, but the quality of its collection filled her with anticipation.
Rumor had it that they possessed rare manuscripts rivaling even the Imperial Palace Library, and the thought of viewing such treasures without self-consciousness made her heart race.
‘The Duke is always so busy, and Allen despises books, so no one will be there!’
She had thought she would need to wait much longer for Diana to grow before visiting that place, so this unexpected fortune seemed almost unreal.
Just then, the other maids smiled knowingly and urged Lia to hurry off and begin the cleaning.
And as her figure receded, they whispered to one another.
“The young master really does hate being disturbed.”
“No matter how much the Duchess and young lady protect that girl, he’ll surely issue a stern warning.”
Lia, brimming with excitement, remained oblivious to the maids’ snickering and sinister laughter.
She didn’t know that the library, which had always stood empty and unvisited, was actually where Lucio spent far more time than in his own chambers.

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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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