Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 54

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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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“Hmm?”
Lucio’s brow furrowed slightly at my sudden question.
Only then did I realize, with a start, what I’d just done.
Any maidservant in her right mind would never ask the young master such a thing.
I was biting my lip, about to hastily retract my words.
“Well, I suppose it’s become a habit.”
To my surprise, the answer flowed smoothly from Lucio’s lips.
“I’ve lived in the Capital City since childhood, and back then, she wasn’t the Head Maidservant.”
“….”
“When I tried to change how I addressed her later, she insisted on being called by her name instead. I simply went along with it without much thought… But why are you asking?”
Faced with this unexpectedly kind response, I blinked blankly.
His expression remained impassive, yet somehow it felt remarkably gentle.
Emboldened by this, I rolled my eyes and asked again.
“Then, might the young master find the Duchess uncomfortable?”
“What?”
His face showed he didn’t understand the intent of my question at all.
A moment later, he let out a short laugh.
“Are you seriously asking me if I find the Head Maidservant more familiar than my own mother?”
He rested his chin on one hand, looking at me.
“There’s no way you’d think something so absurd. Did Mother say something?”
His sharp question made me flinch, and I quickly lowered my head.
I had no face to show the Duchess Elrad.
Yet since this difficult topic had come up, it felt like I had to do something.
“If not that, then couldn’t you be a little kinder to the Duchess?”
“….”
Yes, I knew it too. This was completely overstepping my bounds.
I had no right to tell Lucio what to do, nor was I in any position to offer such advice.
Yet I felt no regret.
Even if Lucio reprimanded me for being presumptuous, if it meant the relationship between him and the Duchess Elrad improved even slightly.
That was when it happened.
“All right. I will.”
The answer came out lightly, as if passing through.
I felt my heart pounding wildly.
‘Why is he being so kind?’
In truth, Lucio Elrad had always been this tender-hearted in my mind.
But the Lucio others spoke of was always cold and aloof.
Wrapped in this strange feeling, my mind grew hazy, but ultimately, everything had worked out wonderfully.
A smile was about to bloom on my face.
“Since I’ve been honest with you, now it’s your turn.”
Suddenly, Lucio’s demeanor shifted.
“Why don’t you fear me?”
“…What?”
He fixed his gaze upon me as though conducting a fair transaction, then spoke.
“You trembled when you first saw me.”
“Oh, that was just… I was startled.”
Caught off guard by his relentless questioning, I stammered out my response.
Lucio’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“That sounds like a lie, but fine. Then what about after that?”
“After that, sir?”
At my bewildered expression, he clicked his tongue softly.
“Every time you’ve seen me since then, you’ve grown tense and rigid. Yet with others….”
I tilted my head, unable to fully grasp the words he murmured almost like a sigh.
Rather than speak again, Lucio simply stared at me intently—his expression demanding an explanation.
“That’s….”
I had no idea how to answer, so I merely fidgeted with my fingers.
Apparently frustrated by this, Lucio exhaled a heavy sigh.
For some reason, I felt intimidated, my shoulders shrinking inward.
Observing my reaction, Lucio’s brow furrowed slightly as he asked.
“Could it be… because of something I said?”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“At first. When I told you… you weren’t pretty.”
“Ah.”
I recalled my memories from my previous life with perfect clarity, yet I’d completely forgotten those words despite them being recent—a strange contradiction.
Moreover, I hadn’t realized he’d been dwelling on it, so I regarded Lucio with an unfamiliar expression.
For some reason, his expression had hardened.
“Is that it? Did it hurt your feelings?”
I realized I’d heard this exact question not long ago.
Though I hadn’t answered properly then, this time I shook my head and slowly opened my mouth.
“It didn’t hurt my feelings. Though it didn’t make me feel good either.”
“…Is that so?”
I’d simply answered honestly, as he’d asked.
Lucio fell into contemplation, his brow still furrowed.
I was tilting my head, unable to discern whether my answer pleased him or not, when something absurd spilled from his lips.
“Then do you want to look pretty to me?”
* * *
The Training Grounds.
Despite the overcast weather, the knights’ training was in full swing.
Taize, who had been overseeing Jack and Allen’s training on one side, inwardly clicked his tongue.
Watching the two of them grit their teeth and endure the training, a surge of pride swelled within his chest—both as a knight and as their mentor.
Watching the two of them grit their teeth and endure the training, a sense of pride swelled in his chest—both as a knight witnessing their determination and as a master proud of his disciples.
Jack, in particular, never ceased to amaze me the more I observed him.
From the moment I first brought him here, I sensed it—he was undoubtedly a natural genius with the qualities and talents to become a knight.
Allen, who carried the strong blood of Duke Elrad, had likewise possessed brilliant talent since childhood, so I found myself curious about what had transpired in the year these two age-mates were born.
Though it sounds like a jest, the boy had only wielded a sword for a few months, yet he already surpassed third-year apprentice knights—hardly a matter for jest.
Especially in the early stages of training, Jack’s physique had been weakened by his harsh life at the Orphanage, yet he never uttered a single complaint and kept pace with every exercise I demanded.
To see a child whose body hadn’t fully grown complete grueling training that even adults struggled with—I was so moved that I nearly decided to take him on as my formal disciple.
Even now, hours into this intense training regimen, his sword stance remained flawless.
The only difference from when he’d started was the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Blessed with extraordinary talent, coupled with steadfast diligence, sincerity, and sheer grit, he would undoubtedly become a knight whose name resounded across the entire continent.
Despite the stark difference in how long Allen had been training compared to Jack, he was closing that gap at a frightening pace, which in turn ignited Allen’s own competitive spirit.
Taize, barely containing the surge of emotion at the sight of these two—the future of the Lexion Knights—spoke up.
“That concludes today’s training. Rain appears to be coming this evening, so we should call it here.”
At those words, Allen glanced skyward.
“You’re right.”
The sky had indeed grown overcast.
Taize believed that for two still in their growth years, while training was important, adequate rest was equally vital.
“I think we should skip the sparring drills today as well.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
At this, Allen brightened unexpectedly.
Jack, knowing that Diana’s lessons ended early today, smiled inwardly.
He was certain Allen would dash straight to the young lady’s chambers, and just as surely, he would try to convince Diana—who wanted to rush to Lia—with some ridiculous game of pretend.
Allen always complained, “Diana only looks for Lia!”
Yet it was equally certain that before long, the two would head together to the Library, where Lia would blink in surprise before breaking into a radiant smile of welcome.
“….”
Jack’s expression, which had been about to relax, suddenly hardened.
The thought of someone who would be sitting in the Library with Lia at this very moment had crossed his mind.
“Jack, you should head inside now and get some rest too.”
Taize spoke as he watched Allen dash toward the Main Building.
Jack shook his head.
“I’ll train a bit longer before heading in.”
Taize gazed at Jack’s hands, where blisters had repeatedly formed and burst from the grueling training, leaving calluses embedded in his palms.
“There’s no need to be so anxious. You’re doing very well right now.”
Taize, who privately believed Jack regarded Allen as a rival, spoke gently in persuasion.
It wasn’t a lie either. Jack was growing stronger faster than anyone else.
But Jack stubbornly shook his head once more.
Taize had no choice but to pat his shoulder, telling him to take it easy, and turned to leave.
Left alone, Jack gripped the wooden sword again, straightened his stance, and resumed his self-directed training.
Despite the simplicity of his movements, his mind churned with complexity.
As Allen had said, his older brother Lucio—the heir to House Elrad—was truly a formidable master.
His face, resembling the Duke’s, was already perfect despite his young age, and with a record of never relinquishing the top position at the Academy, he was undoubtedly an exceptional prodigy.
In every aspect, I couldn’t keep pace with him.
“Sigh…”
Jack exhaled deeply, recalling the time he’d faced Lucio at the Training Grounds before.
Jack couldn’t forget the sudden shift in atmosphere and the overwhelming pressure he’d felt the moment Lucio entered the Training Grounds to spar with him.
The awe he experienced was so profound that even his competitive spirit withered—a sensation he’d never felt even before his master Taize.
Standing before someone whose abilities were beyond measure, he felt a primal fear course through him.
Allen seemed to be in the same predicament; after whispering something to Lia, his face, which had shown concern, had turned ashen.
Though he’d been brimming with excitement searching for Lucio and now complained incessantly about how exhausting it all was, Lucio didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Yet the points he identified and the advice he offered were remarkably sharp, leaving Jack no room for complaint.
‘By the end, I even felt a sense of longing.’
The man who had allowed Lia—who once wandered from place to place doing odd jobs—to remain in the sanctuary of the Library was, in Jack’s eyes, truly strong.
Without fully understanding what his own feelings were, Jack found himself wanting to become like Lucio.
A person strong enough to protect someone.
And so, Jack had no choice but to wield his sword once more.
It was the only thing he could do now.

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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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