Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 62

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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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The table was laden with fare more befitting an evening banquet than a midday meal.
The servants, aware that the master and his family were in poor spirits following the previous day’s events, had prepared the spread with far greater care than usual—yet Lucio found himself in a foul mood regardless.
Someone had spent the entire night suffering, barely managing to swallow broth, and yet here was this lavish display.
“….”
It was then that the question lingering in his throat all this while—”Has the child awakened?”—nearly escaped his lips unbidden.
Of course, through remarkable restraint, he managed to hold his tongue.
From the circumstances, it was nearly certain the entire family had already seen the child awake and returned. Still, his desire to confirm it with his own eyes was strong, so he resolved to venture upstairs again once the meal concluded.
“Lucio, come to my study for a moment.”
“…Yes?”
But Duke Elrad spoke before the meal had even finished. The Duchess nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. There’s a patient in my chambers, so we should move tea time elsewhere.”
“….”
With no grounds to refuse, Lucio found himself semi-forcibly escorted into the Duke’s study.
The Duke’s demeanor, which had been somewhat gentler in the children’s presence, transformed instantly the moment the study door closed.
“Have you finished all the cleanup?”
“Yes. As reported this morning, all those involved—the maidservants who caused the trouble, as well as anyone who showed even the slightest sympathy—packed their belongings and departed the estate by mid-morning.”
“Any resistance?”
“I ensured there was none.”
The Duke swallowed, furrowing his brow slightly.
“Then what remains is the matter of Lia’s mana rampage….”
“The mages who normally remain secluded outside the laboratory have all emerged, and far too many witnessed it firsthand. Of course, I could impose silence, but…I saw no pressing need and left it as is.”
Lucio added tersely that physicians and mages were now spreading rumors of their own accord.
“Perhaps that’s for the best. It may actually prove beneficial to the Duke’s Estate’s standing going forward.”
The Duke nodded, then glanced at the Duchess, who sipped her tea in silence, before speaking again.
“How long did you set for the Head Maidservant’s confinement?”
“I set no specific duration.”
“Surely you don’t intend to reinstate her?”
The Duchess asked, startled by what she was hearing.
Her eyes held an unspoken question: was he truly trying to force the Head Maidservant to resign of her own volition?
Lucio answered with a sharp edge to his voice.
“Managing the maidservants and servants is her primary duty. Yet she allowed her subordinates to break discipline and run amok unchecked. Her failure to properly govern them constitutes clear negligence of her responsibilities. Particularly, based on what emerged during interrogation, there was undoubtedly overt torment occurring, and it strains credulity that the one charged with overseeing affairs within the estate failed to notice such circumstances.”
“Then Lucio, are you saying the Head Maidservant was complicit in Lia’s mistreatment?”
“There is no definitive evidence. She maintains she was unaware. However, the circumstances suggest….”
“Regardless of the circumstances, she too is human. Capable and meticulous though she may be, how could she possibly know everything that transpires in such a vast estate? And after all, she has devoted her entire life to our House Elrad….”
The Duchess trailed off.
She remembered when she had first entered House Elrad—the fierce resistance from the retainers and the unwelcoming atmosphere of the estate.
Many maidservants had even abandoned their posts, refusing to serve a fallen noble as Duchess.
The reason the Duke’s Estate now had scarcely any maidservants was due to those events.
Maidservants, unlike ordinary servants, were of lower noble birth and served as extensions of high-ranking noblewomen, attending to their every need.
For a Duchess of her standing to have not a single maidservant was a disgrace.
And it was then that Helen of House Barion—once a nameless vassal family of House Elrad—had volunteered to become a maidservant.
Though the current Duchess Elrad had borne a worthy heir and her position had transformed through Duke Elrad’s unwavering affection, many would now seek to serve her; yet the Duchess remembered the gratitude she felt for Helen’s selfless offer when no one else had come forward.
Moreover, when she had struggled to adapt to the Capital City and retreated to the Territory, Helen’s presence had allowed her to entrust the Duke’s Mansion with peace of mind.
Particularly grateful for the care Helen had lavished upon young Lucio, the Duchess had attempted on several occasions to arrange a marriage as a token of her appreciation, but Helen had steadfastly refused, insisting she wished to dedicate her entire life to House Elrad.
Thus the Duchess carried within her a debt of gratitude toward the Head Maidservant who had devoted her lifetime to the House—a debt she could never fully repay.
And yet.
“A servant who harbors sentiments contrary to her master’s wishes has no place in this household.”
Lucio spoke with cold, measured composure, his expression utterly unmoved.
Then he paused, as if reconsidering, and added carefully.
“Though, if Mother should find this difficult….”
“Hmm?”
“I would still recommend a period of confinement lasting at least a month, given how much authority she wielded while managing the Estate. In the meantime, if you instruct the Butler to find someone to oversee the maidservants in her stead, that should prove helpful.”
“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”
Only then did the Duchess’s rigid expression soften, and she smiled gently.
She felt profound joy at this moment—facing her eldest son across from her, conversing with him, discovering kindness and consideration woven through his usual taciturnity, something that had always seemed so distant.
Yet, as if unaware of such warmth, Lucio cleared his throat.
“Then, if I may, shall I take my leave?”
“No, wait. There is still an important matter to discuss—please, sit.”
The Duke caught Lucio’s arm as he rose.
At this, the Duchess shook her head at her husband.
“Dear, let us discuss that matter further before speaking of it.”
“What more is there to discuss? I have pondered it deeply through the night and have reached my decision.”
“That is precisely why. It has only been a day. This is too important to rush into so hastily.”
“Hmm. Perhaps you do not approve of it….”
“No, not at all. My thoughts align entirely with yours.”
The Duke raised his eyebrows as if to ask what the problem could be.
The Duchess gently patted the back of her husband’s hand in a soothing gesture, then spoke to Lucio.
“You may go.”
Lucio, who had been listening to their exchange with a puzzled expression, nodded and departed.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have insisted on learning what this important matter was; but now, for some reason, he felt no such inclination.
‘If it truly is important, I shall learn of it soon enough.’
With Lucio gone, only the two of them remained in the Study, and the Duke’s brow furrowed.
“Why did you stop me? Has your mind truly changed?”
“Not at all.”
The Duchess immediately denied it and spoke soothingly to her husband, whose expression had grown sullen.
“This is not a decision we should make for ourselves alone.”
“That is precisely why I intended to ask Lucio’s opinion.”
“Exactly. This concerns our entire family—why ask only Lucio first? We should inquire when both Allen and Diana are present as well, young as they may be.”
“Diana will surely approve.”
“Well, that is….”
The Duchess Elrad let out a soft laugh, as if in agreement.
“But even if we all approve… well, who knows what might happen.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
Duke Elrad nodded, his earlier momentum deflated.
“By the way, isn’t Lucio unexpected?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… I thought he and Helen were quite close.”
“Surely you’re not feeling a bit jealous, are you?”
As Duke Elrad struck a nerve with a mischievous grin, the Duchess Elrad shot him a look.
The Duke burst into laughter and shook his head.
“Lately, it seems he’s been making an effort toward you in his own way.”
The Duchess Elrad’s expression softened at those words, and she smiled.
“That’s true. I was surprised when he suddenly came asking for tea time. You saw it earlier, didn’t you? How he worries that I might be struggling…”
“Mm.”
“I thought he was just as indifferent as you, but it turns out he has a tender side.”
“Me, indifferent? That can’t be right.”
The Duchess Elrad burst out laughing at the sight of Duke Elrad frowning in denial.
* * *
It felt as though I had only closed my eyes for a moment, yet afternoon had already arrived.
I blinked slowly, observing each person in the room one by one.
Allen and Diana, who had finished their meal. And Jack and Taize, dressed in training clothes.
Then I noticed the maidservants standing in front of the open door.
The moment our eyes met, they flinched and bowed their heads hastily.
I was about to look away awkwardly.
“Lia, are you feeling better? Last night, you happened to be on patrol with the Capital Guard, and if Jack hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have even known you were ill.”
Taize spoke with drooping eyebrows, his tone gloomy.
“Even with all the mages and physicians making a fuss outside, I had no idea they were talking about you.”
“…Why were the mages and physicians talking?”
Surely they weren’t spreading complaints about how troublesome I’d been last night?
I had only just escaped the torment of the servants, and now I feared I’d earned their displeasure anew.
“Ha ha. Well, they were arguing about who would take you as their apprentice.”
Taize said with a hearty laugh.
“The mages said you’d become a great mage who would astound the world, and the physicians said you’d surely become a healer who would save countless lives. You’re truly my benefactor. Remarkable.”
My cheeks flushed crimson at the unexpected praise before I could help it.
Embarrassed, I was pinching Diana’s cheek beside me as she lifted her chin and laughed as if she herself had received the compliment.
“Hmph. They all don’t know what they’re talking about. Lia needs to learn the sword.”

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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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