Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 72

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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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As Lucio spoke, Askart’s face grew increasingly rigid with each passing moment and the mounting crowd’s stares.
“Right. The library… I should go.”
Yet even as Askart answered, he hesitated as though reluctant to leave.
The moment our eyes met again, I seized the opportunity and asked.
“The Academy Library must be incredibly vast, mustn’t it?”
While the library at House Elrad was certainly impressive, it could hardly compare to the Academy’s in scale.
During my days as a beggar, I had desperately wished to visit the Academy Library—that legendary repository of wisdom—to learn letters.
But I couldn’t even enter the Academy grounds, let alone the library itself.
Of course, later when I became an informant, I might have been able to slip inside undetected, but I deliberately avoided going anywhere near the Academy, where I harbored such bitter memories.
“Absolutely! It’s enormous. Do you like books? By the way, your name is…?”
Askart brightened at my words and asked.
I was about to answer, my fingers fidgeting with embarrassment at his suddenly radiant expression.
“Lia.”
But it was not I who answered.
I looked at Lucio, who had cut off my words, with slight surprise.
Though he must have known my name—it was called countless times daily at the Duke’s Mansion—Lucio had never once spoken it before.
Somehow, the final memory of my previous life surfaced, and my mood became strange.
“Lia… is it.”
Then came a voice that sounded as though it might crumble at any moment.
When I turned, Askart called my name—”Lia”—his face drained of all color.
Beneath golden lashes, his eyes, verdant as spring foliage, glistened as though kissed by morning dew.
‘Where have I seen that expression before?’
Seized by an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, I searched my memory and recalled the moment I had met Bianca after escaping the Orphanage.
Then too, Bianca had asked if my name was ‘Lia’ and worn that same sorrowful expression.
Tilting my head in confusion, Askart smiled—a smile so fragile it seemed ready to shatter—and asked.
“Would you like me to show you the library?”
“Pardon?”
“Normally outsiders aren’t permitted, but during the festival, students can bring guests inside.”
Askart pointed to the large building just behind us, explaining that it was centrally located so students could easily access it from any dormitory.
When I asked eagerly if he was truly sure, Allen interjected, “What? Come all the way to the festival just to see a library?”
“Diana, you don’t want to see the library either, do you?”
“Mm-mm. Sister, go ahead and come back.”
At Allen’s words, Diana—apparently uninterested in the library—fluttered her maple-leaf-like hands dismissively.
“Diana! What’s wrong with you?”
“Then, Miss, I’ll hurry back! I’ll definitely be back before the fireworks!”
Eager not to miss this opportunity, I answered immediately and looked up at Askart.
Then Askart asked shyly.
“Um, would you… like to hold my hand?”
“Pardon?”
“…What if you get lost? There are many staircases in the library.”
“Oh.”
Now that I thought about it, I remembered how many times I’d urged Diana before we left to hold someone’s hand tightly since there would be so many people around.
Seeing Askart extending his hand to me, my heart felt oddly stirred.
Normally, being treated like a child would have embarrassed and annoyed me… but strangely, I didn’t mind it.
The moment I grasped his hand eagerly, Askart’s eyes widened before breaking into a radiant smile.
“Ow!”
“What, what’s wrong?”
As I winced and covered my eyes with my free hand, a startled Askart asked in concern.
I giggled and answered.
“You’re so handsome it’s blinding!”
“What? Haha.”
Walking toward the Library with Askart, who was now laughing even more joyfully than before, I reflected on something.
It seemed I desperately wanted to erase the sadness from Askart’s face.
* * *
“…This is ridiculous.”
Lucio watched Lia’s retreating figure as she walked away holding Askart’s hand, his expression one of utter disbelief.
He had planned to introduce the Academy as Duke Elrad, his father, had suggested.
But his plan had fallen apart from the very start. Nothing had gone according to his design since the moment he went to greet them at the front gate.
When the face he naturally expected to see didn’t appear, Lucio was flustered and unsettled.
He felt relieved hearing she had gone to buy drinks with an apprentice knight she’d known for a long time since the Orphanage, which was equally absurd.
As uncontrollable emotions of displeasure and irritation surged through him, Askart’s sudden appearance and unexpected actions deeply disturbed his composure.
That was when it happened.
“I clearly emphasized to her that a man’s appearance isn’t everything!”
Allen, standing beside him, began bouncing and protesting vehemently.
“No matter how handsome someone is, how can you just grab a stranger’s hand and follow them like that?”
Jack nodded vigorously in strong agreement with those words.
When Lucio turned his head as if asking what Allen meant, Allen huffed and spoke.
“You don’t know? Lia really pays attention to faces. She absolutely loves handsome guys!”
“…Really?”
“I’m telling you. She said both Jack and I were handsome.”
Allen continued without noticing how Lucio’s expression had subtly hardened.
“And she said it to you too, remember? That you looked like Diana.”
But it seemed her preference leaned toward Askart, Allen added, noting that this was the first time he’d seen Lia react so enthusiastically.
“Ascart is definitely handsome, but you’re not lacking either. Is blonde hair her type?”
“….”
“Speaking of which, that Young Master we met earlier had dull features, but he was blonde too. So appearance really is the most important thing, right, Jack?”
At Allen’s words, Jack, who had been unable to tear his eyes from the direction Lia had disappeared, slowly opened his mouth.
“…I’m not entirely sure about that, but if you’re referring to the Young Master we met at the front gate earlier, Lia definitely disliked him. She seemed somewhat frightened of him too.”
“Really?”
Lucio asked, watching the tilting head of a confused Allen.
“Who did you meet earlier?”
“Huh? Oh, Count Kenneth Petite! He looked fine enough, but he was an unpleasant person. Diana kicked him out right away, though. Isn’t that right, Diana?”
“Yep!”
Diana, too busy looking around the Academy and the people to pay much attention to Allen’s chatter, simply nodded when she heard her name mentioned.
It didn’t seem like she’d actually listened and answered properly, but Allen found even that so endearing that he couldn’t help himself—he scooped Diana into his arms and rubbed his cheek against hers.
As Jack watched Diana try to squirm away in annoyance while Allen clung to her even tighter, a low voice reached his ears.
“Kenneth Petite.”
When Jack turned his head toward Lucio’s quietly murmured name, he had an inexplicable premonition that the man they’d just met would not have a smooth road ahead.
* * *
The walk to the library with Askart, whom I was meeting for the first time, was awkward beyond measure.
‘What was I thinking, holding his hand like that?’
The discomfort made my body tense.
Yet watching Askart position me carefully on the inside away from the passing crowds and slow his pace to match mine, I found myself unable to voice any complaint.
“Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to see?”
The moment we stepped into the library, Askart whispered softly.
I pondered for a moment before answering.
“I’d like to see the Mage Tower.”
My answer seemed to surprise Askart, whose expression shifted in astonishment.
“Mana’s presence… ah…”
When I released a bit of the mana I’d been keeping contained to ease his confusion, Askart’s eyes—sensitive to even the slightest fluctuation—sparkled with interest in an instant.
Since the commotion at the Duke’s Mansion not long ago, none of the servants were unaware that I possessed mana, and I no longer felt any need to hide it.
But the reason I’d revealed my mana’s existence to Askart specifically was that, despite meeting him for the first time, I felt no wariness toward him.
Perhaps it was because his aura was so gentle and soft.
“Then we should head to my quarters. Come now, there are many stairs from here on, so you’ll need to be careful.”
True to his nature as the heir of Bellus Duchy, which possessed a Mage Tower, Askart’s gaze toward me had shifted noticeably, and he immediately began guiding the way.
Seeing him somewhat excited, I found my own spirits lifting as well. So I spoke with a hint of pride.
“Your Highness, I’ve actually met Bianca before.”
“Huh? Count Mareta?”
When I nodded enthusiastically, he asked with a puzzled expression.
“She rarely leaves the Duchy, so how did that come about?”
“Well, it just… happened somehow…”
From the way I was speaking, it seemed Askart had never heard from Lucio or through Bellus Duchy about Diana’s kidnapping.
I trailed off slightly, realizing my mistake, and changed the subject.
“After meeting Bianca, I became interested in Bellus Duchy and looked for books about it. It really seemed like a wonderful place.”
“I see. Yes, it is a beautiful place.”
As he said this with a faint smile, Askart’s expression grew clouded once more.
Looking at him, I felt something catch in my chest. At the same time, I found myself puzzled.
‘Why does he look so sad when thinking of his own home?’
Diana would smile brightly and show her joy at the mere mention of home.
“Here we are.”
Askart guided me into a space filled with bookshelves, introducing it as a collection of texts related to magic.
Since the festival was underway, the area was deserted. As we ventured deeper, I spotted an enormous desk positioned before a curtained window.
Books were scattered across the expansive surface in heaps—apparently Askart’s personal workspace.
“Oh! It’s such a mess. I-I don’t usually let it get this bad.”
Askart flushed crimson to the tips of his ears, his expression flustered as he hastily cleared the desk while offering excuses.

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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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