Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 76

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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 expected, my prediction proved accurate. Lucio slowly blinked before nodding in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, I boarded the carriage with delight.
I was so thrilled I nearly wanted to wave my hand in farewell.
Every time I had encountered Lucio until now, I had only shown him foolish behavior, which had disappointed me somewhat. But now it seemed I had finally recovered my image a little.
‘Since he treasures Diana so much that he even grows jealous of her friends, he surely wouldn’t want a fool standing beside her.’
“Did you see that?”
At that moment, Duke Elrad, who had been the last to enter, shut the carriage door with a bang and sat down before immediately asking the Duchess.
“Such a foolish expression on her face.”
Then he burst into surprisingly hearty laughter.
The Duchess pretended not to notice, but the tension at the corners of her mouth suggested something had happened—though I couldn’t understand what.
As I tilted my head in confusion and looked at them, the Duke also turned to regard me.
His face, still brimming with amusement, shifted to an even more satisfied expression upon seeing me.
Then he burst into another round of laughter at whatever he found so amusing.
Just moments before, he seemed irritated by the crowds, yet I couldn’t fathom why his mood had suddenly improved.
Realizing I was still far from being able to discern the Duke’s thoughts, I resolved to apply myself more diligently in the future.
I patted Diana, whose eyes were growing heavy, cradled her in my arms, and adjusted the pouch and magic circle I had been holding before resting my chin gently against the window sill and gazing up at the dark night sky.
Though I too was exhausted, as I beheld the crescent moon hanging at an angle, sleep did not come. Instead, my mind grew tangled with countless thoughts.
The thought of bringing the magic circle to Tellin tomorrow, the thought of formally proceeding with my business venture….
Then suddenly, the image of Askart, whose eyes had been reddened, surfaced in my mind.
For some reason, that image seemed unlikely to fade easily from my memory.
* * *
〈Young Master, I’m studying diligently as you instructed. I go to the library every day. I will serve the young lady well, so please trust me with her!〉
Recalling Lia, who had poured out her words as though undergoing a homework inspection and then boarded the carriage with a refreshed expression, Lucio let out a hollow laugh.
In the end, the only proper conversation he had shared with her throughout the entire day was that single exchange.
“Pathetic.”
Turning away, uncertain what exactly he was disappointed about, Lucio felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness wash over him.
The ball and everything else felt exhausting.
Yet since he had to attend, Lucio, who was returning to the dormitory to rest and clear his mind for a moment, came to an abrupt halt.
The moment he entered the floor where his room was located, he sensed a human presence.
At a time when all the students had rushed off to the ball hall, the only person who would remain in the dormitory was….
“Askart.”
As Lucio called out, the figure sitting on the lounge sofa with his face buried in his knees slowly lifted his head.
“Lucio.”
Askart asked with a startled expression.
“Why are you here at this hour… I thought you’d go straight to the ball. Did you come back after seeing your family off?”
Though Askart spoke in a deliberately bright voice, Lucio keenly noticed that his eyes were reddened.
“I’ve seen Allen a few times since childhood, but I saw your youngest sibling for the first time today, and he looks exactly like you. I was really surprised. You look so alike. Oh, actually, he looks like the Duke, doesn’t he?”
“….”
“I also saw the Duchess after a long time, and she was exactly the same as before. Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the Duke. I should pay my respects sometime….”
“Askart.”
“Huh?”
“Stop your self-pity and go back to your room to sleep.”
At Lucio’s words, Askart’s mouth, which had been running ceaselessly like an excited child, finally closed.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly as he observed his long-time friend Lucio’s bored expression.
Lucio maintained his usual cold demeanor, showing not a trace of comfort or consolation.
Yet somehow, Askart’s heart felt considerably lighter at the sight.
Feeling warmth bloom in my chest at my friend’s quiet, unspoken consideration, I asked.
“Lucio, can I come visit your place?”
At those words, Lucio, who had been rubbing his temples with an annoyed expression, paused.
Lowering his hand, he lifted the corners of his mouth faintly for the first time as he answered.
“No.”
* * *
Tap, tap, tap.
Moving swiftly, Bianca arrived at the department managing correspondence in the Grand Duke’s Castle and entered immediately after knocking.
“C-Commander?! What brings you here?”
“I heard a letter arrived from the Empire.”
More precisely, from House Elrad.
Bianca asked without concern for whether the department staff were flustered or not.
Yet her words only deepened their confusion.
Bianca held a position in the castle second only to the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, and she had countless subordinates including her adjutant.
Even if she did nothing, her letter would have been delivered to her study before the afternoon was through, but there were more than enough people who would bring it to her immediately at a single word.
‘Yet she came all this way in person…!’
‘That must mean an important letter arrived from the Empire!’
The staff members, who had been frozen at her arrival, began spinning their thoughts frantically.
Then one quick-handed staff member urgently found a letter from the pile of correspondence being sorted.
“Here, here it is, Commander.”
Seeing the person hand over the letter with such determination, Bianca’s expression became awkward.
She understood well enough what they were thinking, but she couldn’t very well correct them.
She couldn’t admit that the moment she heard a letter had arrived from House Elrad while she was loosening up at the Training Grounds, her body had already moved of its own accord.
Of course, it was possible the Duke had sent it, much like when he suddenly requested help before, but there was such a thing as intuition.
The intuition that this letter that had just arrived was precisely the one she had been waiting for.
“Ah…!”
Sure enough, on the envelope bearing the seal of House Elrad was written ‘Lia’ in small, precise letters.
‘She knows how to write.’
Somehow, I felt relieved.
After sending the letter, I had asked the Duchess Elrad to help Lia write a reply while I waited, but I had worried whether I was placing too much burden on the child, who was merely a maidservant.
Yet to my surprise, I received a reply written in her own hand.
Perhaps, being a clever girl, she had learned to write in the meantime.
Bianca wanted to tear open the letter and read it immediately, but with so many eyes watching, she simply left a brief word of thanks and turned to leave.
And the moment she stepped outside, she tore open the envelope.
I knew that walking about outside while reading a letter wasn’t the most dignified sight, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Pffft.”
Bianca burst into delighted laughter the moment she read the first line.
To the most wonderful Bianca in all the world.
How could anything be so adorable and charming?
Seeing the neat handwriting pressed carefully into the paper with those small, fern-like hands, my heart grew unexpectedly warm.
Though somewhat embarrassing, I was pleased to see her affection for me expressed so openly.
Of course, Bianca remained unaware that Lia had carefully chosen these childlike words with great deliberation, and she continued reading the letter.
“Hmm.”
Having reached the final line, Bianca stroked her chin and let out a peculiar hum.
Lia’s letter was nothing but praise for Bellus Duchy. It seemed she had recently studied the duchy through books.
But there wasn’t a single thing in it that Bianca had actually wanted to know.
Whether she was hurt anywhere, if anyone was troubling her, whether her work was difficult….
‘I was curious how she was doing.’
Of course, I was grateful she had learned about the duchy and viewed it favorably, but I hadn’t expected the entire letter to be filled only with talk of the duchy.
Though I had brought up the subject first, it was meant as an appeal of sorts, yet somehow it had taken an odd direction.
But Bianca soon shook her head and decided to think positively.
This letter had been written indirectly, assuming Lia wouldn’t know how to read, so the Duchess would deliver it—but next time, I could express myself more directly.
Bellus Duchy had long conducted charitable work for orphans on a grander scale than any other nation, and the quality of its facilities and support was incomparable.
Moreover, if Lia possessed such vast mana like she did, the duchy would employ talent based on ability regardless of origin, making it even easier for her to establish herself and receive better treatment.
‘No matter how I think about it, it’s such a waste for her to remain a maidservant.’
Just as Bianca was interpreting her inexplicable affection for Lia as a desire for talent and began planning the contents of her next letter—
She stopped abruptly. Her mind had already drafted a curriculum to teach Lia swordplay directly if she had even modest athletic ability, but one thing troubled her.
Diana—the youngest princess who had made Lia follow her to House Elrad instead of coming with Bianca.
‘Despite having known her for such a short time, she was so reluctant to part…and by now….’
She must have grown quite attached to her.
“Sigh. The girl is so kind that it only worries me more.”
If I hadn’t needed to return to Bellus in such haste, if there had been more time and I had gone to the Duke’s Castle with them, I would have had more opportunities to make my appeal. The regret was profound.
“She must have grown so much.”
Children grow by leaps and bounds, and since Lia had lived in such an unsuitable environment, she appeared far smaller than her peers—she might have shot up quickly.
The thought that I wouldn’t see that growth made my regret swell, and I clicked my tongue in frustration.
“Bianca.”
“…Your Highness!”
Though the voice was thin and barely audible, Bianca’s keen ears caught it, and she rushed to the woman being supported by her attendant as she walked forward.

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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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