Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 84

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I felt the clerk’s expression stiffen the moment I finished speaking.
Fortunately, the first passphrase I’d chosen from my collection still seemed valid.
‘After all, VIP external contact codes aren’t changed frequently.’
“I… I see. Please wait a moment.”
“Yes… Oh!”
As if I’d just remembered, I quickly pulled a mana stone from my pocket.
“Would it be alright if I settled the payment with this?”
“…!”
This was partly a means to facilitate future transactions, but also a test to gauge Darel’s level of sophistication.
“P-please wait! I’ll be right back!”
The clerk’s eyes widened at the sight of my mana stone. With trembling hands, he accepted it and hurried away urgently.
‘If they’d refused such a valuable gem, I would have been disappointed.’
Since I’d need to conduct ongoing business here, I was relieved they seemed to have discerning judgment.
‘Well, this is just the beginning. No need to be nervous.’
I exhaled softly.
The place I’d come to secretly sell mana stones was none other than the Information Guild, Darel.
The Empire had numerous information guilds proportional to its size, and I had memorized the list of worthwhile information guilds in the Capital City.
Which ones collected the most high society information, which excelled at surveillance and catching adulterers, which were deeply connected to dark guilds—and so on.
Each guild maintained its standing through its own specialty, but the greatest among them was undoubtedly Terenthium, where I belonged.
Terenthium had branches spanning not just the Empire but the entire Continent, acquiring foreign intelligence faster than the Imperial Palace itself, and possessed exceptional judgment in combining information to discern the movements of underground factions.
Above all, it boasted first-rate intelligence operatives composed of exceptional talents as its core strength, and they successfully completed any commission given to them.
And the guild that had been closely pursuing the Continental’s greatest information guild, Terenthium, was none other than Darel.
By the time I was active, it had already established itself as the second power. When I asked the executives about it, they said it had appeared suddenly one day, flaunted its financial resources, offered enormous salaries to other guilds’ operatives, and experienced explosive growth by recruiting talented individuals.
The executives held considerable resentment toward this place—not merely because of the frightening momentum of their pursuit, but because they felt Darel was subtly imitating Terenthium.
A guild shrouded in secrecy, with its master unrevealed. It selected commissions carefully and charged exorbitant fees.
These characteristics were strikingly similar to Terenthium’s.
Moreover, they had repeatedly attempted to recruit Terenthium’s members, which was grating.
‘Of course, no intelligence operatives with strong loyalty ever left Terenthium.’
In any case, Darel’s specialties were high society information and commercial activities.
While others didn’t know, I was aware that Darel operated a separate trading company.
In other words, for someone like me who needed to conduct business secretly while concealing my identity, this guild was the optimal choice for commissions.
To earn substantial wealth, I ultimately had to target the nobility, and major transactions were conducted through high society channels.
Naturally, building connections and proposing deals often materialized through high society activities.
Therefore, the only option available to me, unable to reveal my identity, was to contract with trustworthy specialists, conceal my personal information, earn money comfortably, and take my appropriate share.
“S-sorry for the wait! Our master is waiting for you upstairs right now.”
The clerk who had disappeared earlier reappeared and spoke.
‘Master?’
I concealed my surprised expression beneath my robe and nodded.
The fact that they called him “master” rather than “proprietor” made it clear he was definitely the Guild Master of Darel.
‘I never expected to meet the Guild Master directly.’
I grew increasingly certain that this was indeed Darel’s headquarters.
“Oh, and please wrap up the cake. I’ll take it with me when I leave.”
I reminded the clerk as we walked, and she nodded with a smile.
Then she said, “Please go through that door,” and bowed respectfully.
I gazed at the heavy door before me, feeling oddly tense.
* * *
A space suffused with the subtle scent of mint.
The man seated at the long table studied the mana stone he held in his hand.
The jewel, rippling with pink mana, appeared crude and of poor quality, yet it contained mana so potent and pure that such superficial flaws were utterly irrelevant.
Due to its diminutive size, the quantity of mana it held was modest, but its purity rivaled even the finest golden-hued mana stones mined from the Bellus Duchy.
‘I’ve heard no reports of a mana stone mine being discovered.’
Had the jackpot been struck somewhere beyond his knowledge? Though he was expanding his information network at remarkable speed, the realization that he hadn’t yet achieved complete control left a bitter taste in his mouth.
That was when it happened.
With a creaking sound, the door swung open, and a figure draped in an ash-gray robe stepped inside.
“…!”
In that instant, he held his breath, his eyes fixed on the small silhouette before him.
A VIP—someone who knew the cipher known only to a single member of the Imperial Family—had arrived bearing a mana stone, shocking the intelligence operative so thoroughly that he failed to mention the visitor was merely a child.
‘And this mana….’
The man regarded the child before him with bewilderment.
“Did you directly infuse your mana into this stone?”
Lia nodded, suppressing a smile. She was glad she’d released all the mana she’d been controlling before entering.
Sensing the conversation would progress faster than anticipated, Lia swiftly assessed Darel’s guild master.
He was a man with dark brown hair, imposingly large and formidable in appearance.
Yet the aura of mana emanating from him suggested he had cast an illusion spell.
“What on earth were you thinking, doing something so reckless!”
The man suddenly raised his voice.
“Don’t you value your own life?”
“That’s my concern. Why are you getting angry?”
Judging by his reaction on first meeting, he seemed to be a mage who treasured mana as dearly as life itself, but Lia was thoroughly displeased. His casual tone of speech irritated her as well.
Regardless of how young the client appeared, he had no right to drop formalities so abruptly.
The man seemed startled by Lia’s casual response, his body going rigid.
Lia shrugged and opened her mouth.
“Why don’t you just take the commission?”
“…What information are you seeking?”
“Not information—I came to make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Yes. I want to sell what you’re holding.”
The man faltered at Lia’s words.
“Ah…. So you intend to keep making them.”
Observing the man shake his head as though watching someone commit suicide, Lia clicked her tongue briefly before deciding to answer generously.
“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to throw my life away carelessly.”
“But—”
“Enough. Why should I explain myself to you? Are we making this deal or not?”
“…Continue.”
Watching the man swallow hard, Lia pressed forward with her proposal.
“What I want is simple. For six months, you’ll source mana stones exclusively from me.”
“Six months?”
Lia nodded. She had no intention of being greedy—a long tail only invites stepping on.
Besides, even just six months of this arrangement would net her more than enough wealth.
“Sell them through the Delis Trading Company. I’ll give you half the profits, including commission fees.”
By offering such generous terms, she was implicitly making clear that he should guard her personal information carefully.
Yet the man seemed utterly uninterested in these remarkable contract conditions.
“The Delis Trading Company? How did you even—”
The man pressed his palm to his forehead as if a headache were setting in.
The Delis Trading Company had been established alongside the Guild, but it was still a shell operation—stocked with goods but handling nothing substantial. Moreover, only a handful of people knew of the connection between the Guild and the company; it was classified information.
Yet this woman carried herself as though she already knew everything.
“So, are we doing this deal or not?”
“…”
At Lia’s pressing words, the man’s eyebrows twitched.
When he’d first seen her, shock had made him slip into casual speech, but her curt replies had thrown him completely off balance.
“I’m a busy person. Can you give me an answer quickly?”
“…”
The man pushed aside the useless thoughts crowding his mind and rapidly regained his composure.
This was a contract he absolutely could not refuse. Her demeanor alone made that clear.
Only someone with absolute confidence that this product would sell could state contract terms so boldly—a seller, not a charlatan.
And that confidence was no bluff. If he could secure exclusive supply of those mana stones, the Delis Trading Company would reshape the market itself, even in just six months.
His only concern was that this small client seemed unaware of how precious mana truly was. But if he refused, she’d simply approach another Guild with the same proposal. So…
* * *
“I’ll do it.”
At the man’s words, I suppressed a triumphant smile and gave a small shrug.
“I knew you would. Let’s draw up the contract right now.”
The man exhaled softly and slid both the contract and the advance payment across to me.
I examined the contract thoroughly. There were clauses about breach and penalties, but none of them applied to me, so I paid them little mind.
If anything, the advance payment was larger than I’d anticipated—almost more than seemed reasonable.
‘Well, he must be confident he’ll make even more from this.’
After signing, I handed over all the mana stones I’d brought and swiftly pulled back the hood attached to my robe.
Now that the deal was officially sealed, there was no reason to hide my face.
But then I felt the man’s breath catch.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————