Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favourite - Chapter 91

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

* * *
A thick darkness and suffocating silence descended upon the Elrad Duke’s Mansion.
Just this morning, the estate had been flowing with its usual peaceful routine.
But the moment the Duchess returned from the Imperial Palace tea party unconscious, everything shattered.
Though the Duchess had been in the Capital City for less than a year, the servants had already grown deeply fond of serving such a gracious mistress.
Returning to the barren, silent mansion of before was now unimaginable.
Thus, everyone struggled to conceal their profound sorrow and despair.
“No known cause? What in the world does that mean!”
An angry roar erupted from the Duchess’s Bedroom.
Everyone fell silent, attending to their duties while straining to listen.
“A perfectly healthy person suddenly collapses and loses consciousness, yet you don’t know why? Is that what a physician should be saying?”
Baron Bardo, bearing the full brunt of Duke Elrad’s fury, bit his lip.
“My sincerest apologies. I shall conduct more thorough examinations, but at present, I have nothing to report….”
“First, determine whether it’s illness or poison. Better yet, make her regain consciousness immediately!”
“…I shall do my utmost.”
Unable to hide his despair, the Baron bowed his head and retreated.
Once all the physicians had left the bedroom, the Duke, who had been glaring coldly at the door, exhaled deeply.
As he swept back his disheveled hair, his straight forehead and sharp eyes were laid bare without concealment.
He gazed quietly at his wife lying in bed.
“…Edel.”
He called to his pale-faced wife with a trembling voice, but she neither answered nor stirred.
Without realizing it, the Duke clenched his fists and recalled the afternoon’s events.
While he had been attending to duties at the Imperial Palace, he received the most absurd news.
〈Y-Your Grace! You must go at once! The Duchess has suddenly….〉
His wife, Edel Elrad, was a warm and vibrant person, healthy in both body and spirit.
Though she was sensitive to the cold, she had never caught even a single illness despite the harsh winters of the Duchy, and with steadfast resolve, she had protected the Castle and raised the children.
But the wife he encountered at the Empress’s Palace was not the woman he knew.
A pallid complexion and eyes shut so tightly they seemed never to open again.
The moment he saw her, the ground beneath him felt as though it had collapsed.
Fearing he would never again meet those gentle golden eyes within them, he felt a terror he had never experienced even in war.
Simultaneously, regret flooded through him.
The night before, when his wife had complained of chest tightness and couldn’t sleep well, he should have immediately summoned a physician.
When she insisted on going to the Imperial Palace, he should have forcibly prevented her and made her rest at home.
But…his remarkably keen instincts led him to conclude that this sudden incident would have occurred regardless of what measures had been taken.
It was not a mere accident—he sensed the possibility of ‘poisoning’.
Duke Elrad immediately sought out the Emperor and requested that access to the Imperial Palace be restricted.
He then began investigating not only the noblewomen who had attended the tea party and their accompanying maidservants, but also the Imperial Palace maidservants and attendants.
Yet there was no one to suspect.
From the cup his wife had used to the refreshments, everything her hands had touched was thoroughly investigated, but there were no clues to be found.
In the meantime, the Imperial Palace physician who had examined the Duchess shook his head. The conclusion reached was that the cause of her collapse remained unknown.
“Sigh….”
I had hoped Baron Bardo might offer a different answer than what the Imperial Palace physicians had given.
Even when I had rushed back to the Duke’s Mansion after turning the Imperial Palace upside down, I hadn’t abandoned hope.
But hearing the same conclusion from Baron Bardo as well left me in a state of indescribable despair.
There were still more examinations to come, but without even a trace or evidence of poisoning in the first place….
“Waaah! Mother! Mother…!”
Just then, Diana’s anguished cries drifted through the partially opened door.
At the sound of her desperately calling for her mother, the Duke felt as though his heart was being torn apart.
Barely managing to regain his composure, he moved forward and pushed the door wide open.
“Hic, Father….”
Diana’s face was already streaked with tears—she had witnessed her mother collapse back at the Imperial Palace.
Allen, standing beside her, had been holding back his tears, but the moment he saw the Duke, he could no longer contain himself and burst into sobs.
“Sob, sob… Waaah!”
Faced with those tear-stained faces, the Duke’s heart crumbled once more.
He immediately knelt down and pulled the children into his embrace.
“Don’t cry. Your mother is a strong person. She will never abandon us and leave.”
It’s alright. She will surely recover.
Like a man chanting an incantation, the Duke whispered these words over and over, then slowly opened the eyes he had been squeezing shut.
Behind the children, pressed against the wall, I could see a pale, trembling figure.
“Lia, come here as well.”
Like Diana, Lia must have been deeply shaken by this shock.
But Lia merely stared blankly at the Duke’s outstretched hand before shaking her head.
Then, hesitating slightly, she turned and began running away toward somewhere.
* * *
“Huff, huff.”
I burst outside and gasped for breath.
None of it felt real.
Not when I saw the Duchess collapse.
Not when Diana cried out in shock.
Not even when the Duke rushed from the Empress’s Palace and sent Diana and me back to the Duke’s Mansion first….
I couldn’t believe this was actually happening in reality.
‘I thought I could protect her.’
When I came to the Capital City, my resolve wasn’t simply a promise to save the Duchess.
Honestly, I had been confident. I truly believed I could protect her.
But I couldn’t.
Just like when I lived in the Orphanage as a child, just like when I begged with the Beggar Gang, I felt utterly helpless.
Slap!
I struck my own cheek. This was no time to stand here dazed and lost in thought.
‘It’s not stress.’
All this time, I had been watching the Duchess closely from nearby without letting my guard down.
If she showed even the slightest sign of distress or difficulty during social activities, I was prepared to exploit the weaknesses of other nobles.
However, contrary to my concerns, the noblewomen of the Nobility Faction showed no particular disrespect toward the Duchess Elrad.
The noblewomen of the Imperial Faction either adopted a submissive demeanor or were eager to draw closer to her.
Most importantly, since forming a friendship with Duchess Fairount, she didn’t seem to experience any sense of isolation or loneliness.
‘Then is it truly an illness?’
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.
The Duchess Elrad possessed fundamentally robust health, and from what I’d observed, she rarely suffered from minor ailments.
‘…Except for yesterday, when she said her chest felt tight and she couldn’t sleep.’
In that moment, Duchess Fairount’s words from the Imperial Palace, as she explained the situation, flashed through my mind.
〈She suddenly clutched her chest and gasped, saying she couldn’t breathe properly…. Then she collapsed right there….〉
Based on the symptoms alone, it seemed like a cardiac condition.
But if it truly were an illness, could symptoms manifest so suddenly and her condition deteriorate so rapidly?
‘Besides, Baron Bardo said he couldn’t determine the exact cause either.’
As I anxiously gnawed at my lip, I lifted my head at the sound of hurried footsteps.
Baron Bardo was hastening from the Annex Building toward the Main Building, carrying reagents and instruments for examination.
“Physician!”
“Lia? Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be with the young lady….”
“May I help too?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“I want to care for the Duchess from her side.”
I possessed extensive knowledge of medicines and poisons, but since I wasn’t a physician, I’d never examined a patient before.
So even if I examined the Duchess Elrad directly, there was no particular advantage I could offer.
‘But…I must confirm it with my own eyes.’
Baron Bardo sighed as he looked at me, seemingly at a loss for words.
Was he thinking I was just a child throwing a tantrum and wouldn’t indulge me?
I was beginning to despair, thinking I’d need to find another way given the urgency of the situation.
“Your feelings are admirable, but it will be difficult. Your heart will ache terribly….”
“That’s fine! Please, let me help.”
Perhaps my earnestness had conveyed itself. Or perhaps it was the pressing time constraint.
The Baron, who had been looking down at me, soon nodded and led the way.
I immediately followed in her footsteps.
When I returned to the Duchess’s Bedroom, Allen and Diana had already left the room, and the corridor was empty.
“I apologize. It seems he’s preparing himself mentally….”
“Silence!”
Instead, the Duke’s angry voice echoed from beyond the room.
As expected, upon entering the room, the Priestess and Tellin, along with the other mages, wore expressions of bewilderment.
The Duke, who had been pointing his sword at the Priestess, soon noticed me and furrowed his brow.
“Why on earth are you bringing this child….”
“I will attend to the Duchess from her side.”
Fearing Baron Bardo would be troubled, I spoke hastily, and the Duke clicked his tongue before sheathing his sword.
“Leave. All of you are useless.”
The moment the words left his lips, the Priestess and the mages rushed out in a flurry.
Duke Elrad, exhaling a heavy sigh, turned to me.
“Lia, you should go as well. I understand your feelings, but stay by Diana’s side.”
At his words, I lowered my head.
Even I had to admit that in a situation like this, it would be better to remain at young Diana’s side.
“I’m sorry….”
But I couldn’t do it.
‘I’m sorry, Diana, but ultimately this is for your sake.’
If I had never known parental love from the beginning like I did, it might be different. But I couldn’t let Diana lose Mother’s love too.
After drawing a deep breath, I spoke.
“I’m not being stubborn for no reason. There’s something I need to confirm.”

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