Favored by the Family That Will Become the Strongest! - Chapter 39

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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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“Your gaze when you look at her… it was different.”
“Different? Different how?”
Rather than answer, Diana simply smiled softly. Those who had played at being family to her while she was in the Rothwell Household were nothing like him.
At first, she too had harbored suspicions about Sevar Cardian because of things Barcan had told her in the past. But.
‘He was nothing like the Rothwell people.’
He was a man who carried an intimidating presence, yet when he looked at his children, that aura vanished entirely.
Despite his stern expression, his eyes held only warmth. She could feel the sincerity of his concern for Bianca.
‘Did my own father… look at me that way too?’
When she factored in the years that had passed, it had been too long since she’d last seen him. The memory was already fading.
She envied Bianca. For having a father still alive who gazed upon her with such tenderness.
And once Diana had glimpsed that look in Sevar’s eyes, another possibility had begun to bloom. Perhaps—just perhaps—she could persuade him to let her stay.
But Diana’s thoughts halted there. Bianca had seized her hand firmly with both of her own.
“Hmph, even if Father tries to send you away, it won’t matter! If he really loves me, he wouldn’t have torn you from my side.”
“…”
“He wouldn’t have spent so much time away at war, leaving me and my brother behind.”
“I understand your heart, Miss.”
“If you’re not there beside someone… if you don’t show them how you feel… they’ll never know.”
Diana nodded at her words and gently stroked the back of her hand.
“So let’s stay together. Always.”
Though her eyelids grew heavy as sleep threatened to overtake her, Bianca stubbornly kept Diana in her gaze and continued.
“If Father tries to cast you out, I’ll run away with you. I won’t let you go anywhere alone. Never.”
“Haha.”
Even as she laughed warmly, Diana understood all too well how impossible and unrealistic those words were.
A noblewoman raised in such comfort could never endure the harsh storms of a life beyond her family’s walls.
‘I myself struggled for a long time after I left the Rothwell Household back then.’
Yet Bianca’s words were enough to warm Diana’s heart.
Diana gently brushed back Bianca’s hair.
For just a moment, a faint white light gathered in her palm as she used her Ability to assess Bianca’s condition. She paused when she sensed the deep darkness emanating from the girl’s body, but soon smiled softly and spoke.
“Thank you, Miss. Your words ease my heart.”
It was Bianca who felt reassured by Diana’s answer.
“Good, so don’t worry. Just sleep now.”
She closed her eyes while still holding Diana’s hand. Diana gazed down at Bianca’s sleeping face for a long while.
* * *
Early the next morning, after sharing a meal with Bianca, Diana was led by her hand on a walk through the Garden.
Since the commotion of the previous day, Bianca had clung to Diana like a child suffering from separation anxiety, as though the slightest moment of inattention would give Sevar the chance to drive her away.
Diana made a deliberate effort to behave as naturally as always.
“Diana, look at that flower blooming over there. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Diana slowly turned her gaze. There stood a White Daffodil.
“Yes, it’s absolutely lovely.”
“My mother loved flowers like that.”
Bianca smiled shyly and tucked the flower behind Diana’s ear. Then she gazed at Diana’s appearance and marveled.
The White Daffodil showed through the curtain of jet-black hair. Because of the striking contrast of colors, it looked all the more beautiful.
“Wow… you really are beautiful.”
As Diana grew flustered, Bianca’s face lit with satisfaction as she suppressed a smile.
“Let’s go over there. Mother used to tend a Flower Garden, and it’s just ahead.”
Bianca spoke with bright enthusiasm and led Diana deeper into the Garden. But the moment they stepped into the greenhouse—
“Isn’t it a bit early in the day for flower viewing?”
A tall, handsome boy emerged from between the tree shadows. Ardin Lumines—the First Prince.
Bianca would normally have greeted him warmly, but today her reaction was different. She stepped in front of Diana and hid her behind her back.
“What brings you out? You didn’t even leave your room before.”
At Bianca’s sharp response, Ardin’s eyes narrowed with amusement.
“Why such a cold reception? That hurts my feelings.”
“Hmph, if you have no business here, please continue on your way.”
Ardin’s gaze lingered on Diana over Bianca’s shoulder—a look of careful scrutiny.
Diana did not avoid his stare. There was a flicker of interest in Ardin’s eyes.
Noticing his gaze, Bianca made her displeasure obvious and moved to shield Diana further.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
But Ardin pressed on without retreat, speaking with ease. He even tilted his head slightly, trying to catch Diana’s eyes.
Bianca watched him with sharp attention. The fact that he wasn’t even disconcerted by her hostility proved he was skilled indeed.
“I’m curious. Both Barcan and the Young Noblewoman keep her so guarded. I wonder who this mysterious friend could be.”
Bianca clenched her fists tightly and answered quickly.
“I can’t allow that. Please don’t pry.”
“Oh, how disappointing. I was hoping to become friends with your friend as well.”
An alarm bell rang in Bianca’s mind.
There was a reason for her reaction. Ardin absolutely could not be allowed near Diana. He was far too popular with the ladies.
Even as her older brother’s friend, she could not introduce Diana to him—a man who, despite his handsome face, was always caught up in some scandal or another with this woman or that.
His good looks, his height, his status—none of it mattered. What mattered most was whether he could make Diana truly happy.
Moreover, Ardin was the sort of man whose very existence seemed a weapon of seduction. In short, someone she must guard against completely.
Ardin’s face broke into a picture-perfect smile.
“But shouldn’t we at least ask your friend’s opinion?”
It was a smile that carried impure intentions—or so Bianca judged.
When Bianca glared at him in silence, something in her sharp demeanor startled him. There was an edge to her presence that seemed far from what one would expect of a non-Ability user.
Almost as if—
“You know, Miss Bianca, you really do remind me of Barcan. You two are remarkably alike.”
At that, Bianca’s glare intensified even further.
“How could you say such a thing?”
At her stern expression, Ardin chuckled smoothly.
“What? I meant it as a compliment.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“Really. Hello there—may I ask your name?”
While Bianca turned away with a scoff, Ardin seized the opening to greet Diana. As Bianca froze in alarm, Diana slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.
She already understood why the First Prince was approaching her with such false friendliness.
‘He knows who I am.’
As a member of the royal family, he would already know the face of Diana, former daughter of the Rothwell Duke.
Even if he didn’t, Ardin was remarkably well-informed. He was the sort of person who kept many secrets hidden.

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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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