Youngest on Top - Chapter 228

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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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Chapter 228

Dmitri spoke.

“Let’s tell the Duke, Protagonist!”
“Right. It’s strange that the Sacred Maiden’s condition is so poor. If we explain that point—.”
“The Duke will think Shuellina’s body aches because of the aftereffects of the relic verification.”
“But still….”

Roana, who was about to say something, closed her mouth.
As I lowered my head slightly, my chin buried itself in the scarf.
A soft and warm sensation tickled my chin.

This scarf was something Perardin Noishurael Duke had wrapped around me long ago, saying I looked cold.
Admiral Ekellan had laughed beside him, saying, “You even hunted it yourself—why are you wrapping it around her like it’s a coincidence?”
The cape I wore beneath it was a gift from Admiral Ekellan, saying I had grown taller.

“…I’ll tell him.”

Will he believe me?

Once, I thought Admiral Ekellan would believe anything I said.
There was trust built up over all the time we had spent together.
But now.

‘I don’t know.’

No, it’s not that I don’t know.

‘He won’t believe me.’

For some reason, the soft sensation brushing beneath my chin felt burdensome.
The cape draped over my shoulders felt heavy.

That was when.

“Forget that unlucky Duke family! Whether they believe it or not, just leave them be! Don’t worry about it!”

Dmitri pulled my neck tightly and spoke.
Startled, I looked up, and he grinned widely.

“Right?”
“Well, for a fool, you said something that makes sense.”
“Yeah, it’s not really our concern.”
“But—.”

The children looked at me with similar expressions and laughed.

“That con artist bastard is unforgivable.”
“He dared to lay hands on our youngest.”
“We can’t just beat him and call it even.”
“So, what should we do to him?”

I stared at those children and blurted out.

“You all smile with the exact same expression.”
“This dignified Dmitri and that arrogant pretty boy?!”
“Our youngest even curses elegantly now.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“You all laugh like gangsters. Don’t smile like that when you go outside. We’re clergy—people might get the wrong idea.”

But the children’s expressions became subtle.

“…Sae, that’s—.”
“…You’re the one who started it.”
“….”
“…You’re the original gangster smile.”
“….”

I fell silent, then let out a small cough.

“Now that I think about it, maybe it was an angelic smile?”

The children burst into laughter.

“Yes, our youngest is an angel, an angel!”
“A thug angel!!”

The nickname stung a little, but it was affectionate nonetheless.
The hands stroking my head and pulling at my shoulders were incredibly tender.

Outside was truly frigid.
Standing before the grand mansion, I thought I might actually freeze solid.
Even wrapped in a cape and fur collar.

But here, in this place—

“Ah, it’s warm.”
“Did we laugh too much?”
“Move back, move back.”
“Sae, take off your cape and collar now. You’ll start sweating.”

—it was wonderfully, perfectly warm.
Because this was our home, where my family was.

* * *

-Wow, Shuellina was the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s daughter!
-No wonder she had such an air of nobility. Her birth was extraordinary.
-And her personality is genuinely wonderful, right? Always humble and considerate.
Even though you grew up apart from your family since childhood, it’s amazing how you turned out so well ㅠㅠ

The topic sweeping through the mana network these days was undoubtedly Shuellina.

-The beloved youngest daughter who melts the icy Perardin Noishurael Duke’s household in an instant!
-The youngest daughter separated at birth and finally reunited!

How could people not be captivated?

-As expected of Sacred Maiden Saelika’s best friend, Shuellina! I knew something was up!
-A two-shot of Shuellina and Saelika!
-Did Shuellina invite Sae to the Duke’s residence??
-What if Shuellina and Sae went shopping together?
-Shuellina went on a date with the Duke today. So cute.

“Heh.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Shuellina typed away with a giggle.

-Ugh; but isn’t it just me who’s uncomfortable with everything being about Shuellina? This used to be a space to talk about Sae;;;-

Comments flooded in immediately.

-?? Is this a Saelika fan page?
-It’s just that there are a lot of Sae fans here so her story came up a lot. It’s not like this is exclusively for talking about Sae;;;-
-Your Sae gets along fine with Shue, so why are you trying to stir things up?-

Shuellina snickered and added a reply.

└But I’m not even sure if they get along. They say Saelika’s attitude changed the moment she found out Shuellina was a duchess?-

Comments poured in like firewood catching flame.
The atmosphere began to spiral out of control.

-Honestly, I never liked how they paired Sae and Shue together from the start. People kept going on about how their names matched, how compatible they were. They treated Shue like Sae’s supporting character.-
-Who’s really the supporting character?-
-Now we’re supposed to call her Duchess Reyarsha, yet people keep calling her Shue. It’s creepy.-
-The Sae fandom is desperately trying to ride on our duchess’s coattails by going on about Shue lol-
-Lol call her Shue then lol Now Sae should be Duchess Shue’s supporting character lollll-

“Pfft!”

Shuellina laughed heartily, rolling across the spacious sofa.
It was far too amusing and hilarious.

‘Phew, am I really a genius?’

Everything had gone according to plan.
All that attention that had been directed at Saelika.
It was now becoming entirely mine.

‘Saelika, I’m truly grateful to you.’

“What’s so amusing about that?”

Shuellina jumped in surprise at the sudden voice and rose from her seat.

“Father! Uncle!”
“Here. These are the earrings you wanted.”
“I, I didn’t want them!”
“You couldn’t take your eyes off them.”
“You knew?”

Perardin Noishurael Duke silently held out the earrings.
Admiral Ekellan chuckled softly.

“Our Lesha is one of us. Of course we’d notice. We pay attention to every glance you make, every breath you take, every expression on your face.”
“You’ve already bought me so many other things…”
“No amount is ever enough for you.”
“Hehe.”

Shuellina’s face flushed crimson.

“Now that I think about it, tomorrow is the mission day. Just knowing that my family is cheering me on makes me so incredibly happy!”
“…Yes.”

Shuellina didn’t miss the subtle shadow that crossed Admiral Ekellan’s face.
Shuellina withdrew a bracelet from her bosom.
It was the bracelet she had possessed since childhood.

“This is something Mother made for me, isn’t it?”
“…She wove it together piece by piece on the southern coast.”
“I wish Mother were here too. That would have been wonderful…”

At those words, both Admiral Ekellan and Perardin Noishurael Duke’s expressions darkened simultaneously.
Shuellina was startled and hastily waved her hand.

“Ah, no! I’m already so incredibly happy just to have Father and Uncle!”
“Lesha.”
“I really mean it. It’s something I never could have imagined…”

Shuellina, who had been laughing with delight, murmured with a forlorn expression.

“Actually, I admired Sacred Maiden Saelika partly because of my own inadequacy.”
“….”
“She’s an orphan like me, yet everyone loves her. I even hid the fact that I wasn’t born during the Mesis period. Of course, no one paid attention to me all this time.”
“Lesha.”
“When you decorated the event with Sae’s photos like that. Even biological children don’t get treated that way. The scarf and cloak she received as gifts looked so warm. That’s probably why I wanted to get closer to her.”
“….”
“I’m really pathetic, aren’t I?”

Shuellina laughed with a soft giggle.
Admiral Ekellan suddenly pulled her into his embrace.

“I’m sorry, Lesha. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry….”

Shuellina wept in Admiral Ekellan’s arms.
Yet beneath her bowed face, the corners of her mouth were turned sharply upward.

* * *

The next day, at the mission venue.
Even before the competition had begun, crowds of people had gathered.
The spectator stands were already full, and people were gathering outside the arena as well.
Large crystal display screens had been installed so that those outside could watch and hear the vivid cheers from the arena.

Wherever crowds gathered, one thing was always necessary.
Food.

“Wow. Look at Elizabeth’s fans preparing free coffee. Should we vote for that?”
“Hey, there are so many coffee carts. I want to drink Dolores’s coffee.”
“Wow, Amelia really operates on a different scale. She didn’t just set up coffee—she prepared snacks too?”
“But where is Saelika’s? What will she have prepared this time?”

The trend of coffee carts and food carts had started with Saelika.
The shock from Perardin Noishurael Duke’s incredible tribute was still being discussed even now.

“Ah, why look for Saelika? We should be looking for Princess Reyarsha—or rather, Princess Shuellina.”
“Right! After all, the Duke invested in the Sacred Maidens in the first place to find his daughter.”
“Yeah, he’d prioritize his biological daughter. Saelika would just get—you know, enough to save face.”

The Priest speaking faltered.
It was because of Shuellina’s massive image that had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Shuellina was alive and moving within countless crystal display boards.

“Wow, this is really…. Saelika’s appearance seems shabby in comparison?”

My jaw dropped involuntarily.
I was curious how the Saelika side, whom I had originally sponsored, was faring.
But.

“Saelika doesn’t even have a cheering carriage?”
“The VIP seats inside are completely empty, I heard.”
“Wow….”

The Priest laughed outright.

“Saelika’s completely ruined?”

* * *

“Lesha, I was startled looking outside. It seems the Duke really loves you.”
“My, isn’t this a scarf made from black lion fur that only comes from the north? Didn’t only Saelika wear this before?”
“Oh, Father gave it to me.”
“I heard that not long ago, the Duke and the Admiral did tremendous shopping for you on Arcade Street.”
“And not only that, he even hunted directly and made you a scarf!”

The Sacred Maidens surrounded Shuellina and wouldn’t let her go.
Shuellina spotted me and approached closer.

“Saelika!”
“Hello. …You look really beautiful today.”
“Thank you.”

The surrounding Sacred Maidens’ eyes widened sharply.

“Wait. Saelika. You should show proper courtesy to the Young Lady.”
“Speaking casually without manners.”
“As expected, she’s a lowly creature who doesn’t even know her roots.”

I stared at the Sacred Maidens in disbelief.

“If I start speaking formally, you’ll just say I’m changing my attitude to look good now, won’t you?”
“That, that’s—.”
“Anyway, Shuellina, you don’t look well. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry too much. Your body will definitely recover by today.”
“Pardon?”

Watching Shuellina ask again with a startled expression, I grinned widely.

“You’ll feel better once we start the mission.”
“Ah… Thank you.”

Shuellina nodded her head.
I wondered if she’d still thank me even if her body recovered during the mission.

Shuellina examined me with narrowed eyes.

“But today you’re not wearing your scarf and cape cloak, are you?”
“Right, I don’t only have those scarves and cloaks.”
“…I see. Ah, are you perhaps thirsty or hungry? My father set up a mini restaurant and café outside for me.”
“Is that so? If you’re hungry, Shuellina, go ahead.”
“….”

Shuellina didn’t respond.
The other Sacred Maidens chattered away.

“Lesha, come with us.”
“Me too. I’m curious.”

Regardless, Shuellina only looked at me.
Soon her lips parted.

“You don’t like me, do you, Saelika?”
“What?”
“Of course you don’t. You resent that I became the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s daughter when I’m inferior to you.”
“….”
“You invited me to the residence, then deliberately wore the clothes Father, Uncle, and my brothers gave me to show off. You took Mikhail away and left me behind.”
“….”
“I know Saelika has been acting like family with Father, Uncle, and my brothers all this time. But they’re my family!”
“What nonsense.”

Those last words weren’t mine.

Bang!
The waiting room door burst open with a harsh sound.

“I’ve heard enough of this.”
“Why is our Protagonist speaking to you with such jealousy?”

Ilay and Dmitri entered with furious expressions.
At that moment, Demian stepped in front of the two of them.

“Watch your words. The person before your eyes is the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s daughter.”
“Didn’t you hear what she said? How can you say that after hearing it?”
“….”

Demian said nothing.
Then it happened.

“What is this about?”
“Father! Uncle!”

At the appearance of the Perardin Noishurael Duke and the Admiral, Shuellina’s eyes welled with sorrowful tears.

“It’s nothing. I must have done something wrong to Saelika. I received gifts and love just like Saelika, so I suppose that’s why.”
“Lesha, Sae isn’t the kind of child to be angry over such things.”
“…Uncle, you seem to trust Saelika more than me.”
“That’s not it. There could be a misunderstanding….”

Seeing Shuellina’s face fill with tears, Admiral Ekellan swallowed his words.

“Then why does Sacred Maiden Saelika insist on calling me Shuellina and speaking informally to me?”
“….”
“Is it because you don’t like me after all?”

At those words, Admiral Ekellan looked at me.
Perardin Noishurael Duke did the same.
Shuellina smiled in both their arms.

“No.”

In the end, I stepped forward.

“Then why do you still call me Shuellina?”
“Because if I were you, I’d want that.”
“…What?”
“If I were in your situation, I think I’d still want to be called Saelika.”

For some reason, the gazes of the Duke and the Admiral bored into my face.
Then I felt gentle hands wrapping around my body from behind.

“My daughter prefers being my daughter.”
“Our Saelika is naturally Saelika.”

It was Kaiser and Randel.

“So there’s no reason to be jealous or displeased, whether she’s the daughter of Perardin Noishurael Duke or Admiral Ekellan.”

Kaiser stepped forward protectively in front of me.

“I’m disappointed in you, Serge Echelan. You spoke of being a father to my daughter, yet you let her hear such nonsense? Is that what a father should do?”
“…Kaiser.”
“From now on, never meddle with my daughter again by calling yourself her father, Serge.”
“I….”

Admiral Ekellan tried to say something but closed his mouth.
Randel held me close and spoke to Perardin Noishurael Duke.

“I hope Your Highness will maintain your distance from my daughter going forward.”
“….”
“So that my daughter won’t be subjected to such vile misunderstandings.”

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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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