Everyone Was Obsessed With Me After I Became the Youngest Princess Favorite

“Diana went, didn’t she?”

 

Nicholas looked puzzled at Lucio’s words.

 

“Really? You’re telling me to go?”

 

“If you stay too long, who knows what might be said.”

 

“What! I obviously came to visit a friend’s house.”

 

“We had enough conversation on the carriage ride here, I believe.”

 

Nicholas shook his head, suppressing a hollow laugh at Lucio’s cold expression that seemed as if not a single needle could penetrate.

 

He momentarily mistook the relaxed demeanor as if in front of his younger siblings.

 

Luccio was always like this.

 

* * *

 

I looked at myself with vacant eyes in the mirror. It’s still a face different from the portrait in my memory.

 

‘Who are you?’

 

Who am I to live inside the mirror I see?

 

‘Why… can only I see it?’

 

If I were to explain the image I see, others would call me delusional.

 

But I swear, from the moment I first saw myself in the mirror when I was born, it has always been like this.

 

The current state, ranging from shock and confusion to resignation, had more questions than sadness.

 

“…I really don’t understand the reason.”

 

“What?”

 

Diana, who was stroking my head at that moment, tilted her head.

 

I smiled bitterly, then cautiously took a breath and spoke.

 

“Hey, miss. Can you not say I’m pretty in front of other people?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Diana blinked at my words, then quickly welled up with tears.

 

“My brother said mean things. That’s why I got mad.”

 

“No, no, it’s not like that…”

 

I hesitated in my words.

 

Because, in your eyes, I only look pretty.

 

To other people, I look plain and unremarkable.

 

So when you say such things, I feel really embarrassed.

 

Is it even possible to say that?

 

As a young Diana who wouldn’t fully understand, and it would feel like blaming her… I didn’t want to say those words.

 

I pondered for a moment and opened my mouth again.

 

“Actually, miss, this is a secret that only the two of us know.”

 

“A secret?”

 

“Yes. That I’m pretty, no one else knows. Only you and I, just the two of us.”

 

Diana widened her eyes in surprise and her heart fluttered.

 

“Only me and big sister know? No one else?”

 

Though my conscience pricked a little at her innocent reaction, I nodded my head.

 

“Yes. No one knows. And this is a secret. How do we keep a secret?”

 

“We have to protect it!”

 

“That’s right. So now, you won’t tell anyone else?”

 

“Um… Okay!”

 

Diana, who was filling her cheeks thoughtfully and pursing her lips, seemed to have made up her mind and exclaimed.

 

“We’ll keep the secret! Dana is a hero, so she has to protect the princess!”

 

“Indeed, our little miss is the coolest in the world.”

 

“Hehe.”

 

When Diana’s laughter sounded pleasing, she started stroking my head again.

 

Someone knocked on the door.

 

“Dinner is ready, miss.”

 

As the maid’s words ended, Diana, who was standing on the chair, jumped down to the floor.

 

Meanwhile, the maid who had entered through the open door quickly glanced at the jewelry on the dressing table and the clothes I was wearing.

 

“Come to think of it, this is my first time here.”

 

Unlike the frequent playacting in the Duke’s residence, this was the first time I had played with dolls since coming to the capital.

 

The maid’s gaze, which observed me to the point of feeling a little sharp, continued until we entered the dining room.

 

“Daddy!”

 

Diana, who entered the dining room, spotted Duke Ellard and ran up to him.

 

I, too, looked at the Duke with surprise in my eyes.

 

“And then she fell.”

 

Contrary to his gruff tone, the Duke skillfully held Diana and placed her on his knee.

 

In the busy capital, it was difficult to see his face, but seeing him now made me feel somewhat relieved.

 

As I looked around the dining table in surprise at my emotions, Allen and Lucio, as well as the Duchess, were all seated.

 

“I’m glad the whole family is finally gathered.”

 

The Duchess smiled softly.

 

“Lucio, welcome home. You’ll be returning to the academy soon, but make sure to take a few days to rest.”

 

It was a tone filled with love and affection towards her son.

 

However, Lucio just nodded his head slightly without much of a reaction.

 

Seeing his indifferent response, the Duchess awkwardly smiled.

 

It was a moment when they felt a strange distance between them.

 

“Lucio, move aside.”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

Perhaps the Duke’s words were sudden, Lucio responded with a rare hint of surprise in his voice.

 

“Lia, come here and sit quickly.”

 

Moreover, I was also taken aback by the words calling me, who was standing at a distance.

 

The Duke sat at the head of the dining table, with the Duchess and Allen on his left, and Lucio on his right.

 

Diana’s seat was next to Lucio.

 

“Diana will sit on my lap and eat. And Lia, you should sit next to Diana.”

 

Both the Duchess and I glanced at each other in surprise at the Duke’s words.

 

If it were a usual situation, I would have immediately opposed and stood up.

 

‘But in the Duke’s household, is the Duke’s word law?’

 

The Duchess observed the situation with an expressionless face.

 

“Hmm. Even so, it’s a rare occasion for the family to have a meal together…”

 

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like a place for me to be.

 

However, the Duchess seemed pleased that the Duchess did not object, and Allen’s face was indifferent.

 

Only Lucio, with a slightly bewildered expression, blinked his eyes alternately between me and Diana before getting up from his seat.

 

“I’ll move the tableware.”

 

As if it were the Duke’s order, the Duchess began moving the tableware herself.

 

At the same time, another kitchen maid came and moved my tableware, but contrary to my expectations, she showed no interest in me and did not send me a cold gaze as usual.

 

It wasn’t just her. All the maids who were waiting at a distance for the banquet pretended not to notice me and stole glances at Lucio.

 

I couldn’t hide my excitement and longing gaze, so I swallowed my laughter inwardly.

 

‘Well, he does have a face that keeps drawing my attention.’

 

Even when we had meals at the Duke’s residence before, the maids used to look at Duke Ellard as if they were enchanted.

 

Despite their cold expressions, they exuded an eerie and cool atmosphere, but the two of them possessed beautiful appearances.

 

‘But still, I love Diana the most, after all.’

 

Among those with silver hair and blue eyes, Diana was undoubtedly the most lovable presence.

 

As I looked at Diana with a joyful expression, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze.

 

“…?”

 

“Didn’t you just turn 9 years old?”

 

“What?”

 

“Why hasn’t she grown at all?”

 

The Duke lightly lifted Diana and put her down before speaking again.

 

“It seems like Diana has grown a lot.”

 

“Hmph!”

 

The Duke lightly pinched Diana’s cheek and turned to the Duchess.

 

“Do you properly take care of her meals?”

 

“I’ve been busy lately, so I haven’t been able to take care of it frequently. Moreover, she doesn’t eat much, so she doesn’t grow well.”

 

The Duchess spoke with a slightly remorseful expression.

 

Finally understanding what they were talking about, I lowered my gaze in embarrassment. Then, I noticed my thin wrists.

 

I thought I had gained weight much more than when I was in the orphanage, but I still had a skinny body.

 

In fact, I knew that unlike Diana, my cheeks were not plump and my face was gaunt.

 

‘Do I really look that unsightly?’

 

Lucio’s words and the gloomy thoughts I had just had while looking in the mirror made me feel a bit melancholic.

 

“Big sister!”

 

“Lia.”

 

As soon as I raised my head at the voice calling me, a piece of meat went into my mouth.

 

“Hmph! I wanted to give it to you!”

 

Diana shook the fork she was holding with an angry face.

 

Seeing this, the Duke burst into laughter.

 

“Diana, you can never beat me because your arms are short.”

 

“Eeek! I hate you, Dad! Huuung!”

 

Diana burst into tears, but everyone just looked at the child with an expression of cuteness and no one tried to console her.

 

The Duke proudly said, “You need to eat meat to grow,” and even filled my plate with food.

 

While not knowing what to do, I couldn’t resist Diana’s pleading gaze as she watched me eat, so I started eating slowly.

 

And without imagining the repercussions of that day’s events, I fell asleep feeling full from the rare feast.

 

* * *

 

“Is that true? That kind of child sat next to the young master and had a meal together!”

 

“And the master even personally served her food?”

 

“I can’t believe it! How can a girl like her… What does she have that’s better than us!”

 

In the early morning, the maids who started working early quickly spread the rumors they had been itching to share since last night.

 

“But more than that, have you seen the clothes she was wearing?”

 

“Soyna said that the girl was in the young lady’s room, choosing and trying on the young lady’s clothes and jewelry.”

 

“Oh my goodness. That’s not something we can just overlook!”

 

As they became consumed by jealousy and heatedly gossiped, they raised their voices as if declaring themselves to be the unwavering loyal subjects of Duke Elard.

 

“But what can we, mere maids, do? The young lady, of course, and even the lady and the young master dote on that child…”

 

“I don’t know what happened in the Duke’s household, but everyone is firmly deceived. That child is so audacious.”

 

“Yes, we should see her true colors. How venomous and wicked she is, never making a single mistake.”

 

“Even if she makes a mistake, they will surely overlook it generously.”

 

It was a moment when they scoffed, saying it was obvious even without looking.

 

Suddenly, the gaze of those muttering grew ominously sharp.

 

“By the way, the young master has arrived.”

 

“Yes. If it’s Lucio, he will never tolerate her mistakes.”

 

And the morning dawned.

 

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Translator Note:

 

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