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

There were still more than three weeks left until the Academy graduation ceremony. However, I had heard clearly that the Grand Duke and his wife and Bianca, who was in charge of escorting them, had left the Duchy of Belus early.

Last time, Bianca replied that there would be a surprise, and it must have been this visit.

“Ah! Lia.”

“You came to pick up the young lady.”

When I showed up, the maids who were cleaning quickly got out of the way.

I felt a little strange seeing them stop talking and straighten up.

Even though my relationship with the servants had not been friendly in the past, I felt more distant now than before.

‘…Is it strangely polite to treat someone higher up?’

I didn’t know for sure, but I thought my behavior when the Duchess collapsed had an effect.

There was even talk that the antidote plant ‘Splesia’, which was the basis of the antidote that saved the Duchess’ life, was something I discovered at the Duchess’ castle.

In any case, I also knew that my position in the duke’s residence had become a bit ambiguous, unlike when I was just a maid serving Diana.

Above all, when I think about what happened in the duke’s office a while ago…

〈Reports from the places you asked me to invest in. Other places are booming too, but they say that a large amount of high-quality rubies have been pouring out from the abandoned mines in the south.〉

I thought there would be nothing more surprising now. The duke added quietly and laughed in vain.

I thought it would be difficult to be surprised when it was only the beginning of success, so I looked at the earnings report he gave me and nodded quietly.

It was only a portion of the earnings I would receive in the future, but it was quite a large amount.

It was unimaginable that this was money in the hands of an ordinary 9-year-old.

That wasn’t all.

〈I consulted with Viscount Bardo and put your share of the antidote recipe you told me in your safe.〉

I checked the balance of the safe that the duke said nonchalantly and gave me, and my mouth fell open at the endless feast of numbers.

The duke let out a faint sigh upon seeing this.

〈Yes. Considering its value, it must be a very small amount of money. However, the viscount said that although the success of the cultivation is the priority, the antidote will be made quickly since there is a recipe. I have greatly increased your share of the antidote profits, so don’t be too upset.〉

You’re upset! It’s so excessive that it’s burdensome, but the duke continued speaking without any sense of my feelings.

〈So if it’s for money… you can quit being a maid at any time.〉

The duke’s feelings as he said those words seemed complicated.

He had already been unhappy with me working as a maid. However, he seemed to be worried about me, perhaps because he had already firmly refused my sponsorship.

Perhaps Diana was worried about what would happen if I quit my job and left the duke’s residence.

“Treat it like your home.”

As I recalled my work with the duke, I suddenly remembered what Lucio had said to me. And I shook my head without realizing it.

‘That’s not possible…’

No matter how good our relationship was, we were still strangers, and if I quit my job, there was no reason for me to stay here.

If Lucio came back right away, I would have to avoid staying comfortably in the main library like I was doing now.

I would have to take full control as the successor and deal with many things, and I would have to take care of Darel’s business, so I couldn’t invade his place.

‘Let’s think about it slowly. I was planning to become independent anyway.’

Since I was young, the duke’s family wouldn’t want to kick me out right away. However, it would soon become known to those around me that I had amassed wealth, so I couldn’t just stay as a maid like I was doing now.

‘I should prepare in advance.’

I thought about it before, but there might be someone who approaches the child who suddenly became rich.

I thought that I needed to nail down the child so that he wouldn’t even dream of something useless from the beginning, and that was when I arrived in front of Diana’s room.

Suddenly, the door opened wide and I saw Diana running out and the teacher with a blank face behind her.

“Sister, let’s go!”

I bowed to the teacher instead of the child who was pulling me by the hand and said as I walked.

“Young lady, I think you’re in a good mood today.”

“Yeah! Brother, come!”

When I saw Diana’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes after a long time, I also felt good.

A month ago, the Duke and Duchess of Peirunt and Aiden left for the Kingdom of Dhamba.

They would return in a few months, but Diana, who was still not used to parting, was very upset because her friend who had visited her every day suddenly disappeared.

‘And Allen too…’

Instead of Lucio returning, this time Allen is leaving for the academy.

Unlike Lucio, Allen, who has played with me and taken care of me since I was born, could not imagine how much of a sense of loss I would feel if he left.

That’s why I was worried that Diana seemed to be depressed a lot these days, but I was glad that she seemed excited because Lucio was coming today.

“I love you, Twinkle Twinkle Brother!”

“…Yes?”

“Twinkle Twinkle Brother, who resembles my sister, said he was coming to our house today! Right?”

At that moment, Diana asked me with her eyes sparkling brightly.

Could it be that Brother she mentioned earlier…

“Ahaha. Yes, that’s right. Your Highness, please come too.”

I burst out laughing.

* * *

I could see a carriage pulling into the main gate of the mansion in the distance.

In front of the main building, the Duchess and Allen, who I had rarely seen recently because he was busy with training, were already out.

Without even being able to pretend to know, I quickly put Diana next to Allen, and I stood behind him.

The door of the stopped carriage opened, and a beautiful boy with eyes that seemed to open wide appeared.

‘Somehow, his beauty seems to shine even brighter than the last time I saw him.’

Just then, the wind blew, causing his golden hair, resembling the sun, to flutter.

I blankly watched as his slightly long bangs swung along his head once more, and soon I met the pretty eyes located under his forehead.

At the same time, Askart’s eyes widened prettily.

“Your Majesty, welcome.”

“Good morning, Duchess.”

While Askart was greeting the Duchess, Lucio also got out of the carriage.

When I tried to turn my head away, I saw Askart handing the Duchess a bouquet of yellow sunflowers he was holding.

“Thank you for inviting me to lunch.”

“Oh my, you can just come…”

“I can’t just come to see the lady.”

I could feel the maids standing a little distance away getting agitated by the words that she said with a spring breeze-like smile.

They seemed surprised by Askart’s beautiful appearance, but also by his gentle and affectionate side that was not usually seen in the cold duke’s men.

At that moment, Diana raised her hand and said, “Me?!”

Askart smiled and held out another bouquet of flowers that he was holding. This time, it was bellflowers.

“Wow!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Diana jumping for joy after receiving the bouquet.

Although Allen, who was next to her, grumbled, “Brother, you’re a flirt!”

That was it.

“Hello.”

Askart turned his head and greeted me.

For some reason, my heart swelled with warmth in his eyes.

“Here, it’s yours.”

“Yes… Yes?”

As I missed the timing to greet her, Askart offered me a bouquet of flowers.

I absentmindedly accepted the bouquet and muttered blankly.

“Pink roses?”

“Oh my, you’re so pretty, Sister!”

Diana looked ecstatic as she saw me holding the bouquet, then covered my mouth in surprise.

I wondered if I had broken my promise to keep it a secret, so I patted her head to show that it was okay, and told Askart.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness. This is my first time receiving a flower gift.”

Who would give a bouquet of flowers to a 9-year-old commoner orphan? This was the first time I had ever received flowers from someone, not only in this life but in my past lives as well, so I felt a different emotion.

“Ugh, Ugh.”

At that moment, the Duchess suddenly coughed and drew my attention.

“Your Highness. I’ve been away for a long time, so wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to stay right now? If you want, you can stay at the duke’s residence while it’s being serviced.”

“Yes? There are separate servants in the mansion, so don’t worry. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Um…”

The duchess laughed awkwardly at Askart’s polite words.

When the duchess finished speaking, Askart looked at me again.

“I didn’t know what kind of flowers you like, so I picked the ones I like. Do you like them?”

I quickly nodded at the somewhat nervous voice.

“I really like them. I didn’t know what kind of flowers I like either, but from now on, I’m going to say that I like pink roses.”

When I answered shyly, Askart’s eyes widened for a moment and then gently closed.

“Really? Then do you want to come visit the Marquis of Diapel? There’s a greenhouse at the Marquis’ residence where pink roses bloom all year round.”

When I looked at him in surprise at the unexpected words, he quickly added.

“It’s not too far from the Duke of Elad’s residence. It’s right in front.”

I knew that too.

His maternal home, the Marquis of Diapel, where Askart was scheduled to stay until graduation, was located across from the Duke’s residence.

‘Of course, the mansion is quite large, so it’s quite a distance away, even though it’s the house in front.’

Come to think of it, I’ve always wondered where the connection between the Grand Duke of Belus and the Duke of Elad began, and I found out a while ago.

It seemed that the Duke and the Grand Duchess were childhood friends.

 

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