The Reincarnated Count's Daughter Is the Strongest as She Is Loved by the Spirits, Though She Is Only Wishing for Regular Romance!

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Author Notes:

  Another explanatory chapter. This completes the introduction of all characters within the empire.

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I stared absentmindedly at the fountain in the courtyard, where a statue of a woman holding a jug stood, water flowing with a cool, soothing sound. I found myself wondering about something trivial: it must be exhausting to remain crouched like that all the time. Yes, I'm currently lost in daydreams. Got a problem with that?

The birthday celebration was taking place in a large hall filled with soft autumn sunlight streaming through the wide windows. The hall was decorated in shades of gold and brown. Since there would be a ball later in the evening, not many nobles were present for the daytime event. The main festivities would occur in the evening, so those attending during the day included children too young to attend the ball, their families, and diplomats busy discussing half-work-related matters. Still, given the announcement of the Crown Prince and Chris-oniisama's engagements, there was a lot of excitement. 

In the center of the hall, the Crown Prince with Monika, Chris-oniisama with Suzanna, and their respective families were probably surrounded by a crowd of people. I couldn't see anything from where I sat by the window because there were too many people. 

Today, seating was not assigned, and it was a buffet-style meal where you could serve yourself and move freely. Although there was a cultural belief that eating while standing was undignified, even at this standing-style party, people would put a little food on their plates, sit down to eat while conversing, then stand up with the excuse of getting more food, and often change seats. But I had three plates in front of me, filled with everything from meats to desserts, beautifully arranged. It was as if Chris-oniisama and the Crown Prince were exerting some invisible pressure, making me stay put through the allure of these delicious dishes.

"Kamiru, you’ve come all the way to the empire, but sitting here won't help with your work. Today, there are diplomats from many different countries."

To my right sat Alan-oniisama.

"I've already greeted Andi, and our own diplomats are here, so there's no need to worry. I’ve been busy non-stop, and I finally got a chance to come here. Let me relax a bit."

On my left was Kamiru. Even though only diplomats from other countries were invited, he was the exception. He was allowed to attend because he had grown close to the Crown Prince during a previous stay at the royal palace, and he came bearing a token of gratitude and congratulations on behalf of the King of Luftanen, as a representative for attending the king's wedding.

"Does the Crown Prince think, like you, that Dia has some kind of healing power?"

"The Crown Prince? Is he visiting Dia even though he already has a fiancée?"

"Kamiru, stop saying things that could be misunderstood. Alan-oniisama, too. What if strange rumors start circulating? The Crown Prince just likes looking at the sea from the Berisario castle."

Both of them sat close to me, observing the room while chatting. Their faces were turned in different directions, like detectives with sharp, cautious eyes. With two bodyguards surrounding me, I felt incredibly safe, but no one dared come near me. Moreover, their spirit beasts were manifested in their miniature forms. All three had spirit beasts of every attribute, making it quite lively. Alan-oniisama's spirit beasts, reduced to palm size, were especially endearing, playing around on the table and keeping me entertained.

"Who would find Dia healing? That’s unbelievable!"

The one who uttered this unnecessary comment, earning a glare from the two, was my cousin, Hadley-oniisama, sitting a bit further away. He had short silver hair and emerald-green eyes, the same colors as Chris-oniisama, but they didn't look alike. While Chris was handsome, Hadley had a more approachable face, with slightly droopy eyes that somewhat resembled mine.

"I could understand if you were a gentle, kind woman, but Dia is too energetic. It makes me anxious."

"Unlike other women, Dia is easy to talk to. Plus, she says unexpected things that make it fun."

"Is that really healing? Kamiru, be aware that women from Berisario are strong. Think carefully."

Hadley-oniisama had been studying abroad in the Federation for years, so we only met a few times a year. He was the son of my aunt, who ruled over the port area of Glasspool on the Strait's side.

"Strong women? Nadia-sama seems kind."

"She married into the family. Didn’t you know? Our grandmother chose her husband, courted him, and dragged him back to Berisario. Her criterion for choosing a husband was that he could strengthen the Berisario military."

"She managed the trade and territory herself."

"Alan, that’s not the point. The idea of young women wanting a spouse to strengthen the military is odd."

Kamiru's eyes sparkled with curiosity at Hadley-oniisama and Alan-oniisama's explanation.

"That's amazing. I’d love to meet her. Isn’t your grandfather the one who lined up warships filled with soldiers carrying spirits at the port during the last war?"

"Yes, it was a demonstration to show our strength, saying, 'If you want to fight, we are ready. Look at the forces we have.' He had the same reddish-brown hair as Alan."

Back then, very few people had spirits. In the central region, the Spirit Forest had been destroyed, and both Starke and Bejaia did not understand the significance of spirits. Even in Luftanen, where the Spirit King had withdrawn, the number of spirits had slowly begun to decrease. But Grandfather foresaw the potential of spirits and instructed the soldiers to carry them. I think he was amazing.

And Grandfather's greatest achievement was to avoid war by using the spirits as a deterrent, showing that Berisario had a lot of spirits but not wanting to use them for actual combat or turn the precious land of Berisario into a battlefield.

"Deterrent? I heard that Starke and Bejaia were genuinely afraid, thinking Berisario might invade in the confusion."

From a foreign perspective, they found us terrifying. Well, it was the empire. A large nation that had expanded its territory by military force until then.

"Now that you mention it, although I’ve been to Berisario many times, I’ve never met your grandmother."

"She's not around. During the last war, while Berisario was spared, Grandfather’s homeland became a battlefield. So he handed over his title to Father and returned to fight."

"Even after the war ended, they went off traveling together... I heard they helped establish Tabuk."

Alan-oniisama and I couldn't help but look into the distance. Our grandparents were away from Berisario for so long that they became almost mythical. Alan-oniisama even had a hard time growing up because he was the only one who inherited Grandfather’s hair color, and people said he didn’t look like he belonged in Berisario. No one says such foolish things now, though.

"Ah… so the Spirit King of Tabuk invited Dia because of that."

"How do you know that?"

"Moana told me."

That Spirit King seems to share everything.

"But now, Grandfather and Grandmother are living in a villa in Glasspool."

"What?!"

"Hadley-oniisama, didn’t you know?"

"Mother and Grandmother are both there?! …Let me stay at the castle."

"As always."

Alan-oniisama looked exasperated, but Hadley-oniisama was dead serious.

"Why does he dislike them so much?"

"Hadley-oniisama dislikes strong women. Both Grandmother and Aunt are strong, so..."

"My father is also a son-in-law. The Harrington family, originally central aristocrats who rose to count over several generations, didn’t have their own land. They were a family of civil officials, good at their jobs but bad at socializing. Just being made a count was an accomplishment."

"In the central region, it’s very hierarchical, right? No matter how capable, one must follow the orders of those above. That’s why Aunt offered him a port to manage instead of land and recruited him."

"Mother and daughter together."

"Exactly."

Father had a hard time when he first became the head of the family. There were nobles who tried to impose unreasonable demands on the young lord. Even after the war, Grandfather and Grandmother did not return, so Aunt, realizing she needed to support her brother, recruited Uncle to manage the port. 

Now, with Bejaia in a civil war and Starke suffering from food shortages after angering the Spirit King, there are substantial exports from the Empire. As a result, Glasspool has grown larger than the port town near the castle, though it seems the law and order there isn’t great.

"Wasn’t it okay not to get land?"

"Father wanted to expand the port and engage in trade, not run a territory. He's delighted he can do whatever he likes. But I have to follow in his footsteps, which is troublesome."

"Don’t you like it?"

"I’d rather retreat to some countryside estate and live quietly!"

So why are you studying commerce in the Federation?

"He just wanted to leave home. He’s afraid of Aunt and his sister."

"Alan."

"It's the truth, isn’t it?"

"Ugh, it is. I want to meet a normal woman. Someone sweet, kind, and hard to ignore."

"You can't ignore Dia either; she seems likely to get hurt."

"Alan-oniisama?"

"I haven't tripped in a

 while, have I?"

"That's right. With Dia, you need to keep an eye on her, or you’ll worry about what she'll get up to."

Even when he scanned the room or talked to oniisama, his eyes were intense, but whenever he looked at me, his gaze seemed to soften slightly. Was it just my imagination? Was I being self-conscious? But ever since he confessed his feelings, I couldn’t help but feel more aware of Kamiru's presence beside me, making it hard to look directly at him.

"If you don’t like Berisario women, did you meet anyone nice abroad? You should be thinking about choosing a fiancée soon. Otherwise, Aunt might decide for you."

Hadley-oniisama was already seventeen. If he didn't choose a fiancée soon, his parents might arrange a match, just as Alan-oniisama said.

"In the Federation, many women work. There are also many involved in business."

"Were they different from the women of Berisario?"

"No, they were even stronger."

Oh, I’d love to chat with some women from the Federation.

"Oh?"

As we continued to chat and scan our surroundings, I noticed Carla and Patty cautiously approaching. I stood up with a smile, giving a little wave as usual, signaling it was okay to approach. They seemed to get the hint and hurried over with bright smiles. How cute they are.

Though I might be spoiled to think this while surrounded by three handsome men, it was nice to have girls around instead of just guys. To an outsider, I probably looked like I was flaunting these three men. Two of them were my brothers and cousin, though.

"Are we intruding?"

They stopped a few steps away, then slowly tiptoed closer, which was so endearing that I couldn’t help but smile. Hadley-oniisama looked genuinely pleased; it seemed these two could be a source of comfort.

"Not at all. Do you know Hadley-oniisama?"

"Yes, we met a long time ago."

"You’re the son of Count Harrington, right? It’s been a while."

So Patty and Carla knew him only slightly from a previous introduction.

"Are you back here?"

"No, I have to return soon. I’ll be in the Federation until next year."

"Oh, you must be busy."

Hadley-oniisama gave a vague smile at Carla's comment. He couldn't exactly say he was avoiding his mother and grandmother.

"Why don’t you join us here? I’m not allowed to move from this spot."

"Why not?"

"They want to be careful about the first contact with foreigners, to plan everything carefully."

"There are only diplomats here, aren’t there? Who among them would dare approach Dia?"

"Oh..."

That’s right. Exactly. This time, most countries had sent diplomats to observe the state of the Empire’s spirits and negotiate the terms of student exchanges. So why did I have to stay here?

"Even if they don't approach, they are probably watching."

Alan-oniisama's words made me realize. Of course. I rarely show up in the palace or where diplomats gather. The only time I had been at such an event before... was probably the Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony? Every country must be eager to gather information about me.

"Wait. With Kamiru sitting next to me, isn’t that...?"

"Obviously, it’s intentional. They want to show a strong deterrent early on. Didn’t you realize?"

Ugh, how can I be so oblivious when it comes to myself? But in this situation, some countries might see Kamiru as an obstacle. Isn’t that dangerous...? No, not really. We have spirit beasts of every attribute and can use teleportation magic.

"There might be more students coming to study abroad, just to compete with Kamiru."

Alan-oniisama, if you knew that, you could have told me sooner.

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Author Notes:

  Thank you for reading.

  The typo reports have been really helpful.

  If you find this at least somewhat interesting, please consider rating it below.

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