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

The way the foreign diplomats viewed the Fairy Princess, I had no way of knowing, but at least the daytime portion of the birthday celebration ended without any issues. I headed to the waiting room with my guards, Jema and Rex.

Oh, big news! Rex and Alan's butler, Luther, were both awarded the title of baron, albeit just for one generation. It turns out my father had requested this some time ago. Once Alan became an adult, he'd be joining the Imperial Guard and living in the capital, right? If Luther remained a commoner, his movements would be restricted within the palace. 

Rex had also declared he would accompany me wherever I might go, even after marriage, so it was great that he became a baron and wouldn’t have to struggle as a commoner anymore. Brad was happy with his current life with his family in Berisario, so he planned to transition to Chris’s guard someday. Although a commoner could serve as a butler within the castle without any problems, he seemed to prefer focusing solely on guarding duties.

Rex is already nineteen, fully grown up now. He's become quite popular with the girls at the castle — no surprise, considering how kind and good-natured he is. Luther and Rex looked great in the formal attire that the Berisario family gifted them to celebrate their baron title, but they didn’t exactly look like they belonged to polite society. While Luther’s look was understandable, why did Rex look a bit too much like a bad boy?

And here's another piece of news that might not be confirmed yet: Jema and Luther seem to be getting along quite well. I’ve been worried because Jema hadn't had any love interests for so long, so I'm happy to see she might have found someone.

So, Rex can now accompany me whenever I have business at the palace. Alan was caught up by someone from the guard, and Camille was held up by Duke Powell and the Crown Prince, so I decided to wait in the waiting room. There was no need to go to the crowded teleportation hall; I could use transfer magic to return. But it would have been unkind to leave ahead of Alan.

Many people filled the hallways as those attending the evening party were changing in the waiting rooms. Disliking the attention, I decided to take the garden path to the waiting room. Gazing absentmindedly at the woman statue holding a jar in a half-kneeling position by the fountain, I pondered how tough it must be to stay in that position forever. I turned around the fountain and began to walk along the cobblestone path when I heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind. I turned around to see Delil — the heir of the Larna Count family and a classmate of mine.

"Lady Diadora, may I have a moment of your time?"  

"Oh, Lord Deril, it's been a while. Is something the matter?"  

"Um... I wanted to discuss something..."

How unexpected. Since he declared, right after entering the academy, that he would learn space magic, this was probably the first time we had a conversation beyond mere greetings. The fact that we still addressed each other with "Lord" and "Lady" showed the distance between us.

"What is it?"  

"Well... perhaps not here..."

He glanced back at Jema and Rex, standing behind me, then looked at me again, his words trailing off. His cheeks seemed slightly red, maybe from running.

"Shall we take a short walk, then? They can follow us at a distance. I'll set up a barrier so that they can't hear our conversation."  

"If that's alright... yes."

Deril still felt the same as he did in the past, both in a good way and a bad way. He looked just like when I first met him at the residence of Marquess Corquette — soft chestnut hair and gentle green eyes. I had never seen him raise his voice or run around, even when he was with other boys.

"Both of you, please."  

"Yes, milady."  

"As you wish."

As Rex nodded, his dog-like spirit beast at his feet barked as if to say, "Leave it to me." I still wondered why Rex’s spirit beast was a Mameshiba dog. It was adorable, yes, but this world wasn’t supposed to have Mameshiba dogs. The little fluffy thing, always wagging its tail joyfully, constantly followed Rex around. I think I might have shouted, "Mameshiba!" when I first saw it, which is how it got its name. I may have even drawn a picture of a Mameshiba and shown it to Rex back when I was little, saying a spirit beast should look like that.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

After confirming that Jema and Rex were following at a safe distance, looking concerned, I started walking and asked Deril, who had come up beside me.

"I’ve finally mastered space magic!"  

"Oh, congratulations!"  

"I’m the second child who can use it, after you, Lady Diadora."  

"Oh? Yes, that’s right."

I wasn't lying. My brothers, Patty, and Irene still couldn't use space magic reliably. Until they could, they weren't allowed to use transfer magic either — it was too dangerous. They could only practice under the supervision of a teacher or an adult who could use transfer magic. Since Deril was confident in his ability to use it, he must have become quite proficient.

"With this, I have fulfilled the conditions."  

"…Conditions?"  

"The conditions to court you, Lady Diadora."

…Pardon me? What did he just say?

"To… court me?"

Oh no. I'm so shocked that my brain isn’t working properly. What is he talking about?

"Space magic wasn't part of any conditions."  

"No, no, no! That's not the point!"

"That was my personal goal."  

"I… see. But… um… give me a moment."

Calm down, Diadora. My heart has been racing a lot lately. I hope it's okay.

"Lady Diadora?"  

"I'm just surprised. It was so unexpected."  

"Unexpected?"  

"Yes. We’ve hardly ever talked, right? We only exchanged greetings at the academy."  

"I didn’t want to be grouped with those boys who try to catch your attention without fulfilling the conditions."

Hold on, hold on. What boys are trying to catch my attention? How would he even know that without speaking? I'm Diadora, known for the gap between my appearance and personality. You can’t decide these things without talking to me.

"But if you don't talk, how would you know what kind of person someone is?"  

"I already know. Lady Diadora, you are a kind and lovely girl."

Well... um, it's nice to be complimented, truly. But I talk like a commoner, and I run laps at the training grounds. I can’t really say that, though. Not with Deril looking at me with his big, bright green eyes, clenching his fists as he gazes straight at me. He's only eleven, a serious and straightforward boy. The children around me are too mature, so I don’t really know how ordinary boys of his age act.

"Um, does Count Larna know about this?"  

"… Is this troublesome for you? Is that why you—"  

"It’s not a bother."

I reflexively waved both hands to deny it, but I was troubled. I never expected this turn of events.

"But it is rumored that Count Larna, the High Magician, and those at the Magic Ministry see the Spirit Ministry as rivals and don't think well of Berisario."

The heads of the Spirit Ministry are the former High Magician and Deputy Magician. Since spirits perform the magic, and if you want to develop new magic, you must cooperate with spirits, right? So, it makes sense to research at the Spirit Ministry. As a result, the Magic Ministry is now often referred to as the Magic Tools Ministry because it’s becoming more about developing tools for daily convenience.

That's still important work. But it wouldn't sit well with Count Larna, known for having many highly skilled magicians in his family. Moreover, Berisario is always innovating, with things like the spirit carriage. They seem to be in a rush to produce results because they’re falling behind even in magic tool production.

"The spirit carriage isn't a magic tool."  

"That's true. It’s just a box moved by a spirit beast."  

"So my father isn't concerned. Rather, he's worried about you, Lady Diadora."  

"Me?"  

"Whenever I see you, one of your brothers is always nearby. It seems like they're watching to make sure you don’t speak freely. Berisario doesn't want to lose the Fairy Princess, so they don’t want you to get close to other families."

Gah! Of course, that’s one way to see it. Yes, my brothers do keep a tight watch on me. For those unfamiliar with Berisario, I probably look like a princess who’s always under guard.

"They send you to Luftanen and have you help with the trading company, even involving the Crown Prince, using you for their own purposes."  

Wow. Berisario really has a bad guy image now.

"That’s not true. I do all of it because I enjoy it."  

"Work? If you come to Count Larna's house, you wouldn't have to do any work."  

"What would I do if I didn't work?"  

"Huh? Well, ladies usually host tea parties or do embroidery."  

"I hate tea parties and embroidery. I like tea parties with my close friends, but any other tea parties are just work. They’re a form of business."

Someone once said that tea parties are like a battlefield for women. They hide their true intentions behind smiles

, subtly promoting their family's reputation and the products of their lands. Showing any weakness or letting strange rumors spread could lead to their family's downfall.

"Is that... so?"  

"It seems like you don't have a very good impression of Berisario, Lord Deril."  

"I'm sorry."  

"It's alright. But if you were to date me and become engaged, you'd be related to Berisario, you know? You’d have to meet my brothers and parents frequently."  

"That wouldn’t happen. If you marry into the Larna family, you wouldn’t have to see them if you didn't want to..."  

"That’s not possible. I'm the Fairy Princess. Lord Deril, you’d likely be called to work at the palace by the Crown Prince and have to deal with the dukes and marquises."  

"W-why?"

It's hard for a count to stand up against the Crown Prince or dukes, right? All the marquises are also quite unique.

"You’d also have to meet the Spirit King and representatives from other countries. They all want to get close to the Spirit King, so they want to bring me to their countries."

Lord Deril’s face was turning pale. It seemed he hadn't consulted with Count Larna, and perhaps he hadn’t thought things through that far.

"Wait a moment."

From behind, I heard Rex’s hurried voice. Deril looked back, his eyes widening in panic, darting his gaze around.

The reason for his panic became clear right away. Alan, Camille, and Douglas were rushing over in our direction.

"I’m sorry. Excuse me."  

"Huh?"

As I watched Rex and Jema try to stop them, I reflexively turned back to Deril, but he had already turned his back to me and started running away.

Wait, did he just apologize? Why does it feel like I’ve just been rejected?

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**Author Notes:**

Thank you for reading.  

I appreciate the typo reports.  

If you found this interesting, I’d be delighted if you could rate it below.  

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