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

------------------------

Author Notes:

  There aren't many romance novels where readers say things like "finally" or "it's kind of romantic" when romantic elements finally appear, right? Haha.

------------------------

"Um, excuse me..."

A hesitant voice came from right behind me, so I turned around abruptly to see Rex, Keith, and Gemma standing there, grinning.

"My lady, perhaps it's time to go inside?"  

"Y-yes, you're right. You should have said something sooner."  

"I thought we might be intruding."  

Ugh. The sight of Rex trying to suppress his laughter was infuriating. My face felt hot, and I was sure it was bright red. I didn't want to be seen like this, so I hid my face and started pushing Rex's back to get him moving.

"The nearby sitting room should do, right?"  

"Indeed… But, please, don't push so hard. It's dangerous."  

"Wait here, please. I'll go and let them know to prepare a room."  

Gemma darted off nimbly and opened a window from inside a room that could be accessed from a nearby terrace. Since I had appeared so suddenly, the maids were bustling around, but they didn't seem flustered because they were used to it. I don't get angry even if I'm kept waiting a bit. However, when I'm bored, I tend to wander off, so Rex always keeps a close watch on me.  

Even though this is my own castle, and Camille and the others are here, I'm not trusted not to wander off somewhere or get lost.

"So? What did you bring this time?"

The room we were led to was used when merchants brought in goods for us to inspect. In the middle of the room was a large table for displaying items. On one side, there was a luxurious sofa, and on the other side, several moderately fancy wooden chairs were set. The gap in status between a merchant and a marquis's household is vast, so offering a high-quality chair often makes them too shy to sit down.  

But today, it's Camille, a duke, so I was pondering where to have him sit. Then, Camille tried to sit on the same sofa as me, only for Rex to grab his arm firmly.

"We never know when Lord Alan or Lord Chris might arrive. Camille-sama, please sit over there."  

"…Fine."  

Though Alan-oniisama might come, Chris-oniisama is participating in the ball, so he probably won’t come here, right?  

...Not that I particularly wanted him to sit next to me.  

I was just saying that Chris-oniisama wouldn't be coming back.

So, there I was, seated in the center of the large sofa, comfortably enough for three people. Camille, on the other hand, was seated on an intricately carved wooden chair with armrests. Even if we both stood up and reached out, the table was too large for our hands to meet in the middle.  

Standing next to Camille, Keith placed a small cloth bag and a square ceramic box on the table.

"It's a type of rizo, but it has a bit more stickiness. Some say it’s more filling."  

Rex extended his arm to receive the ceramic box from Keith, who had stretched out as far as he could, and placed it in front of me. Based on the description, it seemed to be glutinous rice.

"An 'okowa'?"  

"There you go again, saying things we don’t understand."  

As soon as I murmured while confirming the contents under the lid, Camille immediately chimed in with a retort. Oops. I forgot that Keith and the stewards didn’t know my secret.

"Can I try some?"  

"Of course."  

It looked similar to takikomi gohan (Japanese mixed rice), but there’s no soy sauce in this world. I could smell spices, and it seemed like there was meat in it. This dish seemed more suitable for commoners than for nobility. Commoners' food tends to be cheap and filling.  

On the go, laborers usually prefer something quick to eat, while in shops, they go for dishes that pair well with drinks. I wondered how they intended to use this. As a household dish?  

Since Camille and the others had only brought delicious things so far, I scooped a heap from the side with a spoon and popped it into my mouth without hesitation.  

Oh, this is chimaki, a Chinese-style rice dumpling. The spices are a bit strong, which might not suit some Japanese tastes, but I think the seasoning complements the unique texture of glutinous rice well. The meat is seasoned like kakuni (braised pork belly), and it's so tender it melts in your mouth without needing to chew. There were finely chopped vegetables in there, too. This would likely be popular among fishermen and dock workers.

"It's delicious, but I think it would be more popular if you sold it near the port than at the Fairy Company store."  

"I agree. Many workers buy packed lunches before boarding ships. I'm thinking of setting up a bento shop with an improved version of this."  

"If that's the case… Riva, could you use cleansing magic on my hands?"  

'Just your hands?'  

He seemed a bit disappointed that he only got to cleanse my hands, but remember, it's my magic power he's using. While I could cleanse this entire room, cleansing and purifying a whole area requires a lot of magical power, as Mia once fainted after attempting to clean an entire room with magic.  

Doing household chores involves various tasks and different cleansers, so doing it all by magic takes a lot of magical power.  

"This way, a large container won’t be needed, making it less cumbersome, right? So, look..."

My hands are still small since I'm a child, so I scooped up a bit of the rice dumpling imitation with my hands. Everyone in the room widened their eyes in surprise. It’s rare to see a noble lady grab food with her hands.  

"Then, if you squeeze it like this, with both hands, it becomes smaller. If you wrap two or three of these with some side dishes and pickles, you won't need a container, and it’ll be light and compact."  

When it comes to rice balls, leave it to me.  

I made a neat triangular rice ball, placed it on my palm, and stretched my arm out for Camille and the others to see.

"If you squeeze the rice, it becomes a bit sticky, which makes it taste even better… Ah!"

Camille quickly leaned forward, placing one hand on the table, grabbed the rice ball with a swift motion, and bit into it without hesitation.

"This is… good. Easy to eat."  

"Ahh! I was going to eat that!"  

"Huh? Wasn't it for me?"  

I meant to show it to you! People in this world have no concept of germs, so they don’t mind sharing food like this.  

"Fine, I’ll just make one for myself."  

After doing it once, who cares about grabbing it with your hands?

"I’d like to sell these at the bento shop."  

"Go ahead."  

"I can't just take it for free. Since you taught me, I need to show my appreciation."  

"You're right. It's delicious."  

When did Keith start eating it too?  

What? Did you two share it nicely? You could’ve done that while I was watching!

"Isn't it fine? She's coming to Luftanen eventually, right? If you make money, her life will be better too."

Huh? Wait, what is Keith saying so casually!?

"I see. That's true."  

"Wait! You’re jumping ahead too quickly!"  

"Are you still saying that?"  

"But…!"  

"What are you saying is too fast?"

A sudden voice startled me, and I turned around to see Chris-oniisama and Alan-oniisama coming through the window together, with Suzanna right behind them.

"Huh? How did you get back?"  

"The head of the Spirit Ministry sent us back."  

Hey! Even if he calls himself my apprentice, you can't just use the head of the Spirit Ministry as a taxi! Even if he was an elite former Grand Mage, you shouldn’t just conveniently use him like that!

"Suzanna, do you have time to change?"  

"We’re one of the last to enter the venue, so it’s okay. We saw Alan and Douglas talking with serious faces. Chris was worried about Dia and decided to come back."

Chris-oniisama! What are you doing?!

"Seems like you’ve managed quite well while I was away."  

Chris-oniisama tends to become cold when he's angry. He walked steadily to the back of the room while I was talking to Suzanna and began to confront Camille with a cold expression and voice.

"I'm flattered, but it wasn't me who managed well. It was Douglas being a fool."  

Camille stared back, not budging an inch.

"Even so, I haven't accepted you yet."  

I looked at Alan-oniisama, hoping he would intervene between the two glaring at each other, but he was calmly sitting and eating the rice dumpling imitation. Seems like he liked it.  

Realizing I had to do something, I started moving around the table, but from the opposite side, Suzanna hurried towards Chris-oniisama.

"Chris, if you keep acting like that, Dia will dislike you, you know?"  

She softly placed her hand on Chris-oniisama’s arm and whispered.  

"That won't…"  

Oniisama’s expression softened as he looked at Suzanna, then at me, and muttered under his breath with his eyebrows slightly drooped.  

Wow. If anyone else had butted in, he’d tell them to shut up or get lost. But he doesn't say that to Suzanna. Hmm... how interesting.

------------------------

Author Notes:

  Thank you for reading.  

  I appreciate the typo reports.  

  If you enjoyed this even a little, I’d be grateful if you could give it a rating from the link below.  

------------------------