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:

  Searching for baby fennecs will bring you happiness.

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The light gradually grew larger and then suddenly vanished. At the same time, the bangle disappeared, replaced by a fluffy white creature with a headband that looked just like the bangle. Even in its miniaturized state, it was very small—about the size of my palm. Its face was like a fox’s but leaning more towards a dog’s, and its ears were as large as its face.

I recognized this animal. There’s a social media account that only posts pictures of unusual animals, and as a fluffy enthusiast, I followed it religiously. This fluffy creature was a fennec fox, and judging by its appearance, a baby fennec fox. Oh no. It was ridiculously cute. But wait, no! My own spirit beasts are way cuter! I won’t betray them!

『Dia!』

While I was having an inner battle, the creature, with its black, beady eyes, glanced around and then spotted me, pouncing towards me.

"Hey, did you just create a new spirit beast?"  

"And isn't that one an all-attribute spirit beast…?"

My older brother Chris and Camille exchanged words in hollow voices. My friends and His Highness were all fixated on the small creature sitting in my palm.

『Dia! I’m so happy to see you!』

Despite the tense aura emanating from my spirit beasts, they remained crouched and motionless. This fluffy creature was probably stronger or, if spirit beasts had ranks, more superior in some way. But they were definitely in a bad mood, so I would have to take them to play at Ruri’s lake later.

『Spirit King-sama told me to protect and watch over Camille. My name is Shiro.』

That’s a pretty simple name. I had to question Ruri's naming sense. Also, I understood the “protect” part, but what was with the “watch over” part?

"Camille already has spirit beasts of all attributes, you know? And you’re not like a normal spirit beast, are you?"  

『That’s right! I’m a spirit beast serving the Spirit King. I was told to protect and watch over Camille for a while.』

Okay, so I got the “protect” and “watch over” part. And I also understood that Ruri and the others had pulled off something crazy once again.

"What are you capable of?"  

When Chris asked, Shiro looked up at him intently before turning to face me without answering.

"This is my older brother, Chris."  

『Oh, I know him—Chris, huh. I’ll make sure no hostile people get close to Camille. And I can store anything in this bangle. Even a ship can fit!』  

"Dia… what on earth did you create?"

Now even His Highness had his head in his hands.

"But living creatures can’t be stored, right?"  

『That’s right, that’s right!』

Although he was supposed to protect Camille, Shiro seemed quite attached to me. What were Ruri and the others thinking when they sent him?

"Is that all you can do?"  

『Also, if Dia is in trouble or in danger, I’ll let Camille know.』

Shiro floated off my palm and hovered in the air between Camille and me, sitting in an invisible seat with an air of pride.

"Oh, that’s great!"  

Camille sounded delighted, which apparently didn’t sit well with his spirit beasts floating around in spirit form. They began lightly bumping into his back, but Camille didn’t seem to mind, so it must not have hurt.

『Right? And if Camille ever cheats, I’ll tell Dia!』  

"That’s good," Alan, my older brother, nodded cheerfully.

"I won’t cheat."  

"Then there’s no problem, is there?"

Seriously, you all know this is the royal palace, right? Right in front of His Highness? I was worried not just about His Highness and my friends but also the guards and the palace maids' stares. What if strange rumors started spreading?

"Alan, that’s not the issue," Chris said, gripping his fists tightly, then suddenly raising his face and pointing at Camille.

"The fact that all the Spirit Kings blessed something that ended up in Camille’s hands… means that they’ve acknowledged him as Dia’s partner."

He fired off his words in a rush, his finger still pointed at Camille.

"…I see. That’s reassuring," Camille muttered with a genuinely warm smile.

"Dia, thank you. It’s a wonderful gift."  

"Eh? Officially recognized? Is that what this means?"

Was it because I mentioned having kids or talked about setting up a sofa for Ruri to relax on? Had he taken it all to heart?

"Anyway, now that we know how this came to be, I need to report this to Father immediately. Let’s go, Camille. If you need more details, you can ask Shiro."  

"Got it."

Chris started to leave, and although I assumed Camille would also depart, he approached me instead.

"?"  

"I probably won’t see you again until autumn."  

"I… see."

So he was participating in the royal siblings' autumn celebrations. Was he planning to stay in the Empire for a while? As these thoughts crossed my mind, Camille took my hand, bent down, and pressed his lips against its back.

"…"

I was so taken aback that I sucked in a breath, unable to make a sound. His movements were so smooth that I didn’t even feel any awkwardness in him taking my hand.

"Huh? I thought you’d make a fuss like usual," he said, speaking while his lips were still on my hand! What was with that smug expression like he had just succeeded in some prank? His eyes sparkled adorably! Was it just me, or did he seem to have a handsome-guy-only special effect? Was I losing my mind?

"T-this isn’t… something to make a fuss over…"  

"Oh?"  

"Camille!!"

Chris pulled Camille away from me by the arm, while Alan, standing behind me, glared at Camille as he held me in place. What was going on?

"Not to be rude, but aren’t you all forgetting about me?"

His Highness, resting his chin on his hand over the table, was looking at us with an exasperated expression. Everyone suddenly froze and shifted their attention to His Highness.

"No, not at all! I apologize for causing such a commotion."

Chris’s overly formal tone sounded insincere.

"It’s been a while, Your Highness," Camille greeted, conveniently forgetting his less-than-ideal position here.

『Is this person important? Hey, is he impo…』  

I quickly grabbed Shiro, who was floating near His Highness, and shoved him into Camille's arms. This little guy was way too free-spirited.

"Enough. I saw nothing. Hurry up and leave."

You should get mad about this. While I appreciated his maturity, it was technically forbidden to teleport directly into the royal palace. There were measures in place—thanks to the Spirit King and my self-proclaimed apprentice, the former grand magician—to redirect any teleports to the underground prison. But since they arrived here safely, it must mean the crown prince had granted special permission, or Shiro had some special ability… maybe both. Factoring all of that in, he was probably letting it slide just this once. Chris should be grateful.

"Prince Eldred, you’ve grown so splendid. Your old nanny is pleased," I said jokingly.

"There’s no way I’d have a nanny younger than me."

"And in contrast, my brothers… I truly apologize. Shiro, once you get to Luftanen, make sure to tell the crown prince to properly restrain my brother. I’m glad Prince Eldred the Second helped us this time, but it could’ve been dangerous."

『Okaaay! Job time?』  

Shiro, still caught by Camille, happily flapped his large ears.

『Leave it to me! I’ll work hard. I’ll give the message to the crown prince!』  

I was worried. For some reason, I felt extremely worried.

"Alright, let’s go. Don’t forget," Chris said.

『Forget what? You mean me? I’m Shiro! Remember that, Chris!』  

"Yes, yes."  

"See you again."

Time must have been tight since they teleported out on the spot. The room, which had been so lively just moments ago, suddenly fell silent.

"You really have a lot to deal with, don’t you?" His Highness said sympathetically.

Still, even though Camille had spirit beasts of all attributes, did he really need Shiro? I couldn’t imagine the Spirit Kings of Luftanen were too pleased about it. I’d have to ask Ruri about this soon.

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Author Notes:

  Thank you for always reporting typos. It really helps a lot.

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