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

Three days before the royal siblings' birthday celebration, I found myself walking through the royal palace’s guest corridor with my brothers, glancing up at the towering ceiling. As expected of the space designed to welcome foreign guests, the construction was imposing and luxurious, radiating the grandeur of the Empire with an almost overwhelming presence. The high windows were adorned with stained glass, casting a beautiful array of colorful lights down the hall.

“Dia, keep your mouth closed.”  

“Ah! My apologies.”

I thought I had grown accustomed to opulence, but the play of light was just too enchanting. Honestly, I wished I could watch my brothers walking down this hall from a distance. There would be plenty of noble ladies dying to have that scene painted.

“Today, you don’t need to force yourself to stay calm. In fact, let them think you’re someone they’d rather not mess with.”  

“What do you mean by ‘someone not to mess with’?”  

“…Just act normal.”

Chris-nii-sama, could you please not avert your eyes so deliberately? And Alan-nii-sama, stop smirking!

Today marked the first face-to-face meeting between the students coming for their studies and the representatives of the Empire’s students. Most of those attending from the Empire’s side were in the higher education courses, but it was mandatory for all students from Marquess rank and above to be present.

On the birthday itself, there would be a formal evening gathering, with Eldred-denka making a special appearance despite not being of age. The following days were packed with banquets and country-specific tea parties, which were essentially diplomatic meetings. I didn’t need to attend those since I was still considered a child and wouldn’t be at the evening gathering either. However, since the foreign students set to study at the academy this winter were already arriving in the Empire, I was expected to greet them.

These students would be busy checking if their dorms had all the necessary items, trying on their uniforms for adjustments, and taking language tests to ensure they could participate in classes. Those who came to study spirit raising would need to have at least one spirit of their own, which was a given. I heard the academy’s dorm section now had an array of exotic buildings popping up, creating an almost world expo-like atmosphere. I was quite eager to take a peek.

“Why are the royals entering through this door?”

We paused outside the door leading to the audience chamber, waiting, when Chris and Monica joined us. Apparently, the others had already entered and were on standby.

“We were having a meeting with Berisario, so this entrance was closer.”  

“You had a meeting? Without us?”  

“Yes.”

As usual, it was hard to tell if the Crown Prince and Chris-nii-sama were on good terms or not. Some foolish nobles took this dynamic at face value and ended up getting in trouble when they tried to badmouth the Crown Prince to Chris.

“Dia, I’m so glad to see a familiar face. I was nervous about meeting foreign guests for the first time,” Monica said.

Monica seemed to become more beautiful each time I saw her. She had grown taller again, now standing among the tallest of adult women. Her physique was eye-catching, as always, but the necessary muscle from repeatedly traversing that prairie to meet Suou was evident. With a sword spirit at her side, it was clear she had undergone combat training. Perhaps protecting the Crown Prince in an emergency was a necessary skill for a fiancée. Monica’s athletic build and youthful face made her quite popular these past few months. No wonder the Crown Prince sent her a royal blue dress, which only royals could wear, as a gift out of concern.

“It’ll be fine. Just offer a bright smile and a polite bow.”

After all, with my delicate appearance, I looked every bit the ethereal young lady. Today, I wore a dress in a lovely spearmint shade with a large bow on the back—a style that would look overly cutesy on an adult, but it suited me just fine.

“Wasn’t there a less conspicuous outfit available?”  

“There's no way such a cute Dia wouldn’t stand out.”  

“…Asking you was a mistake, Alan.”  

“Let her stand out—it might make them think twice about getting too close.”  

“Someone, stop him.”

There’s no way anyone could stop Berisario. Honestly, it was more of a “let them come” attitude.

“Don’t worry, Andy-nii-sama. The point is just to keep anyone from daring to propose to me.”  

“That’s not at all reassuring, and don’t suddenly call me by a name you’ve clearly forgotten about.”  

“Come on, you agreed to be my brother…”  

“When did that happen?”  

“Well, Eldred-denka didn’t know?”  

“So, that makes me Dia’s older sister?”  

“I see. Then I’d be her older brother too.”

What on earth? My family of older siblings just keeps expanding. I don’t want to be the youngest forever.

“Um, could you proceed with the entrance now?”  

“Oh, right.”

There were a lot of people waiting. This wasn’t the time for idle chatter.

“Whoa, they’ve got statues of Ruri and Suou here.”

The massive double doors swung open without a sound, revealing an audience chamber similar in style to the others but with a black-themed floor and walls accented in gold and silver. The heavy atmosphere created by this room must be part of why people find the Empire intimidating. Or maybe that was the intention?

“The Spirit Kings who protect the Empire are honored here, with their permission.”

The audience chamber was a vast rectangular hall. With its arched ceiling, it resembled a rounded loaf of bread. Upon entering, to the left stood a large statue of Suou, and to the right, a statue of Ruri. When had the sculptor managed to study their features? They looked exactly like them.

A deep burgundy carpet stretched from the door to the far end of the room, with people lined up on either side. The students were on the left, while diplomats and those familiar with other nations handled the guests on the right. My brother Hadley, who had studied in the Lilburn Confederation, was among those on the right.

As the royal brothers and Monica walked down the center, the men placed their hands on their chests, and the women curtsied in greeting. It was quite a sight to behold, making it look as if everyone was bowing to me, following behind the Crown Prince.

I passed by my friends as we moved toward the far end of the room. There, statues of Amber and Jade stood, gently smiling down at the royal family. Their faces were so kind and serene, but the real ones were unbeatable. Seeing familiar faces carved into statues was oddly amusing.

The Crown Prince and Monica stood at the far end of the hall, with Eldred-denka between them. I intended to stand behind my brothers, but the Crown Prince took hold of my arm and placed me next to him.

“Huh? Here?”  

“This is the position of the Fairy Princess.”

I understood. With the title of Fairy Princess having taken on a life of its own, projecting the image of a special lady favored by the Spirit Kings was crucial. But the royal brothers and Monica were all tall and well-built. Both Chris-nii-sama and Alan-nii-sama were particularly tall, making me look like a child in comparison. This lineup felt unfair! If I stood next to Alan-nii-sama, Patty from the Goodfellow family would be right next to me!

“Guests, please enter.”

Just as we took our positions, the announcer called out in a loud voice. There was no point dwelling on small matters. Bring it on! I had studied for this moment with all the help I could get from Wiki-kun!

“From the Kingdom of Bejaia, Lord Gaio of House Pescara, and Lord Jildo of House Tirone.”

And so, Bejaia made its entrance right from the start. Since the guests entered in ascending order of rank, it was understandable that an earl’s family would go first.

“Is that the earl’s son the Spirit King of Bejaia mentioned?”  

Chris-nii-sama muttered quietly, drawing the attention of everyone within earshot to the young man leading the way. The hero of Bejaia had arrived.

At just eighteen, Gaio had led an army under the duke, crushing the royalist forces allied with Nicodemus. His achievements made him immensely popular in Bejaia. Thanks to him, the duke’s side had won, the king had been executed, and the duke’s son, who died in the civil war, now held power.

Having heard of his military leadership, I expected a more rugged figure, but Gaio turned out to be a lean, tall man. How should I describe him? He was handsome, but in a way that didn’t quite fit the noble image. His clothes were loosely worn, with his collar open wide, and he gazed at the women with an amused look. When he noticed me, he scanned me up and down repeatedly, as if sizing me up.

He was probably popular in Bejaia as a hero. And with talks of him being made a marquess and having wealth to boot, there were bound to be women flocking to him. He seemed full of confidence, likely believing that any woman would be thrilled if he flirted with her. After giving the customary greeting, he followed the guide towards the reception hall, giving me a loud wink on the way.

“He’s a problem,” the Crown Prince sighed.  

I could understand why. An earl’s son showing such disrespect towards the highest-ranking noble lady of another country was unacceptable. One of the accompanying diplomats was speaking to him with a pale face, but he

 didn’t seem to be listening.

“This is getting interesting.”  

“You’ve made the necessary preparations?”  

“Of course.”

The Crown Prince and Chris-nii-sama exchanged words above my head. Though the event had just begun, it was already shaping up to be quite a stormy debut.