The Reincarnated Count's Daughter Is the Strongest as She Is Loved by the Spirits, Though She Is Only Wishing for Regular Romance!
Chapter 38
"What's the big deal about a dress?!"
There's a fool who just made an enemy of every noblewoman with a single sentence.
That’s the number one thing a man should never say to a woman. Your Highness, it’s like you’re skipping through a minefield and tripping. Even in Japan, men wear suits and ties as their battle gear for work, right? Women also dress neatly in suits, do their makeup, style their bangs, and get ready to face the day. Their attire and makeup are their battle gear and the expected appearance of a professional. You wouldn't go to the office in a tracksuit, and showing up without makeup might be seen as a sign of a chaotic life.
It’s the same in this world. High-ranking noble ladies wear stylish, expensive dresses, have their hair done up, and wear accessories. If they look shabby or lack taste, it reflects poorly on their family, making them a target for ridicule. People might even think their territory management is failing, that they’re poor, which could affect business dealings. Moreover, we’re still growing. We’re getting taller by the day. Even a dress from six months ago needs alterations to fit properly. Expecting us to wear short dresses to a tea party is absurd.
“Oh my, I’m surprised. Your Highness is still a child,” Suzanna-sama said, smiling frighteningly. She reminded me of a tough older sister lounging with a smoking pipe.
“Perhaps he doesn’t have anyone around to teach him,” Kaara-sama, usually gentle, was clearly upset by his words.
“Compared to that, Douglas-sama and Aran-sama are impressive,” Monika-sama and Irene-sama whispered behind their fans, making sure the prince could hear.
Patorishia-sama, who grew up with the prince, turned pale as she watched his reputation plummet. Most of the marquess’ and above’s young ladies suitable for the prince were present here. While he still had many choices, including two earl’s daughters who were invited to the dinner party, these six girls were ones the royal family would want to be on good terms with—daughters close to the Marquess or powerful local nobles.
“You're being disrespectful to the prince,” one of the prince’s attendants, who had been standing behind him, added fuel to the fire.
“Did you just say ‘you’ to me?”
“Who are they anyway?”
“Do we even know them?”
“Brother, they just called me ‘you,’” I stepped forward and complained to Aran onii-sama.
My brother and Douglas-sama sighed, looking at the boys as if they were idiots.
“We’ll file an official complaint from Berisario.”
“What?!”
“Wait, Aran. They’re my attendants.”
“That’s why it will be seen as a failure in your education.”
“State your names. I don’t want to go through the trouble of investigating. Mia, take notes.”
“Hey, Lady Diadora!”
I ignored Douglas-sama’s frantic attempts to stop me.
“I won’t tolerate my friends being insulted.”
I also wanted to know which faction these two belonged to. Who is the prince’s head maid? The chief steward or assistant? Which faction prevented our invitations from arriving? For what reason?
“Eldred-sama,”
When I smoothly approached the prince, he recoiled in fear. How rude.
“We have plans in three days.”
“What? More important than my tea party?”
“It’s a girls-only dinner party I’m hosting.”
“…I see.”
Thankfully, he didn’t tell me to cancel it. That would’ve angered my father too.
“Actually, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
I whispered, piquing his interest. Patorishia-sama, Aran onii-sama, and Douglas-sama also leaned in, forming a huddle.
“Could I see the list of attendees for three days from now?”
“No, it’s a security issue.”
“Then could you just confirm if four specific people are attending?”
“Why?”
“It’s conspicuous here. Could we discuss it elsewhere later?”
Use that "I need protection" look now. Lowering my brows and looking up slightly with a tilted head.
“Yes, Your Highness. Consulting you would be best.”
“Right. We’re quite shocked…”
“What? Something serious happened? Very well, leave it to me.”
The prince proudly puffed out his chest. Seven-year-old boys are so easy.
“I’ll contact you later.”
“Understood. I’ll keep it discreet.”
Watching him leave with a spring in his step, I turned back to the girls.
“It’s not a coincidence it’s on the same day.”
“But those four families don’t belong to the same faction.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Stop it, Douglas. It sounds like a power struggle involving women and factions,” Aran onii-sama said, making Douglas-sama frown in thought.
“Are you getting involved?”
“Diadora is a key player.”
“Wow… It sounds troublesome whether you’re involved or not.”
Douglas-sama must have been here chatting with Aran onii-sama. Such casual decisions often become significant later.
“You’re drawing too much attention.”
Kurisu onii-sama approached quickly. The ladies’ excitement subtly increased; he’s quite the looker.
“It can’t be helped with this group. I didn’t expect Eldred-sama to be here. So, what happened?”
“We arranged to talk later in a private room. Now we need to secure a place and contact everyone.”
Seeing Aran onii-sama and Kurisu onii-sama side by side, the ladies' eyes sparkled.
Wait, why is Elton here behind Kurisu onii-sama? Shouldn’t he be with the crown prince?
“I came to inform you about the tea party and the dinner party clashing. I see you’ve already discussed it.”
Did Eldred-sama ask about the dinner party’s timing? Then the crown prince must know about this too.
“Kurisu onii-sama, is it the aides who handle the invitations?”
“It’s unofficial, but likely the aides.”
“Unofficial?!”
Patorishia-sama exclaimed in surprise.
“Of course. Until the Spirit King’s anger subsides, the royal family’s celebrations are supposed to be restrained. The recent drought and desertification were blamed on the royal family. Why a tea party now?”
“But Kohaku has forgiven us. The tea party is three days away.”
“Preparations would have started months ago. Invitations must have been sent six months ago.”
“Indeed. It seems the plan was kept secret, and His Majesty and the crown prince only recently learned about it.”
“Elton, do you know which factions the prince’s aides, head maid, and steward belong to?”
“No, it would be problematic for me to investigate, as I belong to the crown prince’s faction.”
“I see. Aran, contact Viscount Hayward.”
“Understood.”
“Viscount Hayward? The one from Berisario… Oh.”
Right, he’s the deputy chancellor.
“By the way, Chancellor Sackler is from Duke Powell’s faction, nurturing spirits properly.”
“So, he wasn’t involved in the Spirit Forest issue.”
“After the faction split, he was relegated to menial tasks. Sorry for interrupting during the celebration.”
Kurisu onii-sama turned and addressed the ladies.
“Please return to your guardians and explain what happened. Also, deliver this.”
“About the invitations? We’ve already…”
“Also, Marquess Berisario has something to discuss privately.”
Gah! You’re gathering the heads of these families under Father’s name?
If these families gather, Marquess Corquette will come too. Douglas-sama will be involved too. What kind of meeting is this?
“We’ve secured a good spot for a secret meeting. This card has the details. Burn it after reading.”
Elton handed out small cards, saying spy-movie-like things.
“Diadora, a maid’s outfit is prepared in the waiting room. Wear it and come.”
“Disguise? How exciting. If Elton is here, the crown prince must be nearby.”
“Your conversation with Duke Powell seems to have prompted a decision from the crown prince.”
What?! Was my talk with Duke Powell that impactful this quickly?
“I’d like to participate too.”
“Discuss it with your guardians. There may be risks, so I recommend keeping your spirits’ protective barriers up.”
Even with the soundproof barrier, things were getting dicey. Are we expecting an attack? From whom?
What’s the crown prince planning to discuss? The prince will be there, I invited him.
“We’re leaving now. After chatting a bit, disperse. Douglas, contact the marquess.”
“Got it. Things have escalated.”
“You should’ve left earlier.”
As Douglas-sama and my brothers left, the girls and I stayed, unsure what to talk about. We needed to act normal to avoid suspicion… though we were already suspicious enough.
“It’s my first time meeting Kurisu-sama up close,” Irene-sama said, touching her cheek.
“He’s stunning. Almost intimidating.”
“Indeed, standing next to him would make anyone feel inferior. Is Elton-sama single?”
Talking about handsome men seems to be the way to lift the mood in such situations.
“His territory is next to Berisario. I never noticed him being the crown prince’s aide.”
“It’s next to ours too.”
“Oh, Kaara-sama’s as well? Quite a desirable location.”
“I should return to my parents.”
“Me too.”
Suzanna-sama and Irene-sama left, followed shortly by Monika-sama and Kaara-sama to inform their parents. Only Patorishia-sama remained.
“You’re attending the meeting, Diadora-sama?”
“Yes, with the prince attending too.”
“I’ll go as well. I can only listen, but I’m worried about the crown prince and the prince.”
“That depends on the duke, so you’ll need to persuade him.”
“I’ll try.”
What does the crown prince
want to discuss? Why did the prince host a secret tea party? He might have been manipulated.
Those people didn’t want us at the tea party. Who are they and why?
“Mia, let’s return to the waiting room.”
“Aren’t you informing your family?”
“They’ll be back soon.”
Not knowing is unsettling. If things proceed without my knowledge, it’s scary to get caught up in them.
Knowing the dangers and not knowing.
Isn’t it better to know? Knowledge is power.
But knowing the movements and intentions of the country’s power players might make me a target.
…Well, I’m confident I can survive being targeted. No one in this world is as likely to survive being targeted as I am now.
I locked myself in the innermost room of Berisario’s waiting room, securing it with a thorough barrier from the spirits.
I’m still hesitating. I just want to live peacefully in Berisario. Wicky-kun already helped with the spirits, isn’t that enough?
But my family is getting involved. My friends’ families too.
If something preventable happens because I didn’t know and couldn’t act, I won’t forgive myself.
I have the power to protect everyone. Now I need the courage and resolve to use it.
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Author Notes:
Thank you for your continued feedback, evaluations, and reports of typos and misspellings.
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