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

"Um..."

Clasping her hands tightly in front of her chest, Patricia-sama stood up.

"Could we be invited to the tea party now?"

"Indeed. Though we've been close since childhood, I didn't notice anything was wrong. I cannot let His Highness attend a tea party filled only with Marquess Bantock's faction."

Duke Goodfellow said, placing his hand on Patricia-sama's shoulder.

"I will attend as well. Is that alright, grandfather?"

"Of course. I will attend too."

So Marquess of Norland and Monica-sama are joining as well. I hope they decide after hearing what we have to say.

"Your Highness, could you prepare invitations for everyone here... well, any way to include them would suffice? Adjustments might be necessary, and we can't confirm attendance right away due to the short notice."

Nice one, Chris onii-sama.

"I understand. I'll deliver them to the Ministry of Spirits."

"That would be best."

"Patricia-sama, Monica-sama, Suzanna-sama," I said, standing and approaching the three seated nearby.

"Getting ready for the tea party in just three days will be tough, especially with the dress preparations. Why don't we gather and alter our dresses together? With many dresses, we can create some beautiful new ones."

"That's a great idea. Let's invite everyone."

"I'm not sure if I will attend the tea party, but I'd love to join this."

"Let's call the people from the shops we usually rely on. They will help us."

"We can use the Fairy Company's capital branch as the location. The seamstresses there can assist us. Also, please call me Diadora from now on. And if you don't mind, spread the word that we're close. Let people know that if anyone harms you, I will be truly angry."

"You want to protect us."

"Thank you."

"Please call me Patty."

I want to protect not just these girls but all the young ladies invited to the meal. They all have spirits, so I think they'll be fine, but we need to be thorough.

"Can I call you Diadora too?"

"I decline."

I responded to the smiling crown prince with a smile of my own.

"That privilege is for close friends and family only."

"I see. That's fair."

If you have something to say, say it clearly. Why must you always speak so ambiguously? Though I can't say much, given how many secrets I'm keeping.

"Are you on my brother's side, Diadora?"

"On his side?"

"No, I mean…"

Wait, is he considering taking his brother's place as the next emperor?

"No."

"Huh?"

Chris onii-sama stood beside me and whispered in my ear.

"He wants to know if you plan to befriend him or his brother. Or more bluntly, who you find more appealing… Should I punch him?"

Please explain without getting angry.

"This is a good opportunity to clarify my stance. I'm sure you're all curious about the girl with the spirits' backing and what she's thinking."

A young girl in a maid's dress standing confidently with her hands on her hips, surrounded by royalty and high-ranking nobles—this must be quite a sight.

Among those invited to the meal and present at the celebration were five families, including the Carlyle Marquessate and Douglas-sama, the Marquess of Corquette and Vince-sama, the Grand Magus and the Deputy Magus, along with the crown prince and the second prince. Including maids, aides, and adjutants along the walls, there were about thirty people in the room.

"Firstly, as the eldest daughter of the Marquess of Berisario, I leave everything to my father. It would be odd for a six-year-old to meddle in family affairs, right? I have no interest in politics, and with an excellent heir in our family, I am free to do as I please."

In the dead silence, my voice echoed through the room. It's nerve-wracking not knowing if my actions are right, but once I decide, I see it through.

"Next, regarding my stance with the spirits' backing. Before that, let's confirm the spirits' stance. Spirits care nothing for human status, power, or wealth. They do not change their attitude towards royalty or commoners. What they care about are magic power, one's qualities, personality, and beliefs. The spirits' enemies are those who harm spirits and destroy their homes. Furthermore, the spirits of this country will eliminate anyone who goes against my will. This is crucial—it's not just those who cause harm, but those who go against my will."

As the room buzzed, the crown prince held his forehead, groaning.

"The enemies of someone backed by the spirits are those who harm my precious family and friends. I trust and feel close to all of you as friends of my family and as people striving for coexistence with the spirits. Therefore, I cannot forgive anyone who tries to harm you or betray that trust by harming the spirits. Political enemies of the Berisario family, however, are another matter. We will collectively deal with them."

"Then this issue doesn't involve the spirits."

"Are we talking about the tea party invitations? Of course not. I wouldn't trouble the spirits with such matters."

I wish I had a fan right now. I could pull off a perfect villainess act.

"But the emperor proposing a marriage alliance with the crown prince while assassination attempts are ongoing is something I can't overlook. Even without the assassination attempts, his persistent proposals against my wishes are problematic."

My backing is truly terrifying. "Against my will" covers too much and is too dangerous. If I were capricious and disliked someone, the whole country could turn to desert and the person would be eliminated. And if it's the emperor, it's even worse.

"The crown prince was present. Ruri said, 'Anyone who acts against your will shall be removed. If the nation acts against your will, all spirits will leave this country.' If the emperor acts against my will, isn't that the same as the country acting against my will?"

People who started to rise were gently held back by Father and Chris onii-sama.

"Diadora, don't scare everyone too much."

"I'm sorry. I won't turn the empire into a desert over such things. That would trouble my precious family and friends, wouldn't it?"

As soon as I smiled faintly and stared at the crown prince, the spirits, though in their small forms, manifested as spirit beasts.

"Did this person do something?"

"Shall we take action?"

Simultaneously, all the spirits in the room moved to the walls and gathered in a cluster.

Is this more like a demon king than a fairy princess?

"I said nothing will happen. Everyone, return to normal. No need to prepare for battle."

"So this is the real you. If you'd shown this side from the beginning, I would've treated you differently."

"From the beginning? You mean when I was four?"

"No, I mean later… Never mind."

He realized it would be bad if it were known he visited me at Berisario's castle while Father was away.

"No more formal speech. It's clear now that harming you would be unwise. As for His Majesty…"

"Don't pretend you didn't know about the assassination attempt. Claiming ignorance would imply he's unfit to be emperor."

"Isn't that disrespectful?"

"Yes. Punish me if you must. I will stand by this stance this time."

"This time?"

"To be precise, for the next three days."

After a silent stare-down, the crown prince sighed and shook his head, conceding.

"As expected of Chris's sister."

"Isn't she?"

Chris onii-sama, this isn't something to be proud of.

And Alan onii-sama, observing everyone's reactions silently from the shadows, remains consistent. As Chris onii-sama and I stand out, he hides in the background.

"It's getting late. Your Highness should return to your room."

"…Oh, okay."

The prince, probably overwhelmed by my speech, obediently nodded and stood up.

"Vice Magus, I'm counting on you."

"Yes. Let's sneak in through a window. Once inside, we'll manage."

While discussing the prince's return, I quenched my thirst with the fruit juice Mia brought. Ah, refreshing.

"Diadora, that's unladylike."

"Huh?"

I looked around and saw I had everyone's attention.

Oh well. This is who I am. Not very ladylike.

As the prince left and the meeting started to wind down, Duke Powell and the chancellor emerged from the back room. They had waited a long time. Surprised by their appearance, everyone looked around, and Father spoke.

"Let's get to the main topic."

Chris onii-sama's aide, Rai, handed a stack of papers to him.

"These will be distributed now. Please return them after reading. We'll dispose of them."

"What is this?"

"You'll understand when you read it. It details what has happened in the capital since His Majesty's accession. Those who don't wish to know may leave now."

No one left. As leaders responsible for their people, they had to know.

Mother, who had been silently sitting, clutched a handkerchief tightly in her lap. Alan onii-sama watched everyone's expressions as they read the paper.

"This is incredible. Everything I've heard since the crown prince spoke to me five years ago is detailed here."

Duke Powell exhaled deeply, then looked at us siblings in turn.

"Who did this? Or rather, all of you?"

"We can't answer that. The important thing is whether the content is true."

"It is."

The crown prince answered simply and handed the paper to Elton-sama.

"More than rumors. As you said, Berisario is formidable."

"Despite having such talented people and even the spirits' backing, the head of the family just wants to return to the territory and do business. It's strange."

From

 the perspective of those involved in the central power struggle, we must seem suspicious. They probably think we're hiding our true intentions, but working in the territory is just more fun.

"Recently, there have been fewer assassinations and accidents thanks to Berisario. People in the capital without spirits are told to seek refuge at the Ministry of Spirits or the Magus Ministry if pursued. The spirit beasts will surely protect them."

"So that's why there were so many visitors without any significant reason."

"Moreover, it seems Berisario's people are strategically placed in key positions. Even the chancellor's deputy."

"I was just asked if I knew someone when they needed help."

"Sure, sure."

Father and Duke Powell chatted amiably. No sparks flying here. Really.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"What to do?"

The crown prince addressed me. I need some relief from the tension with a Chris onii-sama moment.

"I'll arrange a meeting with His Majesty in three days. If that's impossible, we'll intrude during an audience."

"That's extreme."

"I said earlier, for the next three days, I'll do as I please. I'm going to play the role of Mito Komon."

"Mito?"

"Just ignore that part."

"Understood. But I'll be there too."

"Anyone who wants to come is welcome."

"Wait."

Finally, onii-sama interjected, but saying "wait" to the crown prince is inappropriate here, even if it’s okay in private.

"We need to allocate people for the tea party too. If anyone doesn't want to be involved, now is the time to leave. If you stay, you're part of the plan."

"No one here will leave."

As Chris onii-sama and Father discussed, no one stood up to leave.

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Author Notes: 

   Thank you always for your feedback, evaluations, and reports of typos and errors.

   Since the serious story has continued, the next chapter will be from Irene's perspective.

   Irene is a countess who attended the celebration.

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