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

The setting sun sinks below the horizon as I lazily rest my elbows on the table, staring blankly.

Today felt incredibly long. I'm exhausted.

The adults are still in the room, continuing their discussions. While it has been decided that the Crown Prince will become the next emperor, there are countless other matters to settle—what to do about His Majesty and the General, how to punish Jean-sama, and the fate of the surviving Bantock faction members.

The children were told they could leave early. They called it a dinner party, but after witnessing the murder scene, none of us felt like having fun. A table was set up on the terrace with a view of the sea, offering freshly grilled seafood right before our eyes, but no one felt like reaching for the food.

"Here, eat this."

With a clatter, a plate was placed roughly in front of me. It held a freshly grilled, plump shrimp covered in tartar sauce.

"It's good."

The one proudly distributing plates was Douglas. Carlisle Marquis had called him, thinking the girls might feel uneasy alone.

"Go ahead and eat."

"No, I wasn't involved, so I've got plenty of energy to spare. As the heir, I was told to wait at home."

"There's no need to feel bad about that," said Alan-nii-sama.

Alan-nii-sama is right, you don't need to worry about that. It's natural for nobles to avoid losing their heirs. Among those present, besides Chris-nii-sama, only adults were there. Derrick-sama is a third son, after all.

"I also... couldn't participate."

"Me too! My father said no way."

Carla-sama is devastated after hearing that the countess's daughter she canceled on at the last minute was killed. Ethel-sama's overprotective Myler Marquis can't be helped. You don't need to feel guilty for being in a safe place. I wish the other children could have been in a safe place too.

In times like these, the host needs to be strong! I slapped my cheeks with both hands, took a bite of the shrimp with plenty of tartar sauce, and took a big bite.

"Delicious. Even though I'm sad, it's delicious."

No matter the circumstances, humans need to eat, sleep, and live on. I will live resiliently and strongly.

"Everyone, try it. It's delicious."

"Yeah... delicious..."

"Irene," Suzanna said softly, placing her hand on Irene's shoulder as she started crying while eating the delicious food.

"The day before the tea party, I asked her why she lied to us. She said it was because Deirdre was spoiled by Chris-sama and Alan-sama," Carla-sama said, causing me to freeze with a shrimp on my fork. What am I supposed to do? Of course, my brothers would spoil their little sister.

"What should I do? I don't understand girls' hearts."

"Don't worry. I don't understand either."

"As expected of you, Patty. We’re friends."

"Sometimes I don't understand you either."

"Hey, I brought the salad. Wow, being surrounded by so many cute girls is overwhelming. Who should I talk to?" Derrick-sama said as he brought over more food.

Why is Derrick-sama helping out? Is it because he wants to show off in front of the girls or because he's excited to be around so many cute girls?

"Suzanna-jou, if you don't mind, may I..."

"Sorry, I'm busy now."

"I'd also like to comfort Irene-jou."

"Brother, read the room."

"Patty, you look cute even when you're cold, but you won't be popular with boys."

Wow, Derrick-sama is relentless. To be popular with girls, you really need strong mental resilience. On second thought, a sociable duke's son is impressive. A bit annoying, though.

"What are you doing?" Chris-nii-sama asked, glaring icily at Derrick-sama before sitting next to me.

"His Majesty and the General, after abdicating, will take over the territory currently governed by Powell Duke."

He starts reporting without any preamble. While it's normal for our family, we have guests here.

"They'll be treated as barons for one generation."

"Barons?!"

"Even though the Duke's second son earned merits in the war, he privatized the throne instead of passing it to the rightful heir. He overlooked his father’s crimes, so losing their titles is only fair. They’re popular among the people, so they’ll remain figureheads for now."

"What happens to Powell Duke after giving up the territory?"

"Bantock faction lost most of their heads and there's evidence of corruption. With many central nobles gone, Powell Duke’s faction will return to the center. Oh, I'll take that shrimp."

"That was mine."

"Brother, Douglas is still technically a guest, so here, have my shrimp."

"Thank you, Deirdre."

"Aren't you all being harsh to me?"

Despite his complaints, Douglas continues eating shrimp and clams while standing with Alan-nii-sama. He’s genuinely a good guy. I feel like we could become close friends.

"Chris-nii-sama, what about Jean-sama?"

"It's not decided yet, but he's likely to be executed for the attempted murder of the prince and involvement in the Bantock faction killings."

"And?"

"He asked Amber-sama to let his spirit beasts return to the sand when he's executed."

"I see..."

What did Jean-sama feel when he heard the spirit beasts' wish?

"Publicly, this incident will be blamed entirely on the Nikodemus cult. Everyone should stick to that story."

"How does it look for the palace to have been infiltrated by the Nikodemus cult?" Derrick-sama asked, showing he can handle serious discussions. He’s also eating well despite the murder scene he witnessed. The boys are incredible. Maybe they’re trying hard because the girls are here, but the fact that they can try at all is amazing.

"It’s better than saying the emperor’s brother poisoned a large group to destroy a faction. We can use this to ban the Nikodemus cult. We were in a separate room talking, and while many Bantock faction guards were there, they don’t know the details of our conversation. They saw the bodies of the cult members who committed suicide, so rumors are already spreading that the cult is to blame."

I haven’t heard about the Nikodemus cult having a leader. What’s their relationship with the Pendelus Republic? It looks like I’ll still need to rely on Wiki-kun.

"Ugh, I hate this. My hand is shaking now," Monica muttered, pressing her trembling right hand with her left, looking troubled. She’s not alone. Everyone is at their limit, barely able to eat.

"Alright! Instead of forcing ourselves to eat, let’s have some sweets. I’ve had plush carpets laid out in the guest room, so we can lay on the floor with cushions, eat sweets, and cry our hearts out!"

Raising my right hand in a declaration, everyone stood up at once.

"I'm taking my food with me."

"Excuse us."

"I’ll eat my meal tomorrow morning."

The boys watched, dumbfounded, as the girls all hurried back to the room.

A single night of crying won’t heal the trauma of witnessing that scene. It’ll probably haunt us for a while. But if it gets too tough, we can gather again and eat something delicious.

Whether in Japan or this world, the source of girls' strength is likely the same.

We’ll get stronger, more beautiful, and then…

I’ll fall in love!

I will fall in love, won’t I? I won’t stay single for life, right?

The shadow of the Nikodemus cult looms ominously, but I have the spirit kings by my side.

Deirdre's adventure is just beginning!

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Author Notes: 

   Thank you for reading up to this point. I plan to post the second chapter at the same interval as before.

   After writing serious scenes for a while, I’ll be releasing a lighter story as a reaction.

   "I Can Only Love You" https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3751fq/

   It’s planned to end in about 15 chapters.

[TL note: should I translate this ( ・_・)? ]

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