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: 

This is the story of Camille's childhood, before meeting Diadora.

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The day after I was born, I was taken from my mother and raised deep within the royal palace in a small mansion with a spacious garden facing the sea.

I don't know what the building was originally for. The elegant two-story mansion had been exposed to sea winds for many years, with window frames rusted to a bronze color and patches of the walls peeling off.

My memories from when I was very young are vague, but there were a few maids besides the married couple who were the cook and the head maid. I believe there were also a few guards who rotated shifts.

As the fifth prince, who was made to renounce his claim to the throne, I had no value. It was a lowly job, forced upon those removed from important duties. The maids were unmotivated, leaving me to fend for myself while they flirted with the guards.

Most people were content as long as I was alive. Perhaps they thought that if they fed and let me sleep, I would grow up on my own. Among them, only the head maid Alisa and the guard Bob showed any concern for me.

I only realized this much later when I was older. As a small child, I couldn't understand such things. I had no reason to think my situation was strange, and then a significant change occurred when I turned three.

The annex, which was likely forgotten by most in the palace, received a visitor.

I was playing in the garden near the sea. Bob, who was watching over me, suddenly knelt down, and when I turned to see why, I noticed a group of adults approaching.

"Are you Camille?" 

The man surrounded by many large men saw me, smiled, and crouched down to meet my eyes.

"Yes."

"I see. Nice to meet you. I'm Radek, your brother."

My eldest brother, the crown prince, is twelve years older than me. He is said to be a gentle and excellent prince who always wears a calm smile. There's no way an excellent prince could be genuinely gentle, though.

His rare amber eyes are the same color as the king who, two hundred years ago, developed Lufthannen greatly with the support of all the spirit kings.

"I'm Zol. Camille, how old are you now?"

"I'm three."

"Three, huh? You're a smart kid."

Even then, and now, I knew I wasn't a special child. Despite that, my second brother, who was the second prince, gently lifted me up as if I were precious.

Though he was often called wild and unprincely, my second brother was truly the kindest person. With long black hair and eyes as dark as night, he was often mistaken for having a stern personality because of his thick eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes.

"To think they didn’t tell me I had a fourth brother. Zol, let me hold him too."

"I just picked him up. Look, it's high, isn't it?"

From the perspective of a three-year-old, the fifteen-year-old crown prince and the thirteen-year-old second prince were full-grown adults.

Meeting family for the first time and being lifted high, I remember being amazed at how much bigger the sea looked from up there.

"A three-year-old with both water and wind spirits? Impressive, Camille."

"Raise them to be spirit beasts quickly. They'll surely protect you."

Floating around my brothers' shoulders were large, multi-element spirits. It was also the first time I met someone other than myself who had spirits.

"We have someone we want you to meet today. The proximity to the sea is convenient."

"We're going to the sea for a bit."

"Moana! You were right. I have a little brother!"

I don't remember what Moana looked like then or how she appeared, but before I knew it, she was there, hugging me.

From that day, she took a liking to me. When I played alone, she occasionally appeared, chatted for a while, and then left. I was surprised to learn she was a spirit king when I turned five.

Until then, I had always thought she was just a beautiful but lively lady, and she seemed a bit down when I told her that.

From the day I met my brothers, my treatment improved dramatically.

They couldn't afford to slack off, not knowing when the crown prince might show up.

From that day, my life became busy. Every day, tutors came to teach me the knowledge needed as a royal. I learned various martial arts, including the use of swords, daggers, and bows.

Learning was fun, and I thought it was natural. I didn't find it strange that I was also taught how to hide and accurately kill opponents bigger than myself, almost like an assassin.

To avoid being discovered due to the spirits when hiding, I trained the spirits to stay close to my thighs when crouching and to illuminate my feet when running in the dark. These interactions seemed to become dialogues. The spirits, who eventually gathered all elements, grew well and became spirit beasts.

My brothers also brought some boys a little older than me to be my attendants.

Normally, the attendants of a prince would be the children of nobles. Even after renouncing the throne and becoming a duke, it should be the same. But those introduced to me were commoners who had trained as swordsmen since childhood. The only noble among them was Keith, the son of a count from the northern island where my mother came from.

"Study hard. Knowledge is a weapon."

The second prince often came to see me in place of the busy crown prince. When I told him all my spirits had gathered, he was very pleased and persistently told me to raise them into spirit beasts as soon as possible.

To survive, my brothers gave me all the knowledge and fighting skills they could. Even now, what I learned back then protects me.

The happy, albeit busy, days abruptly ended.

I was seven years old and had a basic understanding of my position and the situation of Lufthannen Kingdom. The crown prince was the type to teach me everything I needed to know, even if it wasn't something one would normally tell a child.

"Brother, you don't have to tell Camille such things. He's still a child."

"Just because they're children doesn't mean they won't be targeted. Some people would find it easier to kill them now."

"Father should hurry and capture them. Why is he ignoring it?"

"Because he might be targeted himself."

I don't understand why they want to become king so badly.

Becoming king means they would be the ones targeted next.

Would they kill their siblings, parents, and eventually their own children to avoid that?

That day, as I played with the spirit beasts by the sea and watched the sunset, I noticed something unusual on the way back to the mansion.

Normally, smoke would rise from the chimney as dinner preparations began, and the pleasant smell would reach the garden. But there was no smoke, no smell, and no guards where they should be. Few lights were on inside the mansion.

Something was happening.

I knelt by the garden trees and strained my ears, but my heart pounded, my breathing became shallow, and I couldn't hear anything.

I knew a day like this would come eventually. But after seven years of peace, the reality of being targeted didn’t seem real. I had naively hoped these peaceful days would continue.

"Camille, what's wrong?"

"Shh. Keep your voice down."

That's right. I'm not alone.

"Move close to my knees. Where are the people?"

The spirits moved to my feet and lined up on my bent leg.

"No one in the garden."

"Two people near the entrance. Unfamiliar."

"There are a few people inside on the first floor. No one is moving on the second floor."

"It's dangerous, Camille."

The situation changes while I hesitate. Staying low to the ground, I moved to the building’s exterior, keeping to the shadows. Suddenly, as I moved, the earth and water spirits fell to the ground and hurried to catch up.

"Is anyone looking this way?"

"No."

"The people near the entrance are coming this way."

"Tell me when they're in view."

I climbed onto the balcony railing and pulled myself up to the second-floor veranda. Checking for movement inside, I jumped from balcony to balcony.

"They're coming."

Instinctively, I lay prone and peered through the railing. Two men in unfamiliar uniforms crossed the garden cautiously.

They wore fine uniforms and had swords at their waists. They were soldiers of the regular army.

Were they from the third prince's faction or the fourth prince's?

They probably wanted to kill me because of my spirit beasts.

My spirit beast is a dragon, a creature not found in this world.

It’s the same form as the wise king's spirit beast, who was backed by the spirit king.

Not just me, but the crown prince and the second prince also have the same spirit beast, while the third and fourth princes do not.

In the first place, they haven't even gathered all their spirits yet.

Because I have the same spirit beast as the wise king, I, the fifth prince, suddenly became a threat.

They should just raise their own prince's spirits instead.

It would be much more constructive than plotting assassinations.

"Where did he go?"

"If there's a spirit beast, it might have been noticed."

"Damn it, failing to deal with a mere child is bad."

"Killing a prince..."

"Shh. Lower your voice."

If only they would say whose orders they were following.

"They're gone."

"No one is moving inside."

The spirits inform me without needing to be asked. It's helpful, but I feel bad for involving them in such a dangerous situation.

The window was open, so I peeked inside before crouching and moving to a spot where I could have my back to the wall.

"Is that blood?"

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed someone lying on the floor near

 the bathroom door.

"Alisa, she's not moving."

"Use healing!"

All thoughts flew out of my head as I rushed over.

The water and wind spirits cast healing magic, but I could tell from her empty, lifeless eyes.

"It's... too late. It's..."

Her arms and shoulders were slashed, and blood from the wounds spread across the floor, where cleaning tools lay in the puddle.

"Are there others who aren't moving?"

"If they don't have any magic, I can't tell."

"Some with faint magic aren't moving. On the first floor."

"Are they alive?"

"They're not breathing."

Am I too late? Could they still be saved?

But even if healed, could they escape in this situation? There were supposed to be several guards, and they couldn't win.

"How many people are moving?"

"Twelve."

I can’t do it.

Did they deploy that many soldiers just to eliminate one child?

"Tell me if anyone comes."

I can't stay here.

I put on my jacket and opened the drawer with valuables, almost dropping it. I caught it just above the floor, but the contents spilled out.

I thought I was calm, but my hands were trembling.

It's my fault.

If they hadn't served me, they could have lived.

I was the only target.

"Camille?"

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

I need to survive, live, and meet my brothers.

Whoever killed the maids isn't family.

They'll target my brothers too.

Then, I'll kill them.

I put all the money and jewelry into my magic bag.

I always keep minimum essentials like clothes and food in case of emergencies, so I should be okay.

"Camille, they're coming."

Clutching the royal family’s medallion, I took a deep breath.

Calm down. They’ll underestimate me as a child.

I glanced at the head maid, steeling myself.

I crawled under the bed and drew my dagger from the magic bag.

"Stay out of sight."

"Understood."

When the spirit beasts quietly hid between my thighs, the room door opened.

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Author Notes: 

   Thank you for always reading.

   I appreciate the typo reports very much.

   If you found this even a little interesting, I'd be delighted if you could rate it from the link below.

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