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: 

It gets serious without Diadora.

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When the door opened, light streamed into the dimly lit room.

From where I was hiding under the bed, all I could see was the floor, sharply lit in yellow by the light, and the shadow of the man standing in its center.

From his perspective, he could likely see the contents of the drawer I had knocked over earlier, scattered on the floor. Unsure if someone else had done this or if there was another person present, he stood still for a while, searching for any sign of movement, before eventually stepping into the room.

Each cautious step brought him closer, and I could see his feet moving from under the bed. When he reached the bed, he dramatically flung open the canopy curtains.

Confirming that no one was hiding there, he then approached where the maid lay on the floor.

"When I give the signal, freeze his feet," I whispered to the spirit as the man inspected the bathroom.

『Ready』

『Transforming into a spirit beast』

"Not yet. Only if I get caught..."

I stopped mid-sentence when I heard a noise.

I didn't want my spirit beasts to be used as weapons to kill.

They had always been by my side, keeping me from feeling lonely. I didn't want them to become mere tools for killing my enemies.

The man emerged from the bathroom and walked around the bed, approaching the open window. The moment his heels faced me, I signaled to the spirit and sprang out from under the bed.

I scraped my back against the bed frame, but the pain helped me stay focused.

"Whoa!?"

The man's feet and calves were suddenly encased in ice, causing him to lose balance and stumble forward. Seizing the opportunity, I leaped onto his back.

"You brat!"

There are several ways for even a child to kill an adult.

From behind, I pressed the dagger against his throat and slashed horizontally. The man thrashed wildly, and I was thrown off, but luckily landed on the bed.

I quickly got up and readied my dagger, meeting the wide-eyed gaze of the man clutching his throat.

It seemed the cut hadn't been deep enough to be fatal instantly.

The man coughed up blood, trying to draw his sword as he collapsed to the floor.

Each breath produced a strange gurgling sound, slowing until there was no sound at all.

I didn't feel the weight of having killed someone. More pressing was the need to escape before someone else arrived.

My body was enveloped in a soft light, prompting me to look towards the hallway.

No one seemed to be coming.

『Camille, your back is injured』

"Thanks. But healing stands out, so be careful. Any signs of movement outside the window?"

『None』

I jumped off the bed, walked past the man's body, and stopped before the window, looking back.

It pained me to leave the maid's body behind. There were likely other bodies in the mansion, but I couldn't do anything for them now.

"I'm sorry... I loved you."

Besides my brothers, she had always been there for me. I never imagined saying goodbye like this.

I returned to the garden and crouched, moving through the shadows towards the path leading to the sea.

Heading in this direction meant potentially crossing paths with the two men I saw earlier, but I couldn't risk causing a commotion by heading towards the palace. I had no idea who was an ally. Reaching my brothers seemed impossible. My best bet was to escape via the sea.

Between the sea path and the palace buildings were garden trees, offering ample cover.

『It's Keith』

『Edgar and Rune are with him』

All three were my attendants, aged between ten and twelve.

"Can the spirits tell them to flee?"

『They've noticed you』

"Any other humans nearby?"

『None』

Despite my fear, I stepped out from behind the trees and looked ahead to see the three walking boldly towards me.

"What are you..."

I was about to scold them but realized they didn't know what had happened yet.

"Camille-sama!"

"Are you safe?"

"What's happening?"

It seemed they had some idea that something was wrong.

Keith, the leader of the trio, was tall and sharp-featured.

Edgar, though only twelve, looked like an adult with his large build and face.

Rune, two years younger than the other two, tried to take care of me.

"The mansion was attacked by soldiers. They weren't palace guards."

"Those guys! Two soldiers attacked us on the way here."

Following their gaze, I saw soldiers impaled on sharp rocks and ice spikes. The spirits had done their job well.

『We did it too』

"It's okay. I might need your help next time."

『Leave it to us』

My spirit beasts seemed frustrated at not being able to fight. Are spirit beasts naturally aggressive?

"There are more enemies. Let's hurry and escape."

"Leave it to us. Zol-dono has introduced us to allies."

"First, let's get out of the palace."

I hope my brothers are safe.

They don't need my concern, though. They should be well-protected by the guards.

"Understood. Let's go."

We ran along the path towards the service gate.

Around this time, palace workers finishing their shifts were heading into town, while others were arriving for night shifts. The area around the service gate was bustling.

"There's a lot of people."

"Yes, since Camille-sama has never left the mansion before."

"You might faint if you see the main gate or east-west gates."

On the way, we had stopped at a large warehouse where I was made to wear a dirty skirt over my trousers and a shawl over my head to disguise myself.

"Don't talk. If you stay quiet, you can pass as a girl."

"..."

"Try to soften that harsh look."

"Camille-sama, it's just for now. Bear with it."

I'm almost eight. There's no way I can be mistaken for a girl.

The maids always said I didn't have the face of a prince and that I was too rough.

"Hey, Edgar. Going out?"

"Got a day off tomorrow."

"Taking the kids shopping?"

"They wanted to buy from the stalls."

Edgar seemed to know the gate guard.

And he didn't look like a kid to them.

"Who's the girl?"

"My sister."

Keith said, adjusting my shawl slightly.

"Ah, a cute one. Are you from a noble family?"

"A poor baronial family."

"Still different from commoners. Are those... all attributes?"

"Just two. The others are my sister's."

"Of course. Don't scare me."

My spirits were hidden under the shawl, wriggling on my back. Keith and Rune stood behind me to keep them hidden.

"Okay, you can go."

"Thank you."

The guard let us through without checking our bags, thinking we were just kids.

Why did they believe I'm a girl?

"What about me looks like a girl?"

"Maybe your big eyes."

"Seven-year-olds can be mistaken sometimes."

I'm almost eight.

"We'll keep pretending until we reach North Island."

"It's hot."

"Just a little longer. Once we're on the boat, we're safe."

It was my first time killing someone, my first time leaving the mansion, and my first time seeing so many people in the city.

The sheer number of people made me dizzy, so I walked with my head down.

Having no time to think might be a blessing for me.

When can I return to the palace?

Will the bodies be properly buried?

Who will take care of it?

"Those uniforms were Western Island soldiers."

"The third prince."

"Probably."

On Eastern Island, where the palace is, you rarely see foreigners. Everyone on the streets has black hair and black eyes.

So appearance isn't the problem.

The real risk is the presence of spirit beasts. Ordinary people don't have spirits. In the palace, only royal attendants and some guards have spirits. Many nobles don't have spirits either.

Having a spirit makes you an elite. Edgar and Rune, commoners with spirits, might be seen as more promising than nobles.

We laughed when we heard that Luftanen was called the land of spirits by other countries.

The spirit king hasn't appeared since the wise king's death. Moana's existence isn't public knowledge.

Because past royals monopolized knowledge of spirits and spirit beasts, the country was abandoned by the spirit king.

That's why my brothers spread the knowledge of raising spirits, but third and fourth princes and their entourages, who consider themselves special, can't accept it.

It's absurd.

If they think they're special, they should meet the spirit king and receive blessings.

They refuse to do any public duties, leaving everything to my brothers, and despite knowing nothing about spirits, they try to assassinate other princes. The king only cares about his safety and hasn't appeared in public for three years, leaving the crown prince to govern.

Only the crown prince and second prince care about the country.

What will happen if something happens to the crown prince? Don't the other princes think about that? No, they probably think they can do the same.

At the port town heading to North Island, Bob, who was in the city during the attack, joined us. Instead of escaping, he searched for us.

For children like us, having a 25-year-old ally is reassuring. When I told him what happened at the mansion, he cried, thankful I was safe.

Thanks to him, we boarded a ship to North Island without issue.

I got seasick on my first voyage and vomited, worried by my thoughts. Bob was concerned.

I wasn't the only one feeling ill.

Everyone seemed relieved to leave Eastern Island.

Upon arriving at North Island, we headed straight from the harbor town to another town known for trade with the Empire.

The scenery changed drastically as we traveled, with fewer people wearing Aloha and more non-black-haired individuals.

I was disappointed to only be able to watch

 from the carriage due to the lack of spirit holders.

North Island's wealth from Empire trade gives it a strong influence and little desire to place one of its own on the throne. As a result, I lost my succession rights.

Despite this, a royal with all-attribute spirit beasts and the water spirit king's blessing is still valuable to them.

We first went to Keith's family, the Halre Count family.

Their estate was in the countryside, but even their townhouse was twice as large and luxurious as my mansion.

They quickly contacted my mother's family, the Lintonen Marquis family, who seemed very protective of me, claiming I resembled my mother.

The Marquises of Lintonen and Manchester lead North Island's nobility, with several counties like Halre under them.

My uncle, the current head of the Lintonen family, was angry after hearing about my ordeal from my attendants, claiming I looked like my mother.

Manchester Marquis, who owned the main trading port, was refined, with a son, Solomon, who kept staring at me. A well-groomed man with thin eyes and straight black hair, likely just of age.

"All-attribute spirit beasts... so are yours..."

Solomon finally spoke to us, unable to contain himself.

"Your spirits are close too, right?"

"But there are almost no spirit beasts on this island. They all remain spirits."

"That's because they don't communicate."

"Communicate?!"

His narrow eyes widened for a moment as he tried to approach, only to be held back by three attendants.

"I'm not going to do anything. Just want to talk. But please let me touch the spirit beasts."

Normally cool-looking, Solomon struggled against his attendants, much to everyone's surprise.

"Father, I've decided. I'm going with him."

"What?!"

"Okay. I'll have one of your brothers take over."

"Please do."

"What the heck?!"

Everyone but the two was shocked, and Manchester Marquis and Solomon remained calm.

"My attendants and men will come with me. I'll be useful."

"The heir of a Marquis family giving up his rights?!"

"This is more interesting. Plus, I'll learn how to raise spirit beasts, right?"

"I'll teach everyone. Maybe the spirit king hasn't appeared because the royals monopolized knowledge."

"Great! Let's go to the Empire too. There's a girl there with the spirit king's blessing."

"You sound creepy calling her a girl."

"Criminal..."

Solomon beamed at Edgar and Rune's conversation.

"What's this, Solomon? You rarely talk."

"Oh, that's because you're boring."

A frosty atmosphere followed Solomon's words to the Lintonen Marquis's eldest daughter.

"What did you say?!"

"You're disrespectful. This dying prince..."

"Delk, watch your tongue. Camille-sama is a prince and a duke. He's above your father. This is treason."

Solomon's previously calm voice turned cold, silencing the Lintonen children.

Even the eldest daughter, fifteen, and sixteen-year-old Delk.

"My apologies."

My uncle, the Lintonen Marquis, bowed deeply to me.

"Delk will be disciplined and retrained. If necessary, the second son, Herlt, will take over. Please forgive us."

"No need for that."

"It's necessary. You're a prince."

As someone seeking help, I had been hesitant, but that approach was wrong.

Bob, being a commoner, and my attendants, unused to such exchanges, weren't helping.

I wasn't sure about Solomon yet, but he seemed valuable... probably.

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Author Notes:

Thank you for always reading. Your typo reports are very helpful.

If you find it interesting, I'd appreciate it if you could rate it from the link below.

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