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

When I sent letters to Carla and the others at the Crown Prince’s request, they replied suggesting that we should also pre-arrange a time for all eight of us to meet during the break. Especially Carla and Patty, who, like me, will be starting school this year, are receiving invitations from all over to have conversations.

From November to February, it's only four months. The elementary education curriculum is equivalent to an elementary school in Japan, so for the children of nobles who have tutors, making friends is the main focus rather than studying. While learning about social interactions, they also make friends who they can associate with at the palace, building future connections. Although there are classes about spirits and magic, there are no science classes. That's to be expected.

We’ll need at least three meetings between the Crown Prince and the three friends, plus three gatherings with all eight of us, right? I also need to attend gatherings like the meeting of nobles with spirit residences or the tea parties with the people from the region managed by Ruri, so my schedule is quickly filling up. Even if I keep weekdays free for promises made once school starts, weekend plans are getting booked up one after another starting in September.

In my previous life, my schedule book was always blank... I only wrote down things like days for chat group discussions, dates for participating in online game wars, and deadlines before events for the printing shop. But I never had to adjust my schedule due to conflicts.

"I've grown up."

I won't let anyone call me socially awkward anymore. I've made lots of friends, and my network is incredible. I even have interactions with non-human beings!

While making notes in my diary and enjoying an iced tea, I'm spending an afternoon like a proper noble lady on the balcony of the Fairy Company headquarters built near the castle's west gate. It's a bit far from the main gate, and general visitors don’t come here. This gate is used only by merchants summoned directly by my family or by those associated with Fairy Company and its business partners.

Right now, a small spirit vehicle approaching this way is a carriage from the Colein Company, a trade partner from the Luftanen Kingdom. That vehicle was made by us. Although spirit vehicles are already being made in Luftanen, they wouldn’t come to the Fairy Company in another company's spirit vehicle, right?

As I’m in charge of development, I rarely show up at business negotiations. They call me only when it's something that might interest me, but I’m not good with business negotiations. There's a different kind of alertness compared to the negotiations between nobles.

The door of the spirit vehicle opened, and descending with a large bag in hand was the hairy, handsome Mr. Conning. He has been frequently visiting since that day years ago when we coincidentally met at the park, becoming our company’s representative. Although he dresses similarly to the people of the Empire, he still retains a Hawaiian style.

Following him out of the carriage was a boy who seemed close in age to my brother Alan. His shoulder width and arm muscles were similar to Alan’s, meaning he practices swordsmanship, engages in some sport, or does manual labor. His naturally grown shoulder-length black hair and eyes, which appear darker than before, were familiar. That boy is Camille.

Wow, as expected, he’s completely a boy now. His shoulder width is obviously different from a girl’s. There’s no need to compare shoe sizes. He’s healthily tanned, with striking almond-shaped eyes and long black eyelashes that make him look like he's wearing eyeliner. Women must envy those eyes.

When he noticed my gaze, both he and Conning looked up at me almost simultaneously. The intensity of their gaze startled me. He’s a type of handsome guy not found in the Empire. Black hair and black eyes seem charming to me, likely due to my lingering Japanese sensibilities.

They both bowed politely, so I smiled and nodded back. That’s all, though. What else am I supposed to do? Should I greet them? And say what? Nice weather, isn’t it? Handsome boys are to be appreciated from afar, thanking the gods for their existence. Approaching them is out of the question!

The Crown Prince and Douglas are handsome too, but they no longer see me as a girl. And the other boys? They observe me from a distance as if I'm scary.

Shortly after they disappeared behind the building, I heard the door open, meaning they had entered the building. Well... it’s none of my business. Foreign countries, huh. If it weren’t for the dangers of Nicodemus worship and the issues with the Republic of Pendelus. Both are spirit-related, so they’re not entirely unrelated.

Maybe the north is fine. A new country has emerged, right? There might be delicious food.

"Is the young lady here?"

"She is, but what's the matter?"

A while later, I heard the door open and Rex talking with Gemma.

"Chris-sama wants you to join the meeting with the Colein Company. It seems they've brought some rare food."

What?! Rex is already seventeen years old. Time flies. He’s grown into a fine young man, looking dashing in his butler uniform, and is very popular among the castle maids.

Both Dana and Cynthia, who have taken care of me since I was born, are married to knights and already have children. They took maternity leave but continue to work for me. Recently, Mia’s sister Nelly has also been helping me, making it easier for them to take breaks.

Rex led me to the meeting room on the first floor, used for discussions with business partners. Don’t imagine something like a conference room with folding chairs. There are no folding chairs here.

The spacious room, with a high-value sofa of vanilla color embroidered with gold thread and a cat-legged table made from a single board, has an exotic touch from the Luftanen-style partitions.

Across the large table sat my brother Chris, Mr. Conning, and Camille. Sebas stood by my brother’s side, while Hugh and my brother’s aide, Rai, stood behind Mr. Conning and Camille. With Rex accompanying me, the two from Colein Company were now entirely surrounded.

But it can’t be helped. Here we have the heir and eldest daughter of the Berisario Marquis. There, foreign commoner merchants. If any accident happened, it could become an international issue, so they must understand why we have guards stationed near the door.

Even though we buy nuts from them, it’s not a significant amount, so our relationship is still shallow. We haven’t built much trust with them yet.

"It's been four years, hasn’t it? Long time no see."

As I walked over to the sofa where my brother Chris was sitting and spoke, both Mr. Conning and Camille immediately stood up, stepping to the side to kneel beside the sofa.

"No need for that. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

Smiling at the two who placed a hand on their chests and bowed, I waited for them to sit before my brother Chris spoke.

"It's my first time meeting Camille, but Dia said she's met him before?"

"Yes, we met by chance at a park near the port. That was when he was six. I mistook him for a girl."

"Ah, I remember hearing that story from Gemma."

"I wouldn’t make that mistake now. You've grown so tall."

Although I was smiling calmly at Camille sitting in the chair across the table, my heart was racing due to his proximity. Despite being tanned, his skin was glowing. Youth is wonderful. Well, I still look like I’m ten, but...

You know, his eyes are intense. Being stared at makes me uneasy. Is this boy okay? Isn’t he blinking too little? He might get dry eyes.

And up close, his eyes really are amber. The light angle must make them look black.

"..."

He’s not responding to my conversation.

This isn’t my fault, right?

"So, what did you bring? You wanted Dia to try it, didn’t you?"

My brother Chris's smile was slightly chilly. He might think the boy is impolite.

"Yes. I heard Dia-sama was the one who devised tomato ketchup, so I wanted her to try this."

Tomato ketchup wasn’t something I originally planned to make. But since Mia and her sister Nelly were working so hard and sending most of their salary home, and considering their father's and brother's incompetence, I had to step in and suggest they start cultivating tomatoes and making ketchup. It created jobs and improved their economy.

The ketchup sold well, making Edokins territory surprisingly profitable, and now I’m financially set for life at just ten years old. My main goal is longevity.

Mr. Conning took out a temperature-controlled magical box from his bag, then a silver pot, and poured a thick black liquid into a cup.

Let me say it. Let me shout it. This is chocolate, isn't it?! The spirits floated around the table, checking for poison before returning above us. Holding back my excitement, I took the cup and tried a spoonful... it was too thick to drink.

I had been waiting for this day. I read everything about chocolate on Wiki-kun because I loved chocolate. I knew this. This is the chocolate from when it first came to Europe. It was a drink, though you needed water to drink it.

"It looks black and might be concerning, but it’s sweet and delicious."

Oh, Camille spoke. He had barely moved before, and I wondered why he was even here. Mr. Conning was handing out the chocolate to everyone. My brother Chris seemed to like it, finding this new sweet drink delightful.

"Ho."

Hugh, who likes new things, seemed to enjoy it too. So I...

I took a spoonful and drank.

"..."

I silently placed the cup on the table and drank water. Perhaps, for the people of

 this world, it was an exciting discovery. I understood why they called me. They thought I’d be thrilled. But having experienced Japanese, French, Belgian, and global chocolates, I was only disappointed.

Do you understand the feeling of tasting something completely different from what you imagined based on its appearance? Like expecting Japanese sweet bread but getting something overwhelmingly sweet abroad. I know this is part of chocolate’s history on Earth, progressing to separate cocoa powder and cocoa butter, eventually leading to solid chocolate... as Wiki-kun said.

I have encountered chocolate quite early in its development stage. No one has solidified it yet.

"Did you not like it?"

Camille, you brought me something I eagerly awaited. But this isn’t what I wanted.

"Is this already sold elsewhere?"

"It has been spreading in Luftanen for years now. We haven’t introduced it in the Empire yet."

"Then I’ll leave it to my brother Chris."

"She doesn’t seem enthusiastic. But it would be a problem if it were sold elsewhere."

Camille seemed quite disappointed by my reaction, though his expression barely changed. Mr. Conning, too, looked noticeably pale, not expecting this reaction. They probably thought they could secure a major deal with Fairy Company, expanding their business into the Empire. Don’t worry. Leave it to me.

"It’s not that I dislike it. It’s just not what I want."

They looked puzzled, waiting for my next words.

"I want the raw material instead of this chocolate."

"Excuse me?"

"So, I’ll buy cocoa beans."

Camille and Mr. Conning looked at each other, eyes wide in surprise.