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

Interlude: Camille’s Perspective

After that, things got really hectic.

To celebrate the return of a rightful prince, soldiers and nobles knelt along both sides of the road leading to the palace. I had been raised in a quiet corner of the palace, avoiding attention, and suddenly, I was being welcomed with grand fanfare. The flags of the royal family and North Island were displayed side by side, and an orchestra began to play.

"I want to go back."

"You’ll get to meet the Crown Prince."

"…I guess I have no choice."

This must be the Crown Prince’s doing, to establish my legitimacy as a prince. Reluctantly, I walked down the central path while Moana smiled brightly above us. Her presence, though initially awe-inspiring, was becoming less impactful. Maybe it would have been more mystical if she had quietly disappeared without anyone noticing. I heard people commenting on her beauty and kindness, so she seemed popular. But in reality, she was the Spirit King assigned to North Island, while East Island was actually under the Earth Spirit King, Aina. I had never heard of anyone seeing Aina.

The palace at the end of the road was a grand building I had only ever seen from the sea. I never imagined approaching it from the front. Made primarily of white stone with some wood elements, it differed from the Empire’s architecture. Large windows and expansive balconies, where people could enjoy meals while overlooking the sea, were a characteristic of Luftanen. Each floor of the palace had large, symmetrical balconies with guards standing at intervals.

"Camille-sama."

The person greeting us at the front entrance was familiar. He had visited my mansion several times with my brothers. Moana, thankfully, didn’t follow us inside, waving briefly before disappearing. I’d have to thank her properly later.

"I’m glad you’re safe. Please, this way. The Crown Prince is waiting…"

As he turned, his face twisted into a grimace, likely because the Crown Prince had unexpectedly come down to the staircase landing. This area was still accessible to palace visitors, and it was unusual for the Crown Prince to be here.

I was pleased he came. But Zol-aniue always warned me about this.

"Camille!"

I hurried forward and knelt. My companions knelt behind me just as the Crown Prince rushed down the stairs.

"Is it really you, Camille? Are you hurt?"

Twelve years older than me, my brother was not just a sibling but also a father figure and the Crown Prince of this country. A close yet distant figure. Now, he knelt before me, checking my shoulders, arms, and cheeks for injuries. His expensive work coat spread out on the floor.

"Camille?"

"Zol-aniue always told you not to step ahead of your guards."

My whispered complaint made him widen his eyes and then hug me tightly.

"You’re right. You’re right."

"Your Highness, you’re… squeezing…"

"Today’s work is done. Let’s talk at leisure."

"Wait, you can’t carry me. I’m nine now. I’m heavy."

We stood together, and he scrutinized me, frowning slightly.

"When did you grow so big?"

"Your image of me is stuck at five years ago, isn’t it?"

I had grown a bit taller recently, but it had only been a year and a half since we last met. Not much had changed.

"As long as you’re not taller than me, it’s fine."

"I’ll outgrow you eventually."

As we walked inside, my spirit beasts, having shrunk to smaller forms, surrounded us, keeping everyone else at a distance. The Crown Prince’s aides and advisors followed behind.

"Some of my staff are nobles from North Island, and Bob was the guard assigned by you."

"I see, he’s been protecting you all this time. Don’t worry about them. I’ll arrange for their rooms near yours."

"Salomon, bring whoever is necessary."

"Understood."

I trusted the Crown Prince. But I couldn’t trust anyone around him yet. To the North Island people, I had value. But to those in the palace and from East Island, I was likely just a nuisance.

The palace’s grandeur and scale overwhelmed me. I quickly lost my bearings but figured I could escape through a window if needed.

We were led to a room with a seamless transition between the indoors and the balcony, where only the floor color changed. The indoor section had furniture made of rattan and ebony, while the balcony side was filled with cushioned benches and tables. Cushions also lay on the rug-covered floor. Beyond the balcony, a beautiful courtyard with a fountain and a distant view of the sea were visible. My old mansion was in this direction.

Sitting side by side on a long bench on the balcony, my spirit beasts blocked others from approaching. The Crown Prince’s staff, familiar with the situation, exchanged information among themselves.

"Make sure our voices don’t carry."

‘Leave it to me.’

"You can do that?"

"Didn’t you know, even though you can use teleportation magic?"

"No."

"Then teach my spirit beast teleportation magic. In exchange, I’ll teach yours what mine knows."

"You guys handle it."

‘Alright.’

‘Got it.’

As I turned back, I saw the Crown Prince watching me with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Your speech has become rough. And your demeanor."

"Really?"

"You’ve been through a lot. But you used to be so cute, calling me ‘aniue.’"

"I’ll call you ‘aniue’ when it’s just us."

"Camille—"

I might still be a child at nine, but spending time mostly with older people and being treated like an adult made me unsure how to react to being petted or hugged. Maybe I should feel comfortable enough to be affectionate with my brother, but I wasn’t sure how to.

"When I heard your mansion was attacked and the maids were killed, and you were missing, I was worried."

"Did Zol-aniue know I was safe before he died?"

"Yes. He was furious at first, determined to find and kill the culprits, but when he heard you were safe, he started planning to go to North Island to find you. But a maid betrayed us. She was promised a concubine position by the fourth prince."

"And the spirit beasts? They didn’t protect him?"

"They were caught off guard."

"Even if caught off guard, spirit beasts protect their masters. They heal injuries and stay close to keep them safe."

"Really?"

I had fewer guards and often fought alongside my spirit beasts to protect myself, but maybe my brothers, always having formal guards, didn’t train their spirit beasts as I did.

"But they still heal, right? Was it instant death?"

"No… he likely asked the spirits to stay in the next room while with his lover. The captured maid claimed she knew how to immobilize spirits, but her story was inconsistent."

"Why the next room? Wasn’t it dangerous?"

"He didn’t want the spirits to witness… intimate moments."

"Oh. I see."

"Do you understand?"

"Making a child…"

"No, he wasn’t doing that. He was just talking with his fiancée and her maid. Maybe they kissed. The maid made an excuse to move the spirits to the next room."

So the lover’s maid was the traitor.

"Kissing shouldn’t require moving the spirits."

"Camille? When did you learn so much? Isn’t this too early for a nine-year-old?"

"The maids and guards at the mansion chatted freely around me."

"Those idiots."

It wasn’t such a big deal. Staying ignorant forever isn’t good either. Salomon would probably give a detailed explanation if asked.

"And the lover?"

"Killed with him."

"Aniue, please always keep your spirit beasts close. If something happens to you, I’ll destroy this country."

"Always? That means I’ll stay single forever?"

"Use thick curtains to block sound and visibility."

"Camille, children shouldn’t talk like that. You haven’t done anything improper with a girl, have you?"

"No girls around me."

"That’s also a problem."

We spent hours talking about things we hadn’t discussed and events that occurred during our separation. Aniue seemed bracing himself to tell me my mother had died, but I had suspected it for a while. The fact that my brothers came to me after her death implied someone informed them. If she were alive, they would’ve tried to arrange a meeting or at least talk about her. Since they never did, I figured she wasn’t around anymore.

The fourth prince was confined under suspicion of using a maid to orchestrate the attack. South Island nobles cut ties with him. His mother, the third queen, withdrew to South Island, unable to stay in the palace after her son’s crime.

"The North Islanders didn’t know the fourth prince was behind the attack."

"There was no physical evidence, and South Island formally announced their support for me as the next king, so we kept it quiet. I want to pursue the culprit for Zol’s murder, but I can’t risk a civil war. Strengthening ties with South Island was more important. I’m sorry."

Yet, the fourth prince was confined for attacking a marquis’s daughter. Fool.

"It’s fine. Zol-aniue knew you were doing your best for the country. He’d understand. But the attackers weren’t caught, right?"

"They might have been foreigners."

"What? Foreigners in the palace?"

"We caught the third prince this time, but his mother is the first queen. Without evidence, we couldn’t act against him for Zol’s murder. The first queen can’t accept me, the second queen’s son, as the Crown Prince. West Island’s behavior is also strange."

"Strange?"

"Not sure yet. You met the

 fairy princess, right? I heard she’s beautiful."

Blatantly changing the topic, but fine.

I told the story of being mistaken for a girl, and he burst out laughing. How rude.

We prepared an empty room near the unused teleportation chamber for teleportation use. Though Zol-aniue’s quarters were being renovated for my return, having a secret teleportation room could be a threat to others.

Additionally, we prepared rooms accessible only to us to create more teleportation destinations, visiting various places whenever we had time. We went to my mansion on North Island and even to the Empire. Aniue was amazed when he first tasted gelato in the park where I met the fairy princess. His busy schedule rarely allowed him to leave the palace.

Seeing the abundance of spirit beasts in the Empire, Aniue realized the need to spread spirit knowledge. In the Empire, local lords serve as intermediaries with spirit kings, creating venues for human-spirit interaction. The fairy princess even traveled beyond her territory to conduct spirit study sessions. How old is she?

"What’s a spirit car?"

"Spirits float a box to carry people instead of horses."

"We need to reconsider our approach to spirits. I’ll talk to Moana."

I doubt she knows about spirit cars.

Life in the palace is relatively peaceful. Gaining the trust of the Crown Prince’s aides didn’t take long. Seeing my interactions with the spirit beasts and Moana, they realized I wasn’t trying to form a faction to claim the throne. Salomon made a clear list and threatened to use it as evidence if needed. I also declared that I’d destroy the country if anything happened to aniue.

Aniue’s renewed vigor was most significant. He’d been merely going through the motions, unable to find meaning in protecting the country after Zol-aniue’s murder and my disappearance. Hearing I was coming to the palace rejuvenated him. We’re each other’s only family. The second queen, aniue’s mother, and the king are too ill and distrustful to see anyone, leaving aniue to handle everything. The country would collapse without him.

We can’t afford a succession dispute. Other nations misunderstand Luftanen as a spirit country, but we must change that perception and engage the spirit kings like the Empire does.

"Camille, I have a request. Can you go to South Island?"

"Sure, but why?"

"A marriage proposal with a marquis’s daughter there. You’re in North Island, and this marriage will solidify South Island’s support."

South Island’s leaders would see it as an opportunity to align with aniue rather than blaming him for Zol-aniue’s death.

"North Island benefits from trade with the Empire, and South Island’s agriculture is strong. Uniting three islands strengthens our position against West Island."

"West Island still supports the third prince?"

"The nobles are split. Some realize they can’t back a criminal. But the first queen’s family and some nobles seek Bejaia’s support."

If the teleportation arrays worked, communication between islands would be easier. Information travels slowly, and confirming facts takes time.

"If you visit South Island, you can use teleportation there, right?"

"Aniue, you plan to teleport to your fiancée, don’t you?"

"What? No, but it’s good to be able to talk directly."

Invite them to the palace. Don’t go there yourself. I’ll tell your aides later.

"South Island wants to sell something to the Empire. Chocolate."

"Ah, that could be popular. It’s made there, right?"

Chocolate. The Fairy Company might buy it. Strengthening ties between North and South Islands would help aniue.

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Author Notes:

  Thank you for reading as always. Your reports on typos are very helpful. If you find the story interesting, please consider giving it a rating below.

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