Namgung Se-ga, the warrior, was reincarnated in Romance

In the Cerran Empire, the study was usually dark. The windows were hung with thick, dark curtains, and books were usually placed on large, deep bookshelves with several coats of dark glaze, leaving some space for books. Louver’s study was like that.

The warm and cozy room was filled with the smell of books. I sat down in the chair that Louver had recommended.

Even though I wasn’t standing that close, I could hear the child’s breathing. It was quiet in the study. Black eyes stared straight at me.

“So, what are you most curious about? I’ll start with that.”

“Senior… I wonder if he is close to the management and inspection department.”

“That is… If it’s close, it’s close, and if it’s far, it’s far… To be exact, the Noble Yearbook Management and Inspection Department belongs to my father more than to me.”

“His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. I guess so. It is the Emperor’s job to keep track of the movements of all the nobles⋯.”

Perhaps because it was a study that Louver used alone, there was only one chair. I looked straight at the dark gaze looking down at me as he leaned against the desk. I asked without hesitation.

“Do you think that’s right, senior?”

“⋯.”

The answer didn’t come right away. I thought, “Oh no.” I cleared my throat, thinking that I might have opened my mouth to ask a question without realizing it.

The voice that asked the question the next time sounded to me as affectionate as if someone was soothing a child.

“I’m asking because I don’t know. It’s something I’ve never imagined, so I can’t make up my mind whether it’s right or wrong. My senior has been exposed to it more, so he probably knows more.”

“You once told me that some birds set fire to mountains to catch their food.”

“⋯.”

“The emperor is the one who prevents the fire from spreading far. I think it is the emperor’s duty to take care that even if a bird starts a fire, the trees and flowers next to it are not damaged. They⋯. Of course, it is not entirely right⋯.”

It was something I said when I was talking about a love story I didn’t know about. A corner of my heart sank coldly. Even if some bird sets fire to it… I ended up chewing on those words for a long time.

Standing in front of a large bookshelf in a corner of the dark and cozy study, Louver reached for the safe beneath the bookshelf.

Click, there was a sound of something opening.

What came out of the safe was a black bound book. There was only a four-digit number engraved on the cover. The child fumbled around in the bookshelf and took out another book. This time, it had a familiar cover.

“This is a regular noble yearbook that you can commonly see at the Academy. And, this one here… is a noble yearbook that only the Emperor can see, in the palace. Only one volume is produced each year….”

“⋯.”

“This is a copy that my father made and gave to me and my brother Richard as a gift. It is a copy of the nobles’ almanac from twenty years ago.”

“Maybe 20 years ago.”

“That’s right, the year Richard was born.”

He wanted to make sure his sons knew about the year Richard Flo Shearan was born.

I did not read the Emperor’s intentions correctly, so I did not touch the long march.

Louver smiled sadly, leaned on the desk with one hand, and came closer to me.

“There is proof in this that Richard is my father’s son. My brother and I are on the same level, and my brother only lost his mother early… It was given to me so that I would not doubt his legitimacy even after my father’s death.”

“that.”

“I think it’s fortunate that this exists. The Emperor’s Noble Almanac is only produced once a year. But how many people are there who made it? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? I’m the one who has to watch out for their eyes. The fact is that there are people everywhere who know the truth.”

Louver took a deep breath. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

“Make me fair.”

The softly whispered voice penetrated deep into my heart. I didn’t even blink. I just watched the child’s lips moving.

In fact, were there people in the Central Plains who fought like this, without being seen? How fair and just were they? I never received any information about this right away in the Central Plains. I was worried about what I might have done without even knowing it.

Warmth seeped into the back of my hand, which was so stuffy and suffocating that I couldn’t even breathe properly.

Louver calmly held the back of my hand. It was rather nerve-wracking that his hand did not shake.

“If I become the emperor and you stand by my side… you too will receive their reports.”

“⋯.”

“I, ⋯don’t want to hide anything from you.”

Unable to overcome the stagnant air, I swallowed and exhaled with my lungs tight.

Louver bit his lip hard at the loud sigh I made. I raised my free hand to stop him from biting his lip.

There was no beard on his chin, which reached his fingertips. He was a young man. I could not read the thoughts that the immature child was harboring in his mind.

It was difficult. This is the way that the Sheeran has continued. It was a path that has been followed by tens, hundreds, and thousands of people for tens, hundreds, and thousands of years. It was difficult for me, a dull person, to immediately judge right from wrong.

Professor Cedric, who taught me alchemy, had repeatedly preached the importance of keeping records. I could now write dozens of pages of reports in an organized manner. It was the Cerran Empire, where people like me were scattered more than the stars.

Those who have wings should fly, those who have legs should run. Those who can write should also write.

Should we be thankful that even a small part of it is being torn down for people?

When I was lost in thought and didn’t answer, Louver became timid again and asked.

“⋯Are you disappointed in me?”

“⋯Why me?”

“I think your expression isn’t good.”

“Rather than disappointment⋯.”

I blinked slowly. My hands were still holding the child’s chin and cheek. The child’s face was too close. The moment I noticed him, I lightly pushed the child’s chest to widen the distance.

My heart was pounding like a small drum. I felt uneasy.

“I wonder how much my senior knows about me.”

“⋯No, that’s⋯!”

“Okay. I won’t listen.”

I don’t even know much about myself, so how would I be written about in this booklet?

It wasn’t my job to memorize and nitpick the text. It was always that way. Nothing would change just because I was nagging this one guy named Louver.

If you don’t like it, you should be in a position to ask questions about it.

The Emperor and the Nobles, the Nobles and the Emperor.

So, has my desire to protect this child, Louver, diminished?

That wasn’t the case at all.

Just as there is a world that can only be seen when you become a princess, it would be right to think about it after making this child the emperor. After deciding that, there was nothing more to say.

To reassure the child, I made a smiling face.

“I don’t think you have to worry. I understand to some extent.”

“⋯Yeah. Oh, and⋯. I’m talking about the debutante.”

“yes.”

“With your authority as the Prince, I can assign rooms to those close to me so that they can hold the debutante ball more comfortably.”

“⋯Ah.”

“If it’s okay, can I make separate seats for you and Lady Philodendron?”

There was no need to refuse. It was probably one of the ways to let the Second Prince know that I was by his side. I nodded obediently.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

“Ugh… Thank you.”

When the exhausted Louver tried to sit down on the floor, I stopped him and gently patted his head. After spending some affectionate time in the study, the two of them had a sumptuous meal together.

My mother had once told me that it was proper etiquette to return after receiving a grand welcome, so I returned to the townhouse after finishing the meal with a happy smile on my face.

In the end, every time I saw the sword loaded on the carriage’s doorstep due to Louver’s stubbornness, my mouth felt bitter.

* * *

As soon as I got home, I had no words to say when my parents asked me what I had talked about with the prince. I sat down with a cup of tea in front of me as if I was being punished and thought about what I could say comfortably.

Then suddenly an idea occurred to me.

“Ah. This time, I was told that I would be escorting Young Lady Marianne Philodendron.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing special, we just agreed to share the same position.”

“Oh my God! Michael Ernhard! What if I say that now!”

I never knew my mother was a woman capable of screaming so loudly and shrilly.

Call that young lady right now, standing in front of me, dumbfounded. No, it’s too late. I sat blankly in front of my mother, who was frantically crying.

It was even more puzzling because he said he would help Marianne with her training every Tuesday, and he even told her the reason why she decided to climb the Yuil Mountain Range, in case it was misunderstood as a romantic relationship between a man and a woman.

“Is that… such a big deal? It’s nothing serious. It’s just that a close friend is embarrassed to see the face of the person he likes, so he’s taking his place.”

“But, you’re my debutante partner!”

“⋯Yes?”

“If I had known this would happen, I would have matched your clothes with that girl’s dress! My goodness, what color is Lady Philodendron’s hair? What color are her eyes? There’s only two weeks left!”

“That, I think it’s purple….”

“Haa, at least it doesn’t seem like the colors will be too flashy. Tomorrow morning, bring that girl to the townhouse. I’ll call the craftsmen too.”

“No, we were supposed to meet that kid next Tuesday⋯.”

“That’s why I’m sending you instead of a messenger. Even though it may be rude, time is of the essence!”

I couldn’t be stubborn about something I didn’t know. I nodded my head half-heartedly.

I looked at my father sitting next to me, unable to hide my embarrassed face. I thought he would understand me, but I lowered my gaze when I saw him staring at me as if he was looking at something very pitiful and clicking his tongue.

I now realize that I made a huge mistake.

I didn’t understand until the moment I went to bed, when I saw my parents leave to look for suitable dresses and jewelry.

It had been decades since Princess Floyd had worn a yellow dress during her debutante party… I recalled Ruber’s face calmly explaining the story, and I felt a sense of injustice inside.

No, if you knew this, why didn’t you tell me in advance? The lost resentment was pouting.