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

There was no significant change even though the title was changed.

I still knew that Louver was struggling to make up his mind. But I also knew that he couldn’t stay away from me because of Wesley.

It was a good thing, actually. If I hadn’t had that excuse, I wouldn’t have been able to stay by the child’s side. Thinking about it made me feel anxious and impatient.

The New Year’s Festival was a full-month event. Only after the first sun of the new year rose high and the surroundings became bright did I join the people who were going to their rooms to sleep one by one. It was fortunate that Louver had prepared the rooms in advance, so I didn’t have to go to the lodgings of the guests who were far away.

“You can rest here. If you need a servant, just pull this rope here⋯.”

“By any chance, is Marianne’s residence also nearby?”

“Uh… No, this is the west side… The young lady Philodendron is on the east side… That, Jenny. I put her over there so she could share a room with that young lady. I told the servant to tell her, so she should be able to find the room easily.”

“aha.”

Since men and women were different, there was no need to place them close to each other. I felt happy, thinking it was a wise decision.

“Well done. Senior… No, what about Reuben’s room?”

“⋯Here, right next to⋯. On the left.”

“hmm.”

This was also very satisfying.

Ruber asked me why I was nodding my head. I wondered if it was okay to say something, but I had already shown my wariness toward Wesley several times. I thought it was nothing new, so I opened my mouth.

“I’m just feeling uneasy. If anything happens, come to my room right away.”

“⋯Yeah. I will. No, it won’t be a big deal, but⋯.”

“I know. But still.”

“⋯Yeah.”

I felt relieved when I saw him nodding his head obediently. Yes, I was relieved because if something happened, I would be able to deal with it right away in the next room. He didn’t bring the longsword he usually used, but no one noticed that he had hidden a sword. That was very fortunate.

Then I said good night and saw her during the day. After saying goodbye a few times and sending the child in, I went into my room too.

It was a splendid and well-decorated room. I could tell that they were well-served. I smiled briefly at the tea set in the middle of the reception room table.

Instead of going into the bedroom, I sat down in the middle of the living room. The floor didn’t feel cold because there was a thick carpet. I sat cross-legged and placed my hands on my knees.

The intention was to blow away fatigue with a morning meal and sharpen the mind and body. I didn’t want to let my guard down with the enemy close by. I needed to get my body in top condition.

* * *

The New Year’s festival in the palace was an event that brought together all the young princes and young ladies of the same age.

While Louver took his place at a corner of the ball as the head of the royal family, I was also in the main hall.

I was worried that I would be far away since I had not yet been knighted, but I endured it when I saw that Ruber and Lucilla had seats close by, and Richard and Wesley had seats across from them.

Well, what can I do if I can’t stand it?

There was a suspicion, but no evidence. It was not something you could just rush into an opponent you couldn’t defeat even if you attacked them right away.

Since I was told that if I stood close enough to the wall I wouldn’t have to dance, I stood near the wall and quietly looked around.

Marianne and Jenny were babbling and acting cute next to me, saying they were worried about me being alone. I told them to leave me alone, but the kids brought me food and kept telling me to try this and that, which made me laugh.

At that moment, I felt eyes on me and raised my head.

Glotin Tenor. He was looking at this side with a pale face.

The Academy said they were on hiatus, but how did they manage to find a place like this? I clicked my tongue in disbelief and looked around, but Oliver Combine was nowhere to be seen.

Marianne blocked his gaze with her body, worried that he might be bothering her unnecessarily.

“This is really delicious!”

“Yes. It’s a sudden awakening.”

“That’s right. This is great for New Year’s. You can enjoy all the palace desserts. I guess this is where the goddess is.”

“If there are nine gods, why do you always seek out the goddess?”

As if it was an unexpected story, Marianne and Jenny locked eyes and burst into laughter.

“I see? Oh, oh. You looked for the goddess so obviously. Why?”

“Maybe it’s because the ninth god is depicted as a man. It’s like, “Whoever of the other gods, please help me, but not the ninth god?”

“I think it’s because it’s just two letters. It’s better to say “goddess!” than “sin-nim!”… It’s just a better pronunciation. The gap between opening your mouth and saying “yeo” and closing your mouth and saying “shin.”

“⋯Wow, it feels strange to hear it like this. It feels like I heard something like this when I was learning poetry⋯.”

While the children were chattering amongst themselves, I glanced around. It was Glotin Tenor, who was easily noticed anywhere because of his light hair. The color of his hair did not catch my eye as I looked around.

I stood with my back to the wall again and looked across to Louvre.

Our eyes met as if it were a natural thing. Since Louver was the first to greet me, I smiled too.

“By the way, Michael, didn’t you call the Prince by his nickname a little while ago?”

Marianne took a look at the place where my gaze met, then grabbed my sleeve and asked. I had no intention of hiding it, so I nodded obediently.

“Yes, I did.”

“Ah, as expected! ⋯Did you get confessed to?”

“Yes? No.”

“Huh? Why? I even avoided your seat on purpose!”

“Isn’t your majesty the one who will become the emperor? Of course, there will be the issue of succession… We don’t have any intention of doing that.”

Who would be upset? I look even more upset. I laughed out loud when I saw Marianne and Jenny’s gloomy faces.

Yes, I made a point of making space for you on purpose.

I wanted to express my gratitude, even though it was late, because the dawn I spent with Louver was such a wonderful time that it filled my heart.

“Still, I had a good time thanks to you. Thank you, Marianne.”

“No, really… I’ve never been so wrong about something like this.”

“As you live in this world, all sorts of things happen.”

While I was talking moderately, Jenny opened her mouth in a quiet voice.

“Michael… are you okay?”

“Huh? What.”

“No… The princes are sitting there right now. They’re there to look around in order to save the crown princess. Even if the First Prince has narrowed it down to one of the two, the Second Prince still hasn’t….”

“⋯If you find a good match, that’s great.”

I was startled to find my voice locked. I chuckled as I watched Marianne pinch Jenny’s side.

Yeah, we didn’t want to do that to each other. Ruber wouldn’t be clinging to me anymore, and I wouldn’t⋯. I shouldn’t have brought the child over to play for no reason.

I met Ruber’s eyes again. I laughed when I saw him pretending to be tired with his eyes. I laughed in vain and leaned my back against the wall.

He didn’t take his eyes off Louver’s clean face and only spoke to the girls standing next to him.

“But I still want to protect you.”

“⋯Like a princess and her knight?”

“I guess he’s a prince, but… I’m worried because Ruben is a very shy guy.”

“I see… I’m worried aaaaaaa.”

“yes.”

Why are you dragging your words out like that? I wondered, and Marianne quickly put another piece of candy in my mouth. I obediently accepted it and shrugged my shoulders. Anyway, this guy was acting like a troublemaker for more than a day or two.

I just laughed it off as nothing serious.

After the time of dancing together ended, Ruber also left the room, saying he was going back to his room.

I was thinking about following them, but then other children came running in and started dragging me along, saying that this was the start of the real debutante, so I obediently complied.

I’ve heard many times that during the first full moon of the New Year, you have to dance, eat, drink, and socialize.

After dancing and eating, I guess it’s time to meet people.

I sat down at a large banquet led by Shayden and Damian. In the expansive garden, which was decorated with colorful flowers and magic stones out of season, there were dozens of tables that could seat three or four people at a time, placed with wide spaces between them.

It was a place where people sat with cups of tea in front of them, occasionally swapping seats and chatting about this and that. Familiar and unfamiliar faces gathered together and talked privately in low voices.

Shayden added his explanation in a small voice from beside him.

“You don’t have to memorize all their names. If there’s someone you like or want to become close with, just tell them later.”

“⋯If it’s someone I want to become close with.”

“This is, so to speak, a place like the spring dance and the summer dance. It’s a place where strangers can meet and get to know each other. This is where we usually find people to invite to a real tea time five days later.”

“Real tea time?”

“Yeah. Well, we talk about business sometimes… There are also people that I just want to get to know. Like they have a good vibe, or they’re good at talking, or they’re witty… If there’s someone I really like, I’ll help them out.”

I sat down in my seat, dumbfounded. But then I burst out laughing when I saw the girls sitting across from me looking so shy.

So, are you setting your sights on these young ones as your opponents now? Are you looking at the line?

No one was interested in him, but he didn’t need to act rudely toward the young people who were just entering the social world and were full of expectations. He kept feeling helpless and out of breath, but he answered questions well.

Not only girls sat in front of me, but there were also occasional instances of boys sitting and getting up simply out of curiosity about the Ernhard family.

Most of them asked about my favorite foods or animals, but some of them asked me things like how to improve my swordsmanship. In those cases, I tried to explain them in more detail.

At that time, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to just hang out with young kids and hear and talk about various things.

This was also something I had become quite accustomed to as I lived in the academy dorms and had meals with many strangers. I felt proud and also a bit funny at the same time that I was able to blend in with them without any awkwardness.

As the sun set and the darkness began to fall, one by one, people began to say goodbye and leave, so I also told my close friends that I would be going in to rest and left.

Without any particular incident, I opened the door that Ruber had told me about yesterday and went in. A familiar person was sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking straight at me. I gasped again. I was speechless and just stared.

“⋯Why are you here?”

Louver, it was him.