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

On the weekend, I went out with Luver, who had been neglected during my exam period.

He had asked me in advance to spend the weekend with him once the exams were over. Since I was feeling troubled and wanted to walk quietly, I didn’t invite any other classmates.

He said he preferred quiet outings, so I didn’t feel the need to make small talk, which made it easier for me.

It worked out well since I had been to the botanical garden before and had really liked it, so I was happy to visit again.

When we boarded the carriage, I sat beside him instead of in front. When I asked why, he said it was because sitting facing forward would be better due to motion sickness, so I moved to sit across from him.

Since both of us had grown a bit taller, I thought it would be more comfortable this way, but it was amusing to see him looking a little disappointed.

“Why the face?” I asked.

“…Huh? Is my face strange?”

“No, not at all.”

I felt strangely happy whenever the younger ones treated me so casually.

Lately, I had been wondering if I was starting to benefit from my appearance. In my past life, I was tall and blunt, so even close friends treated me with caution and respect. But now, in this life, it was different.

Many seniors and classmates would often lean against me, drape their arms over my shoulders, or pat my head. It felt like I was being treated like a small toy, perhaps because I was smaller and younger now.

I didn’t dislike it, but it still felt awkward.

We got off the carriage in front of the botanical garden without saying much.

Luver had already gotten the tickets and fastened a band around my wrist, so we could enter without waiting in line.

I had expected it to be crowded since it was the weekend, but to my surprise, it was quite peaceful. He explained that many people sleep in on weekend mornings, and I chuckled at that.

Since my rebirth, I hadn’t slept in until late morning. I now understood it was because I always felt restless, but I couldn’t shake off the habit.

In the past, I would arrive in the evening after classes were done and didn’t notice it, but now, with the sunlight filtering deep into the greenhouse, it scattered in rainbow hues, overwhelming the senses.

The beauty was so otherworldly that I kept stopping as I walked, mesmerized by the surroundings.

Even though I was following the same path as before, the light had changed, and so had the way the trees appeared. With no one pointing out this or that, the quietness made my mind calm.

A park attendant, who seemed to be in charge, scattered some grains in an open area, and the birds flocked to peck at them. It was a peaceful sight.

As I was carefully reading each sign, Luver, walking beside me, quietly spoke up.

“Did you see the fruit here?”

“Hmm?”

I hadn’t thought to check behind the leaves, so I hadn’t noticed. The fruit of the evergreen tree, with its glossy green leaves, blended in perfectly with the foliage.

When I expressed my amazement, Luver whispered, showing me more, pointing them out with his fingers. I also found a few more and pointed them out to him, which made him very happy.

It was surprising how easily small things like this could brighten my mood. I had always thought that large, grand things were beautiful, but now I realized that even these small, delicate things could be just as beautiful.

The little flowers blooming under the large trees were so precious and lovely.

It reminded me of people too. I had taken too long to realize that the world wasn’t just meant for those with great stature. There were so many important, humble people, just like the small, quiet flowers, and I should never forget that.

As I said this, Luver brought up his studies on imperial studies. He said he would also remember this lesson deeply, and I praised him with a gentle pat on his back.

We continued walking side by side, trying to find more beautiful things like the evergreen tree’s fruit, pointing them out to each other with excitement. We even spotted an unknown mushroom growing on the tree trunk and saw the shed skin of an insect hanging from the crack in a tree’s bark.

From somewhere in the distance, we could hear the sound of a band playing. Closer by, a bird was singing. I felt a tickling sensation on my cheek as someone’s gaze touched me.

By now, Luver was used to looking at me this way.

Even during class or while eating, there were many times when I’d look up and see him hurriedly averting his gaze.

It was no longer awkward, so I turned to look at him. Once again, I saw his face turn red as he quickly took a step back in surprise.

We had reached the point where we didn’t need to pay attention to our physical distance anymore. I was aware that Luver had been sitting very close behind me, but even though I knew I wouldn’t bump into him if I turned my head, I gently patted his shoulder a couple of times to reassure him.

I decided it was time to ask him something. After we had spent some time admiring the first greenhouse, we were walking toward the second one.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

“…Is it uncomfortable?”

“Sometimes,” he replied.

After I said something, he was startled again and stopped walking, so I gently pushed him from behind.

If I had been in my past life’s body, it would have been a comforting gesture for a younger one, but now, with my small hands, it looked more like I just placed my hand clumsily on his back, so I stopped.

He understood I meant to tell him to keep walking and slowly resumed moving, but then he spoke in a somewhat disappointed voice.

“…Then, should I not look at you?”

“There’s no need for that. I was just curious about the reason.”

I glanced up, and his face was already flushed bright red, even up to his forehead.

The next greenhouse was the spring flower greenhouse. Surrounded by the sweet scent, Luver, with his red face, looked almost like a flower himself.

With his pale skin and dark hair, his small voice was like the sound of a flower bud blooming.

“I look at you because you’re pretty,” he mumbled.

“Oh.”

So that’s how it was.

I still couldn’t fully grasp how he felt about his appearance, but I thought it might be the case. Perhaps it had something to do with his hair color being light. I had heard that in the Sieran Empire, light hair color was considered the standard of beauty.

Feeling a bit awkward, I reached up to ruffle his hair, and the soft strands flowed smoothly between my fingers.

“…Hmm.”

“Do you not like it?”

“I don’t particularly care.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes. But if you like it, that’s fine.”

He opened his mouth to say something more, then hesitated and bit his lip, falling silent.

His actions were so endearing that my hand moved before I could stop it. I gently patted his head, then suddenly realized how familiar it felt to treat him this way. I asked if his father often patted his head like this.

He smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

“Only Ernhardt Young Master treats me like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Ah, no. I mean, it’s a good thing.”

“Right.”

When I tried to pull my hand away, he quickly grabbed my wrist and leaned his head toward it, silently asking for more head pats. It was so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh.

But knowing it might look awkward, I stopped and gently told him to calm down, and we continued walking.

Having short limbs and weak bones and muscles had been uncomfortable, so I often wished I could grow taller quickly.

Today, it was even more apparent. If I were taller than him, patting his head or tapping his shoulder would have been more comfortable.

I wondered if, as we grew older, I would still be able to be so close with him like this. It probably wouldn’t be the same.

Thinking about it made me feel a little wistful, but I quickly brushed it aside. Being born as a peer of his and serving the friendly emperor would have its own unique joys. That’s what I decided to believe.

I walked alongside Luver down the flower-scented path. He seemed to want a bouquet, so I asked if he wanted one, but he declined several times, so I didn’t insist.

We went to a restaurant inside the botanical garden for lunch and tried a dish that Jenny hadn’t chosen before.

The fish was delicately filleted, topped with cream sauce and flowers. I carefully placed the fish and flowers on a spoon and tasted it. The fragrant flavor was quite rich.

Luver and I sat across from each other, calmly chatting without any noise, and talked about various things.

Since Luver had already shared some confidential matters about the imperial family before, nothing we discussed felt surprising or strange.

Luver was especially curious about the members of the Ernhardt family.

I knew well that when I bragged about my younger siblings, I couldn’t help but look like a proud fool, but I couldn’t stop myself, nor did I want to.

Luver listened to my stories and praised Michael and Asdel, calling them clever and witty, saying they would become great figures in the future. His words filled me with warmth, and I couldn’t help but smile.

We also talked about the advanced swordsmanship class I was currently taking.

“It’s amazing that we’re already learning the basics of joint attacks just two months into the semester. Do the Sieran Empire’s royal family also train in joint attacks like this?”

“No, this is… too basic. Normally, you learn the fundamentals of joint attacks at Sieran Academy, and when you join the Imperial Knights, they assign you a position… or so I’ve heard.”

“Position?”

“People who are experienced with right flank defense are placed on the right, those with good long-range vision are placed in the rear… something like that, I think. I heard the commander and the members decide the positions after interviews and practical training. I’m not sure about the details.”

“Ah.”

Indeed, if joint attacks were conducted with already assigned members, it would be different from our current class, where we could switch positions anytime. I realized I hadn’t thought about that yet because I was so excited about my new learning that I hadn’t been paying attention to what was right or wrong, so I tried to calm my mind.

Still, the method they used to build the basics was quite impressive.

Just this week, all the students were finally able to perform joint attacks with any combination. There were still some parts where the movements were slow or didn’t match perfectly, but it was hard to believe that such progress had been made in just two months.

It would be easy to spend a whole day singing praises for Maelros Sanson.

We continued talking about the swordsmanship class, and since Luver and I got along well, I ended up talking more than usual, which made my throat dry. Luver kindly ordered another glass of aid for me.