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

This was the first time I had seen Ruber with such a cold expression, standing there like that.

With his dark hair, he almost seemed like a master from the Northern Ice Palace.

Ruber, who always had the corners of his eyes turned down as if smiling, now had a face frozen in coldness. His normally flushed face had become icy and rigid.

Every time his eyes flickered, a chill seemed to fall from them.

I now understood why others thought Ruber was such a ruthless person.

It was the first time I had seen him with such a stern look, and I was so taken aback that I couldn’t easily find the words to speak.

The boy’s dark eyes silently stared at me.

“…Senpai?”

“…What’s going on here?”

His usual warm tone had become so cold that it made my heart ache. I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had just come to visit after having fun.

After watching him for a moment, feeling awkward, I absentmindedly ran my hand through my hair.

I wondered if Lucilla had been teasing me or if I had disturbed Ruber while he was alone in his thoughts.

Was I afraid of a boy who had just entered adolescence? Still, I felt a chill down my spine and didn’t know how to react.

“If I’ve interrupted you, I’ll leave now.”

It didn’t seem like something I should speak about, so I nodded and started to leave. However, I didn’t want to turn around just yet, feeling somewhat awkward.

Taking a half-step back, I looked over at him, and his expression immediately crumbled.

“No, no. …Wait, don’t go.”

It was the familiar face I had come to know.

I stood still and watched as his expression softened. That was when I realized how disappointed I had been by his reaction.

With a sigh, he continued, his voice trembling at the end.

“I wasn’t trying to be angry.”

“I know.”

“…I was just disappointed.”

“…What?”

“Do you know why I was disappointed?”

Something clicked in my mind.

But could it really be that he was behaving so harshly over something like that? I hesitated before responding.

“Is it because I didn’t visit before the break?”

He nodded slightly.

The pale, cold expression on his face turned a little red. It looked like a camellia blooming in the white snow. The boy, bathed in moonlight, seemed to glow brightly.

I quietly watched Ruber as he grew embarrassed.

What was I doing? …Really, what was I doing?

“I’m sorry. I had a lot going on.”

“…Mm.”

“I won’t do it again next time.”

“Mm.”

But I was the first to break the promise. It was clearly my fault, so I apologized without making excuses.

The boy responded in a quiet voice, nodding, but didn’t say it was okay.

That’s when I realized that this was a much more serious matter for him than I had understood.

I stood there, choosing my words, and noticed that the tips of his fingers were bright red and frozen. How long had he been walking around in the cold?

It was surprising and strange to realize that the unrest in his heart had come from me. It felt awkward.

“Did you get my letter?”

“…Mm. I didn’t slack off on my training just because it was cold.”

The boy laughed weakly. It seemed that my note about not slacking off on training had made an impression on him.

Even a weak laugh was still a laugh, and it seemed like his mood had lightened a little, which put me at ease.

I took a half-step closer after retreating.

Ruber looked at me and bit his lower lip a few times before greeting me late.

“I’m glad to see you again.”

“I’m glad too.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

The boy raised both his hands and wiped his face a few times.

He finally returned to the same shy, somewhat sorrowful face he had before. I thought again that the men in Sieron were unusually sensitive and sentimental.

Not wanting to part with him so awkwardly, I decided to walk with him for a while to cheer him up.

The academy grounds were large, and there were many quiet paths to walk. Over the two months we had been apart, I had grown a bit taller, but Ruber had also grown significantly taller, something I noticed only then.

At first, the boy walked silently, but then he began to slowly share stories he hadn’t been able to tell me before.

He said that he probably wouldn’t be able to receive a reply until I arrived at the academy, so he hadn’t been able to write a letter right away and had instead made sure to remember everything he wanted to say. That was so cute.

I also heard that he had waited a long time for me.

Lucilla must have known that Ruber was like this earlier. Thinking back on how she helped me, I couldn’t help but smile.

When he asked why I was laughing, I told him it was nothing, but he pouted and made me laugh again.

Suddenly, Ruber asked me something else.

“Are you going to make your schedule with Rose Youngsik again this year?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“I’m planning to take the Introduction to Monster Studies this time. Would you like to take it with me?”

“Mm.”

“I’m in my third year now, so I don’t think I’ll have many opportunities to take classes with Ernhardt Youngsik… Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. Which day is the class?”

“Friday.”

“I’ll take it. I was already thinking about that class.”

At those words, the boy’s face bloomed like the moon. I finally saw him smile properly.

Though there were many things I couldn’t understand, I didn’t add any more words, thinking it was better to leave it as it was.

After walking for a while, Ruber said he wanted to take a break, so we sat down on a bench.

When I asked if his hands were cold, he said he was fine, but then he begged me to hold his hand because it was cold, so I did.

I couldn’t help but think how spoiled this prince was, but since I had wronged him, I gently held his hand and patted it.

We had so much to talk about, we ended up chatting until dawn.

* * *

A new semester began.

Swordsmanship classes were still in the morning. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I attended intermediate swordsmanship, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, advanced swordsmanship. Of course, I planned to be mentored by Maelo Sanson.

In addition to taking Introduction to Monster Studies with Ruber, I also thought about learning more about the Uniquely Mountains, so I decided to take Professor Brianna Casablanca’s World Geography class.

I also included Imperial Genealogy and Practical Illusion Combat classes in my schedule.

I had passed the Practical Illusion Combat class last semester with a decent grade, so I didn’t need to retake it, but I still wanted to improve my skills.

This time, my luck with the class lottery wasn’t great, but a few people gave up their spots, so I was able to join.

I also signed up for the camping class and the Medicinal Drug Manufacturing Practicum with Professor Cedric. While I didn’t look forward to the camping aspect of it, I liked that I’d get to meet up with my classmates from the camping class every week, so I agreed to it.

I thought we wouldn’t all be in class together anymore after Damian got seriously injured, so I was a little excited.

I also included Basic First Aid in my schedule, knowing it would be something I might need later. I could already tell this semester would be a busy one.

At least there weren’t many classes with written exams, which was a relief.

With my carefully planned schedule in hand, I entered Maelo Sanson’s first class, but I was taken aback.

Bill Brown. The big guy I had met at the House of Duke Valentia was standing in the intermediate swordsmanship class, swinging his massive arms around.

Even though he was just standing there, his large frame and wide stance made the students passing by jump back in surprise.

“…No, no way you’re in this class.”

“Well, I changed it to take the same class as you, of course! Isn’t it already famous, the stories about Professor Maelo Sanson and you? Oh! Is this person Rose Senpai?”

“Yes, that’s me… But, who exactly is Youngsik again…?”

“I’m Bill Brown! I’m bound by blood and deep friendship with Mikael-hyung, can’t be separated!”

His booming voice was overwhelming.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang in the back of my neck. This was exactly why I had been avoiding people like Pang-ga.

I knew very well that he and that other person were not the same, but Bill had a knack for drawing everyone’s attention to himself.

While I was still in a daze, Bill shook hands with Shayden and hugged Benjamin, then placed his thick arm on my shoulder. Even though he was surrounded by unfamiliar upperclassmen, he showed no signs of hesitation.

A wry laugh escaped me.

In the midst of this, Shayden and Benjamin, who had been sitting next to me, were pushed aside, standing dumbfounded and about to speak when another familiar face appeared.

“…Ernhardt Youngsik? And who is this…?”

It was Ruber.

Wait, why was he, who should be in the advanced swordsmanship class, in the intermediate one?

While I was puzzled, Bill seemed genuinely excited. Still with his arm on my shoulder, he bowed down to me, and I found myself bowing as well to greet Ruber.

“No, Bill, put that down.”

“Hello! Are you Prince Ruber, the one everyone’s been talking about? I’ve heard so much about you!”

It seemed that Bill didn’t hear my protest and was too excited to stop.

“…Oh, right… What’s your name?”

“I’m Bill Brown! I’m bound by blood, friendship, and passion with Mikael-hyung!”

I had no idea when that had happened.

I just wished he wouldn’t shout in people’s ears so loudly.

However, remembering how Ruber had been so easily hurt just the other day, I figured Bill, being from the same Sieron background, might not be entirely insensitive either. Instead of scolding him, I just pushed him away lightly.

“Alright, just put it down for now.”

“Whoa! You’re amazing, hyung!”

“What else?”

“No one’s ever pushed me away like that before!”

…Let’s stop talking.

I noticed Maelo Sanson approaching from a distance and quickly closed Bill’s loud mouth.

After a few more grumbles, Bill finally noticed the professor coming and quickly stood up with his arms behind his back.

Ruber, who had glanced over, didn’t look very pleased.

I was already worried about Ruber associating with Bill, who was so loud and brash.