How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 8.12

At those words, Resena smiled broadly and sat right next to Vernas, quietly looking at his hands. Vernas felt the urge to kiss Resena again but couldn’t show such an intense display of affection in front of the children. So instead, he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“Vernas…”

“Wow…”

The children started chattering excitedly again.

“Brother, get married. Marry the pretty sister! Pretty sister, you’re really like a goddess. If you’re dating our brother, get married quickly!”

“That’s right! Brother seemed to be waiting for someone lately, and it was you, sister. Sister, don’t let go of our brother. No, brother shouldn’t let go of sister. If you let go of such a pretty sister, you’ll regret it, brother!”

Vernas’s cheeks turned slightly red at the children’s encouraging words. With his flushed face, he just stared blankly up at Resena. Finding it cute how his large frame was all crumpled up as he looked only at her, Resena smiled brightly.

Then Vernas flipped his hand and quickly kissed her delicate palm.

“Ah…”

“Resena. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Those blue eyes staring intently at her face wavered like the clear summer sea. Resena couldn’t control her pounding heart as she felt herself sinking into those depths. Meanwhile, he buried his face in her small hands.

Then the sensation of breathing in deeply. Resena could feel a strange tingling sensation resonating from deep within her body.

“I’m truly delighted to see Resena after so long. Though we were only apart for 3 weeks, it felt like more than a year had passed.”

“Vernas…”

“No words can fully express how much I missed you. While it’s good that you earned merit, I hope we won’t be separated too much in the future. If you must go somewhere, I wish I could accompany you.”

“…Vernas…”

Vernas raised his head and gazed at Resena with those vivid eyes. Resena felt as if her rapidly beating heart might leap out of her chest.

So when Vernas slowly released her hand, Resena instead pulled his hand. As his large body was drawn toward her, she left a kiss on his cheek.

A fluffy sensation filled both their hearts.

“Resena…”

“I missed you, too. I thought of Vernas from time to time.”

While the children, who had been chattering loudly, watched them in hushed silence, Resena continued.

“When walking through the desert, we would pitch tents at night, and every time I lay down beneath them, your face would come to mind. Strangely, I couldn’t recall your face clearly, but I could vividly feel your hands, those fingers that carve sculptures like magic.”

“….”

“That made me miss you even more. I felt that my place was beside Vernas as he carved. No matter what position I hold, no matter what I’m called… I…”

Vernas quietly gazed at Resena’s lips. Then he slowly rose from his seat. As all the children’s eyes turned toward them, he took Resena’s hand and helped her up as well.

“That’s all for carving today. Come again next time.”

As he looked around at the children and spoke, they became noisy again. However, one child who looked more mature than the others said.

“Brother needs to go on a date, too! We shouldn’t get in the way too much.”

“Brother, are we in the way? We could follow you and shout for you to get married.”

At this, Resena burst into laughter.

“You all are truly adorable. I can see why Vernas carves around you.”

“Hehe.”

“Hihi.”

As the children became boisterous again, that child spoke once more.

“Well then, brother, see you later. Have a good date with sister.”

“Yes, let’s do that. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing… Well then!”

As the child led the others elsewhere, Vernas took both of Resena’s hands. Then, meeting her gaze affectionately, he asked kindly.

“Well then, Resena, shall we walk around this area a bit?”

“Yes. But please wait a moment, Vernas.”

Resena took out a long robe from a small spatial pocket. When the elegant blue robe that covered the lower part of her dress was put on, unfortunately, most of her body was covered. But Vernas knew this was unavoidable.

Resena’s current attire was too glamorous for an outdoor walk.

“You looked beautiful, so it’s a bit disappointing. But it can’t be helped. Such attire is only for balls.”

“Fufu. I wore it because I wanted to show Vernas, so I’ve achieved my purpose. Now, let’s go on our date, Vernas.”

Resena’s face, smiling brightly as she linked arms with him, was like a radiant white rose in full bloom. Vernas, Eldis, feeling his heart pounding fiercely, took one of Resena’s hands and kissed it again.

“Let’s go, my queen.”

“Wonderful. I’m curious about where we’ll be heading today.”

“I’ve been looking into places you might want to visit. Now, shall we walk, Resena?”

“Yes, Vernas.”

Leaving the canal dock filled with blooming hydrangeas, Vernas immediately headed toward the square. Being summer, the lush street trees cast shadows, making it comfortable to walk. Of course, he was wearing an ice magic stone bracelet on his arm, but since the sunlight was harsh, this shaded route was truly pleasing.

“The Founding Festival will begin soon. Resena, shall we date at night then?”

“Are you busy during the day?”

To Resena’s affectionate question, Vernas kindly replied.

“Well, I am a senior knight, so I have duties during the day. I have an area to guard, and I need to give instructions to the knights below me, so I’ll be quite busy during that time.”

“I see… Well, it is the Founding Festival. The Empire’s biggest festival day…”

Just being able to watch the fireworks together is enough to make me happy. Resena, with reddened eyes, leaned her head against Vernas’s firm arm.

The hair secured with pearl pins gently touched his arm and loosened. Nevertheless, Resena enjoyed this situation of resting her cheek against his arm. Vernas felt the same way about this situation, and he was mentally cycling through destinations, wondering how to please this lovely woman leaning against him.

“Resena.”

“Yes, Vernas.”

“As you know, there’s a legend that wearing accessories made of obsidian during the Founding Festival grants wishes.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But at one time, when Amarast was preparing for war, obsidian imports were completely blocked. However, since you, Resena, prevented the war, hasn’t the obsidian trade resumed?”

Resena quietly looked up at Vernas. Vernas met her eyes with a faint smile.

“Thanks to that, I was able to carve an obsidian accessory as a gift for you. Of course, I also wanted to convey my gratitude on behalf of others as well. After all, the story of Viscount Rawley and Viscount Arnasus defeating the black mage under your command continues to be a topic of conversation within the knights’ order.”

Fufu. Resena laughed lightly and rubbed her forehead against his arm.

“No matter how well I commanded, Alken and Renard deserve much credit for properly responding to those orders. Not only did they immediately execute the senior black mage, but they also followed my instructions to pursue the black mage. Moreover, we can’t overlook Lorona’s contribution to purifying the entire royal capital. She truly played a crucial role.”

“Yes, I heard about that, too. They did remarkably excellent work. But without your command, and without your ability to deduce the situation, they would have faced unexpected circumstances.”

Resena smiled brightly as she gazed at him. Vernas, looking down at her with affectionate eyes, reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Her soft, supple cheek seemed to ignite his desire.

“Resena.”

“Yes, Vernas.”

“May I kiss you?”