A strange shape was drawn on the back of the paper.

‘Is it a cactus? It also looks like a cross….’

It was a shape with long arm-like appendages on both sides of a round body. At the top of the shape, several fan-shaped hair-like strands were attached.

“This is the view of the person who stole the holy grail, realized through a ‘coincidental’ inspiration. Although due to it being a soul from a hundred years ago… no, due to some difficulties, we couldn’t confirm the exact shape, but this is what that person saw while hiding the holy grail.”

“This is? Hmm…. Is there no other information?”

“Regrettably, that’s all. Everyone was so excited about succeeding with the necromancy that they went wild… I mean, the coincidental inspiration disappeared shortly after it came.”

“…It really was coincidental, right?”

“Of course.”

I felt like I heard a different reason, but decided to move on since identifying the shape in the drawing was the most important thing right now.

“Hmm, I understand for now. May I take this paper?”

“By all means. We have several copies. We’re currently researching what this shape might be from various angles.”

“Good. I’ll look into it too. Is it not possible to perform necromancy… I mean, gain coincidental inspiration again?”

“Yes…. Unfortunately, there are some issues with summoning the same soul twice.”

Marvin continued with furrowed brows as if troubled.

“And even if we summon it again, we’re likely to get information similar to what we got before. We’re trying it anyway.”

“I see. Please let me know if you learn anything new.”

“Yes, my lady. We’ve reported everything we needed to, so we’ll be heading back now.”

“Who said you could leave!!”

Raku, who seemed to have been holding back his desire to speak, finally shouted unable to contain himself any longer.

“I haven’t served the Goddess yet! Just because you finished your conversation with the Goddess alone….”

“Raku. Shut up and go back to the magic tower right now to figure out what this drawing is. That’s how you can serve me.”

When I spoke with a sweet smile, Raku instantly closed his mouth. He looked at me as if stunned, seemingly shocked.

“G-Goddess… I. I….”

“Raku, the lady isn’t doing this because she hates you.”

Marvin patted his shoulder as if trying to comfort him. Regardless, Raku lifted his head high and shouted.

“Thank you, Goddess! Thank you for giving me orders! I’ll obey. I’m your servant, so I must obey. Thank you….”

Raku’s eyes were genuinely ecstatic.

“……”

“Haha. I knew you’d say that.”

Marvin looked at Raku, who was blushing and out of his mind, with disgust, but I laughed calmly as I had already expected this.

After Raku and Marvin left the mansion, I returned to my room with the paper.

Something like a cross….

‘What could it mean?’

In this world, unlike in my previous life, crosses don’t have religious significance, but should I look into that direction first?

I lay on the bed and observed the drawing, turning it this way and that.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out….’

After thinking for a long time, drowsiness spread through me, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

“Mmm….”

I opened my eyes groggily and met a familiar face and eyes.

“Ah.”

Arkle, who had been looking at me from up close, pulled his face away as if a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I finished the investigation you asked for, but you were sleeping deeply….”

“Were you going to wake me with a kiss?”

When I teasingly spoke in a voice still drowsy with sleep, Arkle became flustered.

“What? …Pardon?”

“I’m joking.”

When I smiled mischievously with my brows furrowed, Arkle looked at me for a moment and said.

“If you wish, I’ll try that method next time.”

“Hey, now you won’t let me have the last word. The fun of teasing is gone.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll refrain from now on.”

Arkle, who had been speaking quietly, suddenly brought his face close.

“…Is what you thought I’d say.”

“Huh?”

A gentle yet somehow dangerous smile spread across Arkle’s face. A strange longing resided in his flame-like red eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve decided not to hold back anymore.”

I could only stare at his face in a daze, unable to say anything.

This was the first time I’d seen his face with such strong desire. He had always had lifeless eyes.

“You said it yourself. That you wanted to see everything.”

“…I did.”

“That you wanted me to show you everything.”

“I did.”

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to… show you right here, right now.”

Arkle’s large hand enveloped mine. Then he slowly pulled it up and placed it on his chest. I could feel his heart beating clearly like a drum.

“I want to show you everything. I can’t express it in words… I’m going crazy wanting to express it.”

At first glance, his face seemed expressionless, but I couldn’t miss the desperate emotion in his eyes.

His eyes, which had been like flames, now looked as if engulfed in an uncontrollable fire.

“Just as you said you wanted to see….”

“……”

“I’m going crazy wanting to show you too. If you’ll allow me.”

Arkle looked straight into my eyes.

‘This is strange.’

His expression was clearly no different than usual, but somehow everything was conveyed through his eyes. Earnestness and poignancy, desire and carefulness….

‘I wondered what expression he would make, but conveying everything through his eyes is cheating.’

His gaze was deliberately restrained. More precisely, he was waiting. Probably for my permission.

I raised one hand and caressed Arkle’s cheek.

Though I wasn’t healing his magical resonance, when my touch reached him, he smiled faintly as if all his pain had been relieved.

“I love you, Lize.”

Why did it feel like those words were ringing in my ears suddenly?

It was because his eyes were saying it.

Perhaps love is something that allows people to converse with just their eyes, I thought.

Perhaps different expressions never existed in the first place.

‘Then….’

What about me?

Could I show Arkle the same look he shows me?

Though I had never experienced love in either of my two lives, I could instinctively understand.

Allowing him now meant not just permitting this moment but something much more.

I had wanted to see Arkle’s various expressions all this time. Conversely, was I ready to show him all of me?

‘Isn’t love… like that?’

At least, that’s what I understood love to be. Not one-sided, but where both parties see each other’s various aspects even when they don’t want to, and show themselves even when they don’t want to be seen.

Could I show all my faces to Arkle just as he does to me…?

This was the first time I had thought like this across both my lives.

In my previous life, I never had the opportunity to show myself to anyone, and in this life… to be honest, I think I had considered myself a thorough observer.

Perhaps that’s why I felt so surreal when Arkle told me he loved me at the imperial palace.

I thought I had long been immersed in this world, that I was fortunate to live here, that I liked the people here, but I hadn’t actually included myself in that.

‘But, this isn’t originally my place either… wait.’

If that’s the case, where is ‘my real place’?

If where I am now isn’t my place, then where is my real place?

‘Was my previous life my real place? Where no one told me they loved me? I… hate that.’

I sincerely hated it.

“Lize?”

Arkle looked at me with confusion. His eyes were worried.

“Your expression doesn’t look good. Are you upset?”

“……”

“If it’s because of me….”

“No.”

I looked straight into Arkle’s eyes and spoke firmly.

“It’s not because of you, Arkle. The problem isn’t you, it’s….”

Me.

I tried to say that, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

If he found out there was something wrong with me and became disappointed, if his eyes changed the way they looked at me….

I didn’t want to think about it in detail anymore.

“Anyway, it’s definitely not because of you, Arkle…! Just… um, I’m concerned about the movie.”

“Ah. That’s right.”

Arkle got up and handed me the documents he had placed at the edge of the bed.

“I originally came to give you this. …Ahem.”

Arkle, remembering his original purpose, cleared his throat slightly.

Only then did I feel a belated regret that I should have just given him permission regardless of what he was trying to do.

‘Ah~~~!!! I should have just allowed it!!!’

Should I put my hand on his chest again now and tell him to do whatever he wants?

But even though I regretted it enough to sink into the ground, I still didn’t have the confidence to show Arkle my bare face.

Yet I didn’t want to wear a mask when dealing with him either.

Although I had been wearing masks and acting as if it were as natural as eating since coming to this world, for some reason, I didn’t want to do that in front of him.

‘Sigh… Let’s focus on the task at hand first. If I have time, my mind will clear up too.’

Yes, there are mountains of things to do right now.

I first carefully examined the documents Arkle had prepared.

“The audience numbers remain consistently high? Increasing the number of theaters and screenings has reduced scalpers too. Great! This seems worry-free. Thank you, Arkle.”

After greeting him with a smile, I decided to ask the question I had been pondering.

I took out the piece of paper hidden under my pillow and handed it to Arkle.

“Do you happen to know what this is?”

Arkle, who received the paper, looked intently at the shape drawn on it.

“This is…?”

“It’s a clue related to some holy artifact the head of the family is looking for… I have no idea what it might be.”

“I see.”

I spoke vaguely, thinking he wouldn’t be interested if I said it was Martha’s business, and as expected, Arkle didn’t express deep curiosity.

‘At times like this, it’s fortunate that the siblings aren’t interested in each other….’

Arkle, who had been deep in thought, furrowed his brow as if something was coming to mind.

“Strange. It’s clearly a symbol I’ve never seen before, but it doesn’t feel unfamiliar. As if I’ve seen something similar somewhere….”

I opened my eyes wide.

“You’ve seen it before? Where?!”