"..."

  A sudden heat swelled deep within my chest. My throat tightened, and I couldn't find the words.

  But—

  (...Right now, I feel like I can finally ask.)

  Suppressing my hesitation, I spoke softly.

  "Your Majesty... may I ask you one thing?"

  "Hmm?"

  "Why... in the audience chamber the other day, did you—well, why did you wink at me...?"

  My voice was pathetically small. As I spoke, I felt my cheeks gradually growing hotter.

  She watched me with a look of pure amusement.

  "Heh... that? It was merely a 'signal.'"

  "A signal...?"

  "Yes. To remind you, just a little, that I am the one who chose you."

  She said it so casually. As lightly as if she were talking about the weather.

  "...So that you do not lose your way."

  Her voice was quieter than the spshing of the fountain, yet it unmistakably sank deep into my heart, seeping in like ink.

  "...Ugh... (...That's not fair.)"

  I instinctively covered my mouth because I felt my lips beginning to curve into a smile. The heat in my ears was beyond hiding now.

  If I stayed here any longer, I would likely let something "overflow."

  "I...—Excuse me...!"

  I gave a bow and tried to leave the area with hurried steps—but a voice reached my back, falling softly like a single drop.

  "...Ray. Come again."

  —My feet almost stopped in their tracks.

  I couldn't bring myself to look back. Instead, the fmes of the Luminaria I passed through swayed in gold and azure.

  And then.

  In the deepest part of my chest, I felt a fire truly ignite.

  Ah... this warmth.

  I knew then that I would surely come back.

  Next time, it won't be just for a "break"—

  It will be to see her.