Jake immediately coped with the fact that he really came back to the past, but his business wasn't done yet. He had to answer Marilyn's question first.
Jake remembered how Marilyn turned into a ruthless killing machine and killed Reina. He didn't want that to happen, so he needed to be careful to not anger her.
"Reina has fatigue. Can you heal her? I need to finish my training with her today since I had to train with another person tomorrow," Jake replied. He tried to sound as casual as he usually did. He tried his best to put up a normal expression too.
At his side, Reina's face paled, and she put on a sad expression. Jake could guess she was sad that he didn't reveal their relationship to her. He felt guilty too, but he did it to save Reina's life.
"Ah, I see. You need to go easy on her, though. It seems Namgoong Hyun's existence really pushes you to the edge. Don't worry, Jake. I will make sure to defeat him. Promise," Marilyn replied.
Jake only smiled at her. He didn't really care about that annoying young master, but he didn't tell his feelings and only stayed quiet. To be honest, he was kind of awkward to talk with Marilyn after all she had done in the previous timeline. He just needed time to cope with the fact that Marilyn was hiding her dark personality.
Marilyn giggled. "Well, I won't prevent you from training hard, hehe. Seeing Jake being diligent is amusing. Now, shall I heal her?"
"Wait, your highness. Can I do it?" A brown haired girl stood up and raised her hand. She was a class B student too. One of two people who had the power to heal. She was Lisa Machbell. "I am not bragging, but in terms of healing, I am better than her highness. Can I touch you, Ms. Rowe."
Reina quietly extended her hand, letting Lisa touch her and heal her. Her body emitted golden light, and all the bruises on her body disappeared. Not only that, the healing was effective for the mental state too. It brightened her skin and expression.
"It's all done. See, my healing is more effective and faster than her highness," Lisa said while puffing her chest smugly.
Marilyn, who heard her, smiled coldly. "My dear sister Lisa. Are you picking a fight with me? How about we go to the training field and see which of us is stronger?" she said with a soft tone, but her expression was cold.
Lisa only smiled proudly and replied, "I refuse because I am a healer."
While they were joking around, tears flowed down from Reina's face, and she whimpered, making the girls stop with their jokes.
"Are you okay, Miss. Rowe?" Marilyn asked, but Reina only shook her head and didn't reply.
"I think it's because your cold smile is too scary, princess," Lisa said jokingly in this situation.
"Wait, did Jake do something bad to you when you trained with him?" Marilyn asked.
Reina shook her head and said, "No, it's all on me. I am sorry for worrying you, your highness. Please excuse myself." She bowed and left.
Jake nodded at Marilyn and Lisa before chasing her. Luckily, she was walking slowly, so he could catch up with her.
Before approaching her, Jake looked at her back and felt guilty, but he immediately shook his head and erased the feeling. He didn't have the right to feel anything for his actions, but it was his duty to comfort her, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her.
Jake walked through the students, who looked at them in curious expressions, and brought her inside an alley between two buildings. After that, he released her and hugged her tightly.
There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but all of them were stuck in his throat. In the end, he just asked about her condition. "Are you okay?"
Reina hugged him back and rubbed her head against his chest. "I am feeling comfortable by this, but is it okay for me to become comfortable like this? Is it okay for me to snatch someone's happiness? Her highness is such a sweet girl. She cares for me and many people. To think I stole her crush, I feel like a bad girl."
After knowing Reina, Jake found out she wasn't an indifferent person. She was just like any other normal girl. She worried, liked, and cared about a lot of things. She needed to be comforted like a normal girl too.
Jake patted her head and said, "You aren't at fault. You started, but I decided to stay. Maybe our future will be full of hurdles, but I will take all responsibility for all our actions."
Reina pulled herself from his hug and looked up to his face. "Why didn't you tell her highness about us? I thought we wouldn't keep our relationship a secret."
Jake smiled bitterly. He really felt helpless about this situation. Even though he had acted like a courageous man when he confessed to her, he let her down. However, there was nothing he could do because he needed to think of a way to let Marilyn approve his relationship with Reina without turning her into a crazy killer.
Aside from Marilyn, Jake also felt guilty towards Reina because he couldn't keep his promise. He owed her an explanation, but it wasn't like he could reveal about his time travel.
"Reina, the truth is...." Jake explained how Marilyn only had less than three years to live. He told her about Marilyn's curse and power.
"I promise I will reveal our relationship to the public in the future, but for now, let's hide our relationship. I promise I will do my best to make her approve. If I can't do that within three years, I will choose you alone."
"Is it alright? Can I take her happiness away?"
Jake didn't know what to reply. He suddenly remembered Marilyn's smile, her cheerful side as she joked around with him, and her sweet side when she wanted his attention.
"She wouldn't find out." In the end, Jake could only give an irresponsible answer. He felt frustrated, so he pulled Reina's chin and kissed her lips. Maybe the warmth of a lady could make him forget.
---
After convincing Reina to hide their relationship, Jake didn't leave the alley. He sat on the ground while leaning his back against the wall. Feeling tired, he rubbed his face.
Jake had made fatal mistakes, even though he rarely made mistakes before. His actions killed both Marilyn and Reina in his previous timeline.
When he recalled Reina's ash and Marilyn's headless body, Jake felt sad. However, this feeling confused him. In the previous timeline, he didn't feel sad about their deaths, but in the current timeline, he did. He wondered if someone really cursed his heart.
"Mom, do you hear me?"
"I have been aware, son," Lilith said in his head.
"You know about... You know it?"
"Your time travel and their deaths? I am aware. Don't underestimate your mom, Son."
"I—this is the first time I feel helpless. I don't know what I should do to keep them both."
Lilith was quiet for a moment before replying, "I am sorry, son. When I cast the nightmare medium magic to you and your siblings, I have written a powerful contract to not involve myself with your lives or I will die, and the mediums will suffer the same fate as me. You should know about this."
"I know. I just want you to hear me."
"I am more than willing to listen to all your problems. I also want to help you. If you ever feel like you can't carry your burden anymore, feel free to come home. In your home, I can protect and help you without restraint."
"Thanks, mom. I love you."
"Love you more. Please visit me soon. I can help you solve your love life. I can make Marilyn approve of your relationship with Reina Rowe."
Jake laughed. Talking with his mom really soothed his heart. Thanks to her, he regained his confidence again. "Thanks, but I will solve this myself. I need to be responsible for my actions."
"That's my son. Mom is really proud of you."
"But mom. I want to know about something. I know you can't answer it, but at least I want to know if you are aware of my problem.
"In the previous timeline, I couldn't feel sad about their deaths. I am sure I love them, but when I saw their deaths, I... They were like strangers to me. It was like hearing something unrelated to me. I felt pity, but that was it.
"I thought something was wrong with me, but when I returned to the current timeline, I suddenly felt sad about their deaths, even though both of them are still alive in front of my eyes.
"Do you happen to be aware of this phenomenon?"
Jake was half convinced his mom probably didn't know about this, but he didn't expect his mom to know about his problem.
"I am aware. If you want to know about your problem, visit me, my son."