Date: Unspecified
Ti: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Brothwork Manor
"Don’t worry, I’m not starting anything," Jill said, her disappointnt evident after watching my stiff, conflicted expression for far too long.
It was clear I had failed her test. She was certain of what she had already sensed. I still had feelings for Anna, strong enough to weigh on with guilt. Strong enough to prove that she was not the only one in my heart.
"Then why bring her up now?" I asked, needing to be sure she had not ntioned Anna simply to test . I believed that being with Jill ant I would not have to deal with that kind of drama.
"Because Anna has co out of seclusion as a Card Demigod," Jill replied. "Coming out of seclusion, she imdiately broke into the Northern Region to kill Demigod Gainover, her father. It’s all over the Grimoire Network. Top ten trending, right after our relationship scandal."
She tried to sound nonchalant, but the worry beneath her tone was unmistakable. She was afraid I would leave now that Anna was no longer in seclusion. Jill had never truly believed she could be the only one in my heart. She already knew about my feelings for Anna and Susan, I had been painfully obvious about that. And now that Anna had returned, the fears she had buried deep within herself surfaced all at once.
"Also, Susan Tucci has made it onto the trending list as well," Jill continued. "People are maliciously dragging that poor girl through the mud because of our relationship scandal. They’re calling her a mistress, a third wheel, a gold digger, and worse. I checked to see if soone was orchestrating it, but no. She isn’t being specifically targeted. It seems she simply beca the focus of public envy and jealousy because you chose her. The Southern Hope chose her."
She went on, "I’ve used my connections to suppress the worst of the hate posts and comnts, but there’s no denying it. Your popularity has beco her curse."
She spoke calmly, but her words subtly pushed the bla onto , as if implying that the closer I stayed to Susan, the more harm I would cause her.
I imdiately understood what she was doing and why. She was afraid that now that Susan was suffering, I would rush to her side and leave Jill behind.
As I had said, Jill understood better than anyone. She knew what Anna and Susan ant to . However, she was too clever for her own good. She had thought through all of this, yet she failed to consider one crucial thing.
She had forgotten to understand what she herself ant to .
I stepped forward and pulled Jill into my arms, saying softly, "Thank you and sorry for putting you through this. Now I know I didn’t choose wrong."
Her eyes widened in confusion. Of course she did not understand what I ant. How could she? All she had done was put before everything else, even herself. Despite knowing that I might leave her the mont I learned Susan was in trouble and that Anna had co out of seclusion, she still told everything. She knew how much they ant to and did not want to be devastated by learning the truth too late.
I held her by the shoulders, steadying her dazed expression, and looked down at her. "Jill, co with to the Fine Gold. I need you."
"What?" Jill blurted out, startled.
"I wanted to talk about this tomorrow, after our breakfast date, but it looks like that will have to wait," I said. "So I’ll say it now. Jill Norley, will you stay by my side?"
As I asked, I lowered myself onto one knee. It was not a proposal. I knew she was not ready for that yet. It was simply a gesture, and a promise of intent.
"You are shaless and selfish, you know that," Jill said, piecing everything together. "Just this once I will help you. As for my answer, ask again after our first date. I’m not so little girl who will be overwheld by emotions and willingly give up her interests for her love, only to regret it later. I will take what’s mine."
"What are you talking about? What’s mine is yours," I said, watching Jill turn calculating and greedy right after I had practically confessed to her. What kind of luck was this? First Susan, now Jill. These won were going to drive insane.
"I’m sure you think that," Jill replied, rolling her eyes, "but I don’t think the other two would agree."
She did not need to spell out who she ant. They were Anna and Susan, she couldn’t be more obvious.
"Also," she added casually, "I want the biggest share. After all, I got intimate with you before them. That makes the first."
"Wait, what?" I asked, completely missing the obvious double entendre. The confusion must have been written all over my face. "You don’t know that. How could you even know that?"
"I know," Jill said confidently. "At best, you kissed them. You didn’t even make it to second base with either of them."
"You’re wrong," I protested. I had gone to second base with Anna.
"Over-the-clothes doesn’t count," Jill said flatly, as if she had read my mind.
"You witch, how are you doing this?" I asked with exaggerated shock and disbelief. "What kind of sinister magic is this?"
"Why don’t you co fight with your mighty sword?" Jill teased. "If you defeat , I’ll tell you."
Her hands slid around my waist, drifting lower until they squeezed my ass, but after a little playing around her expression soon turned serious.
"Aren’t you worried," she asked quietly, "that Anna didn’t co looking for you after coming out of seclusion? Instead, she broke into the Northern Region to kill her father."
"Why would you ask that?" I said, startled, suddenly wondering if she knew more than she was letting on.
"It’s no secret that Anna is an Extre Path partitioner," Jill replied. "That’s one of the reasons the Masters didn’t oppose the Southern Ruler choosing his granddaughter as his heir instead of his daughter—"
She never finished as a furious, thunderous voice cut through the air.
"How dare you!"
"How dare you kill my son and then stand there flirting with your woman!"
"I will make you scandalous lovers pay for your sins."
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