Having not just one, but a third chance, had boosted Mako's confidence to face everything head-on without overthinking.
Mako had already died twice—first betrayed by Erick, then deceived by Fox's tricks.
Guided only by the rawest of emotions, Mako decided to cut all ties with Galandria's criminal underworld.
"We still don't fully understand how your ability works, Mako," Ana said, worried for him. "If we don't look for investors, what are we going to do?"
Mako pondered, dressed in his usual sky-blue suit.
"Hmm, well…" he said, gazing out the window. The weather was fair despite it still being winter. "How did we make money before? We didn't work for just any noble… The House of the Sun offered its services to the very kings of this land!"
Ana sighed, a hint of joy in seeing Mako more confident. It was as if he'd grown, even just a little, in the span of a few days.
And, in a way, he had. Awakening his system had made him appear far more self-assured, and now, Mako knew one thing…
"I can go back in time," Mako said aloud, his voice dreamy.
"Well, I suppose you could call it that. Polifemo, Fox, and I remember everything that happened in that office," Ana said, leaning against the doorframe of Mako's room. "Is it really going back in time?"
Mako didn't have an exact answer to that.
The truth was, Mako's real concern lay elsewhere. He recalled Polifemo's words—his ability might not activate precisely upon dying.
If Polifemo was right, how close to the edge of the abyss did he need to get to trigger his power?
He hadn't mentioned the guillotine to either of them. From that day forward, he'd make sure to wear turtlenecks for the rest of his life if necessary.
'How do I explain that Erick betrayed me and had my head chopped off?' Mako thought bitterly. 'And I don't want to lie to Ana…'
Doubt began to flood his mind again.
"Well, I know we'll figure it all out now," Ana's voice snapped Mako back to reality.
For a moment, Mako considered telling the truth, but even then, he didn't understand why a year. Why a year back? He understood the guillotine, but shouldn't everyone else present remember it too?
Nearly a week had passed since Mako rewound time. Yet neither Erick nor anyone else seemed to recall the guillotine.
"You're right," Mako concluded. "Now I have just one mission, and I need to find a way to achieve my goal."
The doubt in Mako's mind began to fade.
Yes, there was still much he didn't understand, but dwelling on how things happened wouldn't help him.
'One year,' Mako thought. 'One year to restore the House of the Sun to its former glory before Erick… betrays me.'
Ana looked at Mako with confidence.
"The first step is getting people to buy into our product again," Mako said firmly.
Ana's face now showed complete skepticism.
"Hold on, hold on," she said, stepping away from the doorframe. "The House of the Sun doesn't exactly sell anything," she said, eyeing Mako warily.
"Exactly," Mako continued. "We provide protection."
"Right…" Ana tried to follow his logic.
"The greatest asset of this House," Mako went on, "is its influence. For over two hundred years, since this House was founded, the royal family hasn't changed its lineage once."
"We don't need to scrape around with lowlife criminals. We'll go straight to the royals." Mako stood from his chair, turning away from the window.
For the first time, Ana felt Mako was speaking like a leader, but she also knew he had much to learn.
More than he could imagine.
"Mako, you know I'm 100% behind your enthusiasm, but…" Ana's voice was bittersweet. "Ever since your parents died, this mansion has been emptying out bit by bit."
Trying to avoid the painful memory, she lifted her gaze from the floor to meet Mako's blue eyes directly.
"Worse, the peace the House of the Sun worked so hard to maintain… Others have taken over that role at the Castle now," Ana delivered the bitter news.
"I think I've heard of them," Mako said, racking his brain. "They're nobles but all about meritocracy. Talk about weirdos! Even though this House always had a seat at the table for major affairs, Erick and I were too young to qualify for those kinds of deals."
'It can't be that bad,' Mako thought.
After all, they were the greatest House in all of Galandria.
The most influential, the wealthiest, the most storied…
Ana, believing Mako's system awakening was a sign of better times, tried to brighten her tone.
"Our rivals," she said.
"Huh?"
"You heard me, Mako. The ones who've taken our old position at the Royal Court are none other than the Lunar House."
"If that's true, then that means…" Mako mused aloud, his mind racing.
No doubt, this was bad news. The Lunar House only brought ill omens and calamity to the House of the Sun.
"Yes, it means that in recent years, without a strong leader in our House, we've lost our greatest asset," Ana said with a sigh.
"We no longer… have a connection to the royal family," Mako realized, the answer more bitter than he could have anticipated.