They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 401: | Hate You

Over at his place, Carl picked up a bottle of fruit wine from the table, popped the cap with a lazy flick, and took a

slow, satisfied sip like his job here was done.

“Meanwhile, I'm here, minding my one million per second businesses, and you're calling to—"

“She doesn’t love me.”

Carl “...”

He choked.

Then he sputtered.

Then PFFFFFFT the drink exploded out of his mouth, splattering across his shirt and the floor.

“WHAT?!”

Carl sat up, blinking. His voice jumped half an octave. “What do you mean she doesn’t love you?! Are you sure

you're Somto? Like, the Somto? Crown Prince turned King? Man who could blink and get six marriage proposals

in the mail?! Bro, this doesn’t make any sense!”

Somto didn’t respond. He simply leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling, and exhaled.

He wasn’t a narcissist. He didn’t believe that every woman he looked at would fall head over heels.

And this was different. Nnenna was different. And the worst part? She didn’t even know how deeply she had

gotten under his skin.

“...Hello? Earth to King Heartbreak?” Carl said, waving his fingers in front of his own face as if Somto could see

him. “This girl. This girl who doesn’t love you. Is she blind? Does she need eye surgery? Should | send her my

optician’s number?! Do | perform the surgery myself?”

“Carl,” Somto said wearily.

“No, no, because I'm confused! You're rich, you're powerful, you're literally King of Lionara, and you're, wait,

have you looked in a mirror lately? You're not exactly struggling in the looks department, my guy! And she still

said no?! Are you cursed?! Do we need to pray harder?!”

“Carl.”

“Dude, I'm going to cry.”

“You're not helping.”

“Oh, sorry. Right. Emotional crisis. Letfind my soft voice, hold on.”

Carl cleared his throat tically. “So, my dearest Somto... how exactly did you manage to mess up the

easiest love story in history?”

Somto buried his face in his hand.

Carl grinned.

He could tease all he wanted later. But deep down, hearing Somto this shaken made him realize how serious it

really was.

“Everybody can’t be in love with me,” Somto muttered quietly.

“Yes, indeed,” Carl replied dryly. “But must every girl not be in love with you? To some? Never. But since you've

decided to break world records tonight, then this girl you like must be extraordinary. For real. If she’s not into

you, it means she’s built different. Like, premium limited edition level different.”

Somto stayed quiet.

Carl's tone shifted slightly. “Look. It just means you've got to do swork to win her heart. You're not used to

the chase, but maybe now it’s your turn.”

“Actually...” Somto suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Carl didn’t miss it, even from across the world. “Wait. Why does it seem like you swallowed pepper? Actually

what?”

Somto fidgeted.

“Don’t tellyou've lost your confidence,” Carl added, squinting at the screen like he was seeing a ghost.

“What happened to you in the last few months?!”

“I haven't lost my confidence!” Somto snapped, then paused... again. “It’s just that...”

“Just what?” Carl was finally getting impatient, leaning forward. “Bro, talk before | cthrough this phone.”

Somto’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She’s... a minor.”

There was a pause so heavy it felt like the network cut off.

Then Carl’s voice exploded from the speaker.

“YOU'RE KIDDING.”

Exactly the reaction Somto was expecting. He shut his eyes and braced himself.

Carl's voice cracked. “Since when did you beca pervert?!”

“I'm not a pervert!” Somto shouted.

Carl stood up from his seat, pacing. “I need holy water. | need a priest. No, | need therapy. Are you hearing

yourself?! King Somto of Lionara. General Stone. Most feared, most loved. Secret weapon of two continents. And

now? Criminally in love with a high schooler?!”

“She’s not in high school,” Somto mumbled defensively.

“Oh. Oh! That makes it better!” Carl said with fake enthusiasm. “She’s just a minor, not technically in high

school! Great! We're all safe now!”

“Carl,” Somto groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

“No. No. This is going in my diary. ‘Today, my best friend, the literal King, toldhe fell in love with someone he

can’t even legally take to dinner!” What next? You gonna write her bedtstories?”

“I hate you,” Somto muttered.

“Good. | loveenough for both of us,” Carl shot back, still pacing. “Bro, does your government know about

this? Do | need to call the council? Is there a royal crisis protocol for this kind of thing?!”

“She's sixteen turning seventeen soon,” Somto muttered under his breath, as if it would save him.

“Ohhhh! “Turning seventeen!"” Carl gasped, pretending to swoon. “That changes everything! Shall we bake a

cake for her transition to adulthood? Or maybe a goodbye to jail party for you?”

Somto covered his face, mortified.

Carl let the silence linger before he finally softened his tone, just a little.

“...You serious about her?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation in that answer.

Carl sighed, this tfor real. “Damn.”

And now it was his turn to fall silent.

He wasn’t going to say it aloud, but in that moment, he saw something rare, something honest. This wasn’t a

fling. Somto, the cold, calculating, power armored king, had actually fallen. Deep.

“...Well, since you're already too far gone,” Carl finally muttered, “guess we're in this together.”

Somto glanced at the phone. “What does that mean?”

“It means I'm gonna be your moral compass, idiot,” Carl replied, plopping back onto the couch. “If you mess this

up, I'm telling the world you tried to marry someone the sage as your little sister.”

“She’s not my sister,” Somto grumbled.

“Yeah, yeah. Keep explaining that to the judge. If she’s as young as your sisters then I'll just assshe’s your

little sister.”

“I'm not a pedophile! | plan to marry her” Somto barked defensively. “It’s not like we can control who we fall in

love with, can we?”