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

Chapter 412: Was | Wrong?

Manicured gardens unfolded in every direction, bursting with flowers in colors Nnenna had never seen before,

soft glowing blues, delicate purples with translucent petals, and rich reds that looked like drops of fire.

Multiple towers pierced the sky, each uniquely shaped, sround like domes, others twisting like spirals or

crowned with gold plated spires.

The largest tower at the center seemed to float ever so slightly. This was the heart of an ancient, powerful

kingdom, and hto royalty that ruled with tradition.

The vehicle finally slowed as they passed under a wide archway carved from white stone, heading into the

castle’s lower levels. Torches lining the walls lit up automatically as they approached, flickering to life with soft

blue flames.

They were now inside the underground garage, massive, clean, and echoing slightly with the hum of modern

technology.

Sleek black cars, and gleaming carriages, each tagged with the royal crest. Attendants in tailored uniforms

waited quietly in rows, ready to help.

With a gentle stop, their car parked at the center, right at the royal family’s personal bay.

Somto stepped out first, tall and composed, before turning to offer his hand to Nnenna again.

“This is it,” he said quietly, watching her expression.

Nnenna’s eyes were wide, her senses overloaded by everything she had just seen.

She took his hand. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

Somto nodded. “And this... is just the beginning.”

The housekeeper led them through the grand hallway of the castle, floors polished to a shine, ceilings etched

with gold leaf patterns, and soft light filtering through the glass.

Nnenna took in every detail with quiet awe, though her gaze kept darting around as if something deeper was

tugging at her attention.

They passed two columns wrapped in velvet banners before the housekeeper cto a graceful stop and

gestured ahead.

And there, standing right at the front entrance of the inner wing, was someone Nnenna hadn't seen in months.

Arthur.

He looked... different.

Still sharp featured and commanding as always, but this time, his shoulders slumped slightly. His face was pale,

lips pressed into a thin line, and the fire that usually burned in his eyes was dimmed.

Gone was the confident crown prince she remembered. What stood before her now was someone haunted by the

weight of something he could not fix, someone who looked like he hadn't slept properly in days.

She stopped walking.

He did too.

There was a beat of silence as their eyes met. Nnenna’s heart clenched. He had left without saying goodbye,

without a note, a word, a glance, and now here he was again, standing in the splace where their paths once

crossed and then separated.

Arthur's jaw tightened. “You've changed,” he said quietly, his voice low but not unkind.

Nnenna nodded slowly. “So have you.”

Somto had been silent, but his expression hardened slightly as he studied his old friend. He knew the reason

Arthur looked like this.

He knew the search had failed again, and that the girl Arthur could not find was the very one standing a few feet

away now. But he was not about to help him piece things together. Not yet. Not when everything was finally

shifting in his favor.

Yes, Arthur looked horrible compared to his previous confident self. The weight of failure, the endless search, the

looming threat, all of it showed on his friend's face.

But Somto wasn’t going to fix it. Not this time. Arthur needed to give up, at least for now. It was the only way to

keep her, and everyone else, alive.

Things had escalated quickly after Nnenna’s face was revealed online. Her identity had beca lightning rod,

drawing attention from every power player on the continents. The world had begun shifting, faster than anyone

was ready for.

And Somto knew, the real storm hadn't even started yet.

Someone had already picked up on her presence, and the moment her face appeared online, everything

spiraled. Assassins were dispatched. What followed was a massacre in Lionara’s royal castle. Even his own father

had paid the ultimate price.

Now, with Nnenna standing on this continent, the danger was no longer creeping, it was here. The stakes had

never been higher, and the end felt like it was drawing dangerously close.

Somto knew what he had to do. All he could do now was accelerate the plan and prepare Nnenna, for the truth,

for the weight of it all, for the war that was coming.

“You look horrible,” Somto said bluntly, eyes fixed on Arthur.

Arthur didn’t flinch. He only nodded in silent acknowledgment, the exhaustion clinging to him like armor. His

already distant nature had hardened even more. He wasn’t the sman Somto had left months ago.

Arthur's eyes eventually shifted to Nnenna, and for the first time, they softened. He blinked, and blinked again,

subtly, but noticeably, almost as if trying to confirm that the girl standing before him was the sone they had

known. She had changed. She had grown even more beautiful, even more composed.

Somto noticed the extra seconds Arthur took to look at her, and frowned. He didn't like it.

But Arthur was too occupied studying Nnenna to notice the flicker of displeasure that crossed Somto’s face.

Usually, he wouldn't have paid close attention to details like how her features had beceven more refined, or

how something about her presence felt... steadier, deeper, more powerful.

Yet here he was, noticing all of it. That surprised him. He had always prided himself on being logical, detached

when necessary. But the more he looked at her, the more the old certainty in his conclusions about Nnenna

began to waver.

Had he been wrong?

And if he wasn’t wrong, why did the trail of evidence point elsewhere?

Even now, standing in front of her, he had to force himself not to think of... no. Forget it. He was probably just

missing that person too much. That had to be it.