They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 206 - 206 He's Gone

Chapter 206: He’s Gone Chapter 206: He’s Gone Her footsteps faltered.

Just for a second.

But she forced herself to keep walking.

Straightened her back.

Lifted her chin.

Pretended like it hadn’t happened.

Like she hadn’t just been humiliated in front of everyone.

But she knew.

Everyone knew.

“You cannot even keep the attention of a prince on you.

What is the use of all those years of training, the teachers, the resources we spent on you?” King Seungho’s voice was sharp, his words cutting deeper than any blade.

He didn’t wait for a response.

With a look of sheer disappointment, he turned on his heel and strode away, the rest of the royal family following without a second glance.

Cha was left standing there.

Alone.

The whispers had stopped.

The laughter had died down.

But the silence was worse.

It pressed in on her, suffocating, heavy with unspoken judgment.

Unlike her sister, who had run off crying, Cha forced herself to walk.

Step by step, steady and composed.

She wouldn’t let them see her break.

She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

She only allowed herself to crumble when she reached a place where no one could see her.

And then she broke.

The tears came hot and fast, spilling down her face as she clutched at her own arms, trembling.

Being a princess in a kingdom that valued power over family had never been easy.

But she had learned.

She had adapted.

She had become one of the best, mastering the art of putting benefits before emotions, before blood.

And yet… Where had it gotten her?

She had betrayed her closest sister for ambition.

And now, she had been discarded just as easily.

Was it worth it?

The thought rang in her head, but she pushed it away.

It didn’t matter.

This was the only way to survive.

No, this was the only way she knew how to survive.

Gritting her teeth, she wiped her face, smoothing out every trace of weakness.

A mask of shamelessness.

A mask of ambition.

She would wear it again.

She would play the game again.

Because in their world, there was no room for the weak.

And she had no intention of staying at the bottom.

Cha didn’t bother looking for her sister.

What was the point?

Bora should already know what kind of family they were born into.

There was no room for weakness, no space for tears, no patience for failure.

She had been naive to expect sympathy, to expect anyone to hold her hand and tell her it was okay.

Their family didn’t comfort the fallen.

They stepped over them.

And if Bora had forgotten that, then she was a fool.

Cha had no time for fools.

She had only one option, grind her teeth, put on her mask, and get back in the game.

In Nnenna’s room.

Carl leaned lazily against her desk, his arms crossed as he watched her.

Nnenna sat on the bed, staring into nothing, too distracted to even remember that she was supposed to be upset with him.

Five minutes passed in silence.

Then, she finally spoke.

“Where’s Arthur?” Carl sighed internally.

Again?

He thought.

Why did this feel like déjà vu?

Just like last time, Arthur had left without telling her.

And now, after all that had happened, after the apologies, the explanations, the so called friendship rebuilding, he had done it again.

If Carl told her the truth, wouldn’t that make her even sadder?

He hesitated, and that was all it took.

Nnenna’s sharp eyes caught the pause.

Her stomach twisted slightly.

Something was wrong.

“What happened?” She turned to him, her full attention now on his face.

Carl exhaled and decided to rip the bandage off.

“He’s gone.” Her eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean gone?” “I mean he left,” Carl clarified.

“Something urgent came up, and he had to leave last night.

He didn’t have time to tell you.” He paused, debating whether to soften the blow with an excuse.

But why should he?

How long would he keep covering for Arthur?

At some point, the man had to take responsibility for how he treated people, especially those he claimed to care about.

Unless… he didn’t truly care at all.

Nnenna sat there, stunned, as Carl’s words sank in.

Carl sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“He left me a message.

Slipped it under the door, probably had his guard do it, since it’s not even in his handwriting,” he said, hoping it would make her feel better.

But one look at Nnenna’s face told him that it didn’t.

“Well, since you said there was an emergency…” she murmured, pushing the thought away.

She minded, but not as much as before.

Arthur would come back eventually.

And when he did, he wouldn’t get off so easily this time.

Seeing that she had let go of the topic, Carl quickly changed it.

“So, what are you going to do now?” “I don’t know,” she said honestly.

“Just continue with my life, I guess.” She leaned back slightly.

“Fortunately, the entrance exam results for the royal college will be out soon.

Once I see how I did, maybe I can finally get some space from this family… and this whole thing.” Carl nodded.

“Yeah, that’s true.

I know you’ll do well.” Then his eyes lit up as if remembering something.

“Oh!

I almost forgot, I promised to give you your own gift separately.” He stood up, walked to the door, and whispered something to a figure who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Less than two minutes later, the person returned, carrying something.

He brought it closer, and she finally got a good look at it, an exquisite box with delicate gold engravings curling along its edges, as if crafted for royalty.

Beneath it lay another, plainer box, wrapped simply yet still carrying a weight of importance.

This is my gift for you,” Carl said with an easy smile.

“And this one is what I promised you earlier.

Come on, open it.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS JedidiahBeaufoy Your gift is the motivation for my creation.

Give me more motivation!