They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 277 - 277 Genuine Sympathy

Chapter 277: Genuine Sympathy Chapter 277: Genuine Sympathy He looked around at the silent court.

“So why are we acting like helping her is just for me?

Why can’t you all see that it benefits us too?” “He is right,” the Minister of Works said, his voice soft but firm.

A few others in the room nodded slowly.

Some did it out of agreement, others because they didn’t want to say anything that would cause more trouble.

But Obinna didn’t let it continue.

“Yes, it is true that part of the reason Father agreed to the engagement was because of Ruth being an only child,” he said, cutting in quickly.

“But now… she’s no longer the princess of Purlit.

Her father’s reign is over.” His voice was low but clear.

“So the engagement cannot continue… not unless her father gets his throne back.” He closed his eyes for a moment, avoiding Abuchi’s gaze.

He didn’t want to look into his brother’s disappointed face.

But he had made his decision.

And deep down, he knew it would hurt.

Still, he told himself there was no choice.

He had to think of the kingdom first.

If something happened, if trouble came, and they didn’t have enough soldiers to protect the palace, their enemies would take advantage.

More of the royal family could be killed.

The people could suffer.

And at the end of the day, there wouldn’t even be a marriage to talk about.

They would have to just replace Ruth with someone else.

Abuchi stared at his brother and realized it was useless.

He couldn’t change his mind.

He looked at his mother next.

Maybe she would speak up.

Maybe she would understand.

But Queen Chioma only shook her head slowly, then looked away.

That hurt more than anything else.

He turned his head to the other ministers, the ones who usually liked him, the ones who watched him grow up, but now they couldn’t even meet his eyes.

The ones who did look at him only had pity on their faces.

Pity.

Like they had already given up on Ruth and her family.

Like they wanted him to give up too.

Abuchi felt cold inside.

Like something was closing in around his chest.

He had no choice.

He turned around quietly and walked out of the courtroom.

And as soon as he left, the meeting continued… like he was never there at all.

On his way out of the castle, Abuchi wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.

His mind was too full.

Everything felt like it was crashing down.

That was when he accidentally bumped into someone.

It was Nnenna.

She took a step back, surprised.

He looked at her, not sure how to even feel.

His emotions were too tangled to place her clearly in the mess he was going through.

She had been quiet through most of the recent chaos, but now she was here, standing in front of him.

Before he could say anything, she spoke first.

“I’m really sorry about what’s happening to your fiancée and her family,” Nnenna said softly, her voice filled with genuine sympathy.

Abuchi blinked, a little caught off guard.

“Thank you,” he said after a moment.

He meant it.

She was the first person who had looked at him like she truly understood how much it hurt.

Sure, others had sympathized, offered kind words or pats on the back, but this was different.

He could see it in her eyes.

She felt it.

And that meant something.

“For the record,” she continued, “I think we should’ve helped them.

I think we still should.” That hit him.

Her words stirred something in him, hope.

A spark.

An idea he had been mulling over for a while now.

He quickly glanced around the hallway to check for eavesdroppers.

It was clear.

No guards.

No curious nobles.

Just silence.

“Come with me for a moment,” he said suddenly, lowering his voice.

She nodded and followed him.

He led her quietly through the side corridors, down the steps, and out to the castle’s private training ground.

When they reached, he finally turned to her.

“You remember the Grand Ball?” he asked.

She gave a small nod.

“You trained for only a few weeks,” he said, eyes intense.

“Just a few weeks… and still, you competed with warriors who’ve trained since childhood.

And you won.” He wasn’t exaggerating.

Everyone in the kingdom, and even beyond, had heard of her performance that night.

It shocked the whole world.

As much as rumors had spread that it was all pretense, there were also rumors that she was the real deal.

That she had trained in secret her whole life, that she was a hidden weapon prepared from birth.

But those inside the castle… they knew the truth.

Everyone inside the castle knew that before the Grand Ball, the queen had restricted her training.

She hadn’t been allowed to train with the royal archers or combat instructors or any of the teachers.

Not until a few weeks before the ball did she even begin.

And yet… she dominated.

She had only trained for a few weeks.

That was all.

And still, she had beaten them.

Nnenna blinked, completely thrown off.

She remembered how stunned even she had been after the Grand Ball.

Lady Rose, the woman who had drilled her day and night in preparation, had been the most shocked of all.

The woman kept saying, over and over, “You must have done all these things before.

This can’t be your first time.

It just can’t.” But it was.

Nnenna couldn’t remember ever picking up a sword or aiming an arrow before those training weeks.

She had sworn she hadn’t.

No secret past.

No hidden identity.

Just… her.

So everyone had simply decided she was a terrifying genius.

She didn’t know if that was true, but she hadn’t argued.

It was easier that way.

But now, as she stood in front of Abuchi, breath still from the shock of his words, her heart pounded faster.

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