They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 289 - 289 Dying on His Lips

Chapter 289: Dying on His Lips Chapter 289: Dying on His Lips The taxi cruised steadily along the wet roads, carrying the group toward Truns.

The border wasn’t far, Marka was a small kingdom, easy to pass through if you knew what you were doing.

They kept their heads down, the weight of what they had just gone through slowly settling in.

But they were moving.

That was all that mattered now.

Back at Ruby Airport, chaos had already begun to unravel.

The assistant stood in the center of the terminal, his phone clutched tightly in his hand, eyes wide with disbelief.

The third prince and second princess were gone.

Just… gone.

He had gone over the plane twice.

Every seat.

Every possible hiding place.

But there was no sign of them.

They had been tricked.

“Impossible,” he muttered under his breath, pacing as he redialed Interim King Obinna’s number for the third time.

The call connected.

“Well?” came Obinna’s voice, sharp and impatient.

“They’re not here,” the assistant said through gritted teeth, trying to stay calm.

“They weren’t on the flight.

We confirmed, their seats are empty.

They vanished.” There was a pause.

A dangerous pause.

“You’re telling me,” Obinna said slowly, “that my siblings disappeared into thin air, on your watch?” The assistant flinched.

“The flight made an emergency stop at Marka,” he explained quickly.

“We think that’s where they slipped away.” Obinna didn’t respond.

The silence said everything.

Within the hour, Obinna’s team had already taken off in private jets toward Marka, the urgency crackling through the air like static.

Rain splattered across the jet windows as they landed in the foreign kingdom, storm clouds still heavy above.

But once on the ground, reality hit them hard.

Marka was lawless.

Too lawless.

And too wide for someone with no leads.

They had no idea where to begin.

No names, no addresses, no direction.

It was like searching for ghosts in a place that didn’t care who you were, even if you were chasing royalty.

The assistant stood in the middle of the airstrip, drenched in rain and frustration.

His chest burned with the shame of failure.

They were so close, just one step behind, but it might as well have been a world away.

Obinna’s voice from earlier echoed in his head like thunder.

“Failure is not an option.” And yet, here they were.

Failing On the other side of Marka, the group had reached the outskirts of the small kingdom, but they couldn’t leave just yet.

Their stop wasn’t part of the plan, but they were short on a few supplies they would definitely need for the next leg of the journey.

Leaving without them wasn’t an option.

So, they decided to wait.

“We’ll move when the sun comes up,” Abuchi said, glancing at the sky.

“The shops will open then.

We’ll get what we need.” He stepped out of the taxi and thanked the driver.

The man looked curious about them but didn’t ask questions.

Abuchi handed him the money for the long drive, and the driver smiled widely.

“Early morning people, eh?” he chuckled, clearly amused by the odd bunch who had called a taxi at that hour.

“No problem.

Stay safe!” He drove off, his taillights disappearing into the dark horizon, still grinning at the amount of money he just made.

The area around them was quiet, dimly lit by the few flickering streetlamps and the faint glow of the distant town ahead.

A chilly breeze swept past them.

Karen wrapped her arms around herself and looked around.

“We have to find a hotel,” she said, her voice tired.

“That’s not necessary,” Ekene replied immediately.

“It’ll be a waste of time.

And using our fake identities so early could expose us.” He looked toward the east, where the sky was still dark but already showing the faintest hint of dawn.

“It’s just a few more hours till morning.

We can wait it out.” “By now, they’ll realize we’re in Marka,” Abuchi added, his voice calm but firm.

“They’ll be searching everywhere.

Hotels, stations, checkpoints.

Anywhere we could be seen or logged.” “He’s right,” John said with a sigh.

“Booking a hotel now is too risky.” Nnenna nodded in quiet agreement.

“We just need to stay hidden till morning.

Then we move.” And so, in the shadows of an unfamiliar kingdom, they found a quiet corner behind an abandoned building and settled in.

The night was long, cold, and tense, but it was safer than being found.

Karen sat quietly on the low level concrete wall of the building, her fingers tracing small circles on her dress as she glanced at Abuchi.

He was headed her way.

For a second, she almost smiled.

But just a few steps from her, he suddenly changed direction.

Her heart sank a little as she watched him veer off to a spot near the wall, leaning against it with his head slightly bowed.

Then he sat down on the low level wall there.

He looked deep in thought.

Lost.

Far away.

Karen hesitated.

Should she follow him?

Talk to him?

Before she could decide, John casually slid into the empty spot beside her.

“Finally,” he said, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Feels like we’ve been running for days.” Karen forced a small smile.

“Yeah… it does.” John started talking, about the trip, the weird taxi driver, maybe even some joke about Marka’s silence being scarier than a haunted house.

She wasn’t sure.

Her mind was drifting in every direction except his voice.

Why did he walk away like that?

Was he upset?

Or just thinking?

He always looks like he’s thinking.

But he could’ve said something to me…

anything.

She kept nodding along to John’s words, giving vague responses, her attention clearly somewhere else.

He noticed.

But he didn’t say anything.

Not yet.

Then, a pause.

Karen spotted her chance.

Without a word, she stood up, brushing invisible dust off her dress, and walked toward Abuchi.

John blinked after her, the half formed sentence dying on his lips.