They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 311: Unfamiliar Feelings

Chapter 311: Unfamiliar Feelings

She moved with grace, precise and composed, like someone who had done this more than once. But it was not the elegance that had him stuck. No. It was the raw power she had just shown a few moments ago.

The way she had taken down that hefty man, without even using her hands. The way she ran and fought back the guards. He still wasn’t sure what he had seen.

A blur, a twist of motion, and the hefty man was on the ground groaning, completely disarmed and disoriented. No punches. No shouting. Just skill.

The image played in his head like a loop. She didn’t even break a sweat.

The weak girl he once thought she was… that was clearly a lie. He felt a flicker of embarrassment for ever thinking otherwise.

Back at the Grand Ball, he wasn’t there when everything happened, but the rumours had spread like wildfire, some people said she cheated, others said she used tricks. He hadn’t really believed them, not completely, but he hadn’t rejected them either.

Now? Now he knew better.

Now he had seen the real her.

All the rumours, all the whispers about what she did at the Grand Ball, they weren’t exaggerated. If anything, they hadn’t even captured half of it. She was strong, sharp, composed, and scarily skilled. She wasn’t just a King’s daughter with good privileges. She was a force of her own.

Realizing this made something stir inside Ekene. His heart beat faster, louder. It wasn’t the adrenaline from the chase. It wasn’t fear either. It was… something else. Something he wasn’t used to.

He suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was staring.

Nnenna, feeling his gaze, turned to meet his eyes. Her brows furrowed in quiet confusion. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The directness of her gaze hit Ekene like a jolt. His face flushed instantly, blood rushing to his cheeks in a red wave he could feel physically. His ears burned. What the heck is happening to me?

Panicking, he looked away too quickly, like a guilty child caught with a stolen snack. “I—I wasn’t—” he stammered, then stopped himself because clearly, he was.

Nnenna tilted her head slightly, even more puzzled now. “You’re turning red.”

“I—uh—what?”

She walked closer, inspecting his face like a medic checking a fever. “Are you okay? I mean… I know that escape was tense, maybe we should rest before looking for the river?”

Ekene nearly groaned out loud. Great. She thinks you’re having a breakdown.

“I’m… I’m fine,” he said, his voice cracking slightly like it belonged to someone else.

The words felt foreign in his mouth, mostly because it was the first time in his life he had ever stammered. The Ekene people knew didn’t stammer. He was steady. Cool headed. He didn’t turn red because a girl looked at him.

But then again, Nnenna wasn’t just any girl.

This confused Nnenna even more. What was wrong with him? She was about to press further when Ekene abruptly raised his wrist and gestured at his watch.

“It’s getting to midday,” he said, eyes serious now, shifting back into focus. “We need to find that river before nightfall. It won’t take long before they cover all possible escape routes. Someone might even tell them such a river exists.”

His voice was calm but firm. His words made sense, too much sense for her to argue.

So she didn’t. She simply nodded and picked up her pace to match his.

The two of them moved briskly through the side streets of Marka, careful not to look suspicious but keeping their eyes open. Soon enough, they found a small shop, one of those general supply places that sold everything from compasses to lighters to, thankfully, maps.

They entered casually, trying to keep a low profile as they made their way to the dusty shelf that had rolled up maps stacked in uneven piles. After a few minutes of digging, Nnenna found a detailed map of Marka.

“This one,” she whispered, showing it to Ekene.

He scanned it quickly. “Perfect.”

But then came the next problem: payment.

They had money, plenty, in fact, but not in Marka’s local currency. No shop in this kingdom was going to accept Lionara’s currency without asking questions.

They lingered by the counter, pretending to browse other items, hoping to come up with a plan.

The shopkeeper, a middle aged man with squinty eyes and a suspicious frown, had started to notice them. His eyes narrowed each time they glanced at the map section.

Ekene leaned in. “We can’t stay. He’s watching us.”

“We can try to trade something,” Nnenna said, reaching into her bag, but Ekene shook his head.

“Too risky.”

Reluctantly, they rolled the map back and returned it to the shelf. Then, without another word, they exited the shop.

As they slowly walked away from the shop, trying to blend back into the busy street, Nnenna suddenly paused, a spark of realization flashing in her eyes.

“Love System,” she whispered, her voice low but urgent. “Could you help me check how many rivers are in Marka and give me information on them?”

Ding!

“You finally remembered that I exist,” the Love System replied with playful sarcasm. “Ten good points deducted for information.”

There was a pause, then a gentle chime.

“There are three major rivers in Marka. Fast River leads to Ruby. Dunk River and Torrent River both lead to Truns. Each of them is on opposite ends of the kingdom.”

Nnenna blinked slowly, absorbing the information. Two rivers could take them to Truns. But which one had Ruth meant? If they chose wrong, there would be no time to make a second try. The kingdom was vast, and with guards on their tail, backtracking could be a disaster.

She stood frozen in place, trying to make sense of it all.

Ekene, noticing the blank look on her face, gently touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

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