They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 332: It’s Obvious She Loves Me, Not You

Chapter 332: It’s Obvious She Loves Me, Not You

But it didn’t last long.

Downstairs, the boys were already waiting. They looked sharper now, like people with a mission. Even John had cleaned up and seemed more grounded. Only Ekene kept stealing quiet glances at Nnenna when he thought no one noticed.

They regrouped outside the hotel.

Abuchi’s voice was steady. “We move now. We do everything we planned. No mistakes.”

Karen nodded. “Let’s finish what we started.”

Nnenna exhaled, her mind calculating every detail, routes, backup plans, what they might face. But still, she couldn’t stop the quiet thrum of fear in her chest.

As they turned and blended back into the Purlit crowd, one thought echoed in all their minds:

This is it.

In the castle not far from the hotel where the School of Five had lodged, a man burst urgently into the throne room, his footsteps echoing against the polished marble floor.

“Your Majesty,” he panted, bowing low with sweat clinging to his brow, “some suspicious people have entered the kingdom.”

For a moment, there was only silence. Then a voice, calm, cold, and sharp as a blade, cut through the room.

“I see.”

The voice came from a tall, robed figure seated on the throne, fingers steepled, face shadowed by a golden crown whose edges gleamed like daggers. His pupils were dark, sharp with the kind of cruelty that didn’t need magic to be terrifying.

“Give them the VIP treatment,” he said, his lips curling into a crooked, maniacal smirk.

The man flinched at the words, understanding all too well what “VIP” meant in this kingdom.

“Y-yes, Your Majesty,” he stammered and backed away quickly, avoiding eye contact, as if afraid that even one more second in the throne room might curse him.

The robed figure remained on the throne, still as a statue.

“So the game continues,” he whispered.

His hand slowly curled into a fist.

Back at the hotel, the group moved out under the dull glow of early morning. No words were exchanged, the tension was thick, almost suffocating.

The plan was simple, infiltrate the castle, rescue Ruth and her family, and disappear from Purlit like ghosts before anyone realized they had ever been there.

A secret post had outlined the inside of the castle. It would help them get inside undetected.

As they neared the outer fortress, the streets narrowed and the walls grew higher. With practiced ease, Abuchi led them into a tight alleyway just off the main road.

“Alright,” he said in a low voice, scanning the area. “Remember what we practiced.”

“I remember,” Nnenna whispered, nodding.

She, Ekene, and Karen ducked behind a row of overflowing dumpsters, blending with the shadows. The smell was awful, but they didn’t flinch. It was survival.

John and Abuchi remained out in the open. They were waiting for the signal from a girl they paid off.

A few seconds later, shouting.

“Hey! Stop there!” a guard barked. “Let me see your face!”

“She’s just a girl,” another said. “Let her go.”

The tension snapped like a drawn bowstring.

“You don’t talk about her like that!” Abuchi shouted, shoving John hard.

Then, CRACK! A punch landed. Loud. Raw.

“She’s the love of my life!” John roared, grabbing Abuchi’s shirt and glaring like a man possessed.

Behind the dumpster, Nnenna stiffened.

Karen blinked. “Whoa,” she muttered. “He’s really… into this.”

Ekene glanced between her and Nnenna. “That didn’t sound like acting.”

Nnenna said nothing, but her eyes narrowed slightly.

Karen scoffed, but something in her eyes flickered. The love of his life? No one had ever said that to her before. And even now, she couldn’t tell if he meant her… or if it was just part of the plan.

Abuchi, caught off guard by the intensity in John’s voice, stumbled back. Was he still acting? Because he had never imagined they were pretending to fight over a real girl, certainly not someone they both knew.

John’s fists were clenched, eyes wild. It didn’t look like performance anymore.

But when John caught Abuchi’s eyes, he gave the smallest signal, a shift of the brow, a flicker of intention, and Abuchi recovered instantly.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Abuchi sneered, rolling to his feet with a swagger. “It’s obvious she loves me and not you. Let it go, Johnny boy.”

He wore the smirk of a rich, spoiled heir used to having everything handed to him, including the girl.

John’s jaw tightened. He knew it was an act. He knew. But part of him wished it wasn’t. Part of him wanted to believe this whole charade was real, that she would pick him, just once.

Abuchi jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, toward a smaller side gate tucked beneath a stone arch. It wasn’t the main entrance, but it was a legitimate access point, unguarded and half forgotten.

Perfect.

“Hey!” came a gruff voice. “You two! Fighting in front of the king’s castle? Have you no respect?”

A castle guard stormed over, one hand on the hilt of his sword, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

But the two young men didn’t stop. They grappled and growled, rolling in the dust like wild dogs, ignoring the guard completely.

“Are you deaf?! I said stop!”

The guard strode forward, clearly annoyed. He threw a glance over his shoulder. “I’m going to break this up. Keep an eye on the gate,” he barked to his partner.

The second guard hesitated, still watching the fight like it was a tavern brawl turned personal.

“I said watch the gate!” the first guard snapped.

Reluctantly, the second nodded, but only half heartedly. The noise, the commotion, the sheer drama of the scuffle pulled at him.

The first guard tried to separate the boys, but John and Abuchi didn’t make it easy. Their strength was overwhelming, and their wrestling turned into a near brawl. Grunting, twisting, shouting, it was chaos.

The second guard finally cursed under his breath and stepped away from the gate.

That was the break the others needed.

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Happy New Month Guys! 🎉

This month, on the 18th, we’re participating on NovelFire’s 515 birthday program 🥳 Who’s excited??

On that day, we’ll be having a massive mass release of up to 10 chapters! I know I know, I’m awesome 😎

Listen, don’t make the mistake of missing it. Every chapter will be worth it!