They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 340: Even If It Meant Betraying Them

Chapter 340: Even If It Meant Betraying Them

It was the kind of betrayal that twisted the soul. Like Caesar and Brutus all over again. A dagger driven in by the very hand you trusted most.

John felt like the floor had been ripped out from under him.

“W–When…?” he stammered, barely getting the words out. His voice cracked as he turned to Karen, eyes trembling with disbelief. “Karen… you?”

His question hung in the air, heavy and shattering.

Karen didn’t answer. She looked away, her shoulders tight, trembling slightly. Her silence was louder than words.

But then

“WHEN?!”

John’s voice exploded through the throne room, like thunder cracking across the sky.

The sound bounced off the golden walls and echoed for what felt like forever. The entire throne room froze.

Karen flinched.

“I… I didn’t want to,” she finally whispered. Her voice was barely audible. “I didn’t want to, but I had to do it… to save our lives.”

The guilt in her tone was unmistakable.

“It was in Marka.”

Hearing this, John couldn’t help but think back, when would Karen have had the chance to betray them in Marka. Wasn’t that where they were chased after Nnenna’s fight video was posted online?

Marka.

————-

Flashback

Karen had just outrun the guards chasing after her, heard from Abuchi and turned off her phone. Her chest heaved with every breath as she sprinted through the narrow alleyways, the shadows of the evening cloaking her escape.

She turned a corner, almost free, when a tall man stepped out from the darkness and blocked her path.

“Move,” she snapped, trying to sidestep him. But the man shifted with her, blocking her again. Once. Twice. A third time.

She wasn’t a martial arts expert, but she was no pushover either. With no other option, she engaged him in a quick fight. That’s when she realized, he wasn’t normal.

His movements were sharp, precise. Too fast.

In less than a minute, she was pinned against the wall, his cold eyes locked onto hers.

“Who… are you?” she demanded, her voice shaky now. “What do you want?”

“I want to save your life,” the man said, his voice flat like ice.

Karen’s heart skipped. Save her life? Her mind raced.

“You’re heading to Purlit Kingdom, right?” he asked. “To save the former King and his family.”

Karen’s eyes widened. “W-What are you talking about?” she stammered, trying to mask the fear in her voice, trying to keep her expression blank.

But the man only smiled faintly, as if amused. “I’m talking about you people’s little plan back in Lionara,” he said. “There’s no need to deny it. We already know everything.”

How?! Karen’s mind screamed.

Her breath caught as a cold chill crept down her spine.

Just who was this man…? And what did he want with her?

“Who are you?” Karen asked, eyes narrowed, still struggling slightly in his grip.

“You’re not qualified to know,” the man replied, his tone calm… too calm.

He loosened his hold, letting her drop to the ground. She scrambled back, but he didn’t move toward her.

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” he said coolly. “You’ll discourage your team from going any further. But if they insist on heading to Purlit… you must report every single move they make.”

Karen’s breath hitched. “What?”

“Every plan. Every path. Every strategy. You’ll tell us all of it,” he continued, his eyes like frozen steel. “Only then will we consider sparing your lives.”

Karen forced a laugh, though it came out more shaky than defiant. “If you already know everything, why do you need me? Why can’t you just find that out yourselves?”

He stared at her, unblinking. “We can. But it’s much easier when the information comes from someone already on the inside. Someone like you.”

Karen’s heart thudded painfully in her chest.

“I hope you understand,” the man said, tilting his head slightly. “So… do we have a deal or not?”

A silence fell between them, thick with tension. Karen didn’t answer right away.

Her mind was screaming. Her hands trembled.

“You’re crazy,” Karen snapped, taking a step back. “You just came out of nowhere, talking nonsense and refusing to say who you are, and now you’re asking me if I want to make a deal?”

The man gave her a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “You’re a smart girl,” he said, completely ignoring her protest. “I trust you know what to do.”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small card, pressing it into her palm. Karen looked down. There was nothing on it except a phone number and a strange three digit code: ‘010.’

“If you want to save your team,” he said, voice now dangerously low and cold, “call this number when you’re alone.”

Karen’s fingers curled tightly around the card. Her heart was racing. Something about his tone made the air around her feel frozen.

“If you don’t,” the man continued, “none of you will make it back alive from this mission.”

A chill ran down her spine. She wanted to throw the card away, to call his bluff. But deep inside, she knew, he wasn’t joking.

He knew things… things he shouldn’t have known.

Karen stood there, paralyzed, trying to make sense of the storm in her mind. If they really knew so much, was their plan ever secret to begin with? Were they all just marching into a trap?

She had no answers.

The man gave her one last look and disappeared into the shadows, leaving her with nothing but fear, doubts… and a choice she didn’t want to make.

That evening, she arrived at River Torrent much later than the others.

Before Karen arrived, she had already made her decision.

She was going to protect the group, even if it meant betraying them.

But deep down, she wasn’t sure anymore. Was she really trying to save the team… or just herself?

On the journey, she started dropping hints. She tried to discourage them from continuing the mission, saying it was reckless, too risky.