They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 360: Saying Goodbye

Chapter 360: Saying Goodbye

They had all blended into the background, pretending to be ordinary guards when Ekene, Abuchi and the rest ordered them around.

But now… now they were in Lionara, in the shadows again, and the lines of loyalty were easier to walk. As much as they were standing before the Second Princess, they also had orders from someone ranked higher, the eldest prince.

And those orders couldn’t just be discarded.

One of the guards finally took a half step forward and bowed slightly, his voice low and respectful. “Second Princess, we understand. But we beg of you, please, don’t make things difficult for us.”

She raised a brow.

“We’re under direct command from the Eldest Prince. You know how he is. You’ve seen what he’s capable of. If we disobey him, we won’t just be reassigned, we’ll be replaced. Permanently.”

Nnenna stared at them, and for the first time… she paused. She hadn’t thought about them. About the consequences they would face for disobeying her brother. It wasn’t just about her pride or her independence anymore.

She sighed.

Nnenna knew this wasn’t going to end with just them backing off. Her eldest brother was too meticulous for that. These guards were his shadows, silent, skilled, and absolutely loyal. Fighting them wasn’t an option. Winning against even one of them was unlikely.

So, she went for the middle ground.

“How about this,” she offered, stopping and turning halfway. “You can follow me, but make sure you’re not seen. Stay out of sight. No one must know you’re there.”

She saw the slight twitch in one of their eyebrows. That confirmed it, her eldest brother did know what she had been up to before Purlit. And these guards probably did too.

The two of them nodded quickly, relieved. “Of course, Second Princess,” one murmured.

Nnenna didn’t wait for them to finish. She turned and strode forward confidently, already putting on her mask and pulling her cap low. The guards melted away, shadows that lingered just out of view but never far.

Her first stop was the old man’s shop, the one she had helped revive his business.

“Grandpa!” she called out gently as she entered the cozy store.

The old man looked up from behind his counter. His eyes squinted for a moment behind thick lenses, then widened slightly in recognition.

“Well, well,” he said with a chuckle, “you finally decided to visit me after so many months.”

There was no scolding in his voice, no coldness in his expression. Just warmth, patience, and a quiet understanding. That in itself made Nnenna’s heart ease a little.

He broke into a smile. “Come over here, let me have a good look at you.”

Nnenna stepped forward. He examined her closely. “You look malnourished. Haven’t you been eating?” he asked, frowning. “No, this shouldn’t be. I thought I told you that if you ever need anything, you should come to me,” the old man reprimanded gently.

Nnenna smiled helplessly. It wasn’t exactly due to a lack of food, it was more from having spent nearly a month in a forest during their mission. Some days, they hadn’t eaten anything at all. She didn’t want to explain too much, so she just let him fuss over her.

He fed her multiple plates of food. Fortunately, she hadn’t eaten before coming, or she might have ended up vomiting from how much she was served. She ate and ate, even more than usual. The old man’s cooking was better than before.

He watched her eat with a proud smile. Finally, when the meal was done, she brought up the reason she had come.

“Grandpa, I’m going off to school in a few days,” Nnenna said softly. “I just thought I should say goodbye.”

“Oh really?” the old man perked up. “Even if you go off to school, you’ll still be in this kingdom, right? You can visit anytime you want. And I can always send things to you to make sure you don’t go hungry in school,” he added with a warm smile.

“No, Grandpa,” Nnenna shook her head gently. “It’s outside this kingdom.”

The old man was visibly surprised. He had always thought she came from a humble background, but now she was going off to study in a university outside the kingdom?

Studying abroad? That was no small feat. He didn’t ask questions, he had never pried into her background. Maybe she had earned a scholarship, he thought to himself.

“Gosh,” he muttered. “So I’m not going to see you for months… probably years.”

Nnenna nodded. She was going to study across the seas, and she didn’t know when she would be back. If the university had been in the kingdom, she could have returned every few months. But now… it might not be so easy.

And even if it was a royal college located in another kingdom, she would still only be able to return a few times a year, talk less of going all the way across the seas to another continent.

The old man finally realized that this was much bigger than he had thought. But it had to be done. She deserved the best life had to offer, he concluded.

After spending a bit more time with him, Nnenna said farewell to his children as well. But the old man surprised her, he loaded her up with so many things and even handed her a huge envelope.

From the weight and feel alone, Nnenna could tell the money inside was quite a lot. She smiled but didn’t reject it. She knew his store was doing well now and he could most likely afford it.

Plus, she had a feeling that if she refused, he wouldn’t be happy, especially since he might not see her again for who knows how long.

She nodded gratefully and said, “Thank you, Grandpa… but here, let me give you my contact information before I go.”

They exchanged contact information. Nnenna felt strange doing so, it crossed her mind that the old man might not even be alive by the time she returned.