They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 366: Strange Girl

Chapter 366: Strange Girl

Her brother had always been an excellent judge of character, and Juliet trusted his instincts, even when she did not want to admit it.

Maybe she had miscalculated.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to let go of the whole revenge thing.

She turned on her heels and walked away before any of them could respond. She did not need their acceptance. As long as she did not run into Nnenna again, she would move on.

The three girls were left standing, stunned. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. But they didn’t dwell on it for long, they had somewhere to be.

They were off to celebrate Nnenna’s upcoming move to university, and time was short. She still had to pack.

Juliet’s half baked apology didn’t change much, but it didn’t ruin anything either.

They headed to a nearby restaurant and ordered quite a bit of food. Thankfully, Lilian and Kosi were genuinely hungry, it was their lunch break, after all.

Nnenna, on the other hand, could barely touch her meal. She had just eaten at the old man’s shop earlier, and her stomach was still full.

But that worked in her favor.

She kept her mask on the entire time, using her full belly as an excuse not to eat. Before now, she always had to awkwardly remove the mask while eating, then rush to cover her face again. Now, she could simply keep it on. No questions asked.

After their meal, Lilian and Kosi walked her part of the way, chatting and teasing her about university life, before bidding her farewell with warm hugs and promises to stay in touch. Nnenna smiled, waved, and turned back toward the castle.

But instead of taking the usual route, she took a longer path, through the lively market she had discovered the first day she exited through the castle’s hidden passage.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

The air buzzed with noise, vendors shouting, children laughing, the scent of roasted corn and fried plantains wafting through the air.

The colors were brighter somehow. Or maybe it was just the weight in her chest that made everything else feel more vivid.

So much had changed.

Would she ever come back to Lionara after school? Would this place still feel like home?

She wasn’t sure.

The queen barely looked at her. Her second and fourth brothers still treated her like she didn’t belong. And with the king, the person who adopted her, gone, the castle sometimes felt colder than it should.

She was grateful for everything… but deep down, she still felt like a stranger in someone else’s story.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to find a new story of her own.

Of course, Nnenna could never forget the newly built bond she now shared with her sister, her third brother, and the eldest. Those connections were precious, unexpected, but real.

But was that enough reason to stay in a place where she still didn’t feel like she truly belonged?

They could still be a part of her life, even if she didn’t return, right? She could stay in touch, visit now and then… distance didn’t have to end everything.

These thoughts swirled around her mind like a quiet storm as she strolled through the bustling streets of the market, lost in her own world.

Then

“Look out!”

The shout snapped her back to reality.

Without thinking, Nnenna leapt to the side just as a wild horse thundered past her, hooves pounding against the ground like drums of war. Dust flew up into the air, and before she could even breathe, the rider, a young woman, was flung off the saddle.

Nnenna gasped.

The woman hit the roadside hard, tumbling across the dirt. Nnenna didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward and knelt beside her, her hands careful as she assessed her condition. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice trembling a bit as she checked for injuries.

“I’m fine,” the young woman said, catching her breath and slowly sitting up. “Thanks for helping me.”

“You’re welcome,” Nnenna replied, still scanning her body for signs of pain. “What happened to your horse?”

The girl dusted herself off like nothing serious had just happened. “It just went wild. Got spooked or something. Maybe it’s blind in one eye, I don’t know.” She gave a small shrug. “Anyway, I should be going.”

Nnenna watched her walk off, just like that. Still in shock.

How could someone take a fall like that and walk away as if she had only stumbled on a pebble? No broken bones. No limping. Not even a scratch on her visible skin.

It was almost… unnatural.

Nnenna narrowed her eyes slightly, heart still racing. That wasn’t normal. Not at all.

The only thing Nnenna knew that could cause strange behavior like this was the Love System. But she didn’t have time to think more about it, something happened right in front of her eyes.

One of the onlookers, a man who had been walking nearby, suddenly turned with a scowl on his face and shoved the person in front of him.

“Move your big head out of the way!” he snapped rudely.

The man he pushed turned around, clearly surprised. He looked like he was about to respond calmly, but the moment their eyes met, his expression twisted into one of pure irritation. Whatever he had planned to say changed completely.

“If you can’t see properly, maybe it’s because you and your ancestors are all dwarfs!” he snapped back.

Gasps echoed from nearby.

That hit a nerve. The first man’s eyes widened in fury. His height was a sore spot, everyone in the area knew that.

“I may not be tall,” he growled, stepping forward, “but who doesn’t know you’re all back and no bite!”

The taller man smirked. “At least I’m tall enough to be seen. And thanks for admitting you’re an animal, you said you are ‘ferocious,’ didn’t you?”

He burst into laughter, mocking him.

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