They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 373: I Won’t Force You

Chapter 373: I Won’t Force You

Outside the grand coronation hall, the velvet lined doors closed behind them with a soft, echoing thud, silencing the murmurs and music of nobility within.

The torch lit hallway was quieter, cooler, but the tension between Abel and Jane burned hotter than ever.

Abel didn’t say a word at first. He just kept walking, his grip on Jane’s wrist firm but not rough, his jaw tight. Jane, still fuming, tried to shake him off.

“What are you doing?” she snapped. “You saw how she was eating and hiding, how can that be a princess?!”

Abel finally stopped and turned around, his eyes dark with something Jane rarely saw on his face, disappointment.

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” he said, his voice low but cutting. “That was the second princess. Nnenna. And you humiliated her, in front of the entire continent.”

Jane flinched.

“But, but I thought she was—”

“You thought?” Abel scoffed bitterly. “You thought, so you screamed at her like a market thug? You made a scene in the crown prince’s coronation ball, Jane. Do you even understand what that means?”

“I was just trying to help! I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble for bringing some, some impostor!”

Abel dragged a hand through his hair in frustration. “You weren’t helping anyone. You were loud, rude, and wrong. I regret ever letting you come.”

Jane’s eyes widened, stunned. “You… regret bringing me?”

He looked at her, no longer angry, but tired.

“Yes. I do.”

Jane took a step back, like the words had struck her physically. Her voice was smaller now. “You’ve never said that to me before.”

“Because you’ve never embarrassed me like this before,” Abel said, turning away. “You don’t listen. You never stop to look or think. You just act. And tonight, you humiliated yourself, and me.”

Behind them, the music of the coronation began to swell again, muted by the doors but still echoing with grandeur. Inside was a world Jane no longer belonged to. And for the first time, she felt it.

She bit her lip, shame crawling up her throat like bile. “I… didn’t mean to…”

But Abel was already walking away, not cruelly, but clearly done with the conversation.

Inside the coronation hall, the dazzling lights sparkled once more as the tension from the earlier commotion melted into whispers, then faded into the music and soft clinks of crystal.

The guests resumed mingling, assuming that whatever the Crown Prince had to deal with had been resolved privately.

But for Somto, it wasn’t over yet.

He took a slow breath and walked toward her, toward Nnenna. She was standing near a tall, golden pillar lined with climbing roses, clearly ready to disappear again. She hadn’t touched another bite of cake.

As soon as she sensed him approaching, her eyes flicked up, and her entire body tensed.

“Nnenna,” he said quietly, stopping just close enough for her to hear, yet far enough not to trap her. “May I have this dance… Princess Nnenna?”

His voice was calm, low, almost gentle, but there was something behind it. A hope.

Nnenna’s breath hitched. Her instinct screamed run. But before she could bolt again, Somto reached out, not to grab her, but to gently take her hand.

Their fingers touched.

The contact was light, respectful. But it burned with unspoken words.

Around them, the nobles continued chatting, sipping from crystal flutes, their curiosity momentarily piqued, was that the Crown Prince asking his sister to dance? That would be nice since he didn’t have a crown princess.

Then they brushed it off. They assumed it was just siblings talking, since they weren’t moving towards the dance floor. Maybe it was a casual chat to check if she was okay. After all, that brute girl was so uncultured. Nothing worth eavesdropping on. .

Nnenna stiffened, her nervousness almost drawing into her face.

She looked down at their joined hands, then up at his face. Somto’s expression was unreadable, but his eyes, his eyes were pleading.

It’s just a dance right, she told herself.

But it seemed like it wasn’t. Not to him.

And that’s what made it dangerous.

“I…” she began, voice barely a whisper, “I can’t.”

Her fingers began to pull away. The rejection stung more than she meant it to, and she saw it flash across his face.

He let go immediately, as if burned.

“Of course,” he said. His voice was even, but clipped. “I won’t force you.”

He turned away, his broad shoulders somehow heavier now as he stepped back into the crowd. Guests watched him curiously, waiting for the music to change, waiting for the Crown Prince to pick someone and lead the dance that would signal the beginning of the night’s true festivities.

But Somto did not stop at the dance floor.

He walked right past it.

And for the first time that night, the room fell quiet again, not from drama, but from disbelief.

Where was the Crown Prince going?

Was there… no first dance?

The orchestra faltered slightly, the conductor giving a confused gesture as the violins softened.

Once Somto gave the official instruction to the orchestra, there would be no first dance tonight, a quiet murmur ran through the hall.

Nnenna blinked.

Wait… what?

He actually… gave up?

She watched him walk away from the dance floor without looking back, his cape sweeping behind him like the tail of a storm cloud.

The musicians lowered their instruments one by one, glancing between each other, unsure whether they should resume playing something else or wait for further direction.

But Nnenna stood still, rooted to the spot, stunned.

She had expected Somto to insist.

To reason with her.

To push, at least a little.

But instead… he let her go.

Just like that.

A tight feeling settled in her chest, and it didn’t make sense. She was the one who avoided him. She was the one who said no. So why did it feel like she had been left behind?

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This is the sixth of the promised ten chapters 🥳

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