They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 376: Is It Hot In Here Or...?

Chapter 376: Is It Hot In Here Or…?

How, despite everything, she didn’t want the music to stop.

She ignored that voice.

Whatever these feelings were, they couldn’t be anything else. She knew her heart. She knew what was right. And romance? With Somto?

Impossible.

She had no such feelings for him. She was sure of this.

She looked up briefly at him, at those sharp, unreadable eyes, and quickly looked away again.

Maybe it was just because she was unfamiliar with matters of men and women. No experience to help her see things clearer.

Maybe the consciousness that they weren’t really siblings by blood was more heightened whenever she was with Somto making her react weirdly even without being in love with him.

The music continued. The dance carried on. But inside her, a war of thoughts had just begun.

The music floated gently across the ballroom, slow and elegant, yet with every note, Nnenna’s heart pounded like war drums.

Her hand rested in Somto’s, her other lightly on his shoulder, and his hand remained firm and steady at her waist. Everything about their posture was correct, textbook ballroom form, but nothing about the feeling was.

Somto’s gaze was intense. He wasn’t smiling, not frowning either, just watching her with eyes that felt like they could see straight through every mask she wore. And that alone made Nnenna lose her footing.

She misstepped.

It was slight, barely a twitch of her foot out of sync, but before the thought of panic could register in her brain, Somto adjusted smoothly, guiding her back into rhythm like it was part of the choreography.

Her breath hitched.

Again, her palm started to sweat. She was never this clumsy. Never this shaky.

It’s him, she told herself again. It’s just his presence… that’s all.

But the same thing happened moments later. Her mind wandered, her heartbeat skipped at the way his hand pressed gently at her back to guide her through a turn, and her steps fumbled again.

Somto caught her.

His movements were flawless, so natural that no one in the crowd noticed anything out of place. The guests smiled and watched, charmed by the sibling dance. The livestream comment section poured out admiration.

@RegalGossips: The chemistry??! Can siblings even dance this well?

@Dance_Magic_101: Nahhh they floatin fr. This is royalty.

@OopsMyCrown: Either she’s nervous or I’m imagining that tension.

@SwordAndStilettos: Somto really dances like he leads armies.

@RoyalTeaSpiller: I’m sweating and I’m not even in the palace.

Nnenna could barely focus now. Every touch, every slight correction Somto made, every time he pulled her a little closer to keep the flow smooth, it only made her more nervous. She hated that her movements were slowly becoming dependent on his.

She was not dancing anymore.

He was dancing for her, shielding her, guiding her, carrying her through every step like he always knew she would trip.

I should’ve worked on my mentality first, she thought, frustrated. Why did I agree to this? I can’t even stand his aura right now.

It wasn’t like this in her mind. She had just wanted to help him, to save the dance, to ease the disappointment in the hall. But instead, she was falling apart under his quiet gaze and steady hand.

He wasn’t saying a word, but that somehow made it worse. The silence between them was filled with too many questions she didn’t want to answer.

She felt overwhelmed. Not just by the dance, but by the way he moved around her, silent, graceful, attentive. It was like he was always waiting for her to fall so he could catch her.

But that wasn’t what siblings were supposed to feel like, was it?

No.

Still… she clung tighter to him. Because if she slipped again, this time, she wasn’t sure she could catch herself.

The final note of the song rang through the air like the closing of a dream.

Somto slowed their movement with the rhythm, guiding Nnenna into the last smooth turn before gently bringing her back into a final pose, one hand in his, the other lightly placed on his chest.

They stood there for a moment, perfectly framed beneath the soft golden chandeliers of the ballroom. The crowd erupted into polite applause.

Nnenna immediately stepped back.

Not sharply, but quickly enough for anyone watching closely to see she was eager to put distance between herself and Somto. Her hand dropped from his, her eyes lowered, and she gave a brief nod before turning ever so slightly away.

She needed air.

Her chest was tight, not because of exertion, but because of that strange, persistent tension she still couldn’t name. She had danced, she had done her part, but being so close to him for so long had drained her.

Meanwhile, Somto remained standing where she left him.

His hand was still slightly outstretched, as if he hadn’t expected the dance to end so soon.

His gaze lingered on her back as she stepped away into the crowd, and though his expression was composed, there was a subtle downturn at the corner of his mouth. Regret? Longing? He wasn’t sure himself.

But the murmurs around the ballroom were far simpler.

“She’s more elegant than I thought,” one noble whispered.

“What a beautiful pair.” another added.

“Did you see the way he held her?” a woman giggled behind her fan. “He’s always so serious, who knew he had that kind of charm?”

Even some visiting royals nodded in silent approval.

And in the livestream comments, viewers were practically swooning:

@BallroomQueen: Somto and Nnenna ate. Left no crumbs.

@SiblingGoalsWho?: No cause THAT was chemistry. How strange!

@VelvetSteps_88: I’m sorry but why does this feel like a period drama slowburn romance??

@RoyalsUnfiltered: The grace. The poise. The elegance. My civilian feet could never.

@NnennaNation: She looked a little nervous but kept it together! Second princess slay!

@PrinceOfMyHeart: Somto looked like he didn’t want it to end. Someone give that man another song.

@PalaceCamPeep: Is it hot in here or just the tension?

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This is the ninth of the promised ten chapters 🥳

Read up!