They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System Chapter 624: Something about Poisons and Knives

"Don’t use the past to judge your future brother in law," Darius advised, his tone serious for once, though his smile never left.

"Not even in your dreams," Arthur muttered from the side, cutting him down without effort.

"Fine, fine. I get it," Darius surrendered with a little shrug. "You need ti to see I’ve actually changed. But I an it, I’m serious this ti."

He leaned on the doorfra, his eyes shifting toward Carl. "Oh and Carl... Rember when I told you you’re seeing her only through the lens of family? You are doing that again. You’ve got to work on being one hundred percent objective. I get it, you love her, you want to protect her. But you treat her like a patient too often. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re always the personal doctor for everyone you consider family. I could never handle it."

Carl’s jaw tightened, but Darius pressed on, unusually steady.

"In this case, I think you still have work to do. Let her have so space. If you trust to do the job you actually hired for, I’ll talk to her tomorrow. What do you say?"

The request hung in the air. For once, Darius wasn’t acting on impulse, wasn’t barging in like he usually did. He was asking for permission. That alone surprised Carl and Arthur both.

It almost felt like Darius was trying to prove sothing, that he could be serious about Nnenna.

Carl exhaled slowly, weighing him, then gave a small nod. "Fine."

He turned, changing direction toward his own room. "See you guys later."

And with that, he left them standing there, Arthur quiet, Darius still smiling, but this ti with a trace of triumph in his eyes.

The next day.

No one saw even a shadow of Nnenna all morning. Not at breakfast, not even at training.

Finally, just a few hours before the funeral, Darius decided to pay her a visit. He walked up to her room, knocked on the door, silence. He knocked again, still no answer.

Frowning, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. From inside, the faint sound of her ringtone echoed. After a few seconds, it abruptly stopped.

"Put on silent, huh?" Darius muttered with a wry smile. Then, raising his voice, he said, "I know you’re in there, Nnenna. Who else would turn off the phone if you weren’t?"

"I’m okay," ca her muffled reply from inside.

"Well, I doubt that," Darius sighed, shaking his head as if she could see him. "And unless you can convince otherwise, which requires actually seeing you, I’m not leaving. I may not be serious most of the ti, but I don’t get paid for nothing. Don’t give Arthur a reason to fire . You know how those brothers of yours are."

There was a pause. Then Nnenna’s tired voice shot back, "I thought you wanted to leave in the first place. Sothing about escaping from poisons and knives? Getting fired should be an answer to your prayers."

Darius chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Touché. You do listen after all. I like that."

Switching tactics, he leaned against the doorfra and softened his voice. "Fine. If you won’t let your psychiatrist in... at least let your friend in. I’m entitled to that much in this friendship, aren’t I?" He added a playful lilt to his words, even faking a pitiful tone to tug at her sympathy.

"Mtchww..."

A sigh drifted from inside.

After a long minute, the faint sound of wheels rolled closer, then click, the lock turned.

Darius didn’t waste the chance. He pushed the door open quickly before she could change her mind. But before he could even step inside, Nnenna wheeled right past him without a glance.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked, confused.

"To visit an old friend," Nnenna replied, already moving down the hall.

"I thought we were going to talk?" he said, jogging to keep up.

"I never agreed to that." She shook her head. "All you said was you wanted to see and make sure I was fine. Well..." She stopped suddenly and spun her chair slightly toward him, forcing him to halt beside her.

She lifted her hand and pointed to her face. "See? No tears, no breakdown." Then she turned forward again and kept wheeling away.

Darius raised an eyebrow, a crooked, amused smile tugging at his lips. "I see." He quickened his steps to stay beside her. "Well then... I would like to et this old friend of yours."

"If you say so," Nnenna replied flatly, not slowing down.

They moved through the quiet halls, down into the servants’ quarters. Nnenna led the way with sharp familiarity while Darius followed close, realizing that if he lost sight of her for even a second, she might ditch him without a second thought.

After all, she hadn’t invited him to co along.

Finally, Nnenna stopped in front of a familiar door. To anyone else, it looked exactly like the rest, plain, unremarkable, but to her, it carried weight. She had been here enough tis to know it by heart.

She raised her hand and knocked, calm and certain.

Darius hung back, curious. A princess, in the servants’ quarters? That alone was strange. Most royals didn’t even acknowledge this wing of the castle, let alone know their way around it. Whoever she ca for had to be soone special.

A few minutes passed. No answer.

Nnenna knocked again, harder this ti.

The door creaked and pushed open with no resistance.

Her eyes widened.

Empty.

"It’s empty..." she whispered, her voice cracking. Then, without warning, she spun around sharply and wheeled off, leaving Darius blinking in confusion.

It only took him a second to recover before he rushed after her. He wasn’t about to lose her trail now, not when she was clearly chasing sothing important.

Back upstairs, Nnenna entered the kitchen. The air was warm, filled with the rich slls of food being prepared for the funeral guests.