They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System Chapter 669: At All Cost

"Review the cara footage," Nnenna said, turning away from the unconscious girl. "And search the castle for my personal maid."

There was a hint of worry in her voice she didn’t bother to hide. The poor girl might already be dead, and the thought made her stomach twist.

"Also, lock down the castle," Arthur added, his tone sharp with command. "Full security sweep. Every guard, every servant—no one leaves until they’re cleared."

"Yes, Princess. Yes, Prince Arthur," the guards answered in unison before moving swiftly to their assigned tasks.

The hallway fell silent again, leaving only the sound of boots fading down the corridor.

"Little Sweetie would’ve been a much better option," Nnenna suddenly said.

"Option?" Arthur raised a brow.

"For the person in charge of my affairs," she explained. "I an, she’s strong and smart."

Arthur sighed, patient with her as always. "Little Sweetie is strong enough to rank as a Sergeant Major. She can’t exactly play maid."

"That’s not my point." Nnenna shook her head. "I don’t need soone waiting on . I never had that, and I don’t see the need for one now. I just ant, I would feel more assured if soone stronger handled my affairs."

"Then you can relax," Arthur replied smoothly. "Soone stronger already is in charge of your affairs."

She blinked. "Who?"

He gave her that familiar look, half teasing, half serious. "Who do you think?"

Before she could respond, he was already switching gears. "Get ready. The eting still starts at eight sharp. The screening shouldn’t take too long."

He paused, his tone sharpening slightly. "Until then, I’m sending Little Sweetie to stay with you. Sothing tells your arrival here has already leaked to our enemies."

Before Nnenna could argue, Arthur had already pulled out his phone, dialing right there in front of her, clearly unwilling to leave her alone even for a second.

"Sir," Little Sweetie called once the phone connected.

"I heard what happened, I’m on my way."

"Where are you?"

"I had to supervise the increase of our defences in the North Valley," she explained quickly. "For so reason, the attacks there have increased since yesterday."

"Don’t co over," Arthur said suddenly.

Nnenna looked at him, the light from the hall reflecting her confusion.

"But sir, I’m done, I can—"

"I said don’t," Arthur repeated, more sternly this ti, not pleased that his orders were being questioned.

"Yes, sir," Little Sweetie replied quietly.

Arthur ended the call.

"You called her off?" Nnenna asked, not understanding why.

He didn’t reply at once. The silence in the hall felt heavy as she waited. He seed deep in thought.

"Stay in your room until soone familiar picks you up," he said at last. "Check for disguises before opening the door. I need to do sothing."

He started down the corridor, then paused.

"Don’t open the door for anyone else."

He disappeared into the elevator.

"Okay," Nnenna murmured, though she was now talking to the air.

I should be out there helping, she thought. He knows I can handle myself... but maybe helping isn’t the right move right now.

But if he went face to face with that thing without , and it was more prepared than in the arena that day, he would lose.

He would die.

The thought made her chest tighten. Her heart skipped a beat, and for a few seconds she had to steady her breathing.

She finally gave up and stepped into her room, closing the door behind her.

Hours crawled by. No one ca. No one called.

Then, at 9:07 a.m., there was a knock.

Finally, Nnenna exhaled, moving to her phone to check the cara feed.

Darius.

She paused, scanning carefully for any sign of disguise. None.

Good.

She hurried to open the door. Maybe he could finally tell her what was going on outside. The eting that was supposed to start at eight hadn’t, she was still here by nine.

"Finally, Darius, you’re here," she said gratefully as the door slid open.

"Hey," he greeted, offering a faint smile, but the carefree ease he usually carried was gone.

"Are you okay?" Nnenna asked. "What’s happening out there?"

Darius ran a hand through his hair, eyes dark with frustration.

"We have a mole," he said flatly. "Soone let in Reshmi soldiers, disguised as our own. It can’t be a coincidence that you ca yesterday and they’re here today."

He exhaled sharply. "Soone must’ve helped them infiltrate the castle under our noses."

"What do we do now?" Nnenna asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "What’s the plan?"

"Everyone’s being screened," Darius said quickly. "But we can’t be sure about anyone yet, so Arthur sent to bring you sowhere safer. We have to move fast. Co on."

"Okay."

Nnenna let the door slide closed and followed him down the hall toward the elevator. Once inside, Darius pressed the icon leading to the basent.

"Why the basent?" she asked, surprised.

"It’s safer," he replied shortly.

"Are you sure you’re alright?" Nnenna asked again, noticing how different he seed, his usual lightheartedness replaced by sothing tense and quiet.

"Oh, I’m fine, seriously," Darius said with a small laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. "It’s just... all these problems coming up at once. I just want it over with."

" too," Nnenna replied softly. " too."

The elevator finally reached the basent. They stepped out into a dim, wide space, bare concrete floors, long shadows stretching along the walls.

"They should really put more lights down here," Nnenna murmured, realizing she could barely see past a few ters.

Then again, she thought, no one ever cos here anyway. Maybe that was the point.

"Do I look for a switch?" Darius asked.

"No, no need," Nnenna said. "Maybe this is better. If soone passes by, they’ll think no one’s here."

"Good point," he said, setting down two chairs he found near the wall.

"So... what do we do now?" she asked again, glancing around the nearly empty hall.

"We wait," Darius replied, pulling one of the chairs closer and motioning for her to sit.

"Can’t we help with anything upstairs?" she asked, worry threading her voice. "If there are really moles, telling who’s real and who isn’t would be harder, but if we help, it’ll be so much easier."

"It will," Darius agreed, but his tone was flat. "Right now, your safety matters more. It would be compromised if you joined us."

He paused, staring at the concrete floor as if counting the words. "They didn’t co for anyone else. They ca for you. They ca to make sure the House of Friedrich falls."

Nnenna’s hand tightened around the edge of her chair. Darius’s voice dropped to a quieter, almost haunted level. "We must prevent death at all costs. We have to protect the last surviving mber of the Friedrich royal line. If that falls, it won’t only hit Elyndra or our neighbors, Prigrian, Riverum, and the smaller kingdoms, it will ripple across the continent. These three kingdoms hold our balance. If a war breaks out, millions could die. Children will starve. Cities will burn."

He looked up then, eyes eting hers. "We have to stop that. Whatever the cost."

Nnenna listened in silence. This was the first ti she had seen this side of Darius, the part weighed down by hard, terrible calculations. She hadn’t known he carried such thoughts, not just the easy jokes and lightness she had grown used to.

Everything Darius described, the chaos, the deaths, the suffering if Elyndra fell, was exactly what the Love System had once shown her. The sa nightmare. The sa reason she had pushed herself past her limits these past months. She didn’t want that world either.

"I never knew you carried such heavy worries," she began softly, understanding now the weight he bore behind his usual grin. "I think about those things too."

Her voice steadied, calm but sure. "That’s why I’ve been training nonstop, to get stronger, to make sure that future never happens."

Darius looked up, surprised. His eyes widened slightly as her words sank in, she wasn’t just fighting for herself; she was fighting for the sa peace he was desperate to protect.

"I would do anything... anything right," Nnenna added quietly, "to make sure that world never cos to pass."

At that, Darius exhaled, his shoulders easing for the first ti. The weight he had been carrying seed to shift, shared, lightened. A problem shared was truly a problem half solved.

"So," she said finally, a small but firm smile tugging at her lips, "if that ans sitting here till further instructions, then that’s what I’ll do. I’m sure if Arthur needs help, he’ll let us know..."

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Hey guys 👋

Sorry about missing yesterday’s update, I owe you one! To make it up to you, today’s Chapter will be longer than usual. We’re getting close to the end of this novel, and trust , you won’t want to miss what’s coming next!