They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 633: More and More Uncomfortable

“Secrets,” the singer's smooth voice rang out instantly. “What secrets are you hiding... don’t you know you'll

never get an answer if you don’t ask—"

“Absolutely not.” Carl jabbed the button so fast his finger slipped.

Another voice cthrough: “Don’t be afraid to face your fears... or you may lose what's worthwhile forev—"

“Seriously?!” Carl groaned and slapped it off completely. “Silence. Silence is good. Silence is perfect.”

From the passenger seat, Nnenna'’s lips twitched. “Even the radio’s on my side tonight.”

Arthur's gaze stayed locked on the window, but his jaw flexed once.

Carl glanced at the mirror nervously. “Coincidence. Total coincidence.”

Gosh, | do not want to be here right now, he lamented internally, gripping the wheel like it might save his life.

“Mm.” Nnenna leaned back, smirking at Arthur. “Unless the universe is trying to tell someone something.”

Arthur finally turned, his cold eyes landing on Carl. He didn’t say a word, but the air in the car dropped several

degrees.

Carl waved his hand frantically. “Nope. Don’t look at me. I'm just the driver. Like the seatbelt, here for safety, not

opinions. If | snap, we're all doomed.”

The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful. It was sharp, crackling, and Carl had the sinking feeling the rahad

been safer.

Not wasting a second once back at Riverum castle, the three boarded a night flight back to Prigrian, cutting the

long journey short with a private jet, just as they had when heading to Lionara.

By the next morning, Nnenna was already up and heading for training. No matter what storm circled between

her and Arthur, nothing was going to stop her from graduating early.

She arrived just on time, something Arthur always insisted on, though based on her discovery after analysing the

times she had spent with Arthur, she realised that he secretly preferred she didn’t push herself too much. He

wanted her well rested. Yet, there she was, standing tall.

“Good morning, sensei,” Nnenna greeted, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Feels like forever since | last trained

with you. Months, right? And this is the first tI'll be moving with my legs again. | can’t help but wonder... did

| lose sof my moves?” Her voice carried a nervous edge.

Arthur studied her carefully, then shook his head. “I doubt that.” His tone was calm, steady, almost reassuring.

“The brain remembers, especially movements you've drilled into yourself for years. You're not starting from

square one. You just need to get your feet back in sync with your mind.”

Nnenna exhaled slowly, nodding. “Okay then... let's see what I've got.”

“Let's begin with two hours of drills, then we'll see if you can still execute the standard moves,” Arthur said, his

usual cold tone snapping through the quiet training ground.

Nnenna exhaled sharply. “Two hours? You're really not going easy on me, huh?”

“Rust wears off faster under pressure,” Arthur replied without blinking.

She groaned but went along, starting with the basic stances, punches, and footwork. The first thirty minutes

were shaky, her balance wobbled, her kicks lacked height, and her timing faltered. Still, Arthur corrected her with

an almost unnerving patience, demonstrating the moves once, then again when she fumbled.

By the end of the drills, sweat clung to her hairline, but her rhythm was returning. She straightened, hands on

her knees, catching her breath.

Arthur studied her closely, his sharp eyes flicking from her steady stance to her breathing. “Not bad,” he

admitted quietly. “You're regaining coordination faster than | expected.”

Nnenna grinned despite her exhaustion. “So what now, sensei? Or are you givinga water break out of pity?”

Arthur ignored the tease, stepping forward. “Now we test standard moves. If you can’t execute them properly, all

those drills mean nothing.”

She rolled her eyes but squared up again. “Fine. Just don’t look so smug when | nail them.”

Nnenna adjusted her stance, taking a deep breath. She moved forward with a strike, only to stumble on her own

footing.

Arthur caught her wrist before she could topple completely. “Too fast,” he corrected calmly. “Your balance hasn't

caught up yet.”

“I knew it,” she muttered, biting her lip. “I'm rusty.”

“You're not rusty. You're... recalibrating.” He guided her back into position, his hands briefly steadying her

shoulders. He tried to act like it was routine correction, but his chest tightened at how close she was, how warm.

He pulled back faster than usual, forcing his expression back into ice.

Nnenna squinted at him. “You always look like a statue, but today you're blinking too much.”

Arthur froze for a second. “Focus,” he ordered, but his ears betrayed him with the faintest flush of red.

Nnenna’s brows drew together. She had becmore observant now. Picking up on subtle signs she had always

called nothing.

The sight of that faint red on that icy face made her chest feel unsteady. She forced a small, shaky laugh, like

she was trying to push away the tension. “Arthur... why do | feel like you're looking atdifferently?”

Silence.

For a heartbeat, the air thickened between them. Arthur turned his gaze away, retreating behind his cold mask,

but the slip had already happened. Nnenna’s chest tightened.

She couldn’t help but wonder...

She was sure she wanted his answer, but if it turned out to be what she suspected, nothing between them would

ever be the sagain. | keep asking him for answers, but am | ready for the consequences?

With unspoken questions hanging between them, they moved back into stance. The training continued. Every

tshe slipped, missing a block, turning too wide, he corrected her, patiently repeating the moves.

But the closer he had to get, the more awkward he became. When he adjusted her arm angle, his voice dipped

softer than usual. When he nudged her foot into alignment, his hand lingered half a second too long before he

snatched it back.

Nnenna felt it. And the more she noticed, the more she becuncomfortable.

At one point, she fell back on her butt after a failed kick. Arthur crouched in front of her immediately, worry

flashing across his face before he quickly masked it.

“I'm fine,” she said, rolling her eyes at her growing clumsiness. “I don’t need your help.” She added trying to

mask her own discomfort.

But Arthur wouldn't let it go.

“You could’'ve—" He began then stopped, exhaled, and simply offered his hand.

She eyed his hand, then his face. “You know, sometimes you're not as cold as you think, sensei.”

Arthur's jaw tightened. “Stand up.”

She took his hand anyway. They were cold, like his personality, but somehow hers were warming up. Arthur's

grip tightened, firmer than she expected, almost like he didn’t want to let go.

The longer it lingered, the heavier the air became. Finally, she tried to pull back, her chest prickling with unease,

but for a few seconds he still held on.

“A-Arthur?” she breathed, her voice trembling in a way that betrayed her. She never lost her cool, yet here she

was, nervous.

As if jolted awake, Arthur finally

released her, though the hesitation in

his fingers perayeie fepret ig (1

iy pd is ask snapped

i “"

back into place. “You should repeat

” f

that move,” he said flatly, as though

glossing over the elephant standing

right between them. The content is

on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

The rest of training went by with fewer mistakes. Nnenna started to feel her rhythm return, though every

correction made her more aware of him. By the tthey finished, she was sweating, not just from the drills.

Arthur cleared his throat. “That's enough for today. You have school to prepare for.”

“Right.” She grabbed her towel, trying not to stare at him, but the awkwardness was thick in the air. She finally

blurted, “You're weird today.”

He turned his back to her, masking everything in his usual icy exterior. “You're imagining things.”

She tilted her head, “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Arthur stiffened, saying nothing more as she walked out, leaving him standing there, fighting the war inside his

chest.

The first lecture of the day started

. . )

without Nnenna. She didn't even

bother showing upnEBac he

stipped’alay to a quiet corner of the

academy grounds, settling on the

grass beneath a sturdy old tree,

books spread across her lap. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

What was the point of sitting through year four lectures when, in terms of skill, she was already closer to a year

five student, and determined to graduate early?

Normally, such defiance would have landed her in trouble with the academy. But Nnenna wasn’t “normal.”

She had already proven herself a

genius on par with Arthur and his

circle, and with the Logynaoliote

Ene felupowEHU igures, the

academy could only look the other

way. In truth, they were just as

curious as anyone, could she actually

pull it off? The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Most doubted her. Moving through year one and the basic medical sciences of years two and three was one

thing...