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

Chapter 563: I Think You Might Need This Chapter 563: I Think You Might Need This A little sister.

She had always told herself she was just another student to him, important, maybe, but not irreplaceable. Yet here he was, laying bare the truth she didn't know how to handle.

A few minutes of sober silence passed. Neither of them spoke. Nnenna's hands trembled by her side. She wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but the lump in her throat wouldn't let her.

Arthur finally broke the silence. "But since I can't change your mind..." His voice was steady again, though there was an edge of hesitation. "...could you do one thing forbefore you go?" Her curiosity flickered through the storm inside her. "What is it?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Arthur stared at her for a long moment, as if memorizing her face. Then, without a word, he stepped off the very high wall.

Nnenna's heart leapt into her throat. That fall, it would kill anyone! Her mouth opened to scream, but before the sound could leave her lips, he landed. Gracefully. Effortlessly.

She exhaled a shuddering breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Relief washed over her, but beneath it, her heart still twisted.

For the first time, she saw Arthur not just as her sensei, not just as a wall of unshakable strength, but as someone who needed her too.

And that... terrified her.

Arthur kept staring at her, struggling with words that refused to come. Finally, he just opened his arms. Nnenna froze. For a second, she hesitated, but then she stepped forward, letting herself sink into his hold. His arms tightened around her, steady but trembling faintly, as he let out a shaky breath against her hair.

Anyone who knew Arthur well enough would recognize it, he was afraid. Afraid of losing her now, after finally finding her again.

Yet even with that fear clawing at him, he didn't try to stop her. He didn't stand in her way. They stayed like that for minutes, silence wrapping around them, heavy but strangely soothing.

"I love you, Anastasia," Arthur murmured suddenly, his voice low and raw.

Nnenna's heart lurched. She tried to tilt her head to see his face, but he pressed her gently against his chest, not letting her look.

She stilled, shock fluttering through her. An I love you from Arthur was almost unthinkable. In fact, this was the first the had ever said those words to her, words that felt warm, protective... but with a weight she couldn't quite name.

Somto had once mentioned that Anastasia, little me, was Arthur's best friend. It must have been hard for him, realizing I was the one he had been searching for over ten years... only to face the possibility of losingagain.

Thinking about how she lost Somto, she could understand. For Arthur, little her had been like a younger sister. And even before he knew who she really was, he had already treated her that way.

So she opened her mouth. "I love you too, Arthur," she said softly. The words slipped out naturally, as comfortably as if she were saying them to Ava or Carl.

Arthur stiffened but gave no reply. His silence felt heavy, yet unreadable, and Nnenna couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

"You can go now," he said calmly, the solemnity in his voice gone, his tone so even, so detached, it was as though the man from moments ago had never even existed.

Nnenna nodded, gave him one last look, and then turned away. Her steps quickened, she was running late for the first part of her plan.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behind her. In seconds, Arthur caught up, falling into stride beside her. "I think you might need this," he said, slipping a folded piece of paper into her hand.

Nnenna unfolded it, her brows lifting as she scanned the contents. When she looked up, Arthur was already watching her.

For the first tever, he smiled, an unguarded, genuine smile. It wasn't the faint, polite curl of his lips she had seen on rare occasions. No, this one lit up his face, sharpening his already dazzling features until he looked almost otherworldly.

She froze, caught in a daze. Was this really Arthur? She had never imagined he could look like that, warm, alive. For a heartbeat she forgot the paper in her hand, forgot the plan, forgot everything.

And then, just like that, he turned around, the smile fading as he walked away without a word.

Nnenna stood rooted, staring after him long after his figure disappeared into the distance. Only when there was no trace of his back anymore did she blink out of her trance and remember. She was late.

At Prigrian's biggest airport, she hurried through the crowd, locating her flight to Reshmi After verifying her ticket, she boarded. Two hours later, the plane was in the air, carrying her toward her destination. On the plane, the paper crinkled faintly in her grip. She hadn't unfolded it again. The journey was long, but sleep refused to come, her mind restless.

Eventually, she gave up and leaned against the window, watching the endless clouds drift by like ghostly mountains.

Less than twenty four hours later, the plane touched down with a smooth jolt.

Nnenna disembarked with the rest of the passengers, and the moment she stepped into the arrival hall, her eyes widened.

The airport was vast and gleaming, a perfect blend of power and elegance.

Polished marble floors stretched om under soft golden lighting, towering glass walls revealed the kingdom's skyline in the distance, and giant digital billboards shifted between languages, announcing the might of one of the world's most powerful realms. Walking out of the airport doors, the air hit her, a warm, dry breeze carrying the faint scent of spice and fuel.

Outside, a massive fountain spiraled into the sky, and beyond it, highways gleamed with lines of sleek black cars, buses and taxis weaving through the city. The skyline rose like jagged steel mountains, crowned with skyscrapers that glittered beneath the sun.