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

Chapter 289: Dying on His Lips Chapter 289: Dying on His Lips The taxi cruised steadily along the wet roads, carrying the group toward Truns.

The border wasn’t far, Marka was a small kingdom, easy to pass through if you knew what you were doing.

They kept their heads down, the weight of what they had just gone through slowly settling in.

But they were moving.

That was all that mattered now.

Back at Ruby Airport, chaos had already begun to unravel.

The assistant stood in the center of the terminal, his phone clutched tightly in his hand, eyes wide with disbelief.

The third prince and second princess were gone.

Just… gone.

He had gone over the plane twice.

Every seat.

Every possible hiding place.

But there was no sign of them.

They had been tricked.

“Impossible,” he muttered under his breath, pacing as he redialed Interim King Obinna’s number for the third time.

The call connected.

“Well?” came Obinna’s voice, sharp and impatient.

“They’re not here,” the assistant said through gritted teeth, trying to stay calm.

“They weren’t on the flight.

We confirmed, their seats are empty.

They vanished.” There was a pause.

A dangerous pause.

“You’re telling me,” Obinna said slowly, “that my siblings disappeared into thin air, on your watch?” The assistant flinched.

“The flight made an emergency stop at Marka,” he explained quickly.

“We think that’s where they slipped away.” Obinna didn’t respond.

The silence said everything.

in private jets toward Marka,

they landed in

ground, reality

Marka was lawless.

Too lawless.

too wide for someone with

had no idea where

names, no addresses, no

searching for ghosts in a place that didn’t care who you

stood in the middle of the airstrip, drenched in

with the shame

were so close, just one step behind, but it might as well have been a world

earlier echoed in

not an option.” And yet,

On the other side of Marka, the group had reached the outskirts of the small

of the plan, but they were short on a few supplies they would definitely need for

without them wasn’t an

decided to

up,”

will open

He stepped out of the taxi and

about

money for the long drive, and the driver smiled

people, eh?” he chuckled, clearly amused by the odd bunch who had called a taxi

“No problem.

his taillights disappearing into the dark horizon, still grinning at

was quiet, dimly lit by the few flickering streetlamps and the faint glow of

breeze swept

around herself and

have to find a hotel,” she said,

not necessary,”

be a waste

could expose us.” He looked toward the east,

a few more hours

realize we’re in Marka,” Abuchi added,

“They’ll be searching everywhere.

Hotels, stations, checkpoints.

we could be seen or logged.” “He’s right,” John

is too risky.”

to

an unfamiliar kingdom, they found a quiet corner behind

and tense, but it was

on the low level concrete wall of the building, her fingers tracing small circles on her dress as she glanced at

was headed

a second, she