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

Chapter 502: Final Day of Training

That birthday ball had to happen.

And so, he sat quietly... and let the four of them take down Somto.

Now that Nnenna was shooting him SOS glances with those pleading eyes, Arthur felt a strange thrill stir in his chest. She was looking at him. Seeking his help. That alone made his heart skip.

But... he didn’t move.

It was selfish, he knew that. But for once, he let his heart win. Carl’s words from some years ago echoed in his mind "You can’t go wrong following your heart."

And for once in his life, Arthur chose to believe that. Not logic. Not calculation. Just this quiet, stubborn feeling in his chest.

Thanks to Ava, everything that used to feel hazy and confusing now had a little more clarity.

So he sat there, quietly pretending not to notice Nnenna’s cries for help... while enjoying the fact that her eyes were on him.

Time passed slowly.

It took hours, literal hours, for Nnenna to finally settle on a dress. Not because she was being picky, but because there were too many.

At some point, her soul just gave up.

She didn’t even care about the style or color anymore. As long as it fit, covered her body, and didn’t fall apart mid spin, it was good enough.

"A sack would do just fine... just spare me," she cried inside, wilting as the Queen turned yet another page of the endless catalog.

In those hours, everyone had remained in the dining hall, chatting and laughing, soaking in the rare moment of togetherness. It wasn’t often the whole gang was in the same place at once, especially on a weekend eve like this.

Arthur, however, wasn’t in such a good mood anymore.

For the past few hours, he had been quietly stealing glances at Nnenna. She looked utterly drained, barely holding up under his mother’s relentless enthusiasm. And as he watched the weariness settle deeper into her features, something tugged at his chest.

Especially when he remembered what tomorrow held.

Their final training session.

breaks, no exceptions. It was supposed to be tough. It had to be tough.

wouldn’t say a word, of course. She never complained. But

like that, Arthur

He would risk it.

He would speak up.

Ahem.

quiet sound of his throat clearing echoed through the dining hall louder than he expected. Conversations froze mid sentence. All heads turned toward him in surprise,

White looked up,

eyes and said plainly, "Mom...

But

she would get

was way

you can retire first," Queen White said breezily, then even added, "Goodnight," with a polite wave, right

Arthur’s eye twitched.

She completely misunderstood.

honestly, that was partly his

Ahem.

paused once more, turning

Nnenna has

blinked. Then her eyes

her chest like she hqd just remembered the girl had duties beyond dress fittings. "Nnenna, dear, you should get to bed now. You still have your final training tomorrow! And you’ll need to wake up early, unless you want

wait to

with tears of gratitude

you," she whispered to Arthur as she passed

was a

like me to send some snacks to your—" Queen White’s sentence cut off mid air as she turned to ask, only

"Huh. She must be really

smiled knowingly but didn’t say anything. One by one, they stretched, stood, and began