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

Chapter 557: There Was Nothing Left to Say

She had faltered at first, but only briefly. The concentration, the focus, the precision of her solutions... and when she credited him indirectly, a small nod, a quiet acknowledgment of his guidance, his chest had tightened. She trusts me.

That was the best feeling he had ever had in his entire life.

The arena. Stephanie’s smirk. The crowd leaning forward. Nnenna on the defensive, every skillful move of hers countered by Stephanie’s reach and strength. She had fallen once, countless times. But each time, she rose.

Her fists, her stance, her will, unyielding. Her resilience had been almost blinding in its clarity, and he had watched, clenched, aware of every hit she dodged, every strike she parried, every stumble she recovered from. She had not given in. Not once.

The cliff. The wind. The salt in the air. His grip tightening, not on the stone, not on the ledge, but on the memory of her, every fragment vivid and alive.

Her dance, her sleep, her words, her brilliance, her fight, they all intertwined into one truth: she would never break, not from fear, not from pressure. She was fire, and he was the shield.

The ground yawned beneath him, but the only thing real was her. Her safety. Her happiness. Every pulse of memory sharpened the resolve coiled in his chest.

I would give everything. My life, my strength, everything.

He inhaled sharply, wind biting his lungs. The memories swirled faster now, impossible to separate: her hand in his at the coronation, her head on his shoulder in the plane, her words spilling into the night, her brilliance in the strategy exam, her defiance in the arena. Each beat of memory fueled the certainty burning in him.

I would do anything. Anything. To keep her safe. To keep her happy. Even this. Even now.

And the edge of the cliff, whatever comes next, didn’t matter. Not when all he could see was her.

Somto’s gaze flicked to a rope suddenly dangling down the cliff, shimmering faintly in the dim light. Where did that come from??

He examined it carefully. Maybe there was a way out of this. The rope looked strong but instinct screamed at him: it wasn’t strong enough to support all three of them. His jaw tightened, and he felt the weight of his decision pressing against his chest like a vise.

Slowly, deliberately, his hand began to loosen from Arthur’s. The movement was almost imperceptible at first, but the tension between the two men was immediate.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, sharp and wary. "Somto... what are you doing?" His voice was calm, measured, but there was an edge to it, a quiet storm simmering beneath.

Somto didn’t answer. His focus was on the rope, on the void below, on the reality that he couldn’t risk all three lives. I’ll do whatever it takes... even if it costs me everything.

Arthur’s patience snapped. "DON’T YOU DARE LET GO!" His voice rose, cutting across the wind, carrying authority, fear, and unshakable insistence.

shout echoed down the cliff, catching Nnenna’s attention as she bent over immediately after she held

three of them swayed gently in the breeze, and she saw Somto’s hand slowly drift away from Arthur’s. Her stomach

voice was trembling, quivering with a mixture of

didn’t waver. Calm, sharp, unyielding. His voice was quiet, controlled, the steel in it cutting through the fear like a blade. "No. It will not hold

mingling with desperation. Tears threatened to

you have to trust me! If you let go... I won’t climb, Arthur won’t climb, none of us can

with disbelief, anger, and

this..." She leaned slightly forward,

time froze. The wind whistled around them. The rope swayed like

then, Somto let

from Arthur’s hand and disappeared into the thick, swirling mist below. The ocean waited far beneath, silent and endless. No sound traveled upward,

jagged with terror and grief. She pressed her face against her trembling arms,

the rope, knuckles white. He stared down into the mist, lips pressed into a hard line. "Somto..." His voice was low, heavy with fury and disbelief,

Her entire body trembled, not from cold, but from fear and helplessness. "I... I should’ve—" she whispered, voice breaking, choking back sobs she couldn’t hold

held her steady, grounding her trembling body with a firm hand, but even his calm, unwavering presence couldn’t fill the emptiness left by Somto’s

between life and death. The cliff seemed impossibly high, the void below infinite, and the silence thick with grief, fear, and the weight

wind rushing through the cliffside. Arthur’s chest heaved, but his eyes never left the spot

were white around the rope, and it wasn’t until minutes

was pale, frozen in shock. She didn’t

his voice was hoarse, low but

there, lips trembling, eyes locked on the mist below as if her

Not now. Without another word, he reached for the rope, hauling himself upward with quick, practiced movements. Then he

"I want to go down. Somto might still be alive, I have to

voice cracked, sharp

resistance was frantic,

move farther, didn’t push her

was heavy, pressing against his chest like stone, but he held it

sound of boots and armor clashing against stone echoed through the cliffs before Carl finally appeared, leading several key commanders with him. Relief

gaze unreadable. Beside him, Nnenna was crumpled on the ground, whether dazed or trembling with

Somto wasn’t there.

No. No,