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

Chapter 575: Did I Just Walk into a Trap??

Men and women in uniform moved briskly, voices low, papers exchanged, boots thudding on the floor. Not a single one paused to acknowledge her. No greetings, no bows. It was as if she were invisible.

And Rick, looming behind her, made no effort to correct them.

Nnenna’s lips curved in the faintest smile. Interesting.

After a quick sweep of the room, she turned sharply to face Rick. Her eyes were steady, her tone firm.

“Gather everyone involved in the investigation. Ten minutes. It’s almost nine o’clock. Anyone who misses this meeting can meet me in the dining hall at lunch. And I take, no excuses.”

She let the last two words fall like stones, each syllable carrying weight.

Rick’s brows furrowed. Dissatisfaction flickered across his face, but not alarm. They already had their “functional plan,” and he was banking on it.

“Your Highness,” he began cautiously, “protocol demands that you—”

“No excuses.”

Nnenna cut him off, her voice razor sharp. She took a step closer, tilting her chin up so her gaze met his squarely.

“Either you get them here,” she said slowly, every word deliberate, “or you follow protocol… and accept your punishment for defying a royal. Your princess.”

Her eyes, sharp as glass, locked onto the man who stood three times her size. And in that moment, Rick understood, she was not bluffing.

That’s unusual.

He was taken aback by her boldness. For a moment, his mind scrambled. This is vicious… in subtle ways? Using quiet methods to punish?

nonsense, Assistant Head Captain Elin’s voice spat in

Why hadn’t Daniel or Elin mentioned that she wasn’t a pushover? They

do I do? A flicker of worry stabbed through

in the crown prince’s inner circle.

earned this position with blood,

His Highness acknowledged

girl… threatening to punish him like some

hardened. The nerves faded. The more he thought, the clearer it became, if worse came to worse, they would simply cut her off. Deny her

if she couldn’t

the thought. One day, His Highness will thank me for this. Once he sees her for what she truly is, an ungrateful little pretender,

summon the others,”

been to fake obedience, to deflect

that was when they assumed Nnenna relied on subtle tricks. Since she had chosen to be direct, he decided it was better to match

through the onlookers in the lobby, his

swelled in his chest. His gaze swept across the large room, satisfied, before finally settling

Then his stomach dropped.

Too brightly. Almost as if she wanted him to

unease flickering, but there was no time to

Nnenna replied, stepping closer. Her dazzling

boot scraped the marble floor

something far beyond what he had heard in whispers or seen in her earlier defiance. Her aura pressed against him

be this

And then, unbidden, a single name slammed into his

Carl.

exactly what his highness was known for. That same terrifying blend of charm and menace, like a

out around the lobby as Rick stumbled

just retreat?” one