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?

Assistant Head Captain Elin’s voice spat in his memory.

hadn’t Daniel or Elin mentioned that she wasn’t a pushover? They must have underestimated her

worry stabbed through him. But slowly, after a few seconds, his

was Rick, the man in charge of training the guards, one of the strongest fighters in the crown prince’s inner circle. His rank might not shine next to the others, but right now, those others

position with blood,

His Highness acknowledged him

threatening to punish him like

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

if she couldn’t see

will thank me for this. Once he sees her for what she truly is,

summon the others,” Rick

original plan had been to fake obedience,

tricks. Since she had chosen to be direct, he decided it was better to match

agreement rippling through the onlookers in the lobby, his methods

His gaze swept across the large room, satisfied, before

Then his stomach dropped.

brightly. Almost as if she

trap? Rick wondered, unease flickering, but

stepping closer. Her

when his boot scraped the marble floor did he

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

this frightening while smiling

unbidden, a single

Carl.

highness was known for. That same terrifying blend of charm and menace, like a storm hidden behind

out around the

just retreat?”