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

Chapter 479: If She Falls For Him All The Way...

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, she rushed on, as if worried he was too polite to tell her the truth.

"I’m still learning," she said, her voice gathering strength, her hands curling lightly in her lap. "Trying to understand you better. We didn’t grow up together, like you did with Arthur and Somto. Or even Stephanie and Nicholas. I didn’t have a lifetime to figure you out."

She lifted her chin then, meeting his gaze with a quiet determination that stunned him.

"But we’re family now," she said firmly. "And every day, I’m consciously trying to understand you more. Little by little." She took a slow breath, as if to steady herself. "I know one day, we’ll be much closer than you are to any of those people who grew up with you."

Her voice softened at the end, threaded with something fragile but unshakable.

"Because I’m willing to understand my big brother."

For a long moment, the room felt hushed around them.

Carl looked at her, at the earnest hope in her eyes, and something inside him went so tender and pained he had to look away, just for a heartbeat.

He couldn’t tell her the truth. That he wasn’t angry. That he was proud of her, always. That he wished, selfishly, she would look at him first, before anyone else. That he was already closer to her than he had ever been to anyone.

But he could never say any of that.

So instead, he reached across the desk and lightly rested his hand over hers, warm, steady, a promise in the simplest form.

"No," he said finally, voice quiet but clear. "I’m not upset, Nnenna."

He gave her a small smile, gentler than any words.

"And you’re already doing better than you think."

He didn’t elaborate, because if he did, he might say too much.

And he had already promised himself he would always, always, protect her peace, even from his own heart.

Already, towards the end of her explanation, Carl couldn’t even find a trace of annoyance left in him. Just something quieter. He wasn’t sure what to call it, maybe a kind of ache, maybe just a weight that settled without warning.

The way she had looked at him, so earnest, so determined, it was impossible to feel anything but a quiet, bittersweet warmth.

She really means it, he thought. She wouldn’t lie to me.

And even if she had never said a word about it, her actions spoke louder. She was trying, every day, to meet him halfway.

He looked away for a brief second, as if to steady something that didn’t quite need steadying. Then he let out a small, slow breath.

Looks like we understand each other more than we think, he reflected.

But as comforting as that was, it didn’t soothe everything. Because one thought had begun circling in the back of his mind, refusing to leave:

Her likely feelings for Somto.

She’s going to get her heart broken if I let this continue, he thought grimly.

Somto had told him plainly, that night after his coronation, about the person he loved, someone who wasn’t Nnenna and never would be.

If she falls for him all the way...she’ll just be stuck.

His jaw tensed almost imperceptibly.

I can’t allow that, he decided.

But what could he do? It wasn’t as if he could dictate her heart. And she was clever, she would see through any overt interference.

I’ll need time, he admitted silently. Time to figure out the best way to guide her without forcing anything.

But for now, all he could do was plant a few careful seeds.

Nothing too obvious. Nothing that would make her suspicious.

He let the silence stretch a little longer, studying her face, the hope, the gentleness, the unguarded sincerity that made him feel both protective and painfully resigned.

Then he offered her another calm, reassuring smile, his tone soft as if he had already moved past any tension.

"...You know," he began lightly, "it’s good that you’re so observant, Nnenna."

His fingers tapped once against the closed notebook, a quiet emphasis.

"But sometimes, caring too much about understanding everyone can make you...vulnerable."

He lifted his gaze to meet hers, steady and warm, but edged with something that might have been caution, or perhaps the faintest trace of warning.

"Some people aren’t as simple as you think," he continued, voice casual but precise. "And their hearts aren’t always free to catch."

He let that linger, just long enough for her to wonder about it, then deliberately shifted his tone brighter, as if he hadn’t said anything unusual.

"But," he added, "I’m glad you’re trying to understand me."

His mouth curved into a real smile this time, gentler than before.

"Because I’m trying, too." noveldrama

He didn’t say more, because he knew he had already risked revealing too much.

But as he watched her take in his words, Carl quietly resolved that whatever happened, he would make sure she never had to walk through heartbreak alone, even if she never knew he was the one clearing the thorns from her path.

On the other hand, Nnenna felt utterly confused.

Her brows knitted as she watched Carl’s composed face. Around him, she had always felt safe enough to say exactly what was on her mind, so she didn’t even try to pretend she understood.

"I don’t understand, Carl," she admitted honestly, her voice soft. "Could you explain better what you meant by ’Some people aren’t as simple as you think. And their hearts aren’t always free to catch’?"

Carl met her gaze, steady and calm, but inwardly he sighed.

So perceptive...and so heartbreakingly innocent.

He hesitated, then set the pen down, folding his hands neatly over the closed book as if to signal that this was more important than any academic lesson.

"All right," he said quietly. "I’ll say it plainly."

He leaned back, studying her face with that thoughtful, older brother expression that always made her feel like she was twelve years old again.