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

Chapter 480: The Henpecked Brother

"But you’re also...young. And when you’re young, it’s easy to think that caring about someone is enough reason to give them your heart."

Nnenna felt a small heat bloom in her cheeks, and she tried to look away, but Carl’s voice continued, low and even.

"Some people..." His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly, and Nnenna’s mind, just for an instant, flashed to Somto’s smile. "...their hearts aren’t free to catch. Maybe they’re already given to someone else. Or maybe they’re just not ready. Or maybe they will never be ready."

He paused to let that sink in.

"And unrequited love—"

Nnenna swallowed, a dull ache forming in her chest she hadn’t expected.

"—is the fastest way to destroy yourself," Carl finished, his tone softer, though no less serious. "It will eat at your confidence, distract you, make you second guess everything good you’ve built for yourself."

He leaned forward a little, emphasizing each word.

"That’s why I’m telling you now: Guard your heart."

Her lips parted, but she didn’t know what to say.

Carl lifted one brow, as if daring her to argue.

"I mean it," he went on, slipping effortlessly into a calm, patient lecture. "You’re in school. This is the time to build yourself, your mind, your resilience, your future. Romance...will come. But it can wait. You don’t need to decide what you feel about anyone until you’ve finished your studies. You can think you feel something now, but you need to be sure it’s not just...gratitude or admiration or loneliness."

Nnenna felt her throat tighten painfully.

What Carl was saying made sense.

Gratitude, admiration, loneliness.... was one of these the reason why she felt differently towards Somto?

If so, wouldn’t everything be completely one sided then?

What if...Somto doesn’t see me that way?

The thought struck her with such clarity she almost flinched.

What if...I’m just imagining it?

Something inside her seemed to sag.

Carl’s voice kept going, warm but relentless.

"I’m serious, Nnenna. I know you. You have the kind of heart that will pour everything into someone. And if they can’t, if they won’t, pour it back, you’ll only get hurt. And I won’t sit here watching that happen. So please, promise me..."

He waited, letting the weight of the moment settle between them.

"...that you’ll guard your heart until you’re ready. Until you’re done with school. And until you are absolutely sure it’s returned."

His gaze was gentle but unyielding.

Nnenna didn’t trust herself to look at him. She stared at her hands instead, a tremor in her voice when she finally spoke.

"...All right."

Carl felt a flicker of relief.

She sounded sad, sad enough that he believed she had really taken his warning to heart.

"Good," he said, softer now. "That’s all I ask."

Inside, he told himself he had done the right thing. That this was the only way to protect her.

He had no idea that in her own mind, Nnenna was simply mourning the possibility that Somto might never look at her the way she was starting to look at him, even if she wasn’t ready to call it love.

She wasn’t even sure what that word meant.

And in the quiet that followed, neither of them realized just how much they had both misunderstood.

"Is a driver coming to pick you up?" Carl asked, breaking the soft moment that had settled between them.

"No, no one is," she replied.

Of course not. Why am I not surprised?

"Then why didn’t you ask him to come back for you?" he asked again, this time with a little edge in his tone. "Do you want to walk home?"

"No."

"Then why didn’t you tell him to wait?" he repeated, a subtle beat between his words, his expression tightening. He wasn’t hiding it, he was clearly displeased she had ignored her own well being.

"I didn’t ask him to wait because I knew my henpecked big brother would take me home," she answered with a mischievous smile.

At first, Carl stared at her silently... then let out a resigned chuckle.

"Fine. Your henpecked big brother will take you home. Come on."

"I knew it!" Nnenna laughed, grabbing her bag and hurrying to catch up.

Carl glanced back at his office one last time, then turned and walked with Nnenna toward the school park where he had parked his car.

They made it through the castle’s main gate, and instead of stopping there, Carl continued driving her all the way up to the front of the main castle building, saving her the long walk from the gate to the castle itself. He didn’t mention it, but the small gesture spoke volumes.

As she unbuckled her seatbelt, he gave a quick nod. "Alright. You’re home."

She smiled. "Thanks, Carl." noveldrama

Without another word, he drove off. He hadn’t stopped by to say hi to Arthur, he would have, but he was swamped with work and already behind schedule.

Nnenna watched the taillights fade, then turned and headed inside.

Later that evening, after changing into her training clothes, she spent hours reviewing everything she had learned, morning drills, evening forms, her breathing techniques, repeating each move until her muscles burned.

Then she did Carl’s assignments, making sure she understood each concept and wasn’t just cramming them.

By the time she finally hit the bed, exhaustion pulled her under like a wave.

But still, at exactly 3 a.m., her eyes opened, clear, focused, and ready to face the day.

At exactly 3:30 a.m., Nnenna stepped onto the training grounds, feeling proud of herself. Surely, I’ve beaten him here today, she thought with a small smile.

Wishful thinking.

There he was, Arthur, already standing in the middle of the field, arms clasped behind his back, calm and composed as ever.

Nnenna blinked. "Do you even sleep?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Yesterday, he had shown up before 4 a.m. Today, he was here even earlier, thirty full minutes ahead of that.