They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System-Chapter 453 - 1001% Sure

The crowd went silent. That’s true... several people thought at once.

"She already said it back then," someone muttered.

"Yeah, she practically shouted it in public," another replied.

"If she didn’t want to ruin Nnenna’s future, she wouldn’t have spoken in front of everyone in the first place."

"That’s not kindness. That’s calculation."

Suddenly, the sympathy that had been swelling for Jana began to drain. Faces shifted from awe to doubt, admiration to suspicion.

Arthur’s gaze didn’t waver. His voice stayed calm, but the weight of his words pressed heavily in the air. "You said what you said. And it spread. In a place like Omniora Academy, where nobel’s opinion carries weight, it’s not a small thing to call someone seductress, manipulator, liar."

He stepped slightly forward.

"So if you’re going to pretend you care about protecting her, at least do us the courtesy of sticking to one version of the truth."

Jana’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.

The crowd began to waver. Doubt crept into their hearts. Maybe... maybe Jana wasn’t so innocent after all? Arthur’s cold voice had landed like thunder, shaking their confidence in the girl they were defending.

But then they looked at her again.

Jana’s eyes were glossy with unshed tears, her lips trembling like a delicate petal in the wind. She looked so heartbroken, so vulnerable, that many of them quickly brushed aside their suspicions. No, it couldn’t be that she was faking it... right?

"She must be acting this way because she’s worried Arthur might blacklist Nnenna," someone whispered. "That would destroy the poor girl’s future... marriage, career, everything."

"But isn’t she forgetting that Arthur and Carl are best friends?" another murmured. "He’ll find out the truth anyway."

Still, Jana’s silence seemed... odd.

Suddenly, a boy stepped forward, his eyes lingering on Jana a bit longer than necessary. There was a softness in his gaze that didn’t go unnoticed by those nearby, though he tried to mask it with a serious expression.

"Silly girl," he said with forced affection. "You can tell Prince Arthur. He’s not unreasonable. He’ll uphold justice for you."

He cleared his throat and looked around, trying not to appear too eager. "Besides, those two are best friends. If Prince Carl really said something, Prince Arthur is going to hear it eventually, isn’t he?"

There were a few nods. The crowd murmured in agreement, but Arthur’s expression didn’t change. His icy eyes were still locked on Jana.

Jana lowered her gaze, gripping her skirt tightly.

Jana gave a slow, reluctant nod, but deep down, she was relieved.

Finally.

Someone had given her the nudge she needed. That boy, ho clearly had a crush on her, had unknowingly rescued her from the awkward silence.

She didn’t mind. Let him think he was doing something noble. In her mind, she had already promoted him to her closest errand boy.

There were many others who admired her from the year twos, but he was the first to step out. That made him useful. novelbuddy-cσ๓

Now that she had a new boost of confidence, Jana lifted her chin and continued, her voice trembling just enough to sound believable.

"At that time... I refused to see Nnenna’s true colours," she began. "I thought she was my friend. But Prince Carl... he opened my eyes."

She glanced up at Arthur, trying to read his unreadable face before looking away again.

"He told me I shouldn’t get too close to her. He said she tried to seduce him, right after he showed her kindness just because Nnenna and i were classmates."

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"And... and it was around the same time Nnenna was almost shot by an arrow," Jana added, lowering her voice for dramatic effect.

Whispers spread instantly like wildfire.

"What?!"

"So it’s true?"

"Maybe she got into trouble and made it look like an accident..."

Jana pretended to look heartbroken. "I wanted to believe in her, I really did. But when Carl told me the truth, I couldn’t stay blind anymore."

She sniffed quietly, and just like that, the tide of sympathy began to shift again... though Arthur hadn’t said a single word.

He simply stared at her, his expression unreadable. But his silence didn’t mean he believed her. far from it.

Jana kept spinning her Web.

"He refused her offer," Jana said, her voice small, like she was barely holding back tears. "He said he was disgusted by her... then told me to stay away from her."

She looked down, as if reliving a painful memory. The crowd murmured in sympathy.

But Arthur simply nodded, slowly, silently.

Everyone watching took that nod as acceptance, as if he was silently agreeing with her heartbreaking tale.

But in truth, Arthur was nodding for a completely different reason.

Amazing.

Not because he believed her.

No. He was amazed at how flawlessly she lied.

This girl wasn’t just a manipulator, she had the poise of a seasoned con artist. Her tone, her expressions, the timing of her pauses... it was professional.

He had interrogated criminals who couldn’t spin tales this convincingly. Her lies were so smooth, they could dance.

But of course, none of that worked on him.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Nnenna seducing Carl? Ridiculous.

He could understand Carl not liking Nnenna romantically. After all, Carl had said before that he didn’t see her that way. But disgusted by her? No way.

Plus

Nnenna wasn’t the type to chase romance. And she had pride, grace, and a natural dignity. She wasn’t the kind to throw herself at a man, specially not Carl.

And even if Carl didn’t return her feelings, there would be no reason for him to feel disgusted. It simply didn’t add up.

When Ava first told him something was going on, he had been 80% sure this girl, Jana, was lying.

Now?

He was 1001% sure.

She was lying through her teeth.

Arthur’s expression didn’t change. But deep inside, he was already planning his next move to clear Nnenna’s name.

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