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

Chapter 504: A Lack of a Head Start

Nnenna, sensing the growing storm, quickly shot Carl a pleading look, Stop. Please stop. Her eyes begged him to stop pushing Arthur’s buttons.

But before Carl could read her signals, Arthur cut in.

"Let’s begin," he said stiffly, like he was done trying to reason and had chosen to endure the circus.

Nnenna blinked, caught off guard by how quickly he changed direction. But when she saw him adjust his stance again, still that same casual pose like she posed no threat, she shook it off and moved to mirror him.

But of course, Carl wasn’t done.

"Wait, wait, wait." His voice rang out again, louder this time. "Begin what?"

Arthur didn’t answer. noveldrama

Carl leaned forward, suspicion growing in his voice. "Don’t tell me... you want her to fight you?"

"Problem?" Arthur asked flatly, eyes still locked on Nnenna like Carl hadn’t just spoken. He didn’t expect an answer, didn’t care for one either. He was already waiting for Nnenna to make her move.

He knew what he was doing. He didn’t need validation. Not from Carl. Not from anyone.

But of course, Carl wasn’t done.

"Yes, actually. I do have a problem," Carl said, unfazed. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair, every word dipped in sarcasm. "You’ve got, what? More than two decades of experience? And she’s only trained for a year. One year."

His voice was light, but the glare in his eyes was anything but.

"This fight isn’t fair!"

Tell me about it, Nnenna groaned inwardly, her eyes flicking from Carl to Arthur. Finally, someone said it out loud.

But no way was she voicing that. Not with Arthur standing right there like a mountain waiting to fall on her.

Beside Carl, Somto straightened slightly, giving a firm nod in agreement. Silent, but clear: He agreed too.

Arthur’s frown deepened. The veins at his temple were beginning to show. His patience was hanging by threads.

"It’s the best way to test her," he said tightly. "I’ve already set limits."

His tone was clipped, controlled, but the edge was impossible to miss.

"No. I still don’t agree to this," Carl said, voice rising with disapproval. "I didn’t come here to watch a one sided beatdown, especially not when the one getting crushed is my sister!"

That was it.

Arthur had tried. Truly, he had tried.

But he was done pretending to tolerate the two of them sitting there like they ran the place, like their opinions ruled over logic and years of experience.

"You two are clueless," he snapped, stepping forward.

His voice echoed across the training ground like a blade drawn from its sheath.

"I’ve done my research," he continued coldly. "Her opponents? They’re powerful. The best of their level. The strongest among them being Nicholas and Stephanie."

He gave them both a sharp look, daring them to interrupt.

"Those two grew up with elite instructors. Trained since childhood. They’ve had years to prepare for this."

He turned slightly, gaze falling on Nnenna now, but his words were still aimed at Carl and Somto.

"She came from a kingdom where martial arts isn’t even part of the school curriculum. She may be a princess, yes, but your parents," he pointed directly at Somto, "gave her zero foundation. No tutors. No training. Not even the basics."

The silence after that was loud.

Arthur’s voice lowered, but the intensity remained.

"She only started learning a year ago... One year. And now, she has to face year threes who’ve had at least ten or twelve years of nonstop training. You think it’ll be easy for her to stand on the same battlefield as them?"

Neither Carl nor Somto spoke. They couldn’t. The truth was brutal, and undeniable.

"Wake up!" Arthur’s voice rang out again, sharp and unwavering. "She’s already at a disadvantage. If I don’t push her now, she won’t be able to skip years, forget reaching her full potential."

His eyes held no trace of apology, only conviction.

Carl and Somto both went quiet.

Somto slowly turned to Carl, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. Arthur wasn’t just being harsh, he was being honest.

A painfully good point.

Even among Somto’s own siblings, those who showed interest were taught the basics of martial arts from a young age. It wasn’t advanced training, sure, but it was something. A head start.

Nnenna had none of that.

All because of the constant opposition, and Somto’s silence. His choice to not speak up, to not ruin his own carefully laid plans. To not expose her or make things worse for her.

If it hadn’t been for Lady Rose, Nnenna would still be stuck grappling with year one basics instead of nearing her exams.

Arthur was right.

Painfully, completely, right.

And so, without another word, the two young men stayed in their seats and simply... watched.

Seeing their silence, Arthur turned and walked back toward Nnenna. Quietly. Calmly. The storm of frustration in his steps was gone, but a deeper fire burned in his eyes now.

He was ready.

Arthur faced her squarely, his stance casual, unbothered, like this was just a warm up drill, not a duel.

But Nnenna wasn’t fooled.

Her heart pounded like a war drum.

He wasn’t playing.

This was her final test, the last step before her exams. Every lesson from the past five months plus would be judged right here. Right now.

She took a deep breath, grounded her feet, and nodded.

"Let’s begin," Arthur said.

Before she could even move, he blurred forward. A precise sweeping kick came from her blind side, she barely twisted away in time, but the second strike landed straight into her stomach.

Thud.

The breath was knocked out of her lungs. She stumbled back, gasping.

She hadn’t even seen that punch coming.

"Focus," Arthur said, calm but firm. "Predict your opponent. Read the center. Control the flow."

She gritted her teeth and came at him again with a flurry of mid range strikes, standard year three movements.