They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System-Chapter 452: Why Are You Pretending To Protect Her?

If she was lying, she would eventually trip over her own web.

So, he decided to dig deeper, play dumb and observe her closely.

"You said Nnenna seduced Carl?" Arthur asked, tilting his head slightly, his voice as smooth and cold as glacier water.

Jana’s eyes widened, and she immediately plastered an innocent, hurt expression across her face, like someone falsely accused.

"I... I heard it from others," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly, just enough to tug at the heartstrings. "At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I truly wanted to be Nnenna’s friend. I mean, I admired her too..."

She looked down as if remembering some painful betrayal, then glanced back up, letting her lower lip quiver just a little.

"But then... I had to open my eyes," she said with a soft sigh. "It doesn’t feel good when your own friend tries to steal the love of your life, you know?" Her voice cracked delicately at the end, as though she were holding back tears.

The crowd gave soft gasps again. A few girls looked ready to cry for her. Some boys frowned at Nnenna, already jumping to conclusions. The drama was thick in the air now, and Jana’s performance was feeding it.

Arthur watched her carefully.

"I see," he replied, his tone flat, neutral.

No change in his expression. No sympathy. No anger. Just cold observation.

Jana’s heart sank slightly. She had expected something, a flicker of concern, a subtle glare at Nnenna, maybe even a hint of admiration. But she got nothing. Her innocent, pitiful act hadn’t cracked his ice at all.

He was still watching.

Still thinking.

And that... made her nervous.

"So... that’s what convinced you of the allegations?" Arthur asked, his tone still unreadably calm.

His expression didn’t shift. His hands stayed casually tucked in his pockets. But the quiet in his voice felt like the kind that came before a storm, too calm to trust.

Jana hesitated. She considered adding more, another tearful detail, another fabricated conversation, but something about Arthur’s stillness made her wary.

She couldn’t read him. At all.

That was dangerous.

The less she said, the safer she would be, right?

"They did," she replied simply, lowering her gaze, trying to look modest and wounded all at once.

Stephanie, standing proudly behind her, blinked in confusion. That was it?

She frowned, leaned in, and whispered, though not quietly enough.

"Tell him what Prince Carl told you about Nnenna."

Jana froze.

Her heart sank like a stone.

Stephanie, you absolute potato...

She tried to nudge her henchgirl to shut up, but it was too late.

Arthur had already heard it.

He turned his gaze fully on Jana now, his eyes sharper than before, like he was looking through her.

"What did Carl say about Nnenna?" he asked.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

Jana felt her stomach twist into knots. If there was a time to facepalm into another dimension, it was now.

Jana’s mind raced.

Those two are best friends... Surely, if Carl really disliked Nnenna, he would’ve said something to Arthur, right?

But the more she thought about it, the more a cold sweat formed at the back of her neck.

Carl never mentioned Nnenna.

Not once.

And that only meant one thing, he probably didn’t know her. Which also meant... he didn’t say anything bad about her.

Jana had made that part up.

But maybe, just maybe, that could work in her favor.

If Carl never said anything about Nnenna, then that means I can say whatever I want. No one can prove otherwise. Right?

She made up her mind quickly. Her expression softened, and she let her shoulders droop just a little, like she was carrying the weight of someone else’s shame.

"I... It’s nothing," she said softly, her voice trembling just enough to sound fragile. "I don’t want to say anything more that would hurt Nnenna’s reputation. I’m not that kind of person."

The crowd’s sympathy stirred.

"Aww..."

"She’s being so considerate, even after what Nnenna did..."

"So mature..."

Almost everyone felt a wave of sympathy rush over them.

"No... say it, Princess Jana," someone whispered.

"If Nnenna doesn’t want her reputation ruined, then she should try being a better person," another girl said, nudging her friend. "It’s not Jana’s fault. I would protect my boyfriend too."

"Even now, she’s still trying to be considerate of others... after everything she’s suffered," a boy added, arms crossed and brow furrowed. "No wonder Prince Carl fell for her."

"She’s got class," someone else muttered. "Didn’t drag Nnenna through the mud even when she had every reason to."

"You can tell she’s been raised well," an older student said with a slight nod. "Poise under pressure. That’s future queen material."

"This is so sad," a girl sniffled. "Imagine loving someone and then seeing another girl try to take him from you."

"Ugh, Nnenna really fooled us with that quiet act."

"I used to think she was cool, but now I’m not so sure..."

"She’s not even defending herself anymore. Must mean she’s guilty."

A mix of sympathy and judgment buzzed through the crowd like wildfire. Whispers turned to murmurs, and murmurs into quiet chatter, all swirling around one idea: Jana is really the victim here.

But Arthur wasn’t moved by the mediocre acting.

His eyes, cold and piercing, narrowed slightly. "If you were so considerate," he said calmly, "you wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place."

The words were quiet, but they hit like a slap across the face. The crowd flinched. Whispers that had once been sympathetic suddenly turned hesitant, uncertain.

"I heard you already said something like this before," Arthur continued, his tone sharpening like a blade. "In the year one lecture hall, wasn’t it?"

Jana’s expression stiffened.

"So why are you pretending to protect her now?" he asked, voice cool but cutting. "If you were truly concerned about her future, her reputation, you wouldn’t have planted the seed in everyone’s mind to begin with."

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