<h4>Chapter 601: More of a Relief</h4>


    Nnenna’s breath caught. "I don’t understand... what does this have to do with me?" she asked, genuinely taken aback.


    "Don’t you dare pretend you don’t know!" Cynthia scoffed, her eyes burning with usation.


    "Carl might not have loved me back all these years," Cynthia hissed, her voice trembling between rage and heartbreak, "but when you came into the picture almost two years ago... it sealed everything."


    She gripped the knife tighter, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "In the past, I would serve him in the dining hall and just watch him eat, quiet, peaceful moments I cherished. But since you came into his life, it’s been Nnenna this, Nnenna that, every breakfast, every lunch, every dinner. He wouldn’t shut up about you!"


    Nnenna’s throat tightened, but she kept her expression calm, watching Cynthia unravel.


    "I could see it in his eyes from the very first day he returned from Lionara," Cynthia continued bitterly. "He loves you. I stayed by his side for years, loyal, patient, rejecting suitors, waiting for him. And then he makes one trip to Lionara andes back with you already in his heart."


    Herugh was sharp, broken. "For goodness’ sake, he only knew you for a few months! And more than half that time, you were in aa! Yet he adopted you, gave you rights to the throne, prepared a special room just for you... waiting to bring you over."


    Cynthia’s eyes brimmed with fury and despair as her voice cracked. "What do you think that felt like, watching him hand over everything I had dreamed of, just because you appeared out of nowhere?"


    "When he finally settled here six months ago, I thought, finally," Cynthia spat, her voice breaking. "But no. For two months straight, you were all he thought of. You, who were miles away! I couldn’t evenpete with someone who wasn’t in the same kingdom."


    Her grip on the knife trembled, her eyes wild. "Then suddenly he’s rushing off to Prigrian because he’s worried about you. And when hees back? He’s more worried! He barely ate, barely slept, always working, and why? Surprise, surprise, it was because of you! Because of some big argument you two had!"


    Nnenna’s pulse hammered.


    "Then you show up three weeks ago," Cynthia’s voice cracked into a scream, "and start acting like you own the ce! I could try to make him forget you when you were far, but how do I do that when you’re near?!"


    She stepped closer to Carl’s bedside, her body trembling with rage. "I’ve known him my whole life! I literally grew up with him! What gives you the right to steal him from me?!"


    Nnenna froze, her breath caught. Carl... loves me?


    Her mind spun, piecing together every worried nce, every quiet gesture, every unexined sacrifice Carl had made for her. Of course he does... It suddenly made sense. I always knew.


    "Cynthia," Nnenna forced her voice steady, though her heart was racing, "I think you’re mistaken about this."


    "What?" Cynthia barked, her voice hoarse. "You’re going to deny it? You’ll keep pretending you and I share the same pain? That cowardly?" She let out a bitterugh. "I really don’t know what Carl sees in you."


    "No," Nnenna answered atst, her voice calm but firm. "Actually, I agree with you. But not in the way you think."


    Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. "Agree? So now you’re gloating? You got in months what I couldn’t get in years?" Her voice shook, like she expected Nnenna to smirk in triumph.


    But Nnenna only shook her head. "No. You’re wrong. Yes, Carl does love me... but not the way you think. He doesn’t have those kinds of feelings for me. He loves me like a little sister."


    Cynthia froze, confusion flickering in her eyes.


    "All those times he wouldn’t shut up about me?" Nnenna continued, almost amused because Cynthia’sints sounded exactly like Carl.


    "It’s because he was excited, excited to finally have someone he could call family again. You know what he’s been through. You grew up with him. You know how lonely he gets. For him, having me around isn’t about romance, it’s about relief. Comfort. Belonging."


    Cynthia’s lips trembled, but she didn’t lower the knife.


    "My being here never ruined your chance," Nnenna pressed gently. "Who knows what the future holds? Even if Carl never feels the way you wanted... you can still choose another path. You can still be better. You can still find someone who will love you for you."


    Her voice softened, steady as her eyes stayed locked on Cynthia’s. "But if you keep going down this path, it will only eat you alive. You’ll be miserable. Please... don’t do this. Drop the knife."


    "I’m not stupid," Cynthia snapped, her grip on the knife tightening. "So now your strategy is to lie to me?" Her voice rose, trembling with fury. "I see the way he looks at you. I see the way his eyes light up whenever he talks about you. And you’re trying to tell me that’s not real? That’s not love? You think I’m blind?"


    Nnenna frowned. She could tell, Cynthia wasn’t lying. She believed every word. But that was the problem. Cynthia didn’t want the truth. She only wanted the version that matched her obsession.


    Even nanny admitted she was afraid Carl might one day develop feelings for me, Nnenna thought quickly. But it was just a might. She wasn’t afraid of something that already existed, just of what could possibly happen in the future. Which means Cynthia’s wrong... Carl doesn’t love me that way. And he never will.


    It wasn’t a problem to Nnenna. It was more of a relief. Afterall, Somto was the only person she had loved even before she knew what that word meant.


    Her eyes locked on Cynthia’s trembling figure. But even if I say this, will she even listen?


    Nnenna exhaled slowly. "Looks like the truth won’t reach you, Cynthia. Not yet." She steadied her voice and tried a different angle.