The World Is Mine For The Taking

Zeruel's POV

After today's lectures finally ended…

"Zeruel," someone called out to me, their voice gentle but clear over the low hum of students packing up. I turned my head and saw her waving with that familiar playful smile. "Do you wanna come with us? We're planning to have a kind of girls' party today. Of course, only if you want to." she added, her tone softening just a bit.

Honestly… I could never really figure out what went on inside Princess Titania's head. Back in our first year at the academy, I remember thinking she was… different. Like someone wrapped in a kind of aura that warned me it was probably best not to get too close.

But right now, she felt so different from the person I'd first thought she was. And it wasn't just me—even everyone else seemed to think so, too.

They said she had changed.

I couldn't pinpoint exactly when that change happened… but if I had to guess, I'd say it must've started when Leon got together with her.

And thinking about it, it really didn't sound that far-fetched.

Because of that, a part of me thought it wouldn't hurt to go with her. But still… was it really okay for me to tag along?

"U-Um, is it really okay if I come with you?" I asked, my voice coming out smaller than I meant it to, my fingers fidgeting at my side.

"Of course you can," she said without missing a beat, her warm smile making it feel like sunlight on a chilly morning. "Didn't I already tell you that?"

"Y-Yes… I guess you did…" I mumbled, cheeks warming as I glanced away.

"Oh, Leon," Titania called out suddenly, turning as Leon was about to walk out of the lecture hall. "We're going to borrow Zeruel for a bit." she teased, her eyes glinting playfully.

"It's fine," Leon replied, his voice calm as always. "By the way, where exactly are you taking Zeruel?" he asked, sounding curious but not worried.

Titania's lips curled into this sly, mischievous smile that practically sparkled in her eyes. "Sorry, Leon, but that's a secret," she said, tilting her head. "It's a girls' thing, after all."

"I see…" Leon nodded, a faint grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Then he looked right at me, his eyes gentle. "Well, have fun, you guys." he said before turning and heading out.

He didn't question it at all… Leon really trusted Princess Titania that much.

"Alright then, shall we?" Titania said, turning back to me, her voice sounding almost like she couldn't wait to get going.

***

We made our way to the Gold Dormitory, walking side by side down hallways that felt strangely quieter than usual, until we finally reached Princess Titania's room.

As soon as she opened the door, I saw Miss Trill, Miss Yr, and Miss Isiliraiellyn were already there, all dressed in pajamas that somehow made them look even more effortlessly beautiful.

"Fufufu… I've brought Zeruel with me!" Titania announced, her voice lifting into a playful laugh as she stepped aside so they could see me.

All of them turned to look at me at once—and I swear my whole face went hot in an instant. I could feel my shoulders tense up, and before I realized it, I was fidgeting, not knowing what to do with my hands.

"Come here, Zeruel," Titania said, patting the spot next to her.

"O-Okay…" I mumbled, my voice catching just a little. I walked over and sat down beside them, trying to make myself smaller.

Honestly… I felt kind of out of place sitting there with them.

They were all so stunning in their own ways.

Miss Isiliraiellyn had this strange, almost mysterious beauty that felt ethereal—like it wasn't quite human, but it didn't take away from her charm.

Miss Trill radiated a bold, confident beauty that made her seem so sure of herself it was almost overwhelming.

And Miss Yr… she had this quiet, gentle beauty. Her soft expression made you instinctively want to protect her.

And then there was Princess Titania herself…

She was the type of beauty that turned heads without even trying—and sitting right next to her made me painfully aware of how average I must look in comparison. Even her posture, the way she sat, felt graceful.

"Oh, Myrcella isn't here yet?" Titania asked, glancing around the room with a hint of curiosity.

"She said she might be late," Miss Trill answered, stretching her legs out casually. "She's working on that report about her plan to make anyone to become a magic knight after graduation."

"She really works hard…" Titania murmured, her tone softening. "I wish I could help her, but she always says she can handle it herself… Still, I think she puts too much pressure on herself sometimes… Hmm… What about Johanne and Tris?"

"They said they might not be able to come at all—they're both pretty busy," Miss Trill explained, her tone a bit lighter. "But they did say they wanted to talk to Zeruel sometime, and they're happy she joined."

S-So even Princess Myrcella of Milham was coming… and Miss Johanne and Miss Tris were happy about me joining Leon's harem too?

Little by little, I felt like I was starting to see how everything worked.

All the women close to Leon seemed to really get along—or maybe they made the effort because they cared about not disappointing him. And since I was the newcomer, it felt like they were trying to make sure I didn't feel left out.

If that was really the case… then I wanted to try my best too.

"With that, how about we start the party, girls!?" Titania said, her voice rising with excitement that seemed to fill the room.

"Party!" Miss Isiliraiellyn echoed, her voice carrying this playful spark.

Even Miss Yr, who barely ever showed much expression, had a tiny smile on her face—and somehow, that was enough to tell she was excited too.

Then, Titania got up and walked over to her cupboard, opening it with a quiet clink of glass inside. When she turned back to us, she was holding a sleek bottle that looked fancy—just from the bottle, you could tell it was expensive.

"We'll start with this!" she announced, almost proudly. "It's Leonamon Wine!"

A-As expected… it really did look expensive. W-Was it really okay for me to drink something like that?

"What's wrong, Zeruel? Are you not good with alcohol?" Titania asked, tilting her head with that teasing smile still lingering.

"I-I've never even tasted alcohol before, so I'm kind of nervous…" I admitted, my fingers tightening together. "B-But more than that… is it really okay for me to have that? I-I mean, it looks really expensive…"

"Oh, it's expensive, alright," she said, chuckling softly. "But you don't have to worry. Leon has a lot of these lying around, so it's really not an issue. Besides, didn't I already tell you everything's fine? So you really don't need to worry about it."

W-Well… she did say that. And Leon was the owner of Leonamon, after all… so maybe it really was fine…

With that, we finally started to drink together.