The World Is Mine For The Taking

I sank back into my seat, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. This negotiation was supposed to be straightforward—a quick exchange, a deal sealed by something as simple as flesh. I'd expected him to bite without hesitation, but I had clearly misjudged him. I'd misjudged everything.

Men with power were predictable—or so I thought. They always craved the same two things: wealth and women. That's why I came here tonight, ready to offer him my body as leverage. If he agreed to stop expanding his company into other countries, I would be his. If he saved the kingdom from danger—an uprising or an invasion—I would give myself to him again. I was prepared to sacrifice everything if it meant securing our survival.

I thought it would be enough. It had to be enough. Most men would have jumped at the chance, drunk on greed and lust. But not him. Faust didn't even flinch. Instead, he kept dragging this conversation on, spinning his web with care.
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"You're making this hard for me, Sir Faust," I said, trying to mask the frustration tightening in my chest. My voice, though calm, carried a weight that made the air feel heavier.

And it was true. His demands and relentless conditions were suffocating, like a noose tightening around my throat. The terms he laid out were dangerously tempting, designed to lure me in and ensnare me. If I gave in now, there would be no escape.

"I know my terms seem unreasonable," he said, his voice smooth but unyielding. His eyes, sharp as blades, didn't waver. "But I want to save this kingdom just as much as you do. And nothing will change unless you make me King, Princess."

I narrowed my eyes, my suspicion now fully on alert. "Why? Why do you think making you the King will somehow protect the kingdom?" I asked, my tone sharp but measured. "I have already identified the kingdom's weaknesses and have plans to fix them once I ascend the throne. I see no need for anyone else to take that role but me."

"You're overlooking more than you realize," he countered, leaning forward, his gaze intense. "Have you truly seen the whole picture? Or are you just keeping it afloat, patching holes as they appear? You haven't considered the bigger threats—like kidnappings and trafficking happening in the villages. Those people will be the first to die when the Empire invades. Slaughtered. Forgotten. Their dreams crushed. And the nobles? They won't lift a finger. They only care about fattening their purses."

Each word hit like a hammer, shattering the fragile confidence I had built.

"I… I've considered those things," I murmured, barely able to keep my voice steady. "But it's impossible to juggle everything. Keeping the kingdom from collapsing is already overwhelming. Sacrifices have to be made."

The admission burned. My father had turned a blind eye to so many atrocities—illegal trafficking, corruption, all of it. I swore I'd never become like him. But could I really save everyone? Could I bear the weight of both stabilizing the kingdom and protecting every life within its borders? The harsh truth loomed over me like a storm cloud. If an invasion came, the only thing I could do was fortify our defenses and hope it would be enough.

Faust's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. "Your thinking is unbefitting of a leader, Princess."

The words struck deep, a blow that left me breathless. Because he was right. And I had no response.

"You think that if the Empire invades, sacrifices are inevitable—that lives are just currency to buy survival. But, Princess, that logic is weak. Flawed. Death isn't a tool to trade. It's a gamble, and you've already bet more than you can afford." His voice, low and cold, carved through the silence like a blade. "The Empire doesn't need to play fair. They could storm in, slaughter everyone, burn it all to ash—and still win. You think survival is enough? It's not. Your mindset is too soft to lead. You talk about saving the Kingdom from your father, that lazy bastard who sits on his throne like a bloated parasite, fattening himself on wealth and letting a harem of women lick his toes. But your thinking? It's no better. You'd ruin the Kingdom just as easily. Maybe worse."

I clenched my fists, the weight of his words pressing down like a suffocating hand.

"And it's not just the Empire you'd face," he continued, unrelenting. "The people you cast aside, the ones you abandon in the name of survival—they'll turn on you. They'll fight back. A ruler who cuts their own people loose is no ruler at all. You pull up roots you should be nurturing? You don't deserve the throne."

His words hit like punches, each one stripping away any illusion I had left.

And, he was right.

If I abandoned the citizens relying on us to shield them from the Empire's wrath, they'd revolt. Their trust in us was already hanging by a thread, worn thin by the corruption of power-hungry nobles. I felt the truth of it clawing at me, even if I didn't want to admit it. I couldn't argue—not with him. Not with this.

"I know I don't have the right to dictate how a monarch should rule," he said, his voice softer but no less cutting. "But I know how fast a kingdom falls when the wrong person wears the crown."

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to steady. "So what are you suggesting?"

"It's simple," he said with a shrug. "I'll cover what you lack. Handle what you can't. And in return? I'll make sure you get what you want. That's all I'm asking."

His offer sounded... tempting. No, more than that—it sounded right. In this moment, in this mess, what he was suggesting felt like the only real option.

"But... I can't just hand the crown to someone," I said, my voice cracking under the weight of doubt. "I can't trust someone I barely know. Someone who—who I shouldn't trust."

"Maybe this will change your mind."

Then, reality itself seemed to twist.

"W-What...?"

Sir Faust's face... it melted. No, not melted—shifted, morphed, peeling away like an illusion dissolving into reality. Before my very eyes, it reformed into a face I knew well. Too well.

"I've just deactivated my illusion magic," he explained, removing the glasses perched on his nose. "But maybe you wouldn't recognize me because of the hair? Will this be enough, Princess?"

My heart stopped. "Leon...?"

It was him. Without a doubt. His face, his features—everything about him screamed Leon. The boy I'd met so few times, yet whose image had somehow burned itself into my memory.

The weakest student at the academy. The one everyone mocked for being skillless. And now, standing before me, was him.

"B-But... How?"

I tried to hold it together, clinging to composure like a lifeline. A princess, especially one aspiring to be Queen, couldn't afford to break in a negotiation. But this—this was too much.

Leon. The man who had saved the Kingdom. The owner of the Leonamon. And the boy everyone had dismissed as worthless.

I couldn't believe it.

***

Leon's POV

If I wanted to shatter the Princess, to truly snap her under the weight of this negotiation, I had to strip her of every ounce of control she clung to. She was gripping the rails of composure like her life depended on it, knuckles white, teeth clenched. One hard shove, and she'd go crashing down. And I was ready to deliver that shove.

"But... I can't just hand the crown to someone. I can't trust someone I barely know. Someone who—who I shouldn't trust."

The moment she spoke those words, I knew it was time to reveal myself. I wanted her to figure it out on her own, but she wasn't catching the hints. My subtle movements, the way I tapped my finger on the table—it was the same habit I had back at the Gold Dormitory. Back then, I'd always tapped with my index finger, a quiet rhythm I thought she might recognize. I was doing it now too.

But no. She didn't notice.

But, of course, she didn't. Why would she? To her, Leon was a nobody. A weakling. Useless. She never cared enough to notice the things I did. The truth is, Leon didn't matter to Princess Myrcella. She didn't need him. But she knew him. And that was all I needed. She might not know Christopher Faust, but she knew Leon.

So, I flipped the script. I shed Christopher and stepped back into Leon.

And that's when everything shifted.

"I've been using a simple illusion spell," I said, my voice calm. "It kept you from seeing the real me—and it's on Johanne outside, too. But only for you. If he walks in here, he'll still see Christopher Faust."

Her eyes widened, her voice trembling. "S-So, you're really Leon? The owner of Leonamon?" Her words came out shaky, but there was something else there. "C-Come to think of it, whenever Leonamon came up in conversation… it was always you I thought of. Now it all makes sense."

Good. At least I had left enough of an impression for her to piece things together.

"That's right. I am Leon." I let the words hang for a moment, watching as realization dawned in her eyes. "I don't have a last name. Just Leon. Most people know me as Christopher Faust, the leader of Leonamon—but that's just me in disguise."