The World Is Mine For The Taking

The car finally rolled its way back into Leonamon, descending into the parking garage with a mechanical hum. The engine's quiet purr died down as the vehicle eased into its spot. With a click, I opened the door—and as soon as I stepped out, the familiar routine unfolded like a well-rehearsed ceremony. Two rows of women, lined up with military precision, bowed in perfect unison as if the very air around them was holding its breath in my presence.

"I swear, I'll never get used to this," Rose muttered, her voice low as her eyes swept across the bowing women. There was awe in her tone, but also discomfort, like she couldn't decide whether to be impressed or unsettled. She then turned toward me, her gaze sharpening. "By the way, you still haven't told me what Princess Myrcella meant when she mentioned that 'favor.' What was she talking about when she said you introduced yourself as a husband candidate?"

Well... it looked like there was no point in dodging it anymore. I let out a small sigh, my shoulders relaxing as I prepared myself. Might as well lay it out.

"Princess Myrcella is being arranged to marry the Emperor," I began. "The purpose is to reinforce the alliance between the two countries. But... Princess Myrcella suspects the whole thing is just a ploy. A trap dressed up as diplomacy. That's why she asked me to become her husband candidate. If I, the owner of Leonamon, step forward and offer to marry her, then it shifts the narrative. The King would likely see more value in choosing me over some unpredictable ruler who could be a threat to his kingdom."

Rose blinked. "So basically... you're actually going to marry her?"

"Marrying Princess Myrcella is a pretty solid plan," I replied, my lips curling slightly at the edges. "If I go through with it, it could put me in a position to become the King of this entire kingdom."

Rose frowned in confusion. "But wait... wouldn't you just end up as the Princess's consort?"

"Well," I said with a knowing look, "that depends on whether or not Princess Myrcella pulls off what she's planning."

Because what Myrcella intended wasn't a simple marriage of convenience. She was orchestrating a coup d'état... against her own father. Her aim was to claim the throne for herself. But it wasn't something she could do on willpower alone. She'd need allies... strong ones. She'd have to forge connections, secure trust across powerful nations and her own people, and gather vast amounts of funding. Even then, success wasn't guaranteed. Not even close. But if she played her cards right, her chances—at the very least—wouldn't be zero.

"Now then," I said, stepping ahead, my voice carrying a note of finality, "we just have to wait for their letters of approval to arrive."

***

Sendron's POV

That brat… That insufferable little bastard.

Who the fuck does he think he is? Just strutting into the Church like he owns the place, waving around that ridiculous modernization plan as if we were nothing but old relics to be swept aside. Has he no concept of respect? No sense of reverence for his elders? The arrogance he displayed… It wasn't just insulting, it was blasphemous. He dared to talk down to us. Us. High Priests.

He's going to regret ever crossing me.

I'll hire assassins—yes. Maybe slit his throat while he sleeps. Or better... I'll break him. Make him my slave. He's older than I usually go for, but he's not completely unappealing. After that? I'll uproot his entire business and burn it down until nothing's left but ashes.

As I twisted my face into a vile grimace, a young priest entered my chambers, interrupting my seething thoughts. In his hand, he held a sealed envelope.

"What is this?" I snapped.

"A letter for you, High Priest," he said, bowing his head with proper deference.

"A letter?" I arched an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. "From who?"

"The sender left no name," he replied.

I scowled as I stared at the envelope for a beat. Then, with a sharp motion, I snatched it from his hand.

"Once I've finished reading this," I said coldly, "ease yourself into my bedroom. Capisce?"

"Yes, High Priest," he answered obediently, backing away.

My fingers tore the seal open.

The first thing I read made my entire body freeze.

"Modernization is quite a good thing, huh? You can preserve moments like this and print them on paper."

My vision blurred for a second. My hands trembled.

Then I saw what was nestled inside the envelope, which were additional contents, tucked behind the letter. I pulled them out.

Photographs.

Photographs of me.

In compromising positions.

Me... kissing three young men, caught mid-act in sharp, undeniable detail. Their lips on mine. Their hands gripping my robes.

"W-Wha…!?" My voice cracked. My chest constricted. My blood ran cold.

Where the fuck did he get these!?

How the hell did he manage to take these pictures!?

My fingers fumbled, dropping one of the contents. A smaller slip of paper fluttered to the floor like a fallen leaf.

I picked it up.

"A High Priest doing some erotic things like these would be no High Priest at all, don't you think? Don't even think those are the only pictures I've got. I have plenty. And I could publish them online. If you don't know what the internet is, it's a place where, without lifting a finger, the pictures would spread—and spread—to everyone with a smartphone. And let me tell you… those pictures can't be burned. With one click, your entire career could come crashing down in a single, glorious collapse."

My knees nearly buckled. My hands were still shaking.

I was caught. Exposed. And worst of all… powerless.

I continued reading.

"I already knew you weren't going to accept my proposal," the letter read, its words practically slithering off the page. "So I sent these in advance. If you still refuse to comply, then every single picture I have will be released for the entire world to see."

My hands trembled uncontrollably, the letter rustling slightly with each shiver that crawled up my spine. My heart thumped against my chest, a dull, heavy drum of dread.

That damn brat… This was his doing.

I read further, and my blood turned to ice.

'P.S. Don't go thinking this is blackmail or anything like that. I'm just concerned for the citizens. If the country refuses to modernize while time moves forward like a raging current, then we'll all be left behind. I'm simply encouraging you to do the right thing and sign your name on that dotted line.'

My fingers slowly lowered the paper. My head dipped down, as though the weight of humiliation and fear had finally broken my posture. I stared blankly at the ornate rug beneath me, unable to muster a single word.

I'd been cornered. Played like a damned fiddle.

That man... he wasn't just bold... he was absolutely terrifying.

***

Riolan's POV

"W-What the...!?"

My voice cracked the silence as I stared wide-eyed at the letter trembling in my grasp.

Its contents weren't a request. It wasn't a suggestion. No... it was a demand. One that left no room for refusal.

It was commanding me to agree to that modernization plan… the one that brat from the company had proposed. The one I'd been planning to quietly delay until it vanished beneath bureaucracy.

But this… this wasn't politics.

It was a threat.

"This is you, isn't it? A High Priest visiting a place like that—do you think that's acceptable? Shouldn't a man of your rank, especially one who preaches celibacy, be holding himself to a higher standard? If so, then this is a clear violation of everything your order stands for."

Each word slammed into me like a hammer, striking deep, cracking the foundations of the image I had so carefully maintained.

And then I looked down at what else was in my hand. I was caught right as I was about to walk into a brothel. There would be no spinning this. There was no hiding from it.

It felt like the walls around me were caving in, pushing in on both sides, suffocating me, squeezing every ounce of composure from my body. My breath was shallow, my pulse racing in my ears like a warning bell.

Who the hell is that man?

***

Leon's POV

I had no doubt that those two crusty old fucks were probably signing those papers right now, their hands trembling as they read the letter I had Rose deliver straight to them.

They'd been untouchable for too long. High and mighty, moving like gods among insects just because they sat at the top of their crumbling institutions. Always getting away with whatever the fuck they pleased.

But now?

Now I held the cards.

I wondered, just for a moment, what their devoted followers would think—if they saw how corrupted, how filthy and disgusting those men really were beneath their holy robes. The very image of purity, shattered by a single truth.

If they so much as breathed in opposition, they'd collapse. One twitch, and they'd fall like dominoes.

And they knew it.

While I mused over my checkmate, my eyes slid toward Rose—more specifically, her ass swaying ever so slightly with each step she took beside me. I didn't hesitate. I reached out and gave it a firm squeeze.

She jolted, a visible shiver crawling through her back.

I leaned in.

"Help me celebrate my victory for today, Rose."