The World Is Mine For The Taking

Elise's POV

It had been such a long time since I came back to this country.

After spending more than a month hidden away, I finally decided to return to that place. The underground. I thought it would just be a quiet trip back, but then… someone appeared before me. She stepped out of nowhere, introduced herself calmly as a member of the Shadows, and spoke words that made my heart skip a beat.

She said my brother, Leon, wanted to meet me.

The instant I heard that, a rush of warmth exploded in my chest. My heart raced so fast it almost hurt. Leon… he sought me out himself? My beloved brother? It was only natural that joy would well up inside me and it was overwhelming and uncontrollable. I felt like a child about to be reunited with someone they loved dearly. I couldn't stop the wide smile that tugged at my lips as I thought about finally throwing myself into his arms and hugging him with everything I had.

The woman who guided me introduced herself as Bernadette.

I had heard of the Shadows before—whispers of their existence as well as the stories of their power—but I had never realized Leon was their master. That fact alone shook me, though deep down it shouldn't have been surprising. He was Leon after all. It felt only right, only natural, that he would have people this loyal and this strong under his command.

Bernadette herself was proof of that. The aura she gave off was heavy, sharp, and commanding, like a blade unsheathed. Even without moving, she radiated power that made me instinctively straighten my back, reminding me just how terrifyingly capable Leon's subordinates were.

After some time walking, we finally arrived at a place.

When my eyes lifted to see the sign, my breath caught in my throat.

Leonamon.

The name rang in my head like an echo from the past. It had been so long since I last heard it. The last time was before I left for the demon continent. Seeing it again now felt unreal, almost like staring into a memory that had manifested itself right before me.

I always knew Leon was the one behind this company, but even so, standing here now, I still couldn't fully wrap my mind around the reality of it. How? How had he managed to build something of this scale?

A wave of shame prickled my chest. He was younger than me… yet here he was, surpassing me, creating things I never could. I should have been proud, and I was, but that pride was tangled with a bittersweet sting.

As soon as I stepped inside, my eyes widened at the sight before me.

The entire place was bustling with activity, people working with sharp focus and discipline. But what struck me the most wasn't the scale or the liveliness—it was the fact that every single person working here was a woman.

At first, I blinked, confused.

But then, a small laugh escaped me. Leon… of course. Was he building himself a harem here? It was so like him. He'd always been a ladies' man, and it suited him perfectly. And honestly, considering he had taken me as well, could I even be shocked anymore? No, not at all.

"Master is waiting for you in that garden," Bernadette said softly, almost reverently.

With her words guiding me, I moved forward, my steps a little faster, my heart beating harder with every second.

I finally reached the place she spoke of and stepped inside.

The air shifted instantly.

It wasn't a room—it was a garden.

And not just any garden. My eyes widened in awe the moment they took it in. It was lush, vibrant and alive with colors and scents that made the whole space feel like a sanctuary. Flowers bloomed in perfect harmony, vines climbed gracefully, and rare plants I had only seen in books were spread out as if this garden was the center of the world itself.

It was breathtaking.

Not even the gardens of royalty could compare to this place. Their carefully manicured displays looked lifeless in my memory compared to the raw, almost magical beauty before me now.

At the far end of this magnificent garden, I saw him.

Leon.

The man with the same jet-black hair as mine.

He stood there quietly, holding something close to him, his presence as commanding and natural as ever.

The moment he sensed me, he turned, and when his eyes met mine, I felt my breath hitch.

But then my gaze dropped to what he was carrying.

My eyes widened instantly.

"Is that…?"

"Her name is Kana," Leon said. His voice carried a calmness, a warmth I hadn't heard in so long. "She's my child."

My heart nearly burst from my chest. A joy unlike anything I had felt before swelled inside me, and for a moment I thought it would consume me. I couldn't even describe it properly—the emotion was just too strong.

The little child in his arms… she was radiant. Beautiful in a way words couldn't capture. So small, so delicate, yet brimming with life.

She was everything I wasn't. Pure, innocent, untouched by the blood and danger that defined me.

Her eyes—those were Leon's. Unmistakably his. But her hair… blonde, soft like strands of sunlight. She looked like she was carved straight out of innocence itself.

"Do you want to hold her?" Leon asked.

My throat tightened.

"I-Is it… really okay for me to hold her?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Of course," he said gently. "Kana's a very good girl. She's been sleeping quietly for a while now. But I'm sure if she sees you, she'll smile and reach out her hands for you."

I hesitated only for a moment before reaching out my arms, trembling slightly. Leon carefully transferred her into my embrace, and the instant her tiny body rested against my chest, I froze.

She was so light. So warm. So fragile.

I looked down at her, my eyes drinking in her face.

She was breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking.

It felt as though life itself had gifted the world something precious, something untouchable, in the middle of all the chaos and danger that surrounded us.

Holding her was like touching joy itself for the very first time. That was how she felt in my arms.

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. I didn't even understand why. Was it because this child was Leon's? Was it because she was a piece of him, created out of love? Whatever the reason, my heart couldn't hold it in.

Then, slowly, her eyelids fluttered open.

It was unsteady, almost hesitant, as if she was still trying to get used to the world around her.

Her tiny body shifted slightly, light as air against me.

"Uhee~…"

And then… she smiled.

The sweetest, most innocent smile I had ever seen in my life spread across her little face.

A smile that melted everything inside me in an instant.

"As I said," Leon's voice came, warm and certain, "she'll like you."