The World Is Mine For The Taking

???'s POV

I have admired Lady Leonora ever since the very first moment I joined the imperial army. To someone like me—a daughter of a slave, born into chains and destined for nothing but servitude—I never imagined my life could change. All my life, I thought I would remain nothing more than property, something to be ordered around and used by those with power. That was the fate I had accepted. But then Lady Leonora appeared. She wasn't just anyone—she was one of the Emperor's closest aides, someone respected and feared. And yet, instead of passing me by like the rest of the world always did, she stopped. She looked at me. She saw something in me that I didn't even know existed.

"Do you want to join the army?" she asked.

At first, I didn't know what to say. I was skeptical—confused, even. Why would this powerful woman even bother with me? Why offer me such a thing? My thoughts were racing, full of doubt, suspicion, and fear. It felt natural to think like that. But even with all the uncertainty, I also felt something else… a gnawing realization. If I didn't take her hand, if I didn't follow her, then I really would have nowhere to go. No future. Nothing but a lifetime of being ordered around like a dog with no purpose.

Her hand stretched toward me, steady and certain, and in that moment, it looked less like an offer and more like salvation itself. That hand wasn't just skin and bone—it was a lifeline. A chance to crawl out from the dirt I was born into. I knew if I didn't take it, then my fate would consume me. But if I did… then maybe I could live for something more.

So I grabbed her hand.

The moment I did, she gave me a small, amused smile, her eyes gleaming with something I couldn't yet understand, and said softly, almost teasingly, "Good girl."

I didn't realize it at the time, but something inside me shifted that day. The world around me started to feel different, sharper, and clearer. I was becoming more in tune with everything—the air, the sounds, the way my heart beat faster in her presence. Just by holding her hand, I felt I had already defied the fate that had chained me since birth.

Not long after, she gave me knives to wield.

"Throw them," she said with that same knowing smile. "Aim for that target over there. Don't just hit it—make it a bull's-eye."

A bull's-eye… the very center. The mark of perfection. The target was so far away, and this was the first time I'd ever held throwing knives. My palms were sweating, my heart pounding. If I failed, I would look useless to her. But if I succeeded, maybe—just maybe—I could prove myself.

I steadied my breath. I raised the knife. And then I threw.

The blade cut through the air, whistling sharply before embedding itself right in the center. A bull's-eye. Then another. And another. All of them hit dead on, like I'd been born to do it.

Her laughter, soft and low, reached me. "Fufufu… very good. Even though you're only fifteen and you haven't awaken your ability yet, you managed to do something incredible. As expected, you really do have some game in you, don't you?"

I didn't fully understand her words, but that didn't matter. From that moment on, she began to train me in earnest. I learned the discipline of an assassin—the silent steps, the quick hands, the patience of waiting in the dark. I trained until my body obeyed without hesitation, until I could kill swiftly and cleanly. I mastered the basics, and then the advanced skills, honing them again and again until they became second nature.

Before I even realized it, I had become a weapon. A full-fledged assassin, capable of carrying out anything Lady Leonora commanded. An official, a lord, even a foreign ruler—I could end their lives before they even knew death was upon them.

Killing became second nature. Too natural. And that was how I earned the title of a master assassin, one feared for precision and swiftness.

Lady Leonora noticed everything. She praised me often. And those praises… they were everything to me. Every word from her was like sunlight warming the frozen wasteland of my heart. She was the one who had pulled me away from the miserable path I was born to, and I couldn't stop myself from feeling proud. I had strength now. I had the ability to destroy those who once mocked and hurt me.

To me, killing wasn't just a job anymore. It was salvation. If I hadn't learned to kill, I would still be chained, still be nothing. Killing freed me. Killing made me worth something. So now, whatever Lady Leonora asked of me, I accepted without hesitation.

One day, after I finished training, she came to me unexpectedly. She hadn't visited in an entire month, so the moment I saw her, my body moved on its own. I rushed to her like a loyal puppy desperate for attention.

"You really are a good girl, aren't you?" she said, smiling gently.

"Do you have a job for me, Lady Leonora?" I asked immediately, my voice betraying my excitement.

"Well, yes. A very important one, in fact."

If I had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously. A job meant worth. It meant importance. It meant I was useful again. And the more important the task, the greater the praise I could earn.

"What is it?" I asked, unable to hide the eagerness in my tone.

"You really are excited, aren't you?" she said with a soft laugh. Her expression turned warm—motherly, even. That smile of hers… it wrapped around me like a blanket. It was comforting in a way I didn't know I needed.

"Well, it's been a while since the last time you gave me such an important mission, Lady Leonora. Of course I'd be excited," I said.

"This one, though… it may be the most dangerous task I'll ever give you," she said slowly. "Are you sure you want to accept it? You don't have to. It's okay to refuse. If you don't take it, I'll give it to someone else."

Her words made my chest tighten. To refuse meant losing the chance to hear her praise. And that praise… I lived for it. I craved it. I wanted it more than anything else.

"I'll do it," I said firmly, without even a second of hesitation.

Her smile twisted then, curving into something darker. But I didn't mind. To me, it felt natural.

"Oh, I see. Well then…" she said softly.