The World Is Mine For The Taking

The cafeteria, usually alive with chatter and noise, had fallen into an eerie, almost suffocating silence. It felt unnatural, like the calm before a storm. If someone walked in without knowing the context, they'd probably turn tail and run, thinking something ominous was about to go down. Hell, even I might've done the same if I weren't in the thick of it.

The reason for the tension? The two leading candidates for the next student council president were sitting at the same table. Not just near each other—directly across, separated only by the table between them.

And yet, weirdly enough, neither of them spoke a word while eating. They just focused on their meals, radiating that regal air they were likely trained to exude since birth. I suppose that's the life of a princess—always composed, always maintaining appearances to avoid showing vulnerability in front of others. Since both of them hailed from their respective kingdoms, it made sense for them to act this way, especially toward each other.
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The tension in the room grew heavier with every passing second. I couldn't help but wonder how long they were planning to keep this charade up.

Once they finished eating, setting down their utensils and cups, Princess Myrcella finally broke the silence, her tone as smooth and practiced as ever.

"It's truly an honor to have the privilege of competing against you, Princess Titania," she said, her voice warm and diplomatic. "Though, calling it a competition might be a bit of a stretch. It's more of an election to decide who will lead next. Still, I must admit, I'm surprised at how much support you've garnered. You've changed so much."

Her smile seemed genuine, but there was something almost calculated about it.

"I haven't really changed that much, Princess Myrcella," Titania replied, her voice steady. "I'm still the same as I've always been. The only difference now is…" She suddenly latched onto me, clinging to my arm like a cicada. "Leon is with me."

Myrcella's gaze shifted to me, her expression soft but probing. "Leon must be quite the life-changer. I'd like to have a man like that in my life too."

"Too bad for you," Titania said with a smirk, holding me tighter. "Leon is one of a kind. You won't find another man like him anywhere."

Even Trill, sitting next to us, nodded in enthusiastic agreement, bouncing her head as if it were the gospel truth.

"I see," Myrcella said with a knowing smile. She turned her attention to Johanne, her knight, who had been silent until now. "As a man yourself, Johanne, would you agree with such a bold claim? That there's no one better than Leon?"

Johanne glanced at me, his expression thoughtful. "I can't say for certain," he admitted, his voice carrying a deep, commanding tone. "But from what I've seen, Leon must be an exceptional man to win the heart of Princess Titania. As a fellow man, I respect him deeply. In fact, if Leon were my younger brother, I'd enjoy training him with the sword. It'd be an honor."

His words caught me off guard, and I felt a slight heat rise to my face. Damn it, was I actually blushing?

"I agree with that assessment," Myrcella added, her eyes lingering on me. "In another life, I might have even pursued him as a lover."

At that, both Titania and Trill frowned slightly, their expressions darkening just enough for me to notice. It was surprising, honestly. Considering the situation we were in, where monogamy was clearly out of the picture, I didn't think they'd be this bothered. Then again, maybe it wasn't the idea of Myrcella joining my harem—it could've been something about her specifically that rubbed them the wrong way.

Myrcella chuckled softly, her laugh light and unbothered. "Don't worry," she said with a wave of her hand. "I'm not planning to steal Leon from either of you or anything like that."

Titania's eyes narrowed, her tone sharp but composed. "That's not the issue. I'm lenient enough to allow another woman into Leon's life—if she genuinely loves him. That's my only condition. But judging from your eyes, Princess Myrcella, I don't see any real affection for him there." Her words carried a subtle but biting edge. "If anything, I think you'd use him for political gain rather than love him for who he is."

That brought me back to the conversation I had with Princess Myrcella a while ago. She had mentioned that if I married her, she'd make me a King. Honestly, the offer was very tempting. Who wouldn't want that kind of power and status handed to them? But something about her made me hesitate. I didn't accept, not yet anyway. I couldn't figure out what was going on in her mind.

"Oh? So, if I simply pretend to be in love with Leon, I could join his harem too?" Myrcella teased, her words carrying a playful yet unsettling undertone.

Titania's glare could've cut through steel. "I'm not going to just hand Leon over to you."

"Fufufu… Well, it's good to know I have a chance, at least," Myrcella said with a sly smile. "Now then, we should be going. There's still a lot to prepare for the election. Good luck, Princess Titania."

"Good luck to you too, Princess Myrcella," Titania replied, her tone cool but civil.

The two of them exchanged a look that spoke volumes. Despite being rivals, there was an unspoken respect between them. It was almost admirable, like the kind of sportsmanship you'd see in a competition.

With that, Myrcella and Johanne turned and left, their departure finally allowing the cafeteria to breathe again. The oppressive tension dissipated, replaced by the familiar hum of life returning to the space.

***

Two hours before the election, I decided to skip class and head back to my dorm. Honestly, whether I attended or not didn't really matter. Irene had my attendance record under control, so it wasn't like skipping was going to mess up my grades. Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered going to school at all.

Since I still had time before the election, I decided to take a nap.

I set my alarm to wake me 30 minutes before the election started, giving myself a little time to get ready. Then, without a second thought, I crashed into bed and let sleep take over.

When the alarm blared an hour and a half later, I groggily rolled out of bed and started getting ready. There were still 30 minutes left before the election began, but I didn't want to cut it too close. After freshening up and dressing, I left my dorm room.

Stepping out of the bronze dorm building, I immediately noticed someone standing nearby.

"Oh, Leon! Are you heading to the gymnasium for the election? Want to go together?"

It was Johanne. I froze for a moment, caught off guard. Why the hell was she here? And, yeah, I said she. It was still a little weird thinking of Johanne like that. He—or rather, she—had been gender-bent, which made things… confusing.

Honestly, the whole situation with Johanne was a damn mystery. I'd even asked Gabrielle if gender-bending was a thing in this world, but so far, I hadn't gotten any clear answers. If this was a rare case, then Johanne might be the first one of her kind.

Judging by her expression, she'd been waiting for me for a while. She didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, so it was probably safe to humor her.

"Sure," I said, shrugging.

For some reason, Johanne had this weirdly happy smile on her face when I agreed to walk with her. It felt strange, honestly. Calling her she still messed with my head, considering she looked like a man. But since she was technically a woman now, it didn't feel right to call her he either. Yeah, sticking with she seemed like the best option.

"Isn't it surprising that we're almost done with the school year?" she asked out of nowhere, her tone casual but curious.

"I guess time does fly fast," I replied. "It feels unreal, honestly."

"You know, it's not too late to climb up to silver class," she said with a pointed look. "You could still make it if you tried."

It sounded like she was encouraging me to climb the ranks. Sure, I could do it without breaking a sweat if I wanted to, but honestly? I couldn't care less.

"I don't really care whether I'm in gold class or not," I said bluntly. "All I want is to graduate. Being a magic knight feels like it'd be suffocating as hell."

"Well, Professor Gabrielle did quit being a magic knight. Maybe the job wasn't what she'd expected. But I've heard it has its perks," Johanne said thoughtfully. "Still, I can't help but feel like there's some shady political stuff going on there. That's concerning, don't you think?"

She wasn't wrong. Politics and corruption seemed to worm their way into every organization, even the magic knights. It was one of the reasons I wasn't keen on that path. Thankfully, my own company was free of all that crap.

Then, out of nowhere, Johanne changed the subject.

"I have to apologize for what Princess Myrcella said earlier," she said, her voice softer.

"Huh? About what?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"The whole thing with her provoking Princess Titania. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm by it," she said, her tone apologetic.