The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1189 - 182 - Myrcella’s Plan (2)

Senior Artemis and I decided to meet at one of Leonamon’s cake shops, the kind tucked just far enough away from the main street that it felt quieter than it really was. The air inside smelled warm and sweet, like sugar that had just begun to caramelize, and there was a faint hint of butter lingering in the background. The clink of plates and the low hum of conversation formed a soft backdrop that made the place feel oddly intimate, despite being open to the public.

It had been a while since the last time I’d seen her.

"It’s been a while," I said, breaking the silence as she settled into the chair across from me.

She looked the same as ever—calm, composed, and effortlessly confident.

And yet... something was different.

I couldn’t put my finger on it right away, but as my eyes lingered a little longer than they probably should have, I started to notice it. Her posture was relaxed, but not careless. Her movements were smooth and practiced, like she was fully aware of how she occupied space. When she crossed her legs, there was a quiet confidence to it that made my gaze drift without permission.

She had... changed.

It felt like she’d been upgraded in ways I never thought possible.

Her hips were wider than I remembered. They were full enough to draw attention without trying to. And beyond that, there was a certain seductiveness clinging to her presence. Not the obvious kind. Not something loud or intentional. It was subtle, the kind that crept up on you only after you’d already noticed it.

The kind that made you wonder when it had started.

"Yeah. It’s been a while, Princess Myrcella," she said, offering a small smile. "I’m sorry. I heard about your father’s passing."

The warmth in her voice softened the moment.

"It’s fine," I replied. I’d said them enough times by now that they came out automatically.

She nodded once, acknowledging it without pressing further.

Then, almost immediately, her expression brightened, as if she’d deliberately shaken off the heaviness.

"Oh—on a much more positive note," she said, leaning forward slightly, "I heard you also became one of Leon’s women."

Her eyes sparkled with something between curiosity and amusement.

"That honestly surprised me," she continued. "I didn’t expect you to fall into the clutches of that serial womanizer. But I guess Leon really does have his way with women."

I let out a small breath through my nose.

She wasn’t wrong.

Apparently, Senior Artemis was also one of Leon’s women.

Hearing it out loud still felt strange, even though it made perfect sense. When you thought about Leon—his presence, his confidence, and the way he naturally drew people in—it was almost ridiculous to think he wouldn’t have noticed her. She was, without exaggeration, one of the most honestly beautiful women I’d ever known. The kind people admired quietly, because staring too openly felt rude.

She deserved to be called sought-after.

"So?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "How was your sex with Leon?"

My breath hitched.

I felt the heat rush to my face before I could stop it. The realization that we were having this conversation—this conversation—right here, in public, made my thoughts tangle all at once. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I pressed my palms against my cheeks, trying to cool them down, but it only made me more aware of how flushed I was.

"It was always amazing..." I admitted, my voice softer than I intended. I could feel my face burning as the words left my mouth.

Her lips curled into a knowing smirk.

"Leon really is amazing, isn’t he?" she said. "So amazing that it feels like you can rely on him for everything. Like if you just leave things to him, all your worries will disappear."

The way she said it—casual and almost fond—hit closer than I expected.

That was right.

That had always been how it felt.

Leon was the kind of person you could rest your head against, even metaphorically, and he’d carry you the entire way without complaint. Someone who made you feel like things would work out simply because he was there. You didn’t have to constantly look over your shoulder or plan ten steps ahead.

"Well... he really is amazing," I said quietly.

For a moment, she just looked at me.

Then her expression shifted.

The playful edge faded, replaced by something sharper and more focused.

"I already heard from Leon about what you’re trying to do at the academy," she said. "You want to change the graduation system. You want all cadets who graduate to become magic knights, not just those who make it into the Gold Class."

I straightened slightly, instinctively bracing myself.

"To be honest," she continued, her tone calm but firm, "I think what you’re trying to do is almost impossible."

She didn’t say it cruelly. If anything, she sounded concerned.

"You’re trying to tear down a tradition that’s been around for over a hundred years," she went on. "That kind of system doesn’t bend easily. It’s deeply rooted, not just in rules, but in how people think."

She paused, letting the words settle.

"Unless people actively want change, the academy won’t move just because you say so. You can’t overturn something like that on a whim. Two years of effort won’t be enough."

I already knew all of that.

Breaking something that had been established for over a century was never going to be easy. It wasn’t just paperwork or regulations—it was belief. Pride. Habit. The idea that this was how things had always been done, and therefore how they should remain.

And naturally, it would raise questions.

There were complications layered on top of complications. Politics, reputation, expectations from both students and faculty alike. Still, even knowing all that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be something we could do.

"Then why not think of another way?" Senior Artemis suggested.

I looked up at her.

"Instead of changing the tradition itself, why not bend the rules?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Rather than trying to rewrite the entire system," she said, "look for a method that works within it. Find a way to adjust how cadets graduate without destroying the tradition itself."

She folded her hands together on the table.

"It’s still difficult," she added. "But compared to what you’re trying to do now, your chances would be much higher."

She was right.

Painfully right.

If I stopped fixating on forcing change head-on and instead focused on bending what already existed, I might actually get somewhere. A workaround didn’t feel as satisfying as a full reform, but results mattered more than ideals.

"I think... I get it," I said slowly.

And then it clicked.

Instead of allowing everyone to graduate as a magic knight regardless of class, what if the focus shifted to qualifications instead? A baseline—clear, demanding, and fair—that any cadet could reach, no matter where they started.

A conditional success.

If you reached that baseline, you earned the right to graduate as a magic knight.

Of course, it couldn’t just be about raw strength and intelligence as they were already part of the requirements that I’d made sure of from the beginning. Tactics, judgment, as well as adaptability. Those were non-negotiable.

But now, I realized that wasn’t enough.

Which meant I needed to add something else.

Something better.