The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1198 - 184 - Slowly, But Steadily (1)

Leon’s POV

I was in Leonamon, sitting quietly as I took care of my daughter.

The city outside felt distant, almost irrelevant in that moment.

Whatever noise existed beyond the walls didn’t matter.

Right now, my world had narrowed down to the small bundle in my arms, the steady rise and fall of her tiny chest, and the warmth that came with holding her.

Her name was Kana.

I had named her after my late sister from my old world.

It wasn’t something I had planned in advance. The name had just come to me naturally, as if it had been waiting all along.

In some strange way, it felt like I was keeping a promise I never had the chance to make back then.

"Kana, it’s me. Dad."

My voice was low and soft, almost instinctively so.

I didn’t want to startle her, even though she was already looking right at me.

She smiled.

It wasn’t a practiced smile or anything deliberate.

It was the kind that happened without thought, the kind that made my chest feel tight for reasons I couldn’t fully explain.

She still couldn’t speak yet.

No real words, at least.

All she could do was babble, letting out small, happy sounds that barely resembled language.

She laughed in short bursts, her hands stretching out toward my face as if she was trying to grab me, or maybe just confirm that I was really there.

Her fingers wrapped clumsily around nothing, missing their target more often than not.

She was really, really cute.

No—extremely cute.

The kind of cute that made time feel irrelevant.

The kind that made me think, just for a moment, that maybe staying like this forever wouldn’t be so bad.

That maybe I didn’t need to move forward, or plan, or conquer anything at all.

I wanted to stay with her forever.

"Master."

Gabrielle’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned my head toward her, and that was when I noticed it again.

Her face had changed.

She had always looked mature, even back then.

There was a calm confidence in her expressions, a steadiness that came from experience rather than age.

But now, that maturity felt deeper. Heavier, somehow. Like it had settled into her bones.

It wasn’t just visual. It was in the way she stood, the way she watched Kana, the way her eyes softened without losing their sharpness.

It was... alluring, in a quiet way.

Motherhood had changed her.

And it had changed her a lot.

Did I bring these changes upon her? Was it because of me?

Or was it Kana?

Kana was our child. The reason Gabrielle had taken on this new role as well as this new weight. So if I traced it back far enough, it probably did lead back to me.

"Oh," I said after a brief pause. "Is it time for her to eat?"

"Yup," Gabrielle replied easily. "Kana always gets cranky when she doesn’t get her food on time."

She glanced at Kana, then smiled slightly.

"Oh. Looks like I was right on time."

As if responding directly to her words, Kana suddenly started crying in my arms.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

It wasn’t loud at first. Just a small, protesting sound that quickly escalated once she realized she wasn’t getting what she wanted immediately.

Yeah. Gabrielle was definitely right.

I shifted her carefully and handed her over without hesitation.

Gabrielle took her smoothly, already prepared.

"Shh... here comes your favorite," she murmured.

She adjusted Kana in her arms and fed her. The moment Kana found what she was looking for, she calmed almost instantly. The crying stopped, replaced by quiet, focused movements.

It was as if nothing else in the world mattered to her anymore.

"Oh, would you look at that," Gabrielle said, glancing at me. "Kind of like her dad."

I didn’t respond right away.

The sight in front of me was unexpectedly heartwarming. Not dramatic. Not grand. Just simple, raw, and real.

I never thought I would become a father.

Not once.

And now, it wasn’t just one child. Soon enough, it would be three.

Back then, my goal had been simple.

Conquer the world.

That ambition hadn’t disappeared. It was still there, steady and burning beneath everything else. But now, it wasn’t alone anymore.

Now, I had something precious.

Something I absolutely refused to lose.

And somehow, instead of slowing me down, it made everything feel sharper and more focused.

I was still moving toward my goal. In fact, it felt closer than ever.

Very close.

With the establishment of the United Republic of Viritoginy, the numbers were finally shifting. The groundwork had been laid. What once felt distant was now within reach.

"What is it, Master?" Gabrielle asked.

She must have noticed my gaze lingering.

"Don’t tell me you want some milk as well?"

There was a teasing edge to her voice, but it wasn’t heavy-handed. More amused than anything.

I’ll admit, the thought crossed my mind.

It would’ve been a shame to deny that.

But Kana was right there, and some lines didn’t need to be crossed.

"Maybe next time," I said simply.

***

Meanwhile, Irene and Rose had reached the stage where their bellies were clearly starting to show.

They weren’t close to giving birth yet. Still months away. But the change was undeniable now, no longer something that could be hidden or brushed aside.

From everything I could tell, their pregnancies were going well.

It had been a while since I last visited them, so I made sure to see them again.

After all, I was going to be gone for some time. At least three weeks. Possibly close to a month, depending on how things unfolded.

Time was becoming tighter.

There were less than two months left before the academic year came to an end. When that happened, Myrcella would graduate.

The next presidential election was already underway.

Titania seemed set on aiming for the position this year. Myrcella wanted her to continue after she stepped down, and honestly, it made sense. It would be a smooth transition, almost seamless. Titania had the right mindset, and for her final year, she was in a perfect position to lead.

I genuinely believed she would do a great job.

That said, Myrcella still hadn’t fulfilled the promise she made to the cadets.

She wanted to change the academy. To make it a place where even those who failed to reach gold class could still become magic knights.

She had pushed herself hard for it. Did everything she could think of.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

Still, it was admirable how far she had gone without asking for help. How long she had carried the weight on her own.

Slowly, though, reality caught up to her.

She realized she couldn’t do it alone.

And finally, she came to me.

I didn’t hesitate.

In fact, the timing couldn’t have been better. If she had continued like that, I was sure she would have broken. For the first time, she was fragile, even if she tried to hide it.

When she told me what she wanted my help with, I couldn’t help but smirk.

Because she had finally cracked.

Not in a bad way—but in the way that mattered.

She was finally letting go of the part of herself that had been holding her back. The part that kept her restrained, overly cautious, and afraid to step forward.

Right now, she was choosing the sharpest route available.

The route that would turn her—

Into a Queen.