The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1295 - 197 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 3 (2)

Everything had been quiet so far. Too quiet, honestly. The kind of quiet that makes the back of your neck itch because you know something is coming sooner or later.

The situation in the kingdom had been sitting right on the edge for days now. Every faction that wanted the throne had been circling each other like wolves, teeth bared but not quite lunging yet. A lot of threats had been made behind closed doors. Alliances had been whispered into existence over wine and candlelight. Armies were being gathered in the shadows.

Yet none of them had actually made a move here. Not inside the capital. Not inside the castle.

Because of that, it felt like there wasn't anything immediate to worry about.

Well.

At least not yet anyway.

Reports had already reached us that the Baldibre family had commissioned an army. Not just a few mercenaries or hired blades either. A real army. Soldiers, equipment, banners, the whole thing. Their plan was painfully obvious.

March toward the castle.

Kill the Queen.

It was simple, brutal, and effective.

Right now, the Queen was easily the person in the most danger in the entire kingdom.

And the worst part was that it felt like everything was finally starting to collide. Every noble house that wanted the throne had their own ambitions, their own grudges, as well as their own secret deals. Those agendas were starting to crash into each other like waves in a storm.

Sooner or later, something was going to snap.

It wouldn't be long before a full blown civil war broke out across the kingdom.

Hell, if we were being honest, it had already started.

All that remained now was figuring out exactly when everything would explode.

"Mother," Myrcella said.

Her voice echoed lightly in the stone corridor as she approached the Queen.

The Queen was walking through one of the open palace halls, sunlight spilling through the tall windows that lined the walls. Two magic knights followed closely beside her, their armor clinking softly with each step. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Considering how dangerous things had become lately, it made sense. The Queen had to be watched and protected twenty four hours a day. There were probably more guards hidden nearby as well. You never knew where someone might be hiding a crossbow these days.

"Myrcella," the Queen replied.

At a glance, she looked exactly the same as always. Her posture was straight. Her expression calm and composed.

But if you paid attention to her eyes, you could see the truth.

They were tired.

Not just a little tired either. The kind of tired that sits deep inside your bones after days of stress and sleepless nights.

Which made sense.

Her life was literally being threatened. The kingdom was starting to fracture around her. Noble families were gathering armies like they were collecting trading cards. Anyone in her position would be exhausted.

Honestly, it would have been weird if she was sleeping peacefully through all of this.

"Are you not giving yourself any rest again?" Myrcella asked.

The Queen blinked, clearly a little surprised by the question. Her eyes widened slightly before her expression softened again. A small smile appeared on her lips.

It was the kind of smile mothers used when they were pretending everything was fine.

"Don't worry," the Queen said gently. "I don't think there's any immediate danger inside the castle."

She paused for a moment before letting out a quiet breath.

"Besides, do you really think I'd be able to sleep right now when the entire kingdom is surrounded by danger? Someone has to make sure everything keeps functioning properly."

Her tone was calm, but there was weight behind her words.

"I could handle it," Myrcella said. "You can leave things to me."

The Queen chuckled softly.

"I know you could."

Then she shook her head.

"But I'm still the Queen right now. I can't just pass everything over to you and go take a nap."

It wasn't just pride talking.

The Queen understood something very clearly. Right now she was carrying the full weight of a kingdom that was slowly starting to crumble. She knew exactly how heavy that burden felt.

And because she knew that, she refused to place the same crushing responsibility on her daughter.

Myrcella already had enough to deal with.

"You just need to focus on the things you're responsible for, Myrcella," the Queen said. "Trust me to handle my part for now. Alright?"

She reached forward and gently placed her hand on Myrcella's cheek.

Myrcella stayed still for a moment.

Then she closed her eyes.

"I will," Myrcella said quietly. "I promise I'll become the sovereign of this kingdom one day."

Her voice carried determination.

"And when that day comes, I'll take the burden you're carrying off your shoulders, Mother."

The Queen smiled at that.

"Until then," she said softly, "focus on what you're doing. I'll keep things afloat on my end."

The moment between them was quiet. Almost peaceful.

And then my instincts started screaming.

Something was wrong.

I didn't even think about it. My body moved on its own.

I dashed forward.

A split second later my fist smashed into something flying straight toward the Queen and Myrcella. The impact echoed sharply through the corridor. The object spun violently through the air before slamming into the ground.

The metallic sound that followed made it obvious what it was.

A bullet.

The thing embedded itself deep into the concrete floor like an angry nail.

"L Leon?!"

"Protect the Queen and the Princess!" I shouted.

The two magic knights reacted instantly. Their expressions hardened as they stepped forward, weapons already drawn as they moved to shield both women.

Good.

At least someone here had their reflexes working today.

I didn't waste another second. I leapt over the balcony railing and landed outside before immediately launching forward.

The bullet had come from one of the nearby buildings.

When the shooter spotted me charging straight at him, panic flashed across his face. He turned and bolted.

I closed the distance in seconds.

Before he could even reach the stairs, I grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head into the concrete floor.

Hard.

"Guh...!"

The sound that came out of him was somewhere between a groan and a dying frog.

I made sure the impact hurt.

But not enough to kill him.

"Who sent you?!" I demanded.

I tried to keep my voice calm.

That attempt lasted about half a second.

The assassin's eyes widened slightly as he tried to move his mouth.

I froze him instantly with time manipulation.

His body locked in place like a statue.

Then I forced his mouth open and checked inside.

There it was. A tiny capsule.

It was poison.

If he had poison ready like that, it meant something important. The assassins who had been attacking us these past few days were probably hired by the same faction.

Which meant this guy was valuable.

I couldn't let him die.

Even with time manipulation, bringing someone back from the dead wasn't possible. Resetting someone's condition wasn't the same thing as resurrecting them.

Once they were gone, they were gone.

So I carefully checked the rest of his mouth to make sure there weren't any other tricks hiding in there.

Nothing.

Good.

I released the time stop.

And immediately felt something.

A horrible instinct crawled up my spine.

"Tsk!"

I threw up Guardian just as the man's body exploded.

The blast detonated right in front of me with terrifying force.

The explosion was massive. Fire and shockwaves erupted outward like a miniature bomb had gone off.

There wasn't even a body left.

There was not a drop of blood nor even a single piece of flesh.

It was like the man himself had been made entirely out of explosives.

The force of the blast ripped through the building, shattering walls and collapsing part of the structure with a thunderous roar.

Dust and debris filled the air as pieces of stone crashed to the ground.

I stood there inside the protective barrier of Guardian, staring at the smoking wreckage.

Whoever hired these people clearly didn't want their identity getting out.