The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1247: Epilogue 23 - The One Who Is Above All (1)

I was crowned the winner of the tournament.

The announcement had barely left the announcer’s mouth before the entire arena erupted like someone had set off a chain of fireworks. My name rolled through the stands in waves. People weren’t just cheering. They were screaming, shouting, practically tearing their throats apart.

"Silent! Silent! Silent!"

They were screaming that word. It was probably because they have been calling me Silent Swordsman, and this was a short version of that.

It echoed, bounced off the stone walls, and came back louder.

For a split second, I just stood there, blinking like an idiot. The noise was overwhelming in the best possible way. The kind of overwhelming that made your chest tighten and your head buzz. I had won. Not barely. Not by luck. I had crushed it. And now everyone was looking at me like I had just stepped out of a legend.

I was completely surrounded starting with the heroes, nobles, merchants, commoners, and everyone. Hands were reaching toward me, voices calling out, people trying to get closer as if I might vanish if they blinked. It felt unreal, like I had accidentally walked into someone else’s dream.

And I won’t lie.

I wanted to bask in it.

After everything, it felt good. No, better than good. It felt earned.

"Congratulations on winning, Leon."

Her voice cut through the noise like a ribbon slicing through wind.

Myrcella.

She walked toward me calmly, gracefully, like the chaos around her didn’t exist. The crowd parted almost instinctively. And the second she reached my side, the noise shifted. The cheering twisted into long, exaggerated oohs and aahs. Some people even whistled.

Because everyone thought the same thing.

The tournament reward had been vague, and I mean, it was very intentionally vague. She had only said dinner. Just dinner with her and the commander. But in a kingdom with no reigning King and a disgraced heir still rotting in prison on probation, "dinner with the Princess" sounded less like a meal and more like a royal audition.

People weren’t stupid.

They connected the dots in the most dramatic way possible.

The current heir was unfit, at least for now. The kingdom needed stability. It needed an heir. And what better way to secure one than by presenting the Princess to the strongest man in the kingdom under the guise of a "tournament prize"?

In their heads, this wasn’t just a competition.

It was a selection.

A last-ditch effort by the royal family to secure the future. And Myrcella? She was supposedly choosing the perfect husband in front of thousands of witnesses.

Of course, that wasn’t what she had actually meant.

The real reward was simple. It was really just a dinner with her and the Commander. A conversation. A private discussion. That was it.

But people love drama more than facts.

And now here we were.

Still, no one seemed upset that it was me. If anything, the approval felt... heavy and solid. Like they had already decided.

They knew by now that I owned the Leonamon company. I mean, I had just revealed it. And in a kingdom driven by influence and power, that changed everything.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just some tournament champion. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

I was a man with absurd strength, near cheat-like abilities, and a growing empire behind me.

In the public eye, that made me a perfect match.

Sure, some nobles would probably grind their teeth over it. I wasn’t born into their circles. I didn’t have a centuries-old family crest hanging behind me. And traditionally, the Princess marrying outside the noble sphere would make certain families feel robbed of an opportunity.

Because let’s be honest, they didn’t want her for romance.

They wanted leverage.

Marrying into the royal family had always been a political goldmine. It had happened over and over since the kingdom was founded. Families slithering their way closer to the throne under the guise of loyalty.

But none of them could really do anything about this.

"Well," I said, letting a faint grin tug at my lips, "it’s only natural. I get to have dinner with you, after all. That’s not exactly something you overthink."

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming.

"I don’t believe dinner is the only thing you’ll be getting today, Leon."

Oh.

Before I could even process that tone, she stepped forward.

And kissed me.

Not a polite, diplomatic peck.

Not the kind of kiss royalty uses for public appearances.

It was deep.

And much more decisive.

Her lips pressed firmly against mine, and her tongue slipped into my mouth without hesitation. It wasn’t frantic or messy. It was just confident and very controlled. Like she knew exactly what she was doing.

And she did it in front of everyone.

The heroes who had just witnessed my fight with Veronica. The Commander standing stiff as a statue. Veronica herself, who looked like she was still mentally replaying our battle. The King of Bethlan. And her mother—the Queen of Milham.

The Queen’s reaction was priceless.

Her face turned bright red, hands flying to cover her mouth like she’d just seen something scandalous in a stage play. If she had pearls, she probably would’ve clutched them.

The arena fell into stunned silence for half a heartbeat.

Then the whispers exploded.

"H-Hey... wasn’t there a rumor at the academy that the Princess was seeing someone?"

"No way..."

"Is it him?"

You could practically hear the collective realization crash down.

After a few seconds—though it felt longer—she pulled back. A thin string stretched between us before finally snapping as she casually licked her lips. The gesture was slow and deliberate like she was showing how sensual she was.

Somewhere in the stands, I swear I heard someone audibly gulped.

I almost laughed.

"Since everyone already thinks this is where the reward was headed," she said smoothly, voice steady despite the chaos, "I think it’s fine if we let it go in that direction. Don’t you?"

So that was it.

Instead of correcting the misunderstanding, she was embracing it.

And when I replayed everything in my head—the vagueness of the prize, the way she looked at me before the finals, the fact that no one else realistically stood a chance—

Was this whole tournament also a stage?

A calculated reveal?

"Fufufu," she giggled softly. "That’s what I like about you. You catch on quickly."

"You’re the one who’s scary," I replied. "You read my face like it’s an open book."

"I love you, after all."

She said it so simply.

"Now your strength has been exposed. Your influence. Your ownership of Leonamon. And now... our relationship." Her gaze sharpened slightly. "Do you regret it?"

That question hung between us heavier than the cheers.

She was right. There was no hiding anymore.

My power, which some would call absurd.

My company, which was becoming impossible to ignore.

And now, publicly tying myself to the Princess.

There was no turning back.

Regret?

I looked at the crowd still shouting my name. At the nobles calculating their next moves. At the Queen still trying to process what her daughter had just done.

Then I looked back at Myrcella.

"This?" I said quietly, but firmly. "Not even close."

If anything, this felt like the real beginning.

The tournament had just been the opening act.

Now the kingdom knew exactly who I was.

Someone would probably test me.

Challenge me.

Maybe even try to undermine me.

Good.

Because I wasn’t planning to play small anymore.

This was just the first move.

And from here on out—

I was going all out.