The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1265 - 194 - The Start Of Conflicts Of Interests (4)

Chapter 1265: Chapter 194 - The Start Of Conflicts Of Interests (4)

We were seated across from each other, the table between us feeling less like furniture and more like a line drawn in the sand. The room was quiet. The kind of quiet where you could hear the faint clink of porcelain and the soft rustle of fabric when someone shifted in their seat. It still carried the lingering warmth of what had happened earlier, though neither of us acknowledged it directly. The air felt heavier for it.

"That’s right," Lilia said, lifting her teacup with deliberate calm. "I’m surprised you even heard about this. We never disclosed it to anyone. Only a handful of Magic Knights, myself, Veronica, the Princess, and the Queen knew."

She took a sip, then paused mid-motion. Her brows knit together ever so slightly. "It’s gone tepid," she muttered, lowering the cup just enough to glare at me over the rim. "This is your fault..."

I leaned back slightly in my chair, unimpressed by the accusation. Tea naturally cools when it’s neglected long enough. It’s not some grand conspiracy. If anything, it was a miracle it stayed warm as long as it did. Still, I didn’t say that out loud. Arguing about temperature felt beneath the gravity of everything else she’d just said.

She set the cup down with a soft but firm clink, the porcelain meeting wood like punctuation at the end of a sentence.

"Anyway," she continued, "the situation is rather bad."

The faintest crease formed between her brows.

"If the Prince decides he wants the throne, those who oppose the Queen’s rule will immediately rally behind him. They’ll wrap their arms around him and suck him dry for everything he’s worth. Influence, power, legitimacy... they’ll drain it all. And I’ll probably be replaced as Commander in the process. Many of the nobles never wanted a woman leading the Magic Knights to begin with. I suppose Veronica could face the same fate."

She didn’t say it bitterly. That was the unsettling part. It was matter-of-fact. Like she had already made peace with the possibility of losing it.

And she wasn’t wrong.

If those nobles were already resistant to the Queen’s rule, having two women in positions of military authority would only fuel their discontent. It wasn’t even about capability. It never was. It was about tradition, pride, and fragile egos masquerading as principle.

"By the way," she added, her eyes narrowing slightly, "when did you hear about this? Was it the Princess?"

"No," I replied evenly. "I already knew by the time Myrcella told me he had escaped."

For a second, she just stared at me. Then she exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple like I was personally responsible for her future headaches.

"I can’t believe you have ears inside the castle," she sighed. "Though... considering it’s you, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. And yet, somehow, I still am."

I gave her a faint smile. It wasn’t arrogance. Not entirely. Information had a way of finding me. Or maybe I had a way of finding it. Either way, it kept things interesting.

She looked at me for a long moment after that.

Then she straightened slightly.

"I’ll conduct an investigation," she said. "But I don’t think it will be effective."

Her fingers tapped once against the table.

"If word has already spread, then people are likely searching for him already. And if that’s the case... a Prince faction may already be forming."

Prince faction.

It was inevitable, really. The kingdom was off balance, like a scale that had been tipped too far to one side and was now trembling, waiting for the counterweight. When instability creeps into a nation’s bones, factions are born. Not out of loyalty, not even out of ideology most of the time,but out of opportunity.

Factions exist to create a new order. And once formed, they don’t coexist peacefully. They collide. Politically, socially, sometimes violently. They maneuver, manipulate, smile to your face while plotting behind your back. And eventually, one emerges on top.

In this case, the prize was simple.

The throne.

And I had no illusions about how many players were already stepping onto the board.

The late King’s bastards had already been acknowledged and established as potential heirs. Each one conveniently backed by different noble houses, of course. Those nobles weren’t raising them out of compassion. They were grooming them and positioning them like chess pieces in a slow-burning game of succession.

Each bastard represented a faction. Each faction represented ambition. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But the Prince... he was different.

He was the only one with an undeniable claim. Legitimate blood. Recognized lineage. If a noble house managed to secure him—truly secure him—they would instantly hold the strongest hand at the table.

Which made his escape deeply inconvenient.

It was entirely possible someone had orchestrated it. Smuggled him out quietly, hidden him away, and begun laying the groundwork for a coup. Dethroning the current ruler wouldn’t be simple, but it wouldn’t be impossible either, not if enough influential figures shifted their support.

The anxiety in the kingdom wasn’t imagined. It was tangible. You could almost feel it pressing down on your shoulders, whispering that something was about to break.

"Are you going to help?" Lilia asked suddenly, her voice cutting through my thoughts. "Given your relationship with the Princess—and her desire to claim the throne—I doubt you’ll just leave her hanging."

"So she told you about her plan to become Queen?" I asked.

"She seems to be under the impression that I’ll support her," Lilia replied, her lips curving slightly—but not into a smile. "Especially after what we did together."

There was no embarrassment in her voice.

"But don’t misunderstand," she continued, her gaze sharpening like the edge of a blade. "Just because we’re doing that doesn’t mean I’m your woman. You don’t own me. I am the Commander of the Magic Knights. I stand on my own. I belong to no one."

She wasn’t defensive. She wasn’t flustered. She was drawing a boundary.

And honestly? It suited her.

I couldn’t help the faint curve of my lips.

So not only was she a masochist, she was a tsundere too. What a combination. Strong enough to command knights, stubborn enough to glare at me over lukewarm tea, and prideful enough to remind me she wasn’t anyone’s possession.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

I had a feeling I wouldn’t get bored with Lilia anytime soon. Not that I’d ever felt bored with any of my women before.