The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1280 - 197 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 1 (3)

Chapter 1280: Chapter 197 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 1 (3)

Leon’s POV

The situation across the kingdom was slowly—painfully slowly—falling apart.

At first glance, everything still looked normal. The markets were open. Merchants were shouting their usual sales pitches. Carriages that a lot of people still uses rattled across the streets like they always did.

But if you looked a little closer...

You could feel it.

That strange tension in the air.

People were starting to worry.

You could see it in their eyes as well as hear it in the way they whispered to each other when they thought nobody was paying attention. Conversations that used to be loud and lively were now quieter and cautious.

Anxiety was spreading through the city like smoke.

And the worst part?

Everyone could feel it, but nobody wanted to say it out loud.

Because once someone said it... it would make everything real.

Even so, it had reached a point where it was getting harder and harder to ignore.

A large conflict was coming.

The signs were there.

Knights were stationed all across the capital now. Not just in the obvious places like the castle gates or the main roads.

They were everywhere.

Street corners.

City walls.

Even near the academy.

And none of them looked relaxed.

Every single one of them stood at attention, their eyes scanning the surroundings like they were expecting trouble to jump out at any second.

If someone told me the kingdom was preparing for a full-blown civil war, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised.

Actually... I’d probably just nod and say, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Even the academy wasn’t pretending everything was fine anymore.

The instructors had already warned the cadets about the situation. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

We were advised to stay cautious.

And if a war happened to break out while we were still in class—because apparently that was now considered a realistic scenario—we were told to immediately head toward the nearest safety bunker.

Those bunkers had been built exactly for situations like this.

Pretty comforting, right?

Nothing screams "everything is totally fine" like being told where the emergency war bunkers are.

Honestly, just thinking about it was scary.

Because the truth was obvious.

Something serious was happening behind the scenes.

Even though everything on the surface still looked peaceful.

It was the kind of situation where you suddenly realize how fragile things really are.

One wrong move and one bad decision.

And the entire kingdom could plunge straight into chaos before anyone even had time to react.

Right now, I was inside the castle.

Myrcella stood nearby, along with Commander Lilia and Vice Commander Veronica.

And we weren’t alone.

A large group of people had gathered inside the hall.

These were the nobles who had chosen to stand on Myrcella’s side.

Some of them had arrived cautiously, others more confidently, but they were all here for the same reason.

To support her.

Several nobles had stepped forward and formally declared their allegiance to her faction.

Of course, not everyone agreed.

Some of the nobles Myrcella had contacted had refused her invitation outright.

Their reason was pretty predictable.

It was tradition.

The old belief that only men should rule the kingdom.

Honestly, Myrcella had already expected that response.

A kingdom that had been ruled by men for generations wasn’t going to change its mindset overnight.

For some of those nobles, the idea of a woman sitting on the throne was practically unthinkable.

Ironically, many of those same people were also the ones who wanted the current Queen removed.

Politics was funny like that.

Or ridiculous.

Sometimes both.

Still, the nobles present here had accepted her request.

They had chosen to align themselves with her.

I still had no idea what exactly Myrcella wrote in those letters she sent out.

But judging by the number of nobles gathered here, whatever she wrote had clearly worked.

They believed in her.

They believed she could rule.

They wanted her to win.

Which, honestly, was a pretty good sign.

Well... relatively speaking.

It wasn’t a massive number.

But it wasn’t small either.

Around twenty nobles had gathered.

That included the Sword Saint.

He stood quietly near Johanne.

Johanne glanced in my direction and gave me a small nod.

He was definitely the one who convinced the Sword Saint to come.

Considering the Sword Saint had gone through something of a personal transformation recently, it wasn’t that surprising.

In the past, he had been the type of man who believed women were fragile, weak, and in need of protection.

After all, he had even used Dorothea’s skill to change his daughter’s gender into a boy right after she was born.

That kind of decision didn’t come from nowhere.

But after witnessing Johanne’s determination back then, something inside him had clearly shifted.

His perspective had changed, completely.

And honestly, it was actually a little heartwarming.

Character development. Real life edition.

"Now then," Myrcella said after a moment, finally breaking the quiet.

Her voice was calm, but it carried easily across the hall.

"I want to thank all of you for coming here today and standing with me."

She looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the nobles gathered there.

"I’m sure most of you already understand why I asked you to gather here."

Her lips curved slightly into a serious smile.

"The tension across the kingdom right now is so tight that it almost feels like we’re already at war with each other."

A few nobles shifted slightly at those words.

Because they knew it too.

"And the truth is... it’s not far from reality," she continued. "Yes. A civil war is brewing."

The room grew noticeably quieter.

"Several factions are already moving behind the scenes," Myrcella said. "Each one trying to push their chosen heir to the throne."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Some would argue that Prince Julius has the clearest right to inherit the throne."

Her tone remained calm.

"That the Queen should simply pass the throne to him immediately."

She exhaled slowly.

"But considering he has not fully rehabilitated himself yet... I don’t believe he currently has the mindset required to rule."

Her words were blunt.

But nobody interrupted her.

"My mother—the Queen—has already been under tremendous stress because of these endless arguments and threats surrounding the throne."

Her eyes hardened slightly.

"That is why I chose to step forward."

She placed a hand lightly against her chest.

"I decided to take the burden upon myself for now."

Someone had to.

"I will take the blunt of it."

For a moment, silence filled the hall.

The way she spoke carried weight.

For someone in her early twenties, the authority in her voice was strong enough to make even experienced nobles pause.

"I understand that many of you feel uneasy about a woman holding the reins of the kingdom," she continued.

Her tone softened slightly.

"But if the throne is given to someone unworthy..."

Her gaze sharpened.

"Then you may end up placing the crown upon an absolute monster."

A woman.

Or a monster.

Those were the choices.

And if things went wrong, the kingdom could easily end up ruled by someone completely incompetent.

In the end, though...

Only one thing truly mattered.

It didn’t matter whether the ruler was a man or a woman.

What mattered was simple.

The person sitting on that throne had to be the most capable.

And the most deserving.