Now that everything had happened, Guinevere's position had become extremely delicate and awkward.
[After all, she lost everything except her appearance. What irony. Although she is merely a beautiful vase, it is precisely because she is such a beautiful vase that she finds herself in this dangerous situation.]
Leon sat on a luxurious chair that looked more like a throne, observing the beautiful woman standing before him.
Even with all of his experience with women—enough experience to form a genuine database—he had to admit that the woman before him possessed exceptional beauty.
More eye-catching than any jewel.
More alluring than any delicacy.
More fascinating than countless treasures and powers.
Guinevere simply stood there, yet the magnificent palace seemed to lose its brilliance around her, as if she were a goddess of beauty descended into the mortal world.
Pure.
Enchanting.
Dazzling.
But there was a problem.
Beyond that beauty capable of shaking kingdoms, she practically possessed nothing else.
Beneath that perfect appearance hid someone ordinary.
No extraordinary talents.
No power.
No exceptional abilities.
It would not be an exaggeration to call her mediocre.
"What did Artoria tell you?"
Leon asked calmly.
"His Majesty... no... Artoria said she would set me free and allow me to live my own life."
Guinevere answered nervously.
She was no longer a queen.
Since the fall of the King of Knights and the revelation of Artoria's true identity, Guinevere's position had become extremely delicate.
The previous night, Artoria had told her that there was no longer any need to maintain that false relationship of husband and wife.
She had set her free.
Allowed her to seek her own happiness.
After all, Guinevere remained pure and untouched.
Finding a new marriage should not be difficult.
Furthermore, her past as the Queen of Camelot still carried a certain social value.
In any case, they were both women.
There was nothing to lose.
However...
"Ah... what a terrible move."
Leon sighed helplessly.
Deep down, he felt that the King of Knights truly did not understand the human heart.
If Guinevere were simply released like this, her future would most likely be miserable.
First.
She was far too beautiful.
So beautiful that countless men would be willing to challenge laws and punishments just to possess her.
Her beauty was enough to make most men in this world ignore their fear of death.
Second.
Guinevere no longer had any protectors.
In the past, her family had been one of the most influential noble houses in Britain.
Her status had been unquestionable.
Even the Knights of the Round Table could be considered part of her prestige and influence.
But now...
None of that existed anymore.
The British civil wars and Leon's arrival had completely destroyed the old aristocratic structure.
Especially after the conquest.
Leon had reclaimed all the wealth, power, and influence of the former nobility in order to rebuild Britain from scratch.
At this moment, there were practically no aristocrats left in the kingdom.
Everyone was equal.
With the exception of Leon himself and Morgan, who acted as his representative.
[Possessing such beauty but lacking the strength to protect it... this woman would probably be devoured by the world the moment she stepped outside Camelot's gates.]
"So, what do you intend to do?"
Leon rested his head against one hand as he asked the question.
However, his eyes were not even directed toward Guinevere.
His attention remained focused on a report spread across the table.
During this period, there were far too many matters demanding his attention.
The location of the Diablos Cult had finally been discovered.
New information was constantly arriving from the Warrior Kingdom.
And above all...
There was the Golden Princess.
Renner.
She was doing some extremely interesting things.
Or rather...
She was being dangerously ambitious.
Not only did she wish to trade her homeland for the title of queen.
She seemed to desire something even greater.
Leon calmly analyzed the fragmented information gathered by Yelan.
And the more he read, the more impressed he became.
Renner's methods were extremely intelligent.
In such a short period of time, she had achieved a level of development that was simply frightening.
It was difficult to believe that this was the same princess known for her supposed fragility and helplessness.
As he came to better understand the situation, Leon could not help but admit one thing.
She was a genuine genius.
A genius capable of rivaling even himself in certain aspects.
There might not be another human mind capable of matching hers.
But the most frightening thing was not her intelligence.
It was the fact that she had no chains.
No limits.
She could abandon morality.
Ignore ethics.
Break oaths.
Violate rules.
Betray allies.
Eliminate family members.
All without displaying the slightest hesitation.
And even covered in blood...
She would continue wearing that perfect smile.
She would continue appearing innocent.
Kind.
Pure.
Enchanting.
While hiding all her darkness within shadows no one could see.
[You truly are capable... very capable.]
Leon sighed while looking at the report.
At the time they had made their agreement, he had not fully realized the true nature of that woman.
Otherwise, he would never have signed a contract allowing her to exchange her kingdom for the position of queen.
[Fortunately, it seems she intends to break that contract herself.]
Leon felt enormous relief.
After all...
If a woman that dangerous actually became his wife...
That would be frightening even for him.
Leon shuddered slightly.
Even with all of his tolerance, he could not accept someone whose very essence was so distorted.
A true monster wearing a human mask.
Because above all else, Leon valued inner beauty far more than outer beauty.
And Renner's inner self...
Was darker than a black hole.
No.
Definitely not.
That was far beyond anything he could accept.
But...
[If things continue at this pace... this could become extremely entertaining.]
Leon's eyes narrowed.
Unconsciously, a smile appeared on his lips.
It was like a child who had just found a new toy and was already thinking about how to play with it.
With enough intelligence and enough time to grow, Renner could truly become a threat.
A legitimate threat.
And because of that...
Leon chose not to interfere.
As for the reason...
[It is difficult to find someone who seems to possess genuine ability. So naturally, she is worth observing.]
After all...
Eliminating an enemy immediately was far too boring.
Leon no longer possessed any true adversaries in this world.
With his strength.
His power.
His influence.
His resources.
His network of allies.
He could crush virtually any enemy head-on.
That was precisely why he felt no urgency.
It was boring.
Conquering the world remained his ideal.
But the initial excitement had long since faded away.
Everything was too easy.
The enemies were too weak.
The risks were too small.
In such a vast world, there was almost no one capable of making him feel danger.
Even accidents rarely happened.
Therefore, even knowing that Renner might eventually grow into a minor threat, Leon had no intention of stopping her.
Because he needed something capable of breaking the monotony.
He needed someone capable of making the game interesting.
And in the end...
The chances of her actually defeating him were so small that they practically existed only beyond the decimal point.
Even if a theoretical possibility existed...
It was almost impossible.
Most of the world's power was already in his hands.
And more importantly...
He possessed countless hidden cards.
Trump cards that nobody knew about.
Among them, there was one in particular.
His greatest trump card.
A card so powerful that even if the entire world became his enemy, it would still be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
And Leon knew.
Sooner or later...
He would certainly use that card.
Leon smiled as he closed the report.
Let me see how far you can go.
If you manage to break through my defenses...
Then that victory will be yours.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: A lot has been happening and I ended up running out of time to update the chapters of this fic, I'll do my best to get back to the regular updates soon, after all, it's almost over