The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1059 - 163 - The Negotiations With the Dwarven Queen (3)

"Why do you want me to be the one to lead all of you?" I finally asked her, the question slipping from my lips before I could think twice about it.

Honestly, it had been sitting in the back of my mind from the moment she brought up the whole ’you’ll be the one to lead us’ thing. I mean—she was a queen. A literal queen who had been ruling longer than I’d been alive by several lifetimes. Someone like her choosing someone like me didn’t feel natural. Actually, it felt like the kind of thing you’d only hear in weird stories where the protagonist gets picked for some impossible destiny—and even then, it always sounded absurd.

I didn’t have centuries of wisdom, nor the experience of navigating politics across kingdoms. I didn’t have the gravitas of someone who ruled a massive forest and all the people in it. And honestly, I wasn’t sure how she’d feel being ordered around by someone who hadn’t even lived a fraction of her life span. So, the question fell out from me almost instinctively.

"You’re asking that, Sirion?" she replied, and the smirk on her face curled up with this amused sharpness that made it look like she’d been waiting for me to say that. "Isn’t this what you wanted in the first place?"

"Well, I guess so," I admitted with a half-shrug, feeling slightly exposed. The woman was ridiculously perceptive—like she had this built-in radar for bullshit—and she saw right through whatever façade I tried to put up. I guess it was only natural. A queen doesn’t rule for centuries without being able to read people.

Still, I wasn’t expecting her to be this direct.

She didn’t wait long before continuing. "Well, I think it’s only right. You might not have known this, Leon, but someone came to this forest once and told us a prophecy that a man would come here and unite all beings to fight in a final war. Something so powerful it could destroy this world—and the worlds around it."

Her voice lowered, like she was speaking of something sacred or terrifying. Maybe both. "Considering you came here... I’m guessing that man might be you. Of course, it’s a gamble. It’s possible you’re not the one the prophecy meant. But I couldn’t ignore the possibility—not when you’re connected to Lilith’s."

So that was it. She was basing everything partly on some prophecy. A literal prophecy. Great. Just what I needed. It took me a moment to digest it, and as I did, some old memories tugged at me—Solaris mentioning something similar, Reilhahand hinting at the same thing, and Lionel giving those cryptic comments. It all lined up disturbingly well.

"That person is Lilith, Leon."

"Lilith?" My eyebrows shot up before I could stop them.

"Yup. The Great One herself came here to say this," she said with a nod, her expression turning softer for a moment as though recalling a memory she held tight. "Back then, this forest was on the brink of collapse because of constant fighting. It was chaotic. Bloody. Endless. And she was the one who stopped it. She brought an end to everything and restored balance. That’s the reason the Great Forest blooms the way it does now. She left a piece of herself here. That’s why it’s still so powerful."

Her words sank slowly into me, like thick syrup. Lilith being involved in this felt... heavy. Unexpected. Complicated. But it did make sense. My connection to Lilith had been changing a lot of things in ways I didn’t fully understand. Maybe this was just another one of those strange ripple effects.

"But don’t misunderstand," Agneis said suddenly, and the sharpness in her tone pulled me right back. "I didn’t choose you because of a prophecy I barely believe in. I chose you because you’re going to do a better job than the other leaders—those scums—ever could."

She clicked her tongue lightly, the irritation flashing across her features almost comically. "Lionel, Reilhahand, Solaris, Jotnar... all incapable leaders. And honestly, so am I in some ways. But you, Sirion... you’re different. You’ve already managed to unite some of the kingdoms. And you’re doing it in such a fashionable way, too," she added with a teasing smile. "So of course it’s natural to hand the helm to you. You’re capable. Don’t you think so?"

She held my gaze as she spoke, and for a moment, everything felt strangely still. Her confidence in me was so firm, so unwavering, it almost felt embarrassing. Then, she slowly uncrossed her legs before crossing them again, a subtle but striking motion that made it impossible not to notice her confidence radiating in full force.

"Now, those are my terms," she said. "If you can give me those terms, then I’ll agree. If not, I’m sorry—but you can’t change my mind."

Honestly, her terms were ridiculously easy. So easy that it barely felt like something worth gathering all the leaders for a meeting. And yet it carried the weight of something enormous.

"Consider it done, Agneis," I told her, my voice steadier than before. "I’ll make sure I get your approval."

Her smile widened, bright and mischievous, a spark lighting up in her eyes.

"Good."

***

Agneis’s POV

After that young man walked out of the chamber, leaving the air around me strangely warm and buzzing, I leaned back on my throne and let out a deep, quiet sigh.

I knew he thought my terms were too easy. And he was right. They were easy—so easy it was almost embarrassing. But I chose them deliberately. I wanted no way out for myself. No excuse to back down from joining the unification. I might be stubborn, but I’m not reckless. I know when it’s time to stop fighting and start moving in a better direction.

And right now, joining the other kingdoms was the only real choice.

"That man..." I murmured to myself, unable to keep the smile off my face. It crept up naturally, like it belonged there. "He really does make my heart go crazy..."

Saying it out loud made it feel even more ridiculous, but it was true. I liked him. Actually liked him. And that was unbelievable coming from me—a queen who had lived seventeen hundred years without letting anyone in. But I’d never met a man like him. So determined. So bold. So frustratingly confident in a way that made my pulse pick up.

"Maybe I should take his offer and have sex with him already?" I said, a mischievous grin forming on my lips. It was absurd, but the thought alone made warmth bloom in my chest and lower.

I had no doubt he was lusting over my body. The way his eyes kept wandering earlier... He practically wanted to lick every inch of me. It wasn’t subtle at all.

"Fufufu..." A soft chuckle escaped me, my fingers brushing lightly against my lips. "I may become a full-fledged woman tonight, after seventeen hundred years..."

The idea was intimidating, thrilling, and somehow deeply amusing. It would be my first time doing something like that, but I didn’t see any problem with it—not with him. I was too interested in that man to be hesitant. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Oh well..." I finally said as I rose from the throne. My joints stretched, a satisfying looseness spreading across my limbs as I arched my back and let out a soft exhale. "I guess I should learn more about sex in books."

With a small smirk lingering on my face, I stepped forward.