"Leon-chan is really a playboy. He won another one so fast. As a sister, I feel so conflicted. How did he grow up? He was so cute before... though he is very handsome now."
Anis bit her finger sadly.
She looked at Leon as he handed his badge to Jean, as if announcing that the girl was already his.
Anis suddenly felt a bit of disgust. She felt a wave of nostalgia from her childhood when she used to be first in Leon's heart.
But now that even Euphilia had caught up to her, Anis couldn't stop thinking—why was it like this? What was holding their relationship back from developing further?
The blonde princess looked at herself.
Blood.
The same blood that runs in their veins had become a barrier that only pushed them farther apart—an unbreakable one.
"Ahh~ Is there nothing I can do about it?"
Anis sighed deeply and became even more depressed.
At the same time...
After Leon accepted Jean's loyalty, he turned his attention to the remaining girls and sighed in his heart—Sylphine's vision was truly sharp. They were all geniuses and unique girls.
"And you, tell me, why do you want to join me?" Leon asked Asuna.
The girl froze after hearing the question. After a few seconds, she raised her head nervously.
When she met Leon's eyes, she was stunned for a moment. No one in this world could lie under those eyes.
Asuna took a deep breath and spoke softly.
"Because it was arranged by my parents. They wanted me to become your subordinate, maybe even your wife, so that my family could gain more power."
From afar, the most disrespectful reason came up.
The maids launched threatening glances, as if their eyes could pierce Asuna. The girl felt so stressed that she began to sweat cold.
"Really, I remember... it seems your family was originally a merchant family, and then you bought a noble title. Later, your family made some achievements and gained a territory, becoming a true noble house..."
"Eh?"
"Don't worry about these little things. I memorized the basic information of all nobles in the country. I have a very good memory."
Leon ignored the girls' sharp gazes and lightly waved his hand.
Asuna's family was very similar to Ningguang's—they rose from commoners to aristocrats. Her father was a merchant, but her mother's family had once been noble. Then Asuna, born of this union, was fortunate enough to have magical talent.
Although her family had become noble due to their achievements in recent years, they were still a small house, and their territory was only the size of a small town.
Also, as former commoners, they were discriminated against by the other nobles.
After all, not everyone in this world was like Ningguang and Gama, lucky enough to earn Leon's favor and knowledge to become extremely rich business queens.
"I know why you want to join me. And I allow it. Please, get up."
"Eh? Y-you allow it?"
Asuna was surprised.
She thought she would be sent away. Although she hoped to gain Leon's power, her reasons were very selfish and insignificant compared to Jean's.
Leon also handed a medal bearing his crest to Asuna and said,
"It's natural for your parents to want to rise. There's nothing to blame them for. And for me, results and strength are everything."
"Asuna, the reason you're here is because of your own strength, right? That already shows you're very talented. Although I haven't seen ideals or beliefs from you... you're still qualified."
In addition, based on previous investigation—
Asuna's parents weren't of high noble status and had the same ambition to rise as most minor nobles.
But their territory was very well managed.
Although the rules there were strict, the people had food and clothing.
"Results are everything to me. I hate incompetent people who can't produce results. But I really like those who are capable. Tell your parents their title might be raised soon."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Asuna quickly bowed and thanked him.
Unexpectedly, instead of being despised, she was praised—and even received a reward. Her heart raced, and she felt like she was living a dream.
Leon nodded and looked at the blonde girl beside her. She had stunning golden hair, similar to those of the royal family. She looked elegant and delicate, like a doll.
Alice Zuberg.
Her beauty might stand out elsewhere, but unfortunately, every girl in this castle was already very beautiful.
What made her stand out was her clothes.
Dirty white cloth—this was a prison uniform.
"So, you're a criminal?"
"Yes, Your Highness Leon."
"And what was your crime?"
"Trespassing into a restricted area."
Alice answered without expression.
There are many places in this world where entry is forbidden. Once caught, people are usually condemned. It's not like she committed some terrible crime. Murder, theft, fraud—those weren't the case.
The girl simply went to the wrong place.
That's all.
Leon looked at Sylphine strangely.
As if to say, The subordinates you chose for me are all capable... but extremely diverse.
Commoners, nobles, merchants, criminals—fortunately, Leon was someone who didn't care about background. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't have chosen any of them.
"So why do you want to join me?"
"I don't want to go to jail or be executed."
"Excellent, that's a very normal reason."
Leon easily accepted Alice's answer.
After all, it wasn't a serious crime. As royalty, he had the authority to pardon certain offenses—and there were far too many inexplicably strict laws in this world anyway.
Alice Zuberg hadn't wandered into a high-security military zone. With such a minor mistake, her future had been stripped away.
Leon felt it was a waste.
And he admired her greatly. Alice's talents were both in magic and swordsmanship. Such complementary talents were extremely rare.
And the fact that she had competed and stood out enough to be noticed by Sylphine already showed she was highly capable.
Then only one girl remained.
[Ah, this inexplicably familiar aura... there's no doubt you're a Queen-type character.]
Leon looked at the woman with water-blue hair and had a private thought.
(End of chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉