The Proposal and the Threat
"That idiot?" Natasha laughed, a low, amused sound. "Please. I work with the King, not for the King."
She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with something between scorn and pity. "I’d sooner die than take orders from that power-hungry, paranoid fool. He can’t tolerate the little picture: someone bigger, smarter, more admired than himself.
Her voice fell, words cutting now. "To him, a talented warrior isn’t a resource—it’s a threat. A precious weapon? Hazardous. If it doesn’t kowtow to his ego, it doesn’t have any place in his kingdom."
Leon’s jaw clenched. He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. He knew what she was saying. He’d seen it too.
Nova blinked, caught off guard. "Wait... so you don’t really work for the King?"
Natasha rolled her eyes, tone strangled with annoyance. "No, I don’t. Was I unclear?"
Nova gazed at her, attempting to see through the bits skittering in her mind. Then suddenly something fell into place—and her face changed—eyes wide, lips opening just a fraction.
Her eyes went wide. "You’re not from around here," she whispered. "You’re from the kingdom next door."
The silence that followed weighed heavily.
Natasha’s smile crept out slowly, like fire igniting dry paper. "There it is," she said, smiling. "Took you long enough."
She took one step forward, calm and intentional, like she’d practiced this moment a thousand times.
"Seven years," she whispered. "That’s how long I’ve been in this palace. Smiled for the King. Walked the halls. Played the perfect little servant..." Her lips twisted. "...and put up with that fool’s pathetic lover, too."
Her eyes glittered with pride and something sinister.
"I watched. I learned. I waited."
She allowed the words to hang for a moment—then her voice grew harder, cold as a knife.
"And tonight... the plan starts."
Leon’s face grew darker, his shock and anger swirling together in his eyes Nova didn’t budge, but the air surrounding her seemed to be holding its breath.
Leon’s voice went low, cold and lethal. "Why? What the hell are you doing? Trying to kill us?"
Natasha’s head cocked slightly, nearly sweet. "Kill you?" She blinked, as though puzzled. "Leon, no. I wasn’t shooting at you."
Her gaze drifted to Nova, voice going soft with a strange, nearly gentle calm. "I was trying to kill her."
"I warned you a moment ago, didn’t I?" Natasha said matter-of-factly, as if she were describing something straightforwardly foolish. "The knife was not for you. It was for the woman beside you."
She had no anger in her tones. No derision.
And that made it worse.
Leon and Nova looked at her, stunned—surprised not by the admission, but by how she made it. Calmly. Sincerely. As if the most natural thing in the world.
As if it wasn’t personal.
She smiled, then giggled softly. "You’re wondering why I attempted to kill you, right?" She leaned forward, her head cocked to one side. "Well, it’s easy, actually. I want this kingdom."
Her voice was still silky, almost playful.
"You two, that other idiot Duke, and a few others... and last that self-absorbed idiot king. You’ll just gravel under my feet. Roadblocks to be run over. So, I thought I’d begin with the pair of you."
She paused, eyes flicking across them with quiet interest.
"But you know..." A spark of interest flashed in her eyes as she leaned forward. "Having seen you at palace this morning, I may change my mind. You’re more fascinating than I’d thought."
Leon arched an eyebrow, amused.
She moved closer, voice silk-smooth. "In fact... I think I’ll take you too, Leon. You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen."
Nova bristled beside him, her face set.
The woman’s eyes scanned him, fearless and brazen. "Desert that girl and the others in your palace. Join me. I will give you all—gold, power, luxury. When I get the throne, I’ll even make you a King."
Nova’s face grew white—then flushed red with anger. "You’re mad."
Leon, instead of reacting with shock or anger, chuckled softly. The sound was cold, amused—like he was entertained by just how absurd this situation had become.
Nova shot him a sharp glare at the sound. "Leon?"
He raised a brow, clearly enjoying the moment. "I’m just amazed. This woman tried to assassinate us... and now she’s trying to propose to me?"
Natasha smiled softly, her voice perilously seductive. "That charm of yours. it’ll make you worth something. I’ll have fun shattering it—and claiming your own."
Leon’s smile dropped. His tone became flat. "Not interested."
Nova took a step forward, her eyes blazing. "You tried to kill me and now you’re flirting with him?"
Leon let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "You tried kill Nova, insulted my intelligence, and offered to turn me into your pampered little lapdog. You’re not exactly nailing the whole negotiation thing."
Natasha’s expression turned glacial, her voice slicing through the air like a blade. "That wasn’t a negotiation," she said coolly. "It was a courtesy."
Her smile twisted into something sharper—predatory, cruel.
And if you don’t enjoy my manners," she went on, voice dropping into something sinister, ".then we’ll do it my way."
She paused for a heartbeat to let that sink in before her eyes shifted to Nova, voice twisting with venom.
"By force. That is the second way you want know.
Leon’s eyes narrowed, a flash of danger dancing behind the tranquility. Nova beside him didn’t blink. Her muscles tightened, a coiled spring waiting to unleash its force. Her eyes never left Natasha’s face, reading every fluctuation of expression —like a predator assessing prey.
The air between them grew thick, the motionless courtyard charged with unreleased violence.
Then Nova made a low laugh. Dry. Disdainful. Utterly unimpressed.
"Think you’ve got us cornered?" she challenged, crossing her arms. Her voice wobbled between amusement and contempt. "What were you expecting? That you would come in, threaten us, and we’d roll over?"
She cocked her head; tone now tinged with mocking curiosity.
"Let’s say you were a Grandmaster real cultivator like us. Perhaps even smart enough to hide an ally close by, ready to strike. Okay. But even then—do you think you can attack us here and get away scot-free?"
She spoke softly, but her tone was biting enough to cut. "You do know how close we are to the palace, don’t you? One fight, and the entire establishment will wake up. The king himself may feel the disturbance."
Nova’s smile grew thin and merciless.
"And if he does... well, a Monarch Realm cultivator isn’t exactly someone you can deceive. He’ll see your true face. He’ll see it all—your ambition, your treachery—and then, your little scheme will go up in flames before it even starts."
Leon leaned his head to one side, the corner of his mouth curving into a sneer— impressed and bemused. Nova had sliced through Natasha’s confidence with the precision of a surgeon. And she was correct—One misplaced step here, and Natasha’s dreams would lie in ruins at her own feet.
But Natasha didn’t blink. For an instant, she was as still as stone, lips parted ever so slightly.
Not a laugh. A hard, rising noise that resonated through the space—high, taunting, and filled with insanity.
"Hah... haha... Hahahaha... Oh, you really believe I came unarmed?" Her tone was high with excitement, hard and venomous. "You both underrate me so completely, it’s nearly endearing."
The laughter ended, followed by venom.
She focused on Leon, her smile hardening into something icier. "That dotty old relic of a king?" she laughed scornfully. "I gave him a sedative. Hours ago. Something potent enough to knock out even a Monarch—deep, unbroken, dreamless sleep — like a corpse with a pulse."
She moved a step closer, her chin up, her voice victorious.
He won’t be waking up anytime soon. And by the time he does." Her voice dipped, sweetly deadly, ".you two will be either dead—or mine."
There was silence. Heavy. Complete.
Leon’s smirk wiped off, his eyes going ice-blue. Nova stiffened beside him, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.
There was a silence that settled between them.
But Natasha wasn’t done.
"And your precious royal guards?" she said with a mocking grin.