Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Princess in need V

Aiden’s words hung in the air, and the tension between them thickened. Princess Lirael’s gaze hardened as she crossed her arms over her chest, her stance shifting from wary curiosity to veiled anger. The night mist swirled around them, almost as if the Violet Mist Celestial herself was listening to the exchange.

Lirael’s voice was cold and measured as she responded, “You speak with such confidence, but I wonder if you truly know the weight of the words you use.” Her tone had sharpened, slicing through Aiden’s charm with a precision he hadn’t fully anticipated.

Aiden maintained his composed smile, though internally he was adjusting his strategy. ‘Of course, she isn’t so easily swayed,’ he thought, but that was part of the allure. Lirael wasn’t like the others. She was the key, and with her, the kingdom would follow. He simply needed to find the right pressure point.

“I am not blind to your suspicions, Princess,” Aiden said, his voice softening in response to her coldness. “You’ve lived among those who would use and manipulate you, people who see you only as a tool for their own gain. But I am different.”

Lirael’s eyes narrowed further behind her veil. “And how, exactly, are you different? What makes your ambitions any more honorable than the rest of the vultures circling the throne?”

Aiden took a step closer, making sure his movements were deliberate, slow, as if to prove he wasn’t a threat. He could feel the tension from her, the way her fingers hovered near her concealed blade, the subtle shift of her weight as she prepared for any sudden move.

“I seek power, yes,” Aiden admitted, his voice sincere. “But not at your expense. I do not want to diminish you or take away what is rightfully yours. I want to elevate you. You are the rightful ruler of this kingdom, Lirael. And together, we can restore it. I can help you gain the strength to take back what is yours.”

Lirael said nothing for a moment, her gaze hard, yet the air between them shifted slightly. She was listening, despite her mistrust.

“You claim to have fallen for me,” Lirael said finally, her voice still cold but with an edge of curiosity. “Yet you offer servants to prove your loyalty, not your own devotion. What kind of man proposes such an alliance and hides behind others?”

Aiden’s heart raced slightly. She was sharp, far sharper than most he had encountered. He hadn’t miscalculated her strength, but now he had to tread more carefully.

“Those I offer are not to hide behind, but to show you that I come with resources, with power,” Aiden responded, his voice steady. “My strength is in what I’ve built. My servants are an extension of my will, and they will serve you as they have served me.”

Lirael took a step toward him, her veil fluttering slightly in the breeze, revealing a glimpse of her face—a face filled with resolve, defiance, and something deeper that Aiden couldn’t quite place.

….And more than anything , a beauty that might cause the kingdom to wage war for her.

“You would bind me to you, make me your queen, and together we would rule,” she said, her tone calculating. “But I’ve seen men like you before. Those who make promises of power and loyalty, only to strip it away when the time comes. Tell me, Aiden, what do you truly want? Is it the kingdom, or is it me?”

Aiden didn’t hesitated even for a fraction of a second, but that was all the time he needed to regain his composure. His ambitions were vast, and his endgame was clear. But in this moment, he needed her to believe, at least in part, in the words he spoke.

“Both,” he said, his voice resolute. “I want both, because without you, this kingdom is nothing. And without this kingdom, you will never have the power you deserve. I want to stand by your side, not as your conqueror, but as your partner. Together, we can achieve greatness.”

Lirael studied him in silence, her fingers loosening from the hilt of her blade. The mist around them thickened, swirling in a dance that seemed to mirror the unspoken thoughts between them. She didn’t trust him, not yet. But Aiden could see the seeds of doubt she held toward her court, toward the kingdom that had failed her.

After what felt like an eternity, Lirael spoke again, her voice low but firm. “You speak well, Aiden. But words are not enough. I will consider your offer, but know this: I am not yours to claim like a piece on a chessboard. I will not be manipulated, nor will I be someone’s pawn. If you wish to rule beside me, you will need to prove yourself in more than just words.”

Aiden inclined his head slightly, a gesture of respect. “I understand, Your Highness. And I will prove myself, in time.”

As Lirael turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the mist, Aiden watched her retreating figure, his mind already calculating his next moves. ‘She will come around,’ he thought, his eyes gleaming with determination. ‘And when she does, the kingdom will be mine.’

But even as he planned, Aiden couldn’t shake the feeling that Princess Lirael would be far more difficult to control than he had initially thought.

“But there is fun in it, isn’t there?” Aiden mused silently, a sly smile creeping across his face. Using his Infinite Insight on Lirael, he quickly grasped the full extent of her strength and the situation she was trapped in. She was a Rank 4 peak being, a power so formidable that if she truly wished, she could have eliminated everyone in the royal court and claimed the throne herself. The only thing stopping her was the political web that bound her—her family’s influence, the Augustus lineage.

If Lirael desired, she could have called upon the might of her mother’s family, a powerful force that could have easily crushed any opposition in the kingdom. But doing so would come at a steep cost. It would mean she’d have to submit to their authority, to become a pawn in the Augustus family’s grand schemes. A fate her mother had tried to escape.