The Conquerors Path

"It is to marry me..."

Heating her words, I became truly surprised, but soon, looking into her eyes, I relaxed myself. For I can see no love from her, only opportunity and a desire to possess me, which soon started to play through several ideas in my mind.

It wasn't farfetched for me to understand her thought process, for I knew these girls better than they knew themselves, especially the ones I conquered in the game.

Right now, I am a hot commodity, the perfect candidate husband in the eyes of anyone: smart, powerful, great background, and to Isabella, I will be a very useful piece that she can use. With me marrying her, her position will turn rock solid, plus my actions have shown her that I have a very extensive information network, perhaps even better than her kingdom.

Even with all this, it's just the beginning of the good things I can bring to her life. In any way looked at, I am the perfect husband candidate that can help strengthen her position while giving the possible future of strengthening her kingdom and perhaps even making it into an Empire in the future, her mind truly being benefit-oriented, one that I already knew.

'This is good and bad at the same time...'

In fact, I did foresee such a situation, but I didn't think for it to happen so suddenly. For nothing like this ever happened to Leonardo. In the game, in the beginning, all she did was try to use Leonardo. But I am different from him. I am a man very capable of the noble bloodline. While my future right now is brighter than anyone out there, to her, I will seem like a worthwhile investment and a useful pawn to be manipulated by her.

'But that ain't going to happen now...'

As my thoughts reached their final state, I looked at Isabella who seemed to have kept her eyes focused on me, seemingly trying to see through me. In the end, I opened my mouth and spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I will have to reject this proposal of yours."

My words now truly brought her a surprise, her arrogance of hers truly being quite funny. Her head tilted a bit as she looked at me with a confused expression as she asked.

"Why? Might I know what is bad about being my husband? Not to brag, but I think I am a worthwhile catch. Don't men like you need a beautiful princess for power?"

Her question earned a chuckle from me.

'Girl, you have no idea how many princesses I already have...'

I have already conquered the never before seen Dragon princess and even her mother, the Empress, which ironically isn't the first Empress I conquered.

"Then princess, I too find you pleasing to the eyes, but that doesn't mean I wish to marry you, for I wish to be in love with the woman I marry."

My words relaxed the frown on Isabella's face as she leaned into the table between us, her voice quite low as she spoke.

"Wouldn't such a thing develop between the two of us, naturally?"

Her question made me chuckle as I leaned into the table too, our faces dangerously close to each other, her breath hitting my face, her unique scent filling my nose, and our eyes focused on each other.

"Let's not play games, princess. I will be quite truthful. You are not that desirable to me. And in the case of having a princess, how about I give you the secret that the Empire has now proposed to have Olivia as my fiancee?"

My words brought a tremble into Isabella's eyes as I could see her pupils shake for a moment, her cute frown filling her cold face as she leaned back into the booth, her mind, no doubt, playing through several scenarios as she suddenly asked me.

"Is this confirmed?"

To this, I shook my head, still keeping myself close to the table as I spoke.

"The Empress seems to come to my mother to iron out the details, but it's my choice to accept the engagement or not."

I stopped here for a moment, letting the words sink into her mind as I continued.

"So, Princess Isabella, why should I accept marriage to you?"

To this question of mine, Isabella asked me a question back.

"Does that mean you accept the engagement?"

To this, I shook my head.

"Not yet, but if I have to choose, I would take Olivia over you, for I know her better than you, and as my cousin, I do care about her."

After saying these words of mine, I leaned back into the booth with a smile on my face, knowing Isabella, I can predict where her thought process will go, and that will just be useful to me. You see, even if she won't show it outwardly, her arrogance is extremely high, a very high one with a closed-off manipulative mind to control everything.

In her mind, profits and future flow, and even she would have anticipated a 70% chance of me accepting her engagement proposal, but my sudden words have thrown a wrench into her plans. Why should I even entertain her when I have Olivia?

In a normal instance, she should back away and let the deal go, but after everything I have shown, she is smart enough to know that I can be the future she wants to draw for her kingdom, and if there is a chance, she will try to get me, and hence...

"Right now you aren't engaged to anyone, I presume, publicly?"

Isabella asked, her voice colder as she focused powerfully on me.

'So she doesn't care if I have different lovers in the dark?'

She truly has a very 'noble' like mind, that is until she falls for me. After that, any love I have in the dark will definitely be removed by her, quite ruthlessly, in fact.

"No, I am not..."

I responded to this. Isabella nodded her head, her eyes seemingly lighting up as she spoke.

"Then I shall change the last request. Instead of marrying me, I want you to provide a certain amount of your time to me, to go out on dates with me. I want you for a certain amount of time..."

This brought a 'surprised' expression to my face as I asked back.

"Are you planning on making me fall in love with you to marry me?"

"Yes."

She directly replied, earning a scoff of 'disbelief' from me. Though looking at her face, she seemed very serious, and that only made me happier. With this, getting her heart may become much easier. If this happened just a few months ago, she wouldn't give a shit and easily move away from me. But the current me is a very powerful prize she can't lose.

'Sadly for you, this is a losing game from the very beginning...'

While I was giddy on the inside, on the outside, only a frown filled my face, a thoughtful look taking my face till I shook my head.

"Fine, I agree with your proposal..."

My words just earned me a nod from her as she spoke.

"Then we can iron out the details on another day..."

Saying so, she stood up from where she sat and left the booth, leaving me there. But I didn't sit there for long. I too stood up and left the shop, my steps light as my disguise came back. Knowing the speed at which Isabella left, I can come to guess some of the things she might do now, and none of that will be any good for me.

'Guess I will deal with it as they come...'