Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

That wasn't particularly encouraging.

Melisa and Aria walked away from the gardens together, leaving Zephyra to her observations of the newly resurrected lizard. The morning sun cast long shadows across the palace grounds, and Melisa couldn't help but notice how it made Aria's silver hair practically glow.

[She looks so young,] Melisa thought, studying the princess's delicate features. [It's easy to forget she's actually older than me, at least if I remember what they said in class way back correctly. Easy to forget how much weight she's carrying, too.]

They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps crunching on the gravel path. Aria's hands were clasped tightly behind her back, her posture perfect as always, but something about the set of her shoulders seemed... tense.

Finally, when they were well out of earshot of the gardens, Aria spoke.

"That spell of yours," she began, her voice carefully controlled. "Is there perhaps a way to make it stronger? To... augment it somehow?"

[Ah, there it is.]

Melisa knew she had to walk a fine line right now. She didn't want to be like "lol, nah, your dad's dying gurl" but she also didn't want to give false hope.

Because, well, the way it looked right now was like that man absolutely was dying.

"I've been thinking about that too," Melisa said carefully.

That was pretty much all she could offer without diving into pessimistic assumptions.

Aria's composure cracked slightly, her grey eyes flickering with barely contained fear.

"I heard him, you know. Father. He thinks he's dying, even if he won't say it to my face." Her hands clenched at her sides. "We need to be prepared. We need-"

"To be careful," Melisa finished gently. "The... the magic I used to make that healing spell is... complicated." Melisa gestured vaguely. "Whatever we do, we need to make sure we don't end up paying a price for it."

"I don't care about the price," Aria said fiercely. "Whatever it costs, I'm willing to pay."

"Your father would care," Melisa replied. "And so would your people. Having their princess sacrifice herself for experimental magic probably wouldn't go over well. Especially not right now."

Aria's mouth snapped shut, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"I'm not suggesting-"

"Yes, you are," Melisa said but kept her voice gentle. "And I get it. But rushing into this kind of magic without understanding what we're doing... that could make things worse, not better."

The princess's shoulders slumped slightly, the most un-royal posture Melisa had ever seen from her.

"I just... I cannot lose him as well," Aria whispered, and suddenly she didn't look like the intimidating princess who'd been suspecting Melisa of murder.

She just looked like a scared daughter who'd already lost one parent and was terrified of losing another.

Without thinking, Melisa reached out and took Aria's hand. The princess stiffened at first but didn't pull away.

"Look, we're making progress. That lizard back there? Way better results than with Brute. Let me and Zephyra keep working on it. We'll figure something out, alright?"

"And if we run out of time?" Aria's voice was barely a whisper.

"..."

Melisa did not have an answer for that.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like Aria was expecting one.

"I hope we figure this out," Aria said softly. "I sincerely hope we do."

--- Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

{Javir}

Javir sank into her favorite armchair with a groan of relief. Her sunlight-colored hair spilled loose around her shoulders, freed from its usual tight bun, and she'd swapped her formal robes for a simple silk robe.

[When was the last time I actually got to relax in my own room?] she wondered, reaching for the glass of wine she'd been saving for just such an occasion. [Feels like ages.]

Between teaching at the academy, monitoring Melisa's increasingly concerning magical experiments, and Margaret's frequent "visits" that left her deliciously sore but absolutely exhausted, moments of true solitude had become rare treasures.

Naturally, she'd just taken her first sip when a knock echoed through the room.

[Of fucking course,] Javir thought, not bothering to hide her irritation, but smiling through it. [The universe forbids me from having five minutes to myself.]

"Who is it?" she called out, already knowing her peaceful evening was about to be sacrificed on the altar of someone else's crisis.

"It's... it's Jaylin," her niece's voice came through the door, uncharacteristically hesitant. Javir's brows shot up. "Can we talk? It's important."

Javir's irritation melted into concern. Jaylin wasn't the type to sound uncertain about anything - the girl had inherited the family's characteristic stubbornness in spades.

"Come in," Javir said, setting her wine aside with regret.

Jaylin slipped in, closing the door quietly behind her. She looked... different. Smaller somehow, with none of her usual confident swagger. Her eyes darted around the room as if checking for hidden observers.

"Would you like some tea?" Javir asked.

"No, I... this isn't a social call," Jaylin said, still hovering by the door. She bowed her head slightly, another uncharacteristic gesture that set off more alarm bells in Javir's mind. "I need to tell you something. Something important."

[Well, shit,] Javir thought, straightening in her chair. [This can't be good.]

"Come, sit," she patted the chair across from her. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it."

Jaylin crossed the room but didn't sit, her hands clasping and unclasping nervously.

"I spoke to one of them," she blurted out. "The Shadow Mages. This morning."

Javir felt her blood run cold. Memories of Miria - her friend, her colleague, her betrayer - flashed through her mind.

"You what?" she kept her voice carefully level.

"They wanted to recruit me," Jaylin explained. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to get information out of them."

Javir took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"... And what did you find out?"

Jaylin, perhaps hopeful that she could avoid a scolding, continued.

"I... I told them about Isabella's showcase. Fed them just enough information to make them think it's a perfect opportunity to strike."

Relief warred with concern in Javir's chest.

"And you're sure they took the bait?"

"Oh yes," Jaylin's lips curved in a smile that reminded Javir painfully of herself at that age. "They're definitely coming. The woman I spoke to - Lady Belstadt - she practically salivated when I mentioned Melisa would be there."

Javir leaned back, processing this information.

"Okay, okay... Start from the top. Tell me everything," she said. "Every detail, no matter how small."

So Jaylin did, describing her meeting in the seedy bar, the strange woman with void-like eyes, the careful dance of information trading.

As she spoke, her confidence seemed to return, her posture straightening. Simultaneously, Javir found herself less worried.

"... You did well," Javir said when Jaylin finished. "Though I wish you'd told me about this part of the plan beforehand."

"Would you have let me do it if I had?"

[Clever girl,] Javir thought, caught between pride and exasperation. [She's definitely got the family brains.]

"Probably not," she admitted. "But that's exactly why you should have told me. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? If they'd realized you were playing them..."

"I know," Jaylin cut her off. "But someone had to do it. And let's be honest - they'd never suspect me. I'm just the angry kid who's jealous of all the attention you give Melisa."

The accuracy of that assessment made Javir wince.

"About that-"

"Don't," Jaylin held up a hand. "We don't need to have a heart-to-heart about my feelings. I know you care about me. I know you're proud of me. And I know why you spend so much time with her."

[Do you really?] Javir wondered, thinking of all the times Margaret had "thanked" her for looking after Melisa. [Because there are some aspects of that situation I really hope you don't figure out.]

"The point is," Jaylin continued, "the plan worked. They'll be there. Now we just need to make sure we're ready for them."

Javir nodded, already mentally reviewing their preparations.

"I'll inform the others. Discreetly. We can't risk them catching wind that this is a trap."

"Right," Jaylin finally sank into the offered chair, some of her tension bleeding away. "Though I have to admit, it was kind of fun. Playing the spy, I mean. Did you ever do anything like that when you were court sorceress?"

"That," Javir said, reaching for her wine again, "is a story for another time. Preferably when I'm drunk enough to tell you."

Jaylin laughed, and for a moment, Javir saw the little girl who'd train in the garden endlessly, years ago.

Soon, Javir was on her own and Jaylin walked out.

[We're really doing this,] she thought, taking a long sip of wine. [Setting a trap for the Shadow Mages. Using my niece as bait. Melisa experimenting with forbidden magic. When did my life get so complicated?]

But she knew exactly when. It was the moment she'd spotted a young nim girl in Lessmark, creating magic where none should exist.

"Ugh," Javir groaned, though she had a smile on her face.