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

{Aria}

Aria's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through her silk curtains.

[Another day,] she thought, her small hands clutching her blankets. [Please let him still be...]

She practically leaped out of bed, her white nightgown swishing around her petite frame as she hurried through the palace corridors. Her bare feet made no sound on the polished marble floors - she'd gotten rather good at moving silently over the years.

The guards posted outside her father's chambers gave her knowing looks as she approached. They'd gotten used to her morning routine by now.

"He's awake, Your Highness," one of them said softly. "Had his morning tea already."

Relief flooded through her body, making her knees weak.

[Still here. Still alive. Still with me.]
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She knocked gently before entering.

King Aldric sat in his favorite armchair by the window, a forgotten book in his lap. He looked... tired. More tired than yesterday, but still alive. Still here.

"Snowflake," he smiled. "You're up early."

"Just wanted to see how you were feeling," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her grey eyes searched his face for any sign of deterioration.

"The same as yesterday," he assured her, though they both knew that wasn't entirely true. "Have you seen today's news?"

He gestured to the newspaper on his side table. Aria picked it up, her eyes immediately drawn to the headline:

"REVOLUTIONARY MAGICAL INVENTION TO BE SHOWCASED TODAY - Nim prodigy Melisa Blackflame to demonstrate groundbreaking new tool"

[Melisa?] Aria's hands tightened on the paper.

"Interesting, isn't it?" her father's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "A nim creating something revolutionary. Times are certainly changing."

"Yes," Aria said slowly, an idea forming in her mind. "They certainly are. Father, would you mind if I attended this showcase?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Political interest? Or personal?"

"Can't it be both?" she smiled innocently, though her mind was racing.

[This is perfect. A chance to observe her in public, see how she acts, what she's capable of...]

"Just be careful," he said, his voice carrying that weight she'd learned to associate with his more serious moments. "And remember-"

"A princess never shows her hand too early," she finished for him. "I know, Father."

She kissed his cheek, breathing in the familiar scent of ink and parchment that always clung to him, before heading back to her chambers to dress.

[Time to see what you're really up to, Melisa Blackflame,] she thought as she rang for her servants. [And maybe find out what really happened to Mother while I'm at it.]

Her reflection in the mirror showed a deceptively delicate-looking girl with long white hair and sharp grey eyes. Most people took one look at her child-like frame and assumed she was harmless.

[Their mistake,] she thought with a small smile as she began selecting her outfit for the day. [After all, Mother always said the best weapon is the one nobody sees coming.]

She would attend this showcase. She would watch. She would learn.

And maybe, just maybe, she'd finally get some answers.

---

{Melisa}

Melisa woke up to sunlight streaming through her window and butterflies in her stomach.

[Ooh, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Today's the day,] she thought, her tail curling anxiously. [The showcase. The trap. Everything we've been planning for.]

She sat up in bed, running a hand through her messy black hair. She felt good. Very good, actually. The Essence she'd managed to charge up after a thorough double dicking from the Summers was so potent, it was almost tangible. Like Melisa was wearing a weird, magical cloak.

[Man, Kimiko is a PRO with her dick. She touched spots neither Army or Izzy have...] Melisa grinned, remembering the pounding her pussy took. [No, no, no, FOCUS! Big stuff today, big stuff!] She scolded herself, though she couldn't help but grin at the memory.

She got dressed in her academy uniform, making sure her skirt was perfectly straight and her blouse properly buttoned. She wasn't heading to the academy today, but she liked how mobile the uniform felt.

She couldn't shake the mix of excitement and anxiety churning in her gut.

On one hand, this was Isabella's big day. Her friend, no, her girlfriend had created something incredible. A wand! Its practical uses were absolutely easy to appreciate, and Melisa was sure the people of Syux would see them. She deserved to have her moment in the spotlight.

On the other hand...

[The Shadow Mages are coming,] Melisa thought, adjusting her tie in the mirror. [We know it, they know it, and somehow that makes it even more terrifying.]

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Mel!" Isabella's voice came through the wood, full of its usual energy. "Stop preening and come down for breakfast! Mom made her special pancakes!"

[Right, right... Calm. Stay calm.]

When she got downstairs, the scene that greeted her was almost surreal in its normalcy, given the circumstances.

Kimiko was at the stove, her incredible rack barely contained by an apron as she flipped pancakes. Her pink tail swished happily as she worked, humming some tune under her breath.

Isabella sat at the table, practically bouncing in her seat. Her matching pink ears twitched with excitement as she showed Raven something about her wand, gesturing enthusiastically.

Raven, still looking somewhat uncomfortable with casual social situations, nodded along. Almost like she'd read a page from some "Top Ways To Seem Normal" article and it had included lots of nodding and "mhm, yes, yes, mhm."

Armia was there too, her tall frame making the kitchen chair look comically small as it usually did. The blooming noblewoman in her, which had taken a bit of a backseat since Darien's passing, clearly was slowly making a comeback, as Armia tried to maintain a straight posture while simultaneously trying to steal bites of pancake when she thought no one was looking.

And at the head of the table sat Javir, her sunlight-colored hair tied back neatly. She was just reading the latest paper but the way she looked, you'd swear she was reading battle reports.

"There's our co-star!" Kimiko called out cheerfully. "Sit down, honey. You'll need your strength today."

The way she said it - so casual yet so loaded with meaning - made Melisa's tail curl tighter.

"Thanks," she managed, sliding into a seat between Isabella and Raven.

"So," Isabella immediately turned to her, green eyes sparkling, "I was just showing Raven the latest modification I made to the wand. See how the grip-"

"Isabella," Javir interrupted, not looking up from her papers, "perhaps save the technical discussion for after we've reviewed the day's strategy?"

That sobered the poor girl considerably.

"Right," Isabella's ears drooped slightly. "The trap."

"The trap," Javir confirmed, finally setting down her reports. "We know they're coming. They know we know they're coming. But that doesn't mean we can afford to be careless."

She fixed each of them with a stern look.

"Maintain your positions. Stay alert. And above all-"

"Don't take unnecessary risks," they all finished in unison.

"I mean it," Javir's eyes lingered on Melisa. "Especially you. No heroics."

"Me?" Melisa tried to look innocent. "Please, I'm not gonna go and do anything too crazy. I'll fight when a fight comes, and I'll stand there and look pretty when I have to stand there and look pretty. It'll be fine!"

"Yes, yes, just make sure you stick to the plan, troublemaker," Javir said, though there was a hint of fondness in her exasperation. "The rest of you, just stick to what you do best, alright? You're all gifted mages and combatants. They've got training on their side, but we have the power of pure, raw talent on ours. Make the most of it, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" They all replied, to which Javir rolled her eyes.

They ate in a mixture of tension and casual conversation after that.

Isabella couldn't help but ramble about her wand between bites, while Armia tried to maintain proper table manners despite Kimiko's increasingly suggestive comments about her appetite.

[This is nice,] Melisa thought, watching her friends - her family, really - interact. [Almost makes you forget we're basically walking into an ambush later. An ambush we created.]

All too soon, it was time to leave.

"Everyone ready?" Javir asked, standing and straightening her robes.

They all nodded, getting to their feet. Isabella clutched her wand case to her chest, her tail bristling with nervous energy. Armia adjusted her sword belt, while Raven checked her hidden daggers one last time.

"Remember," Javir said as they headed for the door, "whatever happens today, we stick together. No lone wolf heroics, no split-second decisions without backup, no-"

"We know, Mom," Isabella rolled her eyes.

"I am not your mother."

"Could have fooled me," Kimiko said and the girls laughed.

Javir chuckled and moved out of the house first, opening the door to the next, big part of their day.

"Let's go show those Shadow Mages what happens when they mess with our family."

[Family,] Melisa thought, her tail finally uncurling slightly as they stepped out into the morning sun. [Yeah, that sounds about right.]

They had a trap to spring, after all. And Melisa had a feeling it was going to be one hell of a show, one way or another.