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

{Melisa}

Soon, the living room of Javir's manor was bathed in the warm glow of oil lamps.

Melisa sat on the edge of an overstuffed armchair, her previously injured arm now healed by Javir. Zephyra leaned against the fireplace mantle, her amethyst eyes focused intently on Melisa. Javir paced back and forth, her sunlight-colored hair swaying with each turn. Margaret and Melistair (now fully clothed, thank God), sat close together on a nearby sofa, their hands intertwined.

The bodies of the attackers had been dealt with. Again, as per usual with these guys, they made sure not to leave any evidence that could tie them directly to the queen. Now, Melisa was explaining herself to everyone.

Even Jaylin had stuck around, perched awkwardly on a wooden chair she'd dragged in from the dining room.

Melisa took a deep breath, her tail twitching nervously as she finished recounting her conversation with the queen. The words still felt surreal, like something out of a fever dream.

"...and that's when she said that nim used to keep humans as cattle," Melisa concluded, her voice barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough in that silence. She, of course, left out everything about how she had sex with the woman. "That we fed off their Essence, that we were the ones enslaving humanity." She looked up, her red eyes wide with disbelief. "Can you believe that shit?

I mean, it's got to be some kind of sick joke, right?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Zephyra was the first to break it, her voice calm.

"If what she's saying is true, and people found out about it, it would change everything. The entire social structure of Syux, the relationship between humans and nim... it would all be turned on its head in a heartbeat."

Javir ran a hand through her hair, her brow furrowed in thought.

"But how can we be sure? The queen could have been lying, trying to manipulate Melisa for some reason. Maybe to make her feel guilty. Maybe to avoid feeling guilty on her own end. People tend to rationalize what they do, no matter how evil. Maybe she was making it up."

"Just to cope, though?" Melisa countered, leaning forward in her chair. "I mean, she did try to have me killed tonight. If it was just a lie, why would she go so far to stop me from spreading what she said in the first place?"

Margaret spoke up, her voice soft but steady.

"It... it would explain a lot, actually. The way humans have always treated nim, the fact that none of us ever thought to try using magic, like Melisa can. This... this mentality has been beaten into our minds, slowly, over many many generations..." Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Melistair nodded slowly.

"It really is like they're afraid of some awful fate repeating itself."

Zephyra pushed off from the mantle, beginning to pace herself.

"The question now is, what do we do with this information? If we go public with it, there's likely to be chaos. Some humans will refuse to believe it, others might panic. And the nim... well, I can't imagine they'd take kindly to learning they've been put down for generations because they might be too strong. It would be hectic.

Incredibly so."

Javir nodded grimly.

"Not to mention the backlash we'd face from the queen's allies. Not to mention the noble houses, the different guilds... they all have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo."

Melisa balled her hands up into fists.@@novelbin@@

"So what, we just sit on this? Pretend we never learned the truth? That's bullshit!"

"No one's saying that, Melisa," Zephyra replied quickly. "But we need to be smart about how we proceed. A misstep here could have catastrophic consequences. Consequences felt centuries into the future."

Margaret leaned forward, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and determination.

"What if we started small? Find other nim who might be receptive to the idea, teach them in secret. Build up a network of nim who know the truth and can use magic."

Melistair nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, and maybe we could look for some historical evidence to back up the queen's claims. There must be records somewhere, even if they've been hidden or destroyed. The Shadow Mages," he pitched. "They have to have something they're holding onto."

"Hm... I might be able to research this myself," Javir muttered.

Zephyra tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I could do some digging in the royal archives as well. As court sorceress, I have access to records that few others do."

Melisa listened to the plans forming around her, a spark of hope igniting in her chest. But a nagging doubt still gnawed at her.

"What about the Shadow Mages? Now that this happened, they'll probably be twice as eager to kill us all."

Javir's expression hardened.

"We'll need to be prepared for more attacks. Simple as that."

"I can teach you more advanced defensive spells," Zephyra added, looking at Melisa. "You held your own admirably tonight, but there's still much for you to learn."

Melisa nodded.

Jaylin, who'd been quiet all this time, walked off, heading back to her side of the manor, alone.

Melisa set that aside and took stock of the whole situation.

[... Well, Mel, you asked to be important,] she sighed. [Like Zephyra said. What's happening right now could have huge consequences, from here to many, many years down the line. You need to be careful.]

---

Melisa's eyes fluttered open, squinting against the bright sunlight streaming through her bedroom window.

She groaned, feeling like she'd been hit by a runaway carriage. Every muscle ached, a reminder of the previous night's intense battle.

[Fuck, what time is it?] she thought. [I'm gonna take a guess and say it's noon.]

She stretched, wincing as her injured arm protested the movement. The events of the night before came flooding back - the attack, the revelations about nim history, the plans they'd made. It all felt like a surreal dream.

Melisa dragged herself out of bed, her tail dragging listlessly behind her. She pulled on a loose shirt and shorts, not bothering to make herself presentable. Who was going to care, after the night they'd had?

As she made her way downstairs, the rich aroma of coffee filled the air. Melisa's nose twitched appreciatively.

[Ah, coffee, drink of the heavens~] she thought, following the scent to the kitchen. [If I'd ended up in a world that didn't have this, I'd probably lose my mind.]

Margaret stood at the counter, her back to Melisa, a steaming mug clutched in her hands.

She was still in her nightgown, her purple hair mussed from sleep. Without a word, Melisa padded over and wrapped her arms around her from behind, burying her face in Margaret's shoulder.

"Morning, sweetheart," Margaret murmured, her voice rough with exhaustion. "Or should I say afternoon?"

Melisa grunted in response, tightening her hold. Margaret chuckled.

She turned in Melisa's arms, setting her coffee mug down on the counter. She cupped Melisa's face in her hands, her red eyes filled with a mix of concern and pride.

"You were amazing last night, you know that? Javir spent almost a whole hour just a bit ago raving about how well you did."

"I mean, I basically just ran around in circles."

"I'd say that given the circumstances, that's impressive on its own." She giggled. "My brave, powerful girl..." Margaret tilted her head. "You deserve a reward~"

Melisa perked up instantly.

"Yeah? Any ideas?"

Margaret raised an eyebrow, a matching smirk on her face.

"Ah, no, I can't imagine what might be appropriate. Can you?"

Instead of answering, Melisa leaned in, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to Margaret's cheek. Her tongue darted out, tracing a line along Margaret's jaw. Their tails entwined, a shiver running through Melisa's body.

Margaret's breath hitched, her hands sliding down to grip Melisa's waist.

For a moment, it seemed Margaret might give in. But then, she produced a smirk of her own and untied herself from Melisa's grasp.

She smacked Melisa's ass, earning a surprised yelp from her.

"Patience!" Margaret said, though there was no real reproach in her tone. "I need to go get the local papers. With everything that happened last night, who knows what kind of crazy headlines we'll see today."

Melisa pouted but stepped back, allowing her mother to move.

"Fine, fine. But don't think this conversation is over."

Margaret laughed, heading for the door.

"Of course not."

As Margaret left, Melisa poured herself a mug of coffee, inhaling the rich aroma deeply. She leaned against the counter, her mind wandering back to the events of the previous night. The fight, the revelations, the plans they'd made... it all seemed so overwhelming in the harsh light of day.

[Where do we even start?] she wondered, taking a sip of her coffee. [How do you begin to unravel centuries of lies?]

The sound of the front door opening interrupted her thoughts. Margaret's voice called out, an edge of panic in her tone that made Melisa's blood run cold.

"Melisa! Melisa, come quick!"

Melisa set her mug down hard, coffee sloshing over the rim. She rushed to the foyer, her heart pounding.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Margaret stood just inside the door, her face pale, a newspaper clutched in her trembling hands. Wordlessly, she held it out to Melisa.

Melisa's eyes fell on the bold headline, and she felt the world tilt beneath her feet:

"TRAGEDY STRIKES SYUX: QUEEN MELARA FOUND DEAD IN ROYAL CHAMBERS"

"Holy shit," Melisa breathed, her mind reeling. "Holy fucking shit."