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

{Aria}

Princess Aria sat in her study, the soft scratch of quill on parchment the only sound breaking the silence. Her brow furrowed as she jotted down her thoughts, trying to materialize her impressions of the enigma that was Melisa Blackflame.

[Those eyes,] Aria thought, her own grey ones narrowing. [Big, blood-red eyes. So warm, so trusting...] She sighed. [It doesn't add up.]

She tapped the quill against her chin, leaving a small ink spot she'd probably regret later.

To Aria, Melisa seemed about as suited for courtly intrigue as a puppy in a pit of vipers.

The poisoning of the king during the gala, her mother's murder in the dead of night - none of it fit with the image of the girl she'd spoken to. Melisa was so open, so... unshielded, it was almost painful to watch.

[It's like she's never had to hide a thing in her life,] Aria mused. [Or she's the best damn actress I've ever seen.] Aria sighed. [How could she walk beside the daughter of the woman she (maybe) murdered so... casually?]

Aria shook her head, her white hair catching the lamplight. She couldn't let herself be swayed by a charming exterior. That girl could very well be some evil genius masquerading as an innocent nim. Until Aria gained more information, she needed to treat her as such.

[Trust no one, suspect everyone,] she reminded herself.

A knock at the door interrupted her mental scolding. Before she could respond, the door creaked open, revealing her father, King Aldric. He looked older than Aria remembered, the weight of recent events etched into the lines of his face.

"Father," Aria said, standing. "I wasn't expecting you."

The king offered a tired smile.

"Can't a father visit his daughter without an appointment?"

He made his way to Aria's bed, sitting down heavily. Sensing this was going to be their first real talk since her arrival, Aria joined him, perching on the edge of the mattress.

For a moment, they sat in awkward silence. Aria could almost see her father fumbling for words, trying to bridge the gap years of separation had created.

"So," he finally said, "how was your journey? No trouble on the roads, I hope?"

Aria raised an eyebrow.

[Really, Father? Small talk?]

"Oh, you know, the usual," she replied dryly. "A few bandits, a darian skirmisher or two... or twenty. Nothing the royal guard couldn't handle."

Her father chuckled, but it sounded forced.

"Caelum told me you spent more time watching the fights from the edge of the carriage than you did hiding from it. You need to get out of that habit."

"I need to study how they fight."

"Do it safer. A stray arrow could find you one of these days."

"If the gods will it, a stray arrow will find me regardless of where I place myself."

"I..." He chuckled again. "I guess I can't argue with that. You win again."

"As per usual."

Another silence fell, heavier this time. Aria waited, knowing what was coming.

Finally, her father sighed.

"Aria, about your mother... about Melara's murder-"

"I don't believe for a second you did it," Aria cut in, her voice firm. "You don't need to say it. And I'm currently in the process of gathering evidence that it was Melisa Blackflame."

The king's eyes widened.

"Melisa? But... I don't think-"

"If it wasn't her, who could it be?" Aria pressed, preparing herself to go over the facts once again. "Mother perished in the dead of night. She was there, earlier that day, wasn't she? And that nim has been at the center of every strange occurrence in this city lately."

Her father shook his head.

"I... doubt it was her, Aria. You haven't met her, but she's- uhm, she's not the type."

Aria snorted.

"Anyone can be 'the type'," Aria muttered. "So long as their desires are strong enough."

The king sighed again, looking even more exhausted.

"The only other option would be Zephyra," Aria continued. "Not because I think she has any particular reason to do it, but because she's competent enough. Other than that, it was either... a suicide, or an assassin managed to kill Melara without ever being seen near her."

Aria's mind raced.

[Suicide? That doesn't sound like Mother at all. And an unseen assassin... in the royal chambers? Impossible.]

"Whatever the case, I intend to find out the truth," Aria said, her voice hard with determination. "No matter what it takes."

Her father nodded, then coughed, a rough, hacking sound that made Aria's concern spike.

"Father? Are you alright?"

He waved off her worry.

"I'm fine, just a tickle in my throat. You should rest, Aria. You look tense."

Aria wanted to argue, to press for more information, but she could see the fatigue in her father's eyes. This conversation had taken a lot out of him.

"Alright," she conceded. "But this isn't over. We'll talk more tomorrow. I would like more details."

"Of course," the king laughed. "When did you start bossing me around?"

"Seems like everyone in this city could use some bossing around, these days."

As her father left, closing the door behind him, Aria turned back to her notes. Her eyes fell on the name she'd written and underlined: Melisa Blackflame.

[I'll get to the bottom of this,] she thought, her jaw set. [No matter how charming or innocent you seem, Melisa, I'll uncover the truth. And if you are responsible for my mother's death... may the gods have mercy on you, because I won't.]

---

{Zephyra} Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

Zephyra strode into the royal archives like she owned the place, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor.

The room was a bibliophile's wet dream - ceiling-high shelves crammed with ancient tomes, scrolls that probably hadn't seen the light of day since before Zephyra was born, and enough dust to make a neat freak have a conniption.

[Well, hello there, sexy,] Zephyra thought, eyeing a particularly old and mysterious-looking book. [You and I are about to get very well acquainted.]

She cracked her knuckles and got to work, pulling out every book and scroll that even hinted at Shadow Mage activity. Hours ticked by as she pored over the texts, piecing together a patchwork history of Syux's most notorious magical menaces.

The Shadow Mages, it seemed, had been a thorn in Syux's side for centuries. There were accounts of them disrupting trade routes with dark illusions, assassinating key political figures (always with plausible deniability, of course), and generally being a pain in the royal backside.

One particular incident caught Zephyra's eye - the Great Blackout of 732, where the Shadow Mages had apparently plunged the entire city into darkness for a week and, """somehow""", various nim ended up missing the following day.

[Hm. Reading these sorts of things, knowing what I know now, feels like I've been asleep all my life and only just now woke up.]

The official story claimed it was a magical experiment gone wrong, but the archival notes hinted at a more sinister plot.

[Clever bastards,] Zephyra mused, a grudging respect coloring her thoughts. [They've been playing the long game all this time.]

But as she dug deeper, something started to nag at her. The information was comprehensive, yes, but... too neat. Too tidy. It was like someone had carefully curated every bit of knowledge about the Shadow Mages, presenting just enough to satisfy curiosity without offering anything truly useful.

Zephyra's eyes narrowed as realization dawned. There was no mention of headquarters, no names of known Shadow Mages to interrogate, no concrete leads of any kind. It was all smoke and mirrors, designed to look informative while revealing absolutely nothing of importance.

[Well, isn't that convenient,] Zephyra thought, her lips curling into a sardonic smile. [If the queen herself was in bed with the Shadow Mages - figuratively or literally, who knows with that woman - it stands to reason she'd have her little court puppets dancing to her tune.]

She leaned back in her chair, stretching out the kinks in her back. The pieces were starting to fall into place, and Zephyra didn't like the picture they were forming.

[Well, the archives weren't of any use. Should have seen that coming, I guess.]

But Zephyra wasn't one to give up easily. If the official channels were compromised, she'd just have to get creative.

[Time to think outside the box,] she mused, a mischievous glint in her eye. [Or in this case, outside the stupidly well-stocked but ultimately useless library.]

As Zephyra made her way back to her study, she passed by various people. Knights, nobles, maids, butlers, particularly haughty couriers.

[Any of these people could be connected to the Shadow Mages, huh? From what I learned about the gala, I believe it was a servant that actually initiated the plot to kill the king.]

Again, that feeling returned. The feeling of having "woken up" in a way.

[... Sure does make walking around this place more exciting than it's ever been, though, hehe.] She smirked. [I kind of like it.]