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

As the king's body hit the floor, Queen Melara's eyes snapped to Melisa, her face contorting with rage.

"You!" she screamed, her voice shrill and trembling. "You did this! You poisoned him, you filthy nim!"

Melisa's heart pounded in her chest, her mind reeling.

"What? No, I didn't- I would never-"

But her words were drowned out by the clamor of swords being drawn, knights rushing forward with cold steel glinting in the candlelight.

[FUCK!] She raised her hands like she had a gun aimed at her. [Fuck, fuck, this can't be happening!]

Just as the blades were about to reach her, a figure burst through the crowd, pushing the knights back with a blast of wind magic.

"Now, hold on a second," Javir kept a hand raised. "It's not what it seems like."

"Not what it seems like?" The queen asked with a sneer. "The king is dead!"

"He's not dead yet. Healers! Get over here already!" Javir called out loudly and a few people in white robes almost materialized out of thin air, the way they quickly sprinted next to the king.

The knights hesitated, their eyes darting between Javir and the queen. The music died abruptly as all eyes in the ballroom turned towards the unfolding drama.

Melisa's breath came in short, panicked gasps, her mind spinning with the suddenness of it all.

[How did this happen? How could the king be poisoned? How...?]

Amidst the chaos, Armia came rushing forward.

"Melisa!" she cried out, her voice laced with worry. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

But before Melisa could respond, several knights moved to intercept Armia, their hands reaching for their swords.

"Seize the darian!" one of them shouted. "She could be in on it too!"

Armia's eyes widened. But just as the situation seemed to be escalating toward violence, a gruff voice cut through the din.

"Hold!" General Neal stepped forward, his scarred face set in a scowl. "The darian has been with me through most of the evening. She has nothing to do with this."

The knights hesitated, glancing uncertainly between Neal and the queen. But Neal's reputation preceded him, apparently, and slowly, grudgingly, they lowered their weapons.

Armia shot Neal a grateful look, her shoulders sagging with relief. Melisa's heart ached for her friend, hating that she'd been dragged into this nightmare.

But there was no time for apologies, no time for anything but the gut-wrenching horror unfolding before them.

Melisa's gaze was drawn back to the king, his body convulsing on the floor as he gasped for air. Healers rushed forward, their hands glowing with soothing light as they tried desperately to stabilize him, drawing spellsigns in the air quickly and muttering incantations.

[How did this happen?] Melisa thought, her mind racing. [Okay, come on, the food. It had to be the food. But... we all ate from the same dishes, didn't we? So why is he the only one affected?

I should be on the floor too.]

She thought back to the shimmering powder she'd seen sprinkled on their plates, the way Melara had avoided touching her own food.

[No... no, it can't be. She couldn't have...]

But even as the thought formed, Melisa knew it was the only explanation that made sense. The queen had planned this, had set her up to take the fall.

[But why? What could she possibly gain from this?]

As she watched the healers work frantically over the king's prone form, Melisa felt a cold, creeping dread settle in the pit of her stomach.

[This is bad. This is really, really fucking bad. If the king dies... if they blame me...]

She didn't even want to think about the consequences, the horrors that awaited a nim accused of regicide.

[Think, Mel, think! There has to be a way out of this, a way to prove your innocence.]

But as the chaos swirled around her, as accusations and recriminations flew like poisoned arrows, Melisa couldn't see a way forward.

---

{Raven}

Raven's eyes narrowed as she watched the chaos unfold from the shadows.

Her keen gaze had been trained on the royal table throughout the dinner, and she hadn't missed the suspicious behavior of one particular server.

[That powder he sprinkled on the plates... it has to be the poison. But why would he...?]

Her thoughts were interrupted as the server in question began to make a hasty exit, slipping through the panicked crowd quickly.

[Oh no you don't.]

Raven moved to follow, her steps quick and silent. She weaved through the horde of nobles swiftly, trailing him.

Suddenly, a flash of pink caught her eye. Isabella appeared at her side.

[Hm?]

She gazed back at Raven.

"You saw it too, didn't you?" the kitsune asked, smirking. "The server, the powder..."

Raven nodded curtly, never taking her eyes off him.

"He's getting away. We need to-"@@novelbin@@

"I'm coming with you," Isabella interrupted, her tone brooking no argument. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let you be Melisa's only hero tonight."

Raven sighed.

"Fine. But stay close and do exactly as I say."

Isabella flashed a quick, humorless grin.

"You got it, boss. Lead the way."

The two women slipped out of the ballroom, following the server's trail. Raven's mind raced as they navigated the twisting corridors of the palace.

As they rounded a corner, Raven's sharp eyes caught a flicker of movement ahead. The server was hurrying towards a shadowed alcove, where two figures in black robes stood waiting.

[Got you.]

"Stop right there!" Raven called out, her voice ringing with authority. "By order of the king, I command you to halt!"

Isabella raised a brow at her.

Obviously, Raven didn't work for the king. But, they didn't know that.

The server froze, his head whipping around in panic. The robed figures tensed, their hands disappearing into the folds of their garments. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Instantly, blades were pulled out.

[... Well, there's the confirmation,] Raven pulled out a knife she'd been keeping strapped to her calf. [We don't waste time with words, do we, Shadow Mages?]

Isabella smiled, pulling out that weird stick Raven had seen her showing off.

"Finally~ I've been aching for more action all night," the kitsune muttered.

And, with no further ado, but parties charged at each other.

---

Author Note:

Someone asked a question in the other chapters and for some reason, my responses are disappearing, so here you go:

1. "Is there a set number to the amount of girls in the harem?"

No. Or, well, it depends on whether you consider random side characters to be "part of the harem". If so, no. In terms of prominent, important characters, I can say the number is going to be below double digits.

2. "Will the girls who sleep around with others, like Isabella, be into men too?"

There will be some girls in the harem who are bisexual, just because I feel that's more realistic, though I am going to keep het scenes to an absolute minimum (as the description says, this is a yuri/futa story first and foremost, that's not gonna change).