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

{Aria}

The palace gardens were beautiful this time of year, though Aria barely noticed. She stood among the carefully tended roses, her mind far from their delicate petals.

[Another day, another crisis,] she thought, running her fingers along a flower's stem. [Though I suppose that's what being queen is all about. Crisis after crisis after crisis after...]

She sighed.

[I suppose Father would be proud... Mother... well, Mother would probably tell me to stop brooding in the garden and actually do something.]

She could almost hear her voice: "A queen who hesitates is no queen at all, my dear."

[Yes, and look where your decisiveness got you, Mother.]

"Your Majesty?"

Aria turned to find Lord Caelum approaching, his considerable bulk moving with surprising grace for a man his size. His expression told her everything she needed to know about how her day was about to go.

"You have that look again," she said, sighing. "The one that says you're about to ruin my morning."

"I never mean to ruin anything, Your Majesty," he replied, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. "Though I... do seem to have a talent for it."

"Indeed." She gestured for him to continue. "Well? What fresh disaster awaits us today?"

"Before that," he cleared his throat, "might I ask what brings you to the garden so early? It's not like you to... what was it you called it? 'Waste time smelling flowers while the world burns'?"

"I was thinking about Mother," she admitted. "About all her lessons on leadership and strength."

"Ah," Caelum nodded sagely. "And which particular pearl of wisdom was haunting you this morning?"

"'A queen who hesitates is no queen at all,'" she quoted, then laughed bitterly. "Though I'm starting to think some hesitation might have served her better in the end."

"Your mother was... a complicated woman," Caelum said carefully.

"That's a diplomatic way of saying it," Aria snorted. "Now, stop stalling. What's happened? Let me guess," she added, keeping her voice level. "Another attack?"

"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty." He handed her a report. "The Blacksmith's District this time. Three nobles were... accosted. Not murdered, at least."

"Not murdered?" Aria skimmed the report, her expression darkening. "Clearly not from lack of trying."

"Yes, well..." Lord Caelum shifted uncomfortably. "The court is... anxious to hear your response."

"When aren't they anxious about something?" She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, Lord Maris is already calling for blood?"

"He may have used the phrase 'make examples of them' several times," Caelum admitted.

"Very well," she sighed. "Let's go hear what creative solutions they've come up with this time. Though I warn you, if anyone suggests public executions again, I'm having them thrown in the dungeon."

"That... might be counterproductive, Your Majesty."

"But terribly satisfying."

The throne room was already full when she arrived, nobles clustering in their usual factions. She could practically taste the tension in the air.

[At least no one's thrown anything. Yet.]

"Your Majesty," Lord Maris stepped forward, his face red with indignation. "These attacks cannot continue! The nim must be reminded of their place!"

[And there it is. Faster than I expected.]

"Their place?" Lady Alana countered, her silk skirts rustling as she whirled on him. "Perhaps if their 'place' wasn't at the bottom of our boot for the last several hundreds of years, they wouldn't feel the need to fight back! Or have you forgotten what your own family did to their nim servants last winter?"

And, just like that, the room erupted into arguments. Aria sat on her throne, watching the chaos unfold.

[Sometimes I wonder if the Shadow Mages really left, or if they just changed clothes.]

As much as she wished she could just fade into the background and let the shouting match continue, it was probably better to just be done with this as quickly as possible.

"ENOUGH!"

Her voice cut through the noise, silence falling immediately.

Sometimes it paid to be queen.

"Lord Maris," she fixed him with her coldest stare. "Are you suggesting we respond to violence with more violence?"

He sputtered.

"I merely suggest-"

"I know exactly what you're suggesting," Aria cut him off. "And I remember similar suggestions being made to my father. He had the prudence not to entertain such notions and neither will I. Understood?"

The room grew uncomfortably quiet.

[Good. Let them squirm a bit.]

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty," Lady Alana spoke up again. "Perhaps this is a sign that real change is needed. The nim have genuine power now. Perhaps not legislatively, but... We cannot simply pretend nothing has changed."

"Oh yes," another noble sneered. "Let's just hand over the keys to the kingdom while we're at it because of one talented girl! Maybe we should all just bend over and-"

More shouting.

[Gods, it's like dealing with children. Very wealthy, very dangerous children.]

Aria raised her hand, silencing the brewing argument.

"The situation will be handled," she said firmly. "But not through violence. We've had quite enough of that, I think. Anyone who takes matters into their own hands will answer to me personally. Am I understood?"

As the nobles filed out, still muttering among themselves, Lord Caelum remained.

"Your father would be proud," he said softly.

"My father would be furious that we're still dealing with the same problems he faced," Aria corrected. "Just with more magic involved now."

She turned to stare out the window, at the city sprawling below.

[Somewhere out there, nim are planning their next attack. Nobles are plotting their revenge. And I'm stuck here, trying to keep everyone from killing each other.]

"Sometimes I think the Shadow Mages never really left," she murmured. "Their poison just... spread deeper than we thought."

"Your Majesty?"

"Nothing," she straightened her shoulders. "Send word to the Academy. I think it's time I paid them a visit."

[After all,] she thought, a small smile playing at her lips, [if anyone can give me some genuinely good advice right now, perhaps it's the girl who's at the center of all of this.]

---

{Melisa}

Yet again, another day, another set of lessons revolving around things Melisa had already learned. Though, to be fair, this time, it wasn't really the academy's fault for being too simple or anything.

They taught the students about runic transfiguration today. Or, to put it simply, changing an already active rune to possess a different ability (without blowing yourself up in the progress).

This was actually something Melisa had learned as a kid, so she didn't really need the lesson on it. Isabella and Raven didn't know how to do this and they were both interested in learning, so they were in the classroom, diligently jotting down what the professor said.

Armia, on the other hand, had no interest in this. She, of course, was far more interested in the practical applications of magic. Or, how to win fights using it, and the like.

Which was why she and Melisa were currently in the bathroom, cutting class and doing something far more fun.

"Oh, oh gods..." Armia muttered as Melisa gagged on her dick.

Melisa, squatting in front of her, did her best to reach Armia's base. It took no small amount of effort, what with her dick being so big and all.

[Fuck, it's-] she gagged again, [-it's so. fucking. BIG.]

So much time with Kimiko and Isabella lately had made Melisa forget what darian dick was like. So, she intended to get... reacquainted with it in the best of ways.

...

A few minutes later, Melisa was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand while Armia tried to catch her breath.

[Well,] Melisa thought smugly, [I'd say that was worth missing class for.]

"You're getting better at that," Armia muttered, still leaning against the wall as she tucked herself back in.

"Practice makes perfect~"

They cleaned themselves up, checking their uniforms in the mirror. Melisa's hair was a mess, but that wasn't exactly unusual these days.

[Isabella's going to take one look at me and know exactly what I've been doing,] she thought, attempting to smooth down her tangled locks. [Then again, when doesn't she know?]

"Ready?" Armia asked, having somehow managed to look perfectly put together again.

[How do the pretty ones always do that?]

Melisa nodded, and they stepped out of the bathroom-

Only for Melisa to lock eyes with the absolute last person she expected to see.

[Oh shit.]

There, in all her regal glory, stood Queen Aria of Syux, looking between them with an expression that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

"Ah," Aria said, her eyes bouncing between Armia and Melisa, before settling on Melisa. "It's been a while."

[Of all the bathrooms in all the academy, she had to be standing outside this one.]

Armia went rigid beside her, probably wondering if this counted as defiling royal property somehow.

"Your Majesty!" Melisa squeaked, her voice still a bit rough. "What a... surprise?"

[Please don't let her have heard anything, please don't let her have heard anything...]

"Indeed," Aria's lips twitched. "Always nice to see students so... dedicated to their studies."