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

The questions started almost immediately. A lot of them echoed Melisa's own sentiments.

"How did they get in?"

"Who let them through?"

"Why weren't we prepared?"

Melisa stood there, her magic still crackling around her as the questions bounced back and forth. The nobles who hadn't fled were getting particularly worked up, their faces red with either fear or anger. Maybe both.

[Yeah, because clearly standing around yelling will solve everything.]

"This is outrageous!" one particularly pompous-looking man declared, his jowls quivering with each word. "We demand answers! First the attacks in the city, now this?"

That much questioning wasn't that bad. It was to be expected and, to be honest, Melisa agreed with it. They absolutely needed to know how exactly this even happened.

What she didn't agree with were the straight-up accusations that soon began pouring in.

A woman in an expensive dress pointed at Melisa.

"Perhaps we should ask her? After all, it was during her speech that this happened!"

"Did she sneak them all in?"

"She had to have done that. H-How else would get by all the security?"

A lot of people clearly felt the same way. But, before it could all get out of hand, another voice chimed in. Isabella's.

"Are you suggesting," Isabella's voice cut in, her tail bristling, "that Melisa orchestrated an attack that interrupted her own speech?"

The woman sneered.

"Well, who else could have arranged-"

"Oh, shut up," Claire snapped, surprising everyone. She stepped forward, her blonde hair still somehow perfect despite the chaos. "If you'd been paying attention instead of sleeping through her speech, you'd have noticed she was just as shocked as the rest of us."

Melisa did a double take.

[... Huh.] She blinked in Claire's direction. [Thanks, I guess?]

The woman's face went red.

"How dare you! I am Lady Voss of-"

"I don't care if you're the Queen's chamberpot cleaner," Claire cut in. "Your accusation makes no logical sense. If we examine the theoretical probability of-"

Armia stepped forward, her massive frame casting a shadow over Lady Voss.

"Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private?" The threatening undertone in her voice was unmistakable.

[Okay, as hot as it is watching Armia intimidate nobles, maybe we should-]

"Enough."

Queen Aria's voice cut through the noise like a knife.

Everyone fell silent, turning to face her. She stood among her guards, her white hair slightly disheveled but her bearing as regal as ever.

"Throwing around random accusations will accomplish nothing," she continued. Her grey eyes swept over the crowd, somehow managing to make eye contact with everyone at once. "We have dead citizens, corrupt guards, and a security breach to address. Your petty feuds can wait."

[Well, couldn't have said it better myself.]

"Captain," she called out.

One of her knights stepped forward, his armor still stained with blood.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Search the bodies. I want a full report on my desk by morning."

"Right away, Your Majesty."

Aria's gaze landed on Melisa.

"As for you..."

[Here we go...]

But all she said was:

"We'll speak later."

[... Looks like I'm going to get a chance to process this. That's nice.]

The captain began barking orders. Knights moved to examine the bodies while others secured the perimeter. Healers rushed in to tend to the wounded. The nobles who remained huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves.

Lady Voss was still glaring at Melisa, but now Armia stood between them, arms crossed. Isabella had made her way over too, standing protectively close.

[Great. Now I have a harem guard detail.]

Before anyone could say anything else, Headmistress Eliana's voice rang out:

"All students are to return to their dormitories immediately. No exceptions."

[Great. Because I totally want to try sleeping after this.]

"Melisa," Isabella whispered, grabbing her arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured her girlfriend. "Just... confused."

As she turned to leave, she caught Aria's eye one more time. The queen's expression was unreadable, but Melisa could guess what she was thinking. This wasn't just a random attack. This was coordinated, planned.

[This is going to be one hell of a conversation...]

She had a feeling neither of them would like where it led.

---

Melisa slipped on her coat. She smoothed down her skirt and looked in the mirror before nodding once to herself and then walking over to the door.

"I'll be right back," Melisa said, trying not to meet Raven's worried gaze. "Promise."

"You better be," Raven muttered, looking like she wanted nothing more than to follow. She was wearing one of Melisa's shirts, which made the whole protective girlfriend act even cuter.

"Hey." Melisa leaned in, kissing her softly. "No stabbing anyone while I'm gone."

[And no following me either, you adorable little assassin.]

The halls were quiet as Melisa made her way to the Alchemist Tower. Her footsteps echoed against stone floors that had seen countless students before her. A couple of guards passed by, eyeing her suspiciously.

[Yeah, yeah, the evil nim is walking around at night. Cry about it.]

She recognized one of them - he'd been particularly vocal about searching her room last week for "contraband." The fact that he'd only found her collection of Isabella's random, leftover panties had been mortifying enough.

The spiral staircase seemed longer tonight, each step bringing back memories of Queen Melara's words from a year ago.

The late queen's voice echoed in her mind, clear as day:

"We were slaves to your kind once," she had said, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hatred. "Your pheromones controlled us. Made us powerless. Until we fought back."

Or, well, something like that. That was the gist of it, anyway.

[And now here we are again. Except this time...]

The night air hit her as she reached the tower's top. Aria was already there, sitting on the edge, her white hair almost glowing in the moonlight. She didn't turn around.

[Wonder if she picked this spot because Isabella invented her wand here, or because it's the highest point in the academy? Knowing her, probably both.]

"Your Majesty," Melisa said, approaching carefully. The wind up here made her wish she'd worn something warmer than her nightgown.

"Melisa." Aria's voice was neutral. "Sit."

Melisa did, keeping a respectful distance between them. Below, the academy grounds stretched out, dotted with magical lights. She could see increased patrols after the attack, guards moving in pairs now.

"I've spoken to the surviving guards," Aria said after a moment. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap. "None of them saw anything suspicious before the attack. Which means either they're lying, or..."

"Or the attackers knew exactly how to get past them," Melisa finished. Her tail curled around her waist for warmth.

"Indeed." Aria turned to face her. In the moonlight, she looked older somehow. More tired. "I need an explanation, Melisa. And I need it now."

[Great. Just what every girl wants to hear from her queen at midnight.]

Melisa took a deep breath. The city spread out below them, peaceful despite everything that had happened. How long would that peace last?

"Your mother told me something, before she died. About nim. About what we used to be capable of." She glanced at Aria. "About how we used to control humans."

"Go on." Aria's expression hadn't changed, but her fingers tightened on her dress.

"If nim are learning magic again, then..." Melisa hesitated. The wind picked up, carrying distant sounds of the city. "Then it's possible they're also discovering the... the other things they're capable of. Like proper use of their pheromones, for example."

"Which would explain how they got past the guards," Aria said quietly. Her grey eyes studied Melisa's face. "They wouldn't have seen anything suspicious because they were already under influence. They wouldn't have stopped them, because they would have immediately been on the nims' side."

"Exactly." Melisa's tail twitched nervously. "And if that's true..."

She didn't need to finish. They both knew what it meant.

This wasn't just about random attacks anymore. This was about power. About revenge.

About history possibly repeating itself.

"Well," Aria said finally. She stood up, brushing off her dress. "This complicates things."

[No shit.]

"The question is," Aria continued, "what do we do about it?"

Melisa looked out over the city again. Somewhere out there, nim were discovering their true potential. And they weren't going to stop at a few attacks.

[Some days I really almost miss just being a software developer.]

Aria's fingers drummed against the stone wall.

"We may need stricter regulations," she said finally. "Curfews. Mandatory registration. More frequent patrols."

[Oh, because THAT won't cause more problems.]

"Your Majesty," Melisa said carefully, trying not to think about how Isabella would probably bite her for being this diplomatic, "punishing innocent nim for the actions of a few will only make things worse."

"Then what do you suggest?" Aria's grey eyes fixed on her. "Should I wait until more humans die? Until someone important gets controlled?"

Melisa opened her mouth. Closed it again.

[Fuck. When she puts it that way...]

"That's what I thought." Aria stood up, brushing off her dress. The moonlight caught her white hair, making her look almost ethereal. "I don't want to be cruel. Gods know we've had more than enough cruelty toward your kind. But, I don't want to be the queen who let history repeat itself either, Melisa."

"And I don't want to be the nim who stood by while her people were unfairly punished for the actions of some random criminals." The words came out sharper than intended.

They stared at each other for a long moment. The wind picked up, carrying the sounds of the city below. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled midnight.

[Great. Nothing like a political standoff with the queen when I could be in bed with Raven.]

Finally, Aria sighed.

"We have some time," she said. "Think about it. Come up with better solutions. I'll do the same." She turned to leave, then paused. "But understand this - one way or another, this problem needs to be handled."

[Yeah. The question is, by who? And how?]

Melisa watched her go, wondering if they'd be able to work this out, or if this would be how things went from bad to worse.

With two people on a tower, both wanting to do the right thing, neither knowing quite what that was.