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

{Aria}

Aria sat at a table laden with delicacies, surrounded by the tinkling laughter and idle chatter of her noblewoman friends. The sun streaming through the stained-glass windows painted the room in a kaleidoscope of colors, matching the vibrant dresses of the ladies present.

[Right... This is what normal people do, all the time,] Aria noted, taking a sip of her wine. [Just... existing. Without having to worry about a single word out of turn potentially resulting in a massacre. What a novel concept.]

"And then," Lady Emilia was saying, her cheeks flushed with wine and mirth, "he had the audacity to suggest I couldn't master elemental magic! Me! Can you believe it?"

The table erupted in giggles. Aria forced a smile, trying to look appropriately scandalized.

Lady Cordelia gasped dramatically, nearly spilling her wine.

"No! Surely he didn't!"

"Oh, but he did," Emilia continued, waving her hand emphatically. "He looked me straight in the eye and said, 'My lady, perhaps you should stick to simpler magics. Elemental manipulation is best left to those with... sturdier constitutions.'"

"Surely you didn't let such an insult stand, Lady Emilia. Whatever did you do to this... misguided individual?" Aria asked, eyes half-lidded and smiling.

Lady Emilia grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, I showed him, alright. Let's just say he won't be sitting comfortably for a week!"

More laughter. Aria found herself genuinely chuckling this time. It was... nice. A reprieve from the constant worry about darian skirmishes and mysterious nim girls with eyes like pools of blood.

[... I can't allow myself to get used to this. But, it's nice... every once in a while.]

"What about you, Your Highness?" Lady Cordelia asked, leaning in conspiratorially. "Surely you must have some juicy gossip from your travels. Any handsome darian warriors catch your eye?"

Aria felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Ladies, please. My travels were purely diplomatic in nature. I assure you, there were no... dalliances with darian warriors, handsome or otherwise."

"Oh, come now, Your Highness," Lady Emilia cajoled. "Surely there must have been something exciting. A moonlit rendezvous? A stolen kiss under the stars? We won't tell a soul, will we, ladies?"

A chorus of agreement went up around the table, all eyes fixed on Aria with eager anticipation.

She opened her mouth to reply, searching for a diplomatic way to satisfy their curiosity without revealing anything of real substance. But before she could utter a word, a familiar voice cut through the chatter.

"Your Highness," Lord Caelum said, his mustache twitching nervously as he approached the table. He bowed low, his voice dropping to a hushed tone. "I apologize most profusely for the interruption, but there's a matter that requires your immediate attention."

Aria felt her guard go up instantly.

"What is it, Lord Caelum?"

He leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper.

"There's someone here to see you, Your Highness. A... tall woman in black robes. She's quite insistent, and, well... if I'm being honest, there's something about her that's rather unsettling."

The noblewomen around the table oohed and ahhed, clearly intrigued by this mysterious visitor. Aria, however, felt her guard immediately go up.

[A tall woman in black robes? That doesn't sound ominous at all.]

"Thank you, Lord Caelum," Aria said, her voice carefully neutral. "I'll see her at once."

As Aria stood, Lady Emilia grabbed her hand.

"Oh, do tell us all about it later, Your Highness! It sounds so deliciously mysterious!"

Aria nodded, already moving away from the table. She could feel the eyes of her friends on her back as she followed Lord Caelum out of the dining hall and into a small antechamber.

The woman waiting for her was... striking, to say the least. Tall and slender, with short, dark emerald hair. Her skin was sun-kissed and although her body was near-fully clothed, Aria could still see the outlines of her muscles. Clearly, she didn't miss many days of exercise.

[Well, if she was going for intimidating, she certainly nailed it,] Aria thought, straightening her spine. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

"Your Highness," the woman said, her voice smooth as silk. "Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice. I am Lady Belstadt."

Aria inclined her head slightly.

"Lady Belstadt. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lady Belstadt smiled, a gesture that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Perhaps we could walk and talk? I find movement helps stimulate the mind."

[And makes it harder for others to eavesdrop,] Aria thought, but she nodded her agreement.

As they strolled through the palace corridors, the click of Lady Belstadt's heels echoed off the marble floors. There was a certain... eerieness to it.

"My, what exquisite tapestries," Lady Belstadt mused, her violet eyes lingering on a particularly ornate wall hanging. "Is that the Battle of Crimson Fields? The artistry is remarkable."

Aria nodded, her own gaze flicking between the tapestry and her mysterious companion.

"Yes, it was commissioned by my great-grandfather. Some say the artist spent three years weaving it, though, I think that's an exaggeration."

"Fascinating," Lady Belstadt purred. "You know, I've heard the most intriguing rumors about a new style of weaving from the eastern provinces. They say the threads shimmer like starlight when viewed from certain angles. Perhaps we should consider updating some of the palace decor?"

"I'll be sure to mention it to the royal artisans," she replied, forcing a smile. "Though I must admit, I have a certain fondness for these older pieces. They carry so much history."

Lady Belstadt's laugh was like silk sliding over steel.

"Oh, of course. History is so important, isn't it? Speaking of which, have you noticed how the weather has been unusually warm for this time of year? Some say it's reminiscent of the great heat wave during King Aldric II's reign. Now there was a fascinating period in Syux's history."

As they turned a corner, a gust of wind from an open window sent a chill down Aria's spine. Or perhaps it was the way Lady Belstadt's eyes seemed to glow in the shadowed corridor.

"Yes, the weather has been... unpredictable lately," Aria said carefully. "Much like other aspects of life in Syux, I suppose."

"Indeed," Lady Belstadt agreed, her smile sharp enough to cut. "Change is in the air, Your Highness. Can you feel it?"

Aria's heart pounded in her chest, but she kept her voice steady.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Lady Belstadt. Syux has always been a bastion of stability."

"Of course, of course," the woman nodded, her eyes never leaving Aria's face. "But even the strongest foundations can shift, given the right... circumstances."

Finally, as they reached a secluded balcony overlooking the royal gardens, Lady Belstadt turned to face her.

"Tell me, Your Highness," she said, her violet eyes intense. "What are your thoughts on the nim of the city?"

Aria blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. She considered her words carefully before responding.

"I understand that my views may differ from some," she began. "While I don't harbor the same... hostility that some other humans might, I recognize that allowing the nim to remain in Syux is, in itself, an act of kindness on humanity's part." She sighed. "If these nim were living in Rhaya, with no magic and no strength to fight back, well..."

Aria trailed off, realizing halfway through her statement that this was no mere hypothetical on her own part. Many nim did live in Rhaya.

And they were about as valuable over there as broodmares.

Lady Belstadt's smile widened, showing teeth that seemed just a touch too sharp.

"Very diplomatic, Your Highness. And refreshingly honest. I quite agree with you." She turned, gazing out over the gardens. "You know, there's a great deal that happens in this city that the average person is not privy to. Even at the highest levels of society, people of power can go their entire lives without truly understanding what's really happening beneath the surface."

Aria raised an eyebrow.

"That's... interesting, Lady Belstadt. But I fail to see what this has to do with me."

Lady Belstadt chuckled, a sound that sent a shiver down Aria's spine.

"Oh, it has everything to do with you, Your Highness. You see, your mother - the late queen - she was instrumental in maintaining order in Syux."

Aria felt her heart skip a beat.

"What... What do you mean by that?"

Lady Belstadt turned back to her, those unsettling violet eyes seeming to glow in the afternoon light.

"Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you. Would you care to accompany me on a little... excursion?"

Aria hesitated. But, quickly, her curiosity, that burning need to understand what had really happened to her mother, won out.

Maybe she could find some answers.

"Lead the way, Lady Belstadt," Aria said, her voice steadier than she felt.

As they left the balcony, Aria couldn't shake the feeling that she was stepping off a cliff into the unknown. But whether she'd fly or fall... well, that remained to be seen.

[Mother,] she thought, her hand unconsciously reaching for the locket she wore around her neck. [What secrets were you keeping? And am I ready to learn them?]

The corridors of the palace seemed to stretch on endlessly as they walked, each turn leading them deeper into parts of the castle Aria had never seen before. The opulent decorations gradually gave way to bare stone walls, the air growing cooler and damper.

"Where exactly are we going, Lady Belstadt?" Aria asked, unable to keep the edge out of her voice.

The woman's laugh echoed off the stone walls.

"Patience, Your Highness. All will be revealed in due time."