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

Melisa took a deep breath, forcing herself to tune out the chaos around her.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine she was back in her room at the academy, practicing the spell in peace.

[You can do this, Mel. You've got this. Just breathe.]

And, with those words, she began to calm down.

In her mind's eye, she saw herself tracing the spellsign perfectly, felt the surge of magic coursing through her veins.

She could almost hear Javir's voice in her head, encouraging her, guiding her. She could almost hear one of the knights whispering as well, "sword" and "your neck".

She went through what little memory of the spellsign she had, given that she made it yesterday, but what she had was more than enough.

She hadn't lied when she talked to the king earlier. This world's magic system came naturally to her. So much so, that...

"Lumi sanguine, vita crescere," Melisa spoke the incantation, her voice steady and clear as she finished the spell.

For a moment, nothing happened.

The room held its breath, the silence so complete you could have heard a pin drop.

Then, suddenly, a warm, golden light began to emanate from Melisa's hands. It spread over the king's body, pulsing in time with his weakening heartbeat.

Melisa could feel the magic working, could sense the life force flowing from her into King Aldric. It was an odd sensation, like a piece of herself was being slowly drained away.

[Come on, come on,] she thought, gritting her teeth against the strain. [Work, damn you. Work!]

And then, miraculously, it did.

Color began to return to the king's pale face.

His breathing, which had been shallow and labored, evened out. His eyelids fluttered, and a collective gasp went up from the assembled crowd.

Melisa sagged with relief, the last of her energy spent. She felt lightheaded, dizzy from the exertion of the spell.

"I... I think it worked," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

Just like that, the crowd all but cheered.

And, the king sat up.

As the king began to stir, Melisa felt a wave of relief wash over her, so intense that her knees went weak, and she had to resist the urge to collapse right there on the spot.

[Holy shit, it actually worked. I can't believe it fucking worked!]

But even as the relief flooded through her, Melisa knew the situation was far from over.

Setting aside the fact that, as usual, using this magic completely spent her Essence, there were still the accusatory glares from the nobles and the cold fury in Queen Melara's eyes...

She was still very much on trial here.

King Aldric blinked, his eyes hazy and confused as he looked around the room.

"What... what happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Queen Melara was at his side in an instant, her hand on his arm in a gesture that might have looked comforting if not for the steely glint in her eye.

"My love," she said, her voice dripping with false concern, "you were poisoned. Someone put something in your food, something meant to kill you."
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The king's eyes widened, and he struggled to sit up straighter.

"Poisoned? But who would dare-"

"It was her," Melara interrupted, her finger pointing straight at Melisa. "The nim girl. She had your food poisoned, using some vile concoction that her kind are immune to. That's why she was able to eat the same meal without any effect."

Melisa's jaw dropped, her mind reeling.

[What the actual fuck?]

It was hard to grasp that, already, they were basically going into closing arguments. She'd literally just saved the man's life.

But, Melisa quickly got her bearings.

"That's insane!" she blurted out, her voice high and strained. "I had no idea I was even going to be invited to dinner with you until tonight! That part wasn't in the invitation! How could I possibly have planned this?"

She looked to the king, her eyes pleading.

For a moment, the king looked uncertain, his gaze flickering between Melisa and his wife.

"She... she does have a point, my dear," he said slowly. "The dinner invitation was my idea, and a rather last-minute one at that. How could she have known?"

Queen Melara's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes flashing with barely contained rage.

"She's a nim," she spat, as if that explained everything. "They're devious creatures, not to be trusted. Who knows what kind of dark magic she used to orchestrate this?"

Melisa felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, hot and fierce.

[Devious creatures? Dark magic? Fuck you, you colossal bitch! I saved your husband's life, and this is the thanks I get?]

She opened her mouth to argue, to defend herself against the outrageous accusations, but before she could get a word out, the doors to the dining hall burst open.

Raven, Kimiko, and Isabella strode in, dragging a terrified-looking servant between them.

"Sorry to interrupt," Isabella said with a smirk, her voice ringing out clear and strong, "but we have some new evidence to present."

She shoved the servant forward, sending him stumbling to his knees before the king and queen.

"This man," she said, pointing at the trembling figure, "was part of the plot to poison the king. He had help, too. Show them, Rae."

"Stop calling me that..."

Raven stepped forward, dragging something behind her.

With a grunt, she heaved a limp, black-robed body onto the floor, the corpse landing with a sickening thud.

"Shadow Mages," she said grimly. "We caught them trying to escape after the deed was done."

The room erupted into chaos, nobles shouting and guards rushing forward to secure the prisoner and the body.

Melisa felt a surge of hope rising in her chest.

[Yes! Yes, this is it! Oh, thank goodness.]

But even as the thought crossed her mind, a flicker of movement caught her eye. One of the guards, his hand reaching for his sword, a strange, blank look on his face...

"Look out!" Melisa screamed.

The guard's blade flashed, slicing through the air towards the king's unprotected back.

At the same moment, more black-robed figures burst into the room, spells flying from their hands in a dizzying array of colors and lights.

Melisa threw herself forward, desperate to intercept the deadly blow, but she knew she'd never make it in time, especially not exhausted like this. Not that getting in the way would do much good regardless, but she still tried.

[No, no, no!]

But just as the blade was about to find its mark, a blur of golden scales and rippling muscle slammed into the assassin, sending him flying across the room.

"Huh!?"

In an instant, Armia stood over the fallen man, her chest heaving and her eyes blazing. In a decidedly unladylike move, she brought her massive, draconic tail down on the assassin's chest, pinning him to the floor with a sickening crunch.

"Don't even think about it, you bastard," she snarled, her voice low and menacing.

Around them, the chaos of battle raged on. Shadow Mages clashed with guards, spells and swords flashing in a deadly dance.

Melisa caught a glimpse of two assassins trying to slip away in the confusion, their dark robes billowing as they made a break for the exit.

"Stop them!" Javir yelled behind Melisa, pointing frantically.

The guards were on them in an instant, their armor clanking as they gave chase. The assassins fought desperately, throwing spells over their shoulders as they ran, but it was no use.

One by one, they were brought down, their bodies hitting the floor with dull thuds.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

The dining hall fell silent, save for the moans of the wounded and the ragged breathing of the survivors.

Melisa looked around, her heart pounding and her mind reeling.

[We did it. We actually did it. The king is safe, the assassins are down...]

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Javir, the older woman's face a tad grim but proud.

"Well done, Melisa," she said softly. "You saved the king's life. Good job."

"Understatement of the year, hehe," Melisa chuckled, letting herself fall back onto the floor.

The girls gathered around her, their faces flushed with exertion and triumph.

Armia, looking slightly abashed at her uncharacteristic display of brute force, smoothed down her gown and tried to regain some semblance of ladylike composure.

Isabella, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear, her tail swishing excitedly behind her.

"Did you see that? By the gods, we're such legends." Isabella flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Bet people are gonna talk about this night for ages!"

Melisa groaned, her mind already racing ahead to the interrogations and investigations that would surely follow.

But for now, in this moment, she allowed herself to bask in the glow of victory.

The night had been won. Melisa had saved the king.

And, the Queen, Her Majesty, looked like she was trying to burn a hole through Melisa's skull with pure willpower.

[Fuck. You.] Melisa smirked at her. [I did it. You lost.]

She had done it.

Of course, the question remained: how?

[... When I healed the king, it sure as hell felt... weird. But, whatever,] she pushed it out of her mind. [I did what I had to.]