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

Chapter 193 - 193: Showcase, Part Eleven

Melisa woke to the familiar sound of Raven getting ready for her morning run. Even though they weren't at the academy anymore, something told Melisa that habit wasn't dying anytime soon.

[Some habits die hard. Though speaking of things that are hard,] Melisa thought, watching Raven's muscles flex as she pulled on her training clothes. [Damn.]

"You know," Melisa purred, her crimson eyes raking over Raven's body. She stretched like a cat, deliberately letting her nightshirt ride up. "Aaaah, you could skip the run today. I can think of some other ways to get your cardio in~"

Raven just rolled her eyes, though Melisa didn't miss the slight flush on her pale cheeks or the way her gaze lingered on Melisa's exposed thigh.

"Unlike some people," Raven said, tying her hair back with practiced efficiency, "I actually maintain a training schedule. Some of us can't just fuck our way to magical power."

"Hey! I work hard for my Essence!" Melisa pouted. "Do you know how much tongue stamina it takes to-"

Raven cut her off by tossing an envelope onto the bed.

"That came for you. From the Court Sorceress."

"Ooh, Zephyra's writing me love letters now?" Melisa wiggled her eyebrows, picking up the envelope.

Obviously, Melisa could guess this was business, not pleasure, but still, a girl can dream.

"You should get dressed," Raven said flatly, though her lips twitched. "It's too early to start seducing half the manor."

"Hey! I haven't tried to seduce EVERYONE!" Melisa protested, sitting up and letting the blankets pool around her waist. "I wasn't hitting on you at all yet. This is just my natural state."

"Gods have mercy." Raven headed for the door.

With that exasperated note, she was gone, leaving Melisa alone with Zephyra's letter.

[... You know, maybe it's not about the spell. Maybe it's just more lectures about 'proper magical theory' and 'not breaking the laws of nature,'] Melisa thought, breaking the seal.

Her optimism was crushed immediately as she read:

"Come to my study immediately. There have been... developments."

[Well, that's not ominous at all,] Melisa thought, scrambling out of bed. [Though maybe next time she could be more specific. Like, good developments? Bad developments? Ahhhh fuck, who knows?]

She threw on clothes haphazardly, managing to put her shirt on backward twice before getting it right. Her hair was probably a mess, but hey, if Zephyra wanted her to look presentable, she should have scheduled her crisis for a more reasonable hour.

And, with a small sense of foreboding, she made her way to the palace.

---

The palace halls were quiet this early, with only a few servants giving her curious looks as she power-walked to Zephyra's study. Some of them whispered as she passed - probably gossiping about the nim who could do magic. Or maybe about her bedhead. Either way, she didn't have time to care.

[Should have taken more time to look decent,] she thought, catching her reflection in a window. One of her horns was definitely tangled in her hair, and her clothes looked like she'd gotten dressed in the dark. Which, technically, she had. [But something about that note...]

Melisa knocked on the study door.

Zephyra yanked the door open immediately like she'd been waiting right behind it.

The Court Sorceress looked... panicked. Hair disheveled, one nipple fully out as her collar fell down to her abdomen and the mage didn't seem to care to cover it back up.

"Get in," she hissed, pulling Melisa inside before checking the hallway and closing the door with enough force to make the magical instruments on her shelves rattle.

[Okay, NOW I'm worried,] Melisa thought. She'd never seen Zephyra look this frazzled, not even when she'd explained how she'd "improvised" that Blood Magic spell.

"So, uh, what's the emergency?" Melisa asked, her tail curling nervously as she took in the chaos of the usually orderly study. Books and papers were strewn everywhere, like Zephyra had been re