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

Chapter 154 Junior Sorceress Melisa Blackflame, Part Thirty-Nine

{Melisa}

Soon, the living room of Javir's manor was bathed in the warm glow of oil lamps.

Melisa sat on the edge of an overstuffed armchair, her previously injured arm now healed by Javir. Zephyra leaned against the fireplace mantle, her amethyst eyes focused intently on Melisa. Javir paced back and forth, her sunlight-colored hair swaying with each turn. Margaret and Melistair (now fully clothed, thank God), sat close together on a nearby sofa, their hands intertwined.

The bodies of the attackers had been dealt with. Again, as per usual with these guys, they made sure not to leave any evidence that could tie them directly to the queen. Now, Melisa was explaining herself to everyone.

Even Jaylin had stuck around, perched awkwardly on a wooden chair she'd dragged in from the dining room.

Melisa took a deep breath, her tail twitching nervously as she finished recounting her conversation with the queen. The words still felt surreal, like something out of a fever dream.

"...and that's when she said that nim used to keep humans as cattle," Melisa concluded, her voice barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough in that silence. She, of course, left out everything about how she had sex with the woman. "That we fed off their Essence, that we were the ones enslaving humanity." She looked up, her red eyes wide with disbelief. "Can you believe that shit?

I mean, it's got to be some kind of sick joke, right?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Zephyra was the first to break it, her voice calm.

"If what she's saying is true, and people found out about it, it would change everything. The entire social structure of Syux, the relationship between humans and nim... it would all be turned on its head in a heartbeat."

Javir ran a hand through her hair, her brow furrowed in thought.

"But how can we be sure? The queen could have been lying, trying to manipulate Melisa for some reason. Maybe to make her feel guilty. Maybe to avoid feeling guilty on her own end. People tend to rationalize what they do, no matter how evil. Maybe she was making it up."

"Just to cope, though?" Melisa countered, leaning forward in her chair. "I mean, she did try to have me killed tonight. If it was just a lie, why would she go so far to stop me from spreading what she said in the first place?"

Margaret spoke up, her voice soft but steady.

"It... it would explain a lot, actually. The way humans have always treated nim, the fact that none of us ever thought to try using magic, like Melisa can. This... this mentality has been beaten into our minds, slowly, over many many generations..." Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Melistair nodded slowly.

"It really is like they're afraid of some awful fate repeating itself."

Zephyra pushed off from the mantle, beginning to pace herself.

"The question now is, what do we do with this information? If we go public with it, there's likely to be chaos. Some humans will refuse to believe it, others might panic. And the nim... well, I can't imagine they'd take kindly to learning they've been put down for generations because they might be too strong. It would be hectic.

Incredibly so."

Javir nodded grimly.

"Not to mention the backlash we'd face from the queen's allies. Not to mention the noble houses, the different guilds... they all have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo."

Melisa balled her hands up into fists.

"So what, we just sit on this? Pretend we never learned the truth? That's bullshit!"

"No one's saying that, Melisa," Zephyra replied quickly. "But we need to be smart about how we proceed. A misstep here could have catastrophic consequences. Consequences felt centuries into the future."

Margaret leaned forward, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and determination.

"What if we started small? Find other nim who might be receptive to the idea, teach them in secret. Build up a network of nim who know the truth and can use magic."

Melistair nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, and maybe we could look for some historical evidence to back up the queen's claims. There must be records somewhere, even if they've been hidden or destroyed. The Shadow Mages," he pitched. "They have to have something they're holding onto."

"Hm... I might be able to re

Melisa set her mug down hard, coffee sloshing over the rim. She rushed to the foyer, her heart pounding.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Margaret stood just inside the door, her face pale, a newspaper clutched in her trembling hands. Wordlessly, she held it out to Melisa.

Melisa's eyes fell on the bold headline, and she felt the world tilt beneath her feet:

"TRAGEDY STRIKES SYUX: QUEEN MELARA FOUND DEAD IN ROYAL CHAMBERS"

"Holy shit," Melisa breathed, her mind reeling. "Holy fucking shit."