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

Chapter 203 - 203: Showcase, Part Twenty-One

{Aria}

Aria's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through her silk curtains.

[Another day,] she thought, her small hands clutching her blankets. [Please let him still be...]

She practically leaped out of bed, her white nightgown swishing around her petite frame as she hurried through the palace corridors. Her bare feet made no sound on the polished marble floors - she'd gotten rather good at moving silently over the years.

The guards posted outside her father's chambers gave her knowing looks as she approached. They'd gotten used to her morning routine by now.

"He's awake, Your Highness," one of them said softly. "Had his morning tea already."

Relief flooded through her body, making her knees weak.

[Still here. Still alive. Still with me.]

She knocked gently before entering.

King Aldric sat in his favorite armchair by the window, a forgotten book in his lap. He looked... tired. More tired than yesterday, but still alive. Still here.

"Snowflake," he smiled. "You're up early."

"Just wanted to see how you were feeling," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her grey eyes

"There's our co-star!" Kimiko called out cheerfully. "Sit down, honey. You'll need your strength today."

The way she said it - so casual yet so loaded with meaning - made Melisa's tail curl tighter.

"Thanks," she managed, sliding into a seat between Isabella and Raven.

"So," Isabella immediately turned to her, green eyes sparkling, "I was just showing Raven the latest modification I made to the wand. See how the grip-"

"Isabella," Javir interrupted, not looking up from her papers, "perhaps save the technical discussion for after we've reviewed the day's strategy?"

That sobered the poor girl considerably.

"Right," Isabella's ears drooped slightly. "The trap."

"The trap," Javir confirmed, finally setting down her reports. "We know they're coming. They know we know they're coming. But that doesn't mean we can afford to be careless."

She fixed each of them with a stern look.

"Maintain your positions. Stay alert. And above all-"

"Don't take unnecessary risks," they all finished in unison.

"I mean it," Javir's eyes lingered on Melisa. "Especially you. No heroics."

"Me?" Melisa tried to look innocent. "Please, I'm not gonna go and do anything too crazy. I'll fight when a fight comes, and I'll stand there and look pretty when I have to stand there and look pretty. It'll be fine!"

"Yes, yes, just make sure you stick to the plan, troublemaker," Javir said, though there was a hint of fondness in her exasperation. "The rest of you, just stick to what you do best, alright? You're all gifted mages and combatants. They've got training on their side, but we have the power of pure, raw talent on ours. Make the most of it, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" They all replied, to which Javir rolled her eyes.

They ate in a mixture of tension and casual conversation after that.

Isabella couldn't help but ramble about her wand between bites, while Armia tried to maintain proper table manners despite Kimiko's increasingly suggestive comments about her appetite.

[This is nice,] Melisa thought, watching her friends - her family, really - interact. [Almost makes you forget we're basically walking into an ambush later. An ambush we created.]

All too soon, it was time to leave.

"Everyone ready?" Javir asked, standing and straightening her robes.

They all nodded, getting to their feet. Isabella clutched her wand case to her chest, her tail bristling with nervous energy. Armia adjusted her sword belt, while Raven checked her hidden daggers one last time.

"Remember," Javir said as they headed for the door, "whatever happens today, we stick together. No lone wolf heroics, no split-second decisions without backup, no-"

"We know, Mom," Isabella rolled her eyes.

"I am not your mother."

"Could have fooled me," Kimiko said and the girls laughed.

Javir chuckled and moved out of the house first, opening the door to the next, big part of their day.

"Let's go show those Shadow Mages what happens when they mess with our family."

[Family,] Melisa thought, her tail finally uncurling slightly as they stepped out into the morning sun. [Yeah, that sounds about right.]

They had a trap to spring, after all. And Melisa had a feeling it was going to be one hell of a show, one way or another.