Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 42: The Prodigious Nim, Part Eleven

{Margaret}

Margaret sat in Javir’s lush garden, the soft grass cushioning her as she gave Hazel a lap pillow.

Seven-year-old Hazel listened intently as Margaret read her favorite bedtime story.

"And then, the brave princess ventured deep into the enchanted forest," Margaret read. "She followed the path of glowing mushrooms!"

Hazel gasped, her small hands gripping the edge of the storybook.

"Did she find the magic crystal? The one that would break the curse on the kingdom?"

Margaret had to physically restrain herself from giggling.

"She did! The princess faced many challenges along the way, but she never gave up. Because she believed in herself and the power of her dreams."

As Margaret turned the pages, her hand slowed down, freezing with one page in between her fingers.

Her mind drifted to the incredible journey her family had been on.

It had been 8 years since Melisa’s miraculous recovery, and life had settled into a new normal.

Hazel, unlike her older sister, was a perfectly ordinary child, at least so far, with no signs of the extraordinary intellect that Melisa possessed.

In a way, Margaret felt a sense of relief at that. While she loved and admired Melisa’s brilliance, the prospect of raising two child prodigies made her tired just thinking about it.

As the story came to a close, Margaret looked up at the night sky, the twin moons casting a soft, amethyst glow over the garden.

She sighed, her smile fading briefly. Sometimes, in moments like these, she couldn’t help but wonder what her purpose was.

She had devoted her life to her children, to being the best mother she could be, but now that Melisa in particular was walking through the doors of adulthood, she felt a strange sense of restlessness.

Hazel’s soft snores pulled Margaret from her thoughts.

"Eh?"

She glanced down at her daughter. Hazel had fallen asleep.

Her smile returned.

Carefully, she gathered Hazel in her arms and carried her back inside the house. She knew these halls like the back of her hand, by now.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

As she approached Hazel’s bedroom, Margaret caught sight of Javir walking down the hall towards her.

The sorceress moved as smoothly as she always did, her fiery hair almost glowing in the night.

"Margaret," Javir greeted, her voice warm. "Is Hazel asleep already?"

Margaret nodded, a tender smile on her face.

"Out like a light. The story of the enchanted forest always does the trick."

She gently pushed open the door to Hazel’s room and carried her sleeping daughter to the bed. With infinite care, she laid Hazel down, pulling the soft blankets up to her chin and pressing a light kiss to her forehead.

"Sweet dreams," Margaret whispered.

She tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Javir was waiting for her in the hallway.

"How was your day, Javir?" Margaret asked, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing Hazel’s slumber.

Javir smiled, stepping closer to Margaret.

"It was productive," Javir replied, her voice just as hushed. "The school’s got some big events coming up this year, so the usual meetings have been lasting longer."

"I can imagine, what with this being the ’most talented Prestige Class in decades’ and all," Margaret replied. The morning papers had just about hammered that point into her and everyone else’s skulls.

"They’re not completely wrong, but part of that is propaganda," Javir made sure to say. "War with Rhaya is knocking on our doorstep. That sort of stuff is just a bit of chest puffing, if you will."

"Do they even have newspapers over in Rhaya? How will they hear about any of this?"

"Through the winds, I guess," Javir shrugged.

"And you, Margaret?" Javir asked. Absent-mindedly, she placed a hand on Margaret’s cheek. "How have you been doing?"

Margaret hesitated.

"I’m... I’m okay," she said, her voice getting a lot softer. "Just thinking about the future, I suppose. About what comes next. That sort of thing."

Javir lowered her hand, placing it on her shoulder.

Margaret instinctively leaned into it.

"It’s natural to feel that way," Javir said, her voice soft and understanding. "But remember, Margaret, you can be more than just a mother. Do you not have your own dreams? Your own ambitions?"

Margaret sighed.

"Not a lot to dream about when all you know are some wooden houses and buildings in the middle of nowhere. You need to be aware of things in order to dream about them."

As close as they were standing right now, that difference between them was an intangible glass barrier fixed between them.

Javir gently pulled Margaret into a warm embrace, her arms wrapping around the nim woman’s smaller frame. Margaret melted into the hug, the tension in her body slowly dissipating.

She tightened her hold on the sorceress, burying her face in the crook of Javir’s neck.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Javir pulled back just enough to gaze into Margaret’s eyes. Her hand came up to cup Margaret’s cheek again.

Casually, Margaret found herself leaning forward. Javir’s eyes flickered down to Margaret’s lips.

And then, they closed the distance between them.

Their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss, a gentle exploration of territory that had been very, effectively charted over the years.

The kiss deepened, growing more passionate with each passing second. Margaret’s hands tangled in Javir’s orange hair, pulling her closer. Javir’s arms tightened around Margaret’s waist, their bodies molding together.

When they finally broke apart, both women were breathing heavily, their cheeks flushed and their eyes shining with a newfound intensity.

Wordlessly, Javir took Margaret’s hand. She led her down the hallway, past the familiar rooms and towards the master bedroom.

And, as she so frequently did, Margaret made the decision she’d be waking up in Javir’s room tomorrow.

---

{Isabella}

Isabella crept up behind the couch where her mother sat, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. Kimiko, her kitsune mother, was curled up with a book in her hands.

With a playful pounce, Isabella threw her arms around the woman.

"Morning, Mother!" she chirped, nuzzling her face against Kimiko’s soft, pink ears. "How are we on this lovely morning~?"

"Well, good morning to you too, my little troublemaker," Kimiko teased. She looked behind Isabella, shocked to find no one else there. "What’s up? You’re only ever this bright when you just extracted yourself from a lover’s arms."

She nuzzled closer to Kimiko, inhaling the familiar scent of her fur, that hint of cherry blossoms that always lingered around her.

"You know me far too well, Mom," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "But today, I’m just brimming with energy and good vibes."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion in her golden eyes.

"Oh? And why is that, I wonder?"

Isabella leaned in, her face mere inches from Kimiko’s.

"Could have to do with a... certain family member I haven’t seen in ages."

"Truly?"

Isabella nodded.

"We kissed."

Kimiko’s brows shot up.

"It’s true, Mom," she whispered. "And it was incredible."

"When did this happen?"

"At the Academy," Isabella explained. "We snuck away to one of the bathrooms. That blessed nim scent hit my nostrils in just the right manner, and..." She grinned. "We kissed... like this."

Without warning, Isabella pressed her lips to Kimiko’s, mimicking the kiss she had shared with Melisa.

Tongue and all.

Kimiko’s eyes widened.

In her mind, Isabella was reliving that moment, so vividly. Isabella wrapped her tail around Kimiko’s legs, her cock slowly hardening under her skirt.

When they parted, Kimiko just looked mildly amused, though she did have a cute blush on her cheeks.

"You’re going to scare that girl off."

Isabella rolled her eyes, standing up.

"Just because we have not seen each other in a few years-"

"8 years."

"-8 years, does not mean we cannot embrace one another," Isabella grinned as she looked back at Kimiko from the front door, "just means I need to put more effort into catching up."

"Isabella, your dick is still-" Kimiko yelled behind her but Isabella just closed the door before she could finish.

---

Isabella couldn’t help but smile as she set off towards the academy, feeling the sun kiss her shoulders.

Her stride was confident, her head held high as she navigated the busy streets. In her hand, she clutched a small, intricately carved rune, its surface thrumming in her palm.

To the casual observer, it might have seemed like nothing more than a pretty trinket.

To Isabella, this thing was her future.

[This little beauty holds the key to all my dreams,] she thought, her fingers tightening around the rune. [If I can just crack the code, I’ll be able to change the face of magic as we know it!]

She arrived at the academy in record time, her excitement propelling her forward.

The grand, sprawling campus was already alive with activity, students and professors alike hurrying to their classes and research projects.

But Isabella had a different destination in mind.

She made a beeline for the Alchemist’s Tower, a tall structure that seemed to defy gravity with its twisting, spiraling architecture. It was here that Isabella had been spending countless hours, trying to bring her vision to life.

[Just one more try,] she told herself as she climbed the winding stairs to one of the public laboratories. [One more attempt before class starts. I know I’m close, I can feel it.]

Inside the lab, Isabella set the rune down on her workbench, taking a moment to admire its intricate design.

She had spent weeks crafting this particular specimen, pouring all her knowledge and skill into its creation.

The concept was simple, yet revolutionary. A rune that never depleted, that could be used to cast spells indefinitely without ever running out of power.

It was the holy grail of magical engineering, a feat that had been deemed impossible by the brightest minds in Eldora.

But Isabella was determined to prove them wrong. Was it possible? Maybe, maybe not. But, if it was, and she did it, that would solidify her legacy from here till the end of civilization, probably.

She had pushed herself to the brink of exhaustion for this. She’d sacrificed so much sleep (and sex) for the purposes of achieving this goal. After all, she’d been working at this well before she and her family arrived at this city.

With a deep breath, Isabella began the activation sequence.

She channeled her own Essence into the rune, feeling the familiar tingle of magic flowing through her veins. The rune began to glow, its carved lines pulsing with an eerie, otherworldly light.

"Come on, come on," Isabella muttered, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Hold steady, just a little longer..."

But even as the words left her lips, she felt the rune’s power begin to waver.

The glow flickered, the pulsing light growing erratic and unstable. Isabella gritted her teeth, pouring more of her own Essence into the rune, desperate to keep it from sputtering out.

It was no use.

With a final, anticlimactic fizzle, the rune went dark, its power spent. Isabella slumped back in her chair, a wave of frustration and disappointment washing over her.

[Another failure,] she thought bitterly, glaring at the inert rune on her workbench. [Months of work, countless sleepless nights, and I’m still no closer to cracking this damn puzzle.]

She sighed, running a hand through her pink, fluffy hair.

[Melisa...] The thought of her cousin brought a small, wistful smile to Isabella’s face. [I wonder what she’d say if she could see me now.]

Isabella’s shoulders sank.

[... No, no, no. I can’t let her see me like this. Not until I’ve succeeded. Then, and only then, will I share this piece of my dreams with her.]

Isabella glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing with a start that she was going to be late for class if she didn’t hurry.

She grabbed her bag, stuffing the failed rune inside with a frustrated huff.

[I’ll figure this out,] she vowed silently as she raced down the stairs of the Alchemists Tower. [I don’t care how long it takes, or how many failures I have to endure. I will make this work, and I will change the world.]