Chapter 1
I pushed the door open and was met with the sight of my best mate, Gerard Cain, and my fiancée, Emily Sharpe, tangled together on my wedding bed.
Blood rushed to my head. I charged forward to confront them, but my best mate, who was a high-level mage, blasted me out of the window with a fireball.
As I fell to my death, the last thing I heard was their laughter as they mocked my incompetence.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a lavish palace, and in a different body. My cheat felt heavy with a newfound fullness, and my long legs were fair. When I looked into the mirror, a breathtaking, bewitching beauty stared back at me.
I had been reborn as the infamous Succubus Queen in a fantasy world, and the system was telling me that I could become infinitely strong if I absorbed the essence of men.
My lips curled into an evil smirk as I stared at the face that was capable of toppling empires.
Was the wretched couple ready to receive the Queen’s blessing?
*****
I stood in front of that heavy wooden door for what felt like forever.
My fingers were gripped tightly around the cake box. It was Emily's birthday, and I'd ended my border mission early just to surprise her. I'd ridden two horses to exhaustion and pushed myself all night to make it back.
Yet, the sounds coming from inside the room made me feel like the biggest fool alive.
I knew those sounds all too well. The man's rough breathing coupled with the woman's sweet moans, tangled together.
"Slow down...ah...What if Liam Everard, that dumbass, walks in on us?" the woman moaned.
"Why even bring him up? He's just some sword-swinging musclehead," the man sneered with a contempt I'd never heard from him before, "If he wasn't still useful and could help fend off those beasts, I would've blasted him to bits with a Fireball ages ago."
It was Gerard. My best friend and the youngest high-ranking mage in the Thalmyr Empire. This was the same man who once promised to fight by my side for life.
Rage surged through me.
I didn't even bother to knock. My legs acted before my mind could react. The heavy wooden door exploded from the sheer force and sent splinters flying everywhere.
The two naked bodies on the bed went rigid with shock.
Emily let out a shrill scream and snatched the blanket to cover her chest, but I still caught a glimpse of the hickeys scattered across her skin. This was my fiancée, the woman I cherished with my life.
Gerard, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered. He sat up with deliberate slowness and made no effort to cover himself up.
Casually, he tousled his blond hair, then fixed me with a gaze like I was the unwelcome guest at his private party.
"Liam, you're back sooner than I thought." Gerard's voice was calm. There was no guilt, no panic, not even a flicker of embarrassment at being caught red-handed.
"Why?" I asked.
I threw the cake to the ground. Cream splattered everywhere, making a mess. My fingers gripped the sword hilt so hard my knuckles popped.
"Gerard, I've saved your life. Three times," I spat.
"That's because you're a warrior and I'm a mage. Taking the hits is your job," Gerard sneered, an orange flame flickering at his fingertips. "And Emily, well, don't you understand that birds would always choose the strongest branch to nest on?"
Emily hid behind Gerard. Only half her face was visible as she stared at me, without a trace of guilt, just pure disdain.
"Liam, since you've seen it all, I'll be honest with you. I'm breaking off the engagement. You're just a fallen noble with no talent and no connections. You can't give me the life I want. Gerard could buy me a whole street of jewelry with a flick of his finger. And all you can do is bring me this cheap cake?" Emily pointed at the cake on the floor, her face twisted in disgust.
That cake had cost me half a month's bounty and was from the best bakery in town.
"Cheap?" I laughed, my chest shaking with rage. "Okay, fine."
With a metallic clang, I drew my sword. If talking won't work, I would let my blade do the talking.
"Do you have a death wish?" Gerard snorted dismissively.
At this distance, a warrior like me had the clear advantage over a mage. I was confident I could take his head off before he even finished casting his spell.
But I was wrong. Gerard didn't have to chant a single word.
A blinding red light burst forth from the ring on his finger, and a wave of searing heat erupted in the cramped room.
Unchanted magic?
A loud boom interrupted my thoughts as the impact hit me like a runaway train. It hurled me backwards and threw me straight through the window.
Glass shards tore into my skin, but before the pain even hit, I was swallowed by the dizzying sensation of falling.
This was the seventh floor, the top floor of the Mage Tower.