Mira rested her head against Kai’s bare chest. Her breathing was finally steady and calm.

The stress that normally pinched her face was gone, replaced by a soft, relaxed flush.

He stroked her bare shoulder slowly, enjoying the quiet moment of victory.

Mira sighed and sat up.

She pulled a thin silk sheet over her chest and walked toward the tall glass window.

The window overlooked the grand ballroom on the ground floor.

Kai watched her from the bed. He expected her to smile or make a clever comment about the oblivious nobles.

Instead, her entire posture changed.

Her shoulders went rigid.

The relaxed, satisfied woman vanished in a single second.

The stressed, paranoid court advisor returned.

"What’s wrong?" Kai asked. He tossed the blankets aside and stood up.

"The main event," Mira whispered, her voice tight with sudden anxiety.

"The Duke just brought out his guest of honour."

Kai grabbed his dark trousers from the chair.

He pulled them on and walked up behind her. He rested his hands on her waist and looked down through the glass window.

Down in the ballroom, the crowd parted like water.

A single woman walked through the centre of the room.

She wore a deep crimson dress that hugged her curves perfectly.

Her hair was a vibrant, unnatural shade of red. It tumbled down her back in thick waves.

"Her name is Millenia Raviel," Mira said.

She wrapped her arms around herself as if she felt a sudden chill in the warm room.

"She is rumoured to be the consort of some wealthy eastern noble house. But nobody can actually confirm who she is or where her money comes from."

"But here is the problem," Mira continued, pointing a shaking finger at the glass.

"I have seen her at three separate court events in the last year. She is always standing beside powerful men. She whispers in their ears and smiles at their jokes. And she is always the last one standing after those men lose their minds, their fortunes, or their lives."

Kai narrowed his eyes.

He focused his gaze on the woman in the dress.

The wealthy nobles were flocking to her like moths to an open flame.

Every single man in the room was gravitating toward her without realising it.

They offered her expensive drinks.

’Wait a minute,’ Kai thought to himself.

’Red hair. A crimson dress. A passive charm aura that bends the mind of every male in the room.’

His brain started screaming at him.

The puzzle pieces clicked together perfectly.

He knew exactly who she.

The way she moved, the way she controlled the room with just a simple smile, it was all by design.

"She is not a noble consort," Kai said quietly. The realisation felt like a bucket of cold water over his head.

Mira looked up at him with wide, worried eyes.

"Then what is she? Every time she shows up, the political balance of the entire city falls apart within weeks."

"She is the reason the Duke is opening the northern gates," Kai explained.

He kept his voice very low and steady so he would not panic the woman standing next to him.

"She is a vampire succubus."

Mira took a quick step back from the window.

"You are joking. A vampire of that level cannot just walk through the front door of the inner ring. The magical wards around the estate would burn her to ash the moment she crossed the threshold."

"The wards only stop uninvited threats," Kai pointed out.

He tapped his finger against the cold glass.

"The Duke invited her. He permitted her to enter his home. He probably thinks he is using her to gain political power, but she is just draining him dry from the inside out."

Kai looked down at the floor below.

The succubus laughed at something Lord Halton said. Her smile was perfect, and it was deadly.

She was only forty feet away from where Kai was standing.

’If I jump down there and fight her right now, I die,’ Kai thought to himself.

’It really is that simple. My stats are nowhere near high enough to break through her charm resistance, and my level is way too low.’

"We have to warn the royal guards," Mira panicked. She reached for her discarded grey dress on the floor.

"We have to lock down the estate right now and trap her inside."

Kai reached out and caught her wrist.

He pulled her gently but firmly against his chest to stop her frantic movements.

"No. We do nothing tonight. If you send the normal guards down there, she will slaughter them in seconds. Then she will know we are onto her plan, and she will disappear back into the shadows."

"So we just let a monster drink the Duke’s blood while we watch?" Mira asked, her voice shaking against his chest.

"Yes," Kai said plainly.

"We let the corrupt Duke suffer the consequences of his own treason. You got me the meeting with the inner council tomorrow morning. We stick to that plan. We take control of the city’s defence first. Then we deal with Millenia when we have a real army behind us."

Kai let go of her wrist and picked up his white shirt.

He started buttoning it up quickly. His mind was racing through different strategies and plot points.

He needed more levels before he faced her.

But most importantly, he needed to avoid making eye contact with that woman until he was fully ready to break her.

"Get dressed, Mira," Kai ordered smoothly, slipping back into his dominant persona to calm her down.

"Go back downstairs to your political circles. Smile and drink your water. Pretend everything is fine. I will see you at dawn with the letters."

Mira nodded slowly.

The panic in her eyes faded away. It was replaced by the deep trust she now placed in him. She had given him control earlier, and he was still holding it.

Kai picked up his silver mask and looked through the glass one last time.

Millenia Raviel tilted her head back and laughed again.

Her crimson dress swept across the white marble floor as she danced with the Duke.

She was beautiful, and she was going to burn this city to the ground if Kai did not level up fast enough to stop her.