Succubus World - Start with Incubus System

Sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains and fell across Elowen’s face.

Her long lashes fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, taking a few seconds to realize she was lying in the room prepared for Erik.

Her entire body felt so light that Elowen thought she might float right off the bed. Her mind was clear, her mana as abundant as a river that had just been unblocked. With every breath she took, the energy in the air drifted toward her of its own accord.

Elowen raised a hand. A ribbon of pale blue wind spiraled around her fingertip before quickly dissipating.

Before she could even process what was happening, the memories of last night came flooding back.

The kisses, Erik’s hands on her body, the low voice at her ear, all of it returned one piece at a time. The overwhelming happiness left her completely undone.

Elowen pulled the blanket up to cover half her face. Her pale skin flushed red from her neck all the way to the tips of her pointed ears.

Erik had chosen to love her, had called her his. Just remembering the look in his eyes then made heat pool low in her belly, her thighs pressing together on instinct.

But the embarrassment only lasted a few seconds.

Her hand reached over to the space beside her.

Empty.

Elowen turned her head. The sheets where Erik had been lying had gone cold, and his clothes were no longer on the chair.

”Erik?”

No one answered.

Fear closed around Elowen’s chest. She pushed herself upright, letting the blanket slide off her bare body, which still bore the marks from the night before. She had passed out while Erik still wasn’t fully satisfied. A Succubus was raised to care for her Partner, and yet she was the one who had collapsed first.

’Could he be disappointed?’

Elowen’s heart beat faster.

’Or does he regret proposing to me?’

She climbed out of bed, but the moment her feet touched the floor, her legs went slightly weak. Elowen grabbed the bed frame for support, then spotted the long coat draped over the sofa.

She didn’t bother looking for other clothes. She simply snatched up the coat and threw it on. There were far too many small buttons, and she only managed to fasten one near her waist before running for the door.

”Erik!”

Her voice carried down the hallway.

Elowen ran barefoot across the cold stone floor. Her silver hair was a tangled mess and the oversized coat kept slipping off one shoulder, but she didn’t stop to fix it.

The estate had only handmaidens. Erik was the only man here.

Right now, all Elowen wanted was to find him.

”Erik!”

Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. Every step trailed a thin current of wind behind her, sending the curtains along the hallway billowing even though the windows were shut. Elowen didn’t notice.

Fast.

Her body was so much faster than before.

In just a few seconds, Elowen had reached the ground floor. The faint smell of hot food drifted out from the direction of the dining room.

She stopped short, then ran that way.

The kitchen door was open.

Inside, Erik stood at the stove with a black apron tied around his waist. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to the elbows, one hand holding the pan while the other adjusted the flame. Sunlight fell across his hair and broad shoulders.

Hearing footsteps, Erik turned his head.

A smile appeared on his face.

”You’re awake? Breakfast is almost...”

The words stopped.

Erik’s gaze swept over her tear-streaked face, her tangled hair, her bare feet, then settled on the coat held closed by a single button.

While she was running, the two halves had come apart. One side of the collar had slid off her shoulder, exposing nearly all of one pale breast along with the faint red kiss marks above it. The lower half fell open with each breath, just barely covering the sensitive place between her thighs.

Erik’s eyes darkened for a brief moment. That soft body still carrying the marks he himself had left brought the memories of last night rushing back.

But the instant he saw Elowen’s tears, worry crushed every trace of desire that had just surfaced.

He turned off the stove and strode over to stand in front of her.

”What’s wrong?”

Elowen just looked at him. Erik was still here, and he’d even gotten up early to make breakfast. There had been no disgust or regret in that smile. In those dark eyes there was only gentleness and concern for her.

Happiness surged up so fast that Elowen’s legs nearly gave out entirely.

Erik reached out and pulled the slipping collar back up onto her shoulder. When his fingertips brushed her still-warm skin, Elowen’s body trembled faintly.

He drew the two halves of the coat together and fastened the buttons one by one from her waist up to her chest. His movements were careful, but his knuckles still accidentally grazed the soft curve beneath. Elowen’s breathing turned uneven. Already sensitive from the night before, her nipples immediately tightened, rubbing against the thin fabric.

Erik noticed the reaction. His gaze paused for a second on her flushed face before he went back to buttoning, his voice dropping slightly lower.

”Why didn’t you put on proper clothes?”

He looked down at her pale feet standing on the stone floor.

”You’re not even wearing slippers. The floor is freezing.”

Elowen barely heard a word of it.

She threw herself into his arms.

Both arms locked tight around Erik’s waist. Her body, covered only by that thin coat, pressed against him, so soft and so hot that he could feel every curve through his shirt. He froze, then wrapped his arms around her.

”Erik...”

Elowen’s voice cracked into a sob.

”I thought you’d left.”

Erik frowned slightly. One hand held her waist while the other smoothed down her tangled silver hair.

”Why would I leave?”

”Because last night I...” Elowen buried her face in his chest, her voice shrinking with embarrassment. ”I passed out too early. You weren’t fully satisfied. I thought I’d disappointed you.”

Erik was quiet for a moment.

His gaze drifted unconsciously toward the hallway.

Meira was standing there.

She wore a long white dress, her golden hair neatly brushed but without her leaf circlet. She must have just come down the stairs and seen Elowen, all but naked, throwing herself into Erik’s arms.

Meira’s green eyes met his. Then she looked down at the apron, at the hand resting on Elowen’s waist, and finally at the place where their bodies were pressed together.

A faint flush spread across her mature cheeks.

The memories of last night had clearly returned to her mind as well. Meira’s lips pressed together lightly. Her gaze dipped briefly toward Erik’s waist before quickly lifting again, carrying a satisfaction and a secret only the two of them knew.

Erik felt his body tighten for a brief moment. He gripped Elowen’s waist and pressed a kiss to her hair to hide the reaction.

Meira saw it. The corners of her lips curved up ever so slightly.

Neither of them said a word about last night.

Erik pulled his gaze back and focused on the woman crying in his arms.

”Elowen, listen to me.”

She lifted her tear-soaked face.

Erik wiped the corners of her eyes with his thumb.

”I just woke up early to make breakfast. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I’ve never once regretted proposing.”

”Really?”

”Really.”

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

”If something’s bothering me, I’ll tell you straight. I won’t quietly disappear and leave you to wake up alone guessing what you did wrong.”

Those words melted the last barrier inside Elowen’s heart. Seventeen failed Pairings had trained her to always look for the fault in herself, but Erik had never demanded that she be perfect. He only wanted her to trust him.

Elowen held him tighter, tears still falling, but a smile had appeared.

”I love you.”

”I know.”

”So, so much.”

Erik laughed and patted her back gently.

”I love you too.”

Elowen’s body went completely soft in his arms. The warmth radiating from Erik’s chest made the happiness inside her swell until it nearly hurt.

It wasn’t because of the ring, the Contract, or the 96% compatibility. Elowen was happy because when she was at her most afraid, Erik was still here, fastening her buttons one by one, wiping her tears, and telling her he wouldn’t leave.

Elowen buried her face in his chest, smiling as though she wanted to melt into that warmth.

A stream of pale blue wind suddenly spiraled around the two of them.

The towel on the kitchen counter was swept up into the air. Elowen’s silver hair floated lightly, and the flame beneath the pan, though already turned off, flickered once.

Meira walked over quickly.

”Elowen.”

She still held onto Erik, only tilting her head to look at her mother.

”Mom?”

”Does your body feel any different?”

Elowen pulled back from Erik’s chest a little but kept her arms around his waist.

”My mana is completely full, and my body feels lighter than before. When I first woke up, wind appeared around my hand.”

Meira placed a hand on her shoulder. Green light swept across her body, then quickly withdrew.

”Your Elven bloodline has awakened. Your Wind attribute is definitely far beyond D rank now, though we’ll need equipment to know exactly how far.”

Elowen looked at Erik.

”Is it because of you?”

Erik kept his composure. He didn’t let his gaze linger too long on the spot where the System panel had appeared.

”The 96% compatibility combined with the resonance after I opened my Heaven Gate may have affected your bloodline.”

Meira nodded.

”That’s very likely.”

Elowen looked at Erik with grateful eyes. He ruffled her hair.

”That power was already inside you. I just happened to help it wake up.”

Elowen leaned against him.

”Then it’s still a gift you gave me.”

Erik didn’t argue. He glanced at her bare feet, then bent down, one arm sliding behind her back and the other beneath her knees.

Elowen startled as her whole body was lifted up.

”Erik?”

”You refused to wear slippers.”

He carried her to a chair by the dining table and set her down. The coat rode up, exposing a stretch of pale thigh along with the red marks near her hip. Erik’s hand paused for a moment.

Elowen noticed too. She flushed and tugged the hem down, but the corners of her lips wouldn’t stop curling upward.

Meira watched the scene from behind them. The heat from last night quietly stirred in her body again, but this time it came with a gentler feeling.

Erik returned to the stove.

”You two just sit. Breakfast is almost ready.”

Elowen blinked.

”You really cooked it yourself?”

”Mm.”

Meira walked over to the table as well.

”We have chefs in the house. If you don’t like their cooking, I can replace them.”

”No need.” Erik flipped the meat in the pan, his tone perfectly casual. ”I like cooking.”

Mother and daughter looked at each other, at a loss for how to argue. In this place, a man willing to step into a kitchen at all was already hard to believe. Erik performed every motion with practiced ease, from slicing vegetables to adjusting the flame to seasoning with herbs.

Elowen propped her chin on her hand and watched until she nearly forgot to blink.

The apron softened the usual coolness about Erik, but his broad shoulders and efficient movements created a different kind of appeal.

This was the man who had exhausted her into unconsciousness last night.

And now those same hands were preparing her breakfast.

Just thinking about it made Elowen’s face heat up again. Her thighs pressed together unconsciously, but her eyes refused to leave him.

Meira watched in silence as well. She’d had countless people serve her, but never once had a man prepared a meal for her with his own hands.

Erik wasn’t cooking to win them over. Seasonings in this era weren’t varied, and the way ingredients were handled was monotonous. If he wanted food that suited his taste, doing it himself was simply easier.

More importantly, Erik didn’t want to grow so accustomed to being served that he lost the ability to take care of himself.

’Even in a place where a man doesn’t need to hold his own spoon, I still have to remember what these hands are for.’

He could cook, fight, and earn what he needed himself, not to make Succubi adore him, but so he would never place his fate in someone else’s hands.

When he heard Elowen cheerfully ask what was in the pan, Erik still smiled faintly. Being self-sufficient didn’t mean living alone. He also enjoyed preparing food for the people he loved.

Meira looked at that smile and quietly took out her phone. She opened the camera, recording Erik standing at the stove with Elowen sitting nearby, the ring sparkling on her hand.

Erik noticed but didn’t stop her.

Meira sent the video to a private group chat of noble ladies.

[Meira: Today’s breakfast was prepared by Erik himself.]

The group chat went silent for exactly three seconds.

[Lady Ravia: A man is cooking?]

[Lady Ysera: Meira, do you think we’re that easy to fool?]

[Lady Lilith: Get closer. I want a better look.]

Meira glanced at the oversized coat on her daughter, then raised the camera higher, filming only from the shoulders up.

The memories of last night flickered through her mind again. She looked at Erik, and he happened to turn toward her at that exact moment. Their eyes met for no more than a second, but it was enough to warm Meira’s cheeks.

She smiled and typed one more line.

[Meira: Thank the gods for sending him here.]

Her phone buzzed nonstop.

Meira didn’t read any further. She turned the screen face down on the table and went back to watching Erik divide the food into three portions.

Elowen started to get up to help, but he pointed at her bare feet.

”Sit.”

She obediently sat back down.

Erik set the first plate in front of Elowen, the second in front of Meira, and only then went back for his own.

Steam and the smell of food spread around the table. Sunlight streamed through the glass, catching the ring on Elowen’s hand and the silver bracelet on Meira’s wrist.

The two women looked at their breakfast, then both looked at Erik.

Before this, the place had only been a vast estate with a great many servants.

It wasn’t until this morning that it truly felt like a family.