Succubi Chapter 239. Your Girlfriend Belonged to Him Once
Succubi Chapter 239. Your Girlfriend Belonged to Him Once
Mirena continued quickly, “I mean it. The dance… the duel… I understand now why Alyra brought you.”
Interesting.
Compliment me.
Praise Alyra indirectly.
Appear sincere.
Good opening.
Alyra smiled. “How kind of you.”
Mirena clasped her hands together. “I know you hate me.”
“I don’t think about you enough for hate.”
Ouch!
Clean.
Mirena’s lips trembled.
Fake? Mostly.
Effective? Maybe.
“I deserve that,” she whispered.
No, you prepared that.
She looked at me again, and there it was. The helpless gaze. The slight shine in her eyes. The softness angled just right.
“I know everyone thinks I’m cruel. That I stole Cassian. That I wanted to shame Alyra tonight. But it isn’t that simple.”
We said nothing.
Mirena took the silence as permission because green tea girls could turn oxygen into permission.
“Cassian still has feelings for her,” she said.
Alyra’s face didn’t change.
My eyebrow almost lifted.
“Does he?” I asked mildly.
Mirena nodded, eyes sad. “He tries to deny it. He holds me close, he says he chose me, but I can feel it. Tonight proved it. The way he looked at her… the way he reacted to you…”
She looked at Alyra with gentle pity.
“He was jealous.”
Alyra’s smile turned sharp. “That is his problem.”
“I know,” Mirena said quickly. “I know. But I thought you should understand. Cassian and Alyra’s relationship was not shallow.”
She shifted her gaze to me, soft and careful. “They were together for a long time.”
I kept my expression pleasant.
Alyra’s fingers tightened slightly around my arm.
Mirena noticed. “They shared so much,” she continued. “Memories. Promises. Private things. I don’t want there to be misunderstanding.”
Private things.
Translation “Your girlfriend belonged to him once”.
Trying to poison the current man using the past.
She was targeting me now.
Trying to announce Alyra and Cassian’s relationship had gone “too deep.” Trying to make me imagine things. Trying to make me feel second. Temporary. Used. Like a replacement dragged to a banquet to cover old wounds.
A white knight would feel conflicted.
A jealous fool would interrogate Alyra.
An insecure man would pull away.
Unfortunately for Mirena, I had been raised in a house where comparison was daily seasoning.
I knew this flavor too.
I smiled gently. “Lady Sol.”
She looked at me with hopeful eyes.“Yes?”
“You’re very considerate.”
Her face brightened a little.
Alyra glanced at me sharply.
I continued, still warm, still polite. “Not many women would chase another couple outside just to explain how deeply their own partner once belonged to someone else.”
Mirena froze.
Alyra’s mouth twitched.
I tilted my head. “It almost sounds painful for you.”
Mirena blinked. “I—”
“You must be very strong,” I said softly. “Standing beside a man while believing his heart still turns toward another woman.”
Her lips parted.
The attack bounced.
Returned.
Upgraded.
Alyra lowered her gaze for half a second, definitely hiding amusement now.
Mirena recovered, but not cleanly. “I only meant—”
“I understand,” I said. “You’re worried for Alyra.”
“Yes,” she breathed quickly. “Exactly.”
“And maybe for me.”
Her eyes softened again. “A little.”
I smiled wider. “Then don’t worry. I don’t measure Alyra by the men foolish enough to lose her.”
Mirena’s expression cracked.
Alyra went still beside me.
I looked at Mirena kindly, because kindness made the poison worse. “As for Cassian’s feelings,” I added, “he should discuss them with the woman he currently holds in public.”
Mirena’s cheeks flushed.
This time, not fake.
“He is complicated.”
“No,” Alyra said softly.
Mirena looked at her.
Alyra’s smile was calm, almost tender, and somehow that made it more dangerous. “He is simple. That was always the problem.”
Ouch!
Double ouch!
I almost felt bad for Cassian, and he wasn’t even here.
Mirena’s hands tightened together.
“You changed,” she whispered.
Alyra looked at her for a long moment. “No. You simply never knew me without Cassian standing between us.”
Mirena swallowed.
Her eyes shifted to me again.
Last attempt.
Soft voice.
Almost shy.
“Lord Blackthorn, may I speak with you privately? Just for a moment. I don’t want there to be… tension between us.”
Ah… The direct hook.
Fragile tone.
Alyra’s past as bait.
Her own vulnerability as bait.
And maybe, if I followed, she would cry, stumble, let me catch her, whisper how lonely she was, and somehow Cassian would appear at the perfect time to misunderstand.
Or worse, she actually wanted to steal attention because I had humiliated Cassian and impressed the room.
Either way?
I gave her my softest smile. “No.”
Mirena blinked.
It was so simple she didn’t react for a second.
“…No?”
“No,” I repeated.
Her lips trembled. “Did I offend you?”
“Not at all.”
“Then why?”
I placed my free hand lightly over Alyra’s fingers on my arm. “Because I came here with Alyra.”
Alyra’s breath changed.
Mirena stared.
I leaned slightly closer to Alyra, making the gesture visible, intimate, unmistakable. “And I leave with Alyra.”
The entrance fell silent around us.
Even the servants were listening now while pretending they weren’t.
Mirena’s eyes flashed. Then she lowered her lashes again.
“I see,” she whispered.
“Good night, Lady Sol,” Alyra said.
Mirena stood there for half a second longer, then stepped back. “Good night.”
She turned and walked away, slower than she came, dress trailing behind her like spilled wine.
Only when she disappeared inside did I exhale.
“Green tea level: advanced.”
Alyra looked at me. Then laughed. “You saw through all of it.”
“I told you. I’m good at improvising.”
“That wasn’t improvisation. That was cruelty wearing manners.”
“Thank you.”
She stared at me.
Then her expression softened in a way that made the night feel warmer. “Evan… You said you came with me and leave with me.”
“Role requirement.”
“Was it?”
I looked at her.
Dangerous question.
The car rolled up before I had to answer.
Saved by expensive transportation.
The butler opened the door.
Alyra didn’t move immediately. Her eyes stayed on mine, dark and bright and unreadable. Then she smiled. “Fine,” she murmured. “Don’t answer yet.”
Yet.
Dangerous word.
She entered the car first.
I followed.
The mission was going very well. And Alyra was looking at me like the fake boyfriend contract might need additional clauses.