Otaku Witch

The sight of her was incredibly striking—a voluptuous figure that one glance could not ignore, long purple hair, curved horns, an alluring face, the wings on her back, and that signature heart-shaped tail. Apart from lacking the authentic Succubus's inverted joints and cloven hooves, my sister was the epitome of a Succubus Witch herself.

Unfortunately, any fantasies or wicked thoughts that one might have had were promptly frozen and withered away by the piercing, ice-cold glare of my sister's eyes.

Although my sister possessed the strength of a succubus, her personality was anything but seductive. She was a true-blue Armed Witch who believed strictly in the principle that one should act rather than talk whenever possible; otherwise, she wouldn't have earned the notorious reputation of the Great Demon King in the outside world.

Luckily, she was always quite gentle with me, her little sister.

"You're up, come eat. The food at school is nothing compared to what we have at home, and I don't like having servants wait on me. These are just some dishes I whipped up casually. Audrey, make do for now, okay? If you don't like them, I'll find a chef to come over later."

The Succubus Witch couldn't hide her smile when she saw her younger sister—it was bright and captivating, truly enthralling.

This notorious Great Demon King only showed a hint of a succubus's allure when she was with her family, not the cold-hearted Rakshasa or the iron-blooded maniac that rumors made her out to be.

"No need, sister, this is more than enough. This is that culinary magic spell from the witch I recommended to you, right? I really like these witch dishes."

Audrey said, sitting opposite her sister.

"Mhm, this series of spells is indeed quite good, and very practical, but that Witch of the Forest seems a bit negligent in her duties—such talent, yet she only focuses on daily life spells. It would have been better if she devoted herself more to combat spells," Madeline mused about her younger sister's idol.

"Sister, you're one to talk about negligence, you—a Succubus Witch—became an Armed Witch instead. You're the one who's deviating from expectations. Our mothers have been complaining about you at home for years; they always hoped to groom you as their successor. You could have become the hottest superstar in the entertainment industry."

Audrey wasn't happy when someone spoke ill of her idol—she even backstabbed her own sister.

That made the Succubus Sister across from her a bit embarrassed.

"You know as well as I do that I've never been interested in etiquette or dressing up since I was little. We witches are meant for the battlefield, and, honestly, I just can't learn those boring music and dance things. Besides, isn't that what you are there for, Audrey? You're the successor they're most satisfied with."

Madeline looked up at the family portrait hanging in the living room. The picture showed four bewitching witches, each with beauty capable of toppling nations.

The two younger witches at the front were her and her sister, and the two mature witches behind them were their mothers, the most famous witch stars of their generation—the Enchanting Dancer and the Ninetailed Diva.

Although everyone in the family was a rare beauty, if one must choose the fairest of all, it was Audrey. Unlike Madeline, who only inherited the Succubus talent, Audrey had received all the best traits from both parents. She carried the charm of both renowned beauties, the Succubus and the Fox Woman.

She was the incarnation of beauty and desire, capable of rivalling those Peak Witches who had evolved to the most perfect state—even without the boost of background or power, Audrey possessed unparalleled potential. And if she were to become a Peak Witch later, what kind of breathtaking beauty she would turn into was beyond even Madeline's imagination as her sister.

Such beauty was what their mothers had pursued throughout their lives, the ultimate talent on the artistic path of aestheticism that they followed. They were regarded as the most beautiful in the Witch World, and they decided to unite with the intent to conceive such a marvel. Now, they had succeeded.

Before Audrey was born, Madeline, as the elder daughter, had her share of difficulties, but she gained freedom after Audrey's birth, which was one reason why she doted on her so much.

Only...

"Audrey, are you sure you want to apply for that mechanical civil engineering major?"

Madeline's expression grew more bizarre as she remembered her younger sister's secret revelation about her chosen field of study not long ago.

"You've always wanted to pursue the arts, haven't you? Our mothers have been counting on you to continue their legacy, and if they find out you've switched to studying construction, dealing with mud and bricks every day, they'll go mad."

Looking at the delicate beauty before her, whom even she couldn't help but find pitiful, Madeline, the rebellious Succubus Witch, was for a moment at a loss for words, at the thought of her beautiful sister being covered in dust on a construction site soon.

"It's the major of Automated Mechanical Civil Engineering."

Audrey seriously corrected her sister.

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"And I'm not studying it for the sake of architecture, okay? It's mainly because our second aunt has started teaching in this field, and I just want to learn Automata Magic from her to perfect my Puppet Theater. It's not a bad idea to learn a bit about architecture too—it will help me build more suitable settings for the theater in the future and support my artistic path."

The Witch of the Forest extended her hand, and a tiny puppet emerged from her sleeve, moving as if alive. The doll, as delicately lifelike as a real person, explained to the Succubus Giant across from her, with a mechanical precision.

"I don't want people to like me just for my face; my art doesn't need a face. I would rather have the audience appreciate the art itself, not the looks of the performer. These puppets will win the world's recognition for me."

Audrey spoke of her dreams with sparkling eyes.

However...

"Give it up, Audrey; it's just that your social anxiety hasn't been cured. My sister who freezes up and can't speak when she meets strangers."

Madeline ruthlessly pierced her sister's lie, pinched her sister's face with resignation, feeling somewhat weary.

This sister, who could normally be the most popular witch star of all time, had everything going for her, but both her triumphs and downfalls were because of her beauty. Excessive beauty can sometimes be a sin, especially for a child. The covetous greedy gazes of strangers can terrify a child into solitude.

That was the case with her sister Audrey.

Ever since their mothers first introduced her to the stage when she was little and she was frightened by the crazed gazes of the audience, the child became exceptionally fearful of people. Naturally, someone who couldn't even speak in front of strangers couldn't perform on stage under the scrutiny of an audience.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But paradoxically, her sister truly inherited both mothers' love for dance and theater. After becoming like this, the most tormented one wasn't the parents, but probably Audrey herself.

The child was graced by beauty, but also borne its curse.

Such beauty came with its own price.

The Puppet Theater that her sister chose now was actually a compromised solution out of no choice, but how could cold puppets compare to live performers in the art of singing and dancing?

This was evident from the fact that her sister's popularity wasn't exactly booming.

Otherwise, how could the daughter of a famous star still be just a minor celebrity on the Magic Network with a fanbase made up mostly of underage little witches who liked puppet shows?

Alas, fate...