The Dark Lady's Guide to Villainy [Book 1 Complete] [Dark Lord, School, Romance]

The portal from Earth to the Crowe family estate opened with considerably more elegance than Mo had expected from interdimensional travel, depositing them onto polished obsidian steps that gleamed like black mirrors. Dr. Foster stumbled slightly as the dimensional transition hit her human equilibrium, her eyes wide as she took in her first view of a properly demonic realm.

"The atmospheric pressure is different," she whispered, her voice tight with wonder and barely controlled panic. Her device's frantic beeping seemed to echo her racing heartbeat. "And the magical energy—it's like breathing liquid starlight. Every cell in my body is buzzing. How do you function with this much ambient magic? It's like trying to think while standing inside a lightning storm."

Mo steadied her newest team member while surveying the Crowe estate with the practiced eye of someone who'd learned to read political power in architectural choices since she wasn't able to walk and talk. Unlike Blackthorn Keep's dramatic gothic sprawl, the Crowe mansion embodied aristocratic restraint—all clean lines, soaring spires, and windows that reflected the realm's celestial effects. It was the kind of place designed to make visitors feel simultaneously impressed and slightly inadequate.

"Welcome to demonic high society," Mo said dryly. "Try not to touch anything that looks expensive. Which is everything if you transfer its value to Pounds."

Valerius adjusted his collar with the nervousness of someone returning home infected with inconveniently progressive opinions. "I should mention that my father can be... traditional in his assumptions about social visits."

Before Mo could ask what that meant, the estate's main doors swept open with theatrical timing. Lord Cassius Crowe emerged flanked by a retinue of perfectly groomed servants, his silver hair immaculate and his burgundy robes clearly costing more than most people in the multitude or worlds earned in a year, no matter how long the year on their planet on in their pocket dimension was. His eyes immediately fixed on Mo with the calculating assessment of someone mentally drafting elaborate contracts.

"Morgana Nightshade," he said, his voice carrying the cultured authority of centuries-old nobility. "The Dark Lady of Blackthorn Keep honors our humble estate with her presence."

Mo felt her deepest instincts engage. Something coming both from the things learned while sitting on her father's lap during his councils and mixed with the same careful navigation she'd learned while managing difficult customers. Of course, if you added the significantly higher stakes and the complexity of interdimensional politics. "Lord Crowe. Thank you for receiving us on such short notice."

"Short notice?" Lord Crowe's expression suggested the concept was foreign to him. "My dear child, when the head of the Shadow Cabinet of seventh wealthiest empire in the known realms requests an audience for his Dark Lady, one clears one's schedule entirely." He paused for a moment and his gaze moved somewhere distant, as if he was trying to perceive Blackthorn Keep from the porch of his estate. "An interesting chap, that Grimz. Most unusual."

He shook away his daze and looked at his guests once again, stopping on Dr. Foster with polite curiosity before returning his gaze to Mo with renewed intensity. "Though I confess, I wasn't expecting such... promising circumstances."

Valerius went very still beside her. "Father, this is a just business consultation about…"

"Nonsense!" Lord Crowe waved aside his son's protest with the casual authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed and not questioned by children. "Business doesn't require personal visits from ruling ladies. This is clearly a more... important matter."

Mo felt her succubus powers flicker with defensive energy, rose-gold light dancing around her fingertips as she processed all the hints and tried to figure out where Lord Crowe was leading. In the coffee shop, she'd learned that the best way to handle customer assumptions was direct clarification with a smile. In demon politics, apparently, the same principle applied but with more complex choreography.

"Lord Crowe," she said, letting just enough authority thread through her voice to command attention without causing offense, "I'm here to discuss business opportunities between our territories. Specifically, the implementation of my patented D.E.V.I.O.U.S. framework. It may be crucial to proceed even faster than before, considering the recent events."

The disappointment that flickered across Lord Crowe's face was almost comical. "Business opportunities," he repeated, as if the words tasted slightly bitter. "I see. Though surely such discussions could benefit from... closer familial ties between our houses?"

Dr. Foster, who'd been frantically recording atmospheric readings, looked up with confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm not a business person, but even for me, the struggle in this conversation is palpable. Are you still discussing a business proposal or is it about someone's marriage? Mo, you didn't say anything! Valerius!"

"Both, ideally," Lord Crowe said with renewed enthusiasm. "The consolidation of power through strategic alliance has been the foundation of demon politics for millennia. When two prominent houses unite…"

"Father," Valerius interrupted, his usual composure cracking. "I need to clarify something about your assumptions."

Mo watched Valerius struggle with words that clearly weren't easy for him, even with all their recent progress in honest communication. His aristocratic upbringing warred with his genuine commitment to authenticity, creating the kind of internal conflict that Mo recognized from her own journey toward claiming her identity.

"The truth is," Valerius said finally, his voice carrying hard-won confidence, "my romantic interests lie elsewhere entirely. Specifically, with someone who possesses remarkable ice magic and a poet's soul. Someone whose approach to power differs entirely from traditional demon methods."

Lord Crowe blinked. "Ice magic and poetry? What an unusual combination."

He looked at Morgana, a wide range of emotions showing on his face, one after another.

"So, not Lady Morgana," he finally said, changing his posture and making a decision.

"Definitely not," said Valerius. "But I think our current arrangement may be no less beneficial for both of our houses."

The silence stretched long enough for another of Dr. Foster's devices to complete an entire diagnostic cycle. Lord Crowe's expression finally settled on something resembling polite interest.

"Well," he said finally, "that does complicate the marriage negotiations somewhat."

"I'd say it eliminates them entirely," Mo said. "Though I hope it doesn't eliminate the mutual business opportunities. Because the changes happening across the realms make strategic partnerships more valuable than ever."

Lord Crowe blinked, then suddenly straightened as if remembering himself. "Good demon pits, where are my manners? Here I am having a small talk on the front steps like some common merchant." He gestured expansively toward the estate's imposing entrance. "Please, do come in. If we're to discuss interdimensional crisis management instead of wedding arrangements, we should at least do so properly, with appropriate refreshments and comfortable seating. Not that we would ever discuss wedding arrangements on the porch…" he looked at Mo once again. "If you ever decide to change your mind. If you don't like this brat, I have another son, you know. Or, I have a daughter as well, whatever works for you! Two for the price of one?"

Mo's rose-gold energy started shifting and moving around her, its offshoots moving as if attracted by the Lord Crowe's person.

"Ah…" he said. "I'm joking, don't worry! We'll table the marriage talks for now. But you would probably understand an old man like me wishing to use every opportunity to boost his house's position."

Mo restrained herself as they were walking through a series of rooms that looked one grander than the previous.

Lord Crowe paused mid-step, his attention suddenly shifting to Dr. Foster with the sharp focus of someone who'd just noticed something extraordinary. His nostrils flared slightly—the subtle scenting behavior that demons used to assess magical signatures.

"Forgive me," he said, his voice carrying newfound curiosity, "but you're human, aren't you? Yet I sense..." He gestured vaguely in her direction, his expression shifting from polite interest to genuine fascination. "That's quite remarkable. Humans with developed magical abilities are extraordinarily rare. I believe I've encountered perhaps three in my entire lifetime, and none with signatures quite so... sophisticated."

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Dr. Foster looked pleased at the recognition. "Level 10 Magical Network Analysis, manifested just three days ago during field research. I'm apparently something of an anomaly."

Lord Crowe's expression shifted to polite confusion. "Level... ten? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that classification system. Is this some sort of human academic terminology?"

Mo shot Dr. Foster a warning look. "Emily, perhaps you should be more careful about sharing personal details with…"

"Oh, it's part of the systematic magical distribution we're investigating," Dr. Foster said, clearly too excited about her current condition and the research of her new abilities to notice Mo's safety concerns. "This magic democratization project has created this fascinating interface system that categorizes magical development with numerical progression tracking."

"Democratization project?" Lord Crowe stopped walking entirely, his demon lord instincts now fully engaged. "Someone has been deliberately redistributing magical abilities? That's... that would be catastrophically destabilizing to traditional power structures."

Mo sighed. "So, you weren't informed by the High Council?" She looked at Valerius. "And you didn't notify your father? Why?"

"I did," said Valerius. "But he never really pays any attention to what I write to him."

"Why would I?" Lord Crowe said. "It's always something like 'Professor Baddy doesn't understand my innovative approach to curse modification' or 'the demon from some forgotten family doesn't appreciate my sophisticated conversation' or 'Morgana Nightshade keeps rejecting my perfectly reasonable overtures'." He paused, his expression shifting as realization dawned. "Oh… Oh my. He wrote about you in his letters a few years ago! What was that? I should remember the exact quote…"

Valerius turned such a magical shade of red that it could have powered the estate's ritual circle for a week. "Father, please…"

"I'll prove that I remember your letters!" Lord Crowe exclaimed. "There was some absolutely dreadful poetry about Morgana's astonishing eyes and mysterious succubus allure?" Lord Crowe's voice carried the particular delight of a parent discovering embarrassing ammunition. "I believe there was a sonnet comparing her to 'twilight given form and purpose.' Quite melodramatic, really."

Mo bit her lip to keep from laughing, filing away this information for future strategic deployment against Valerius. The mental image of him writing terrible romantic poetry was definitely something Nyx and Lucian needed to know about.

"Perhaps," she said graciously, "we could return to the slightly more pressing matter of multidimensional magical crisis management?"

"Of course," Lord Crowe said, though his expression suggested he was thoroughly enjoying his son's mortification. "Though I must say, this does explain why he's suddenly developed feelings toward a person who writes poetry. What's her name you said?" However, he continued without even pausing and giving Valerius a chance to answer. "But no, the High Council hasn't informed me of any reality-changing projects. Was it sanctioned? I guess not, otherwise we'd probably voted on it."

Mo frowned, her instincts prickling. It wasn't the first time in the past few months the High Council had acted defending its interests first and caring about everyone else as the last priority. Their silence suggested they either didn't understand the scope of the crisis or were deliberately keeping it quiet. Or both. Neither option boded well for anyone.

"I should probably explain," Mo said, realizing Lord Crowe was missing crucial context. "The Academy sent us to Earth to investigate a magical incident affecting human populations. Someone—a teaching assistant at Umbra—conducted an experimental ritual that was supposed to grant magical abilities to humans. It... worked. But the effects have been spreading far beyond what anyone anticipated."

"A teaching assistant?" Lord Crowe's eyebrows rose. "Youngsters are conducting reality-altering experiments? Oh, that heated blood of the young… I envy you a bit…"

"Which brings us to why we're here," Mo continued. "The changes aren't limited to human worlds anymore, Lord Crowe. They're spreading."

Mo gestured to Dr. Foster, who immediately brightened with the enthusiasm of a person who had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "I'll give a chance for Emily to explain everything. That would be a great chance for her to start fulfilling her role as an interdimensional attaché."

Dr. Foster stepped forward, her tablet already displaying complex magical analysis charts. "Lord Crowe, let me show you…" But Lord Crowe stopped mid-stride, his attention fixed on the device itself.

"What in the Nine Hells is that contraption?" he asked, staring at the holographic projections with fascination. "The images float without enchantment, respond without consciousness, store information without souls. It's like watching pure logic perform magic while completely ignoring every principle that makes magic possible."

Dr. Foster began to explain. "It's a tablet computer with enhanced…"

"I'll explain the Earth technology to you later," Mo interrupted smoothly, "as part of our business negotiations. The tech is still formally embargoed, but we've already started developing merged magitech devices."

"Magitech?" Lord Crowe repeated, the unfamiliar word rolling strangely off his tongue.

"Later," Mo promised with a diplomatic smile. "Emily, please continue with the crisis briefing."

Dr. Foster cleared her throat. "As I was saying, it's all about the magical democratization we mentioned earlier…"

"Oh yes, right," Lord Crowe said, blinking as if suddenly remembering they'd been discussing the potential collapse of civilization. "You were explaining about this... magic redistribution situation."

"The systematic democratization of magical abilities," Dr. Foster continued patiently, "It started with the human worlds that, as it seems, had no magic or very limited amounts of magic before. But now the changes have reached beyond, into established magical societies."

Lord Crowe's face suggested the news was personally offensive. "Magic has always been the province of those born to wield it properly."

"Not anymore," Mo said, remembering Grimz's latest reports. "My goblin administrators have started manifesting abilities. Dragons are reporting that their treasure hoards have gained consciousness and are critiquing resource allocation strategies. And according to preliminary intelligence, servant classes across demon society are beginning to show magical development."

Lord Crowe went very pale. "Servant classes? With magic?"

"The traditional power structures are destabilizing," Valerius said quietly. "It seems to start with the realms of people who were present during the ritual. Which is why we came here as soon as we could. Mo's D.E.V.I.O.U.S. framework isn't just about improving demonic revenues. It becomes a survival strategy in a society where many more people will have magic and capabilities to defend their interests."

"You want to say that we ended up in this mess because of you, boy?" Lord Crowe asked, his voice rising.

"He wants to say," Mo interjected, "that Valerius had brought you the perfect opportunity to be ahead of the curve compared to all other demonic societies and empires. With the exception of mine, of course."

"How so?"

"Your people may be gaining magical abilities. But it will be some time before they figure out what to do with them. And you can use this time to change your estate and everything that belongs to it from the top down. Not waiting for a revolt."

Lord Crowe glowered at Valerius, obviously still not happy with the order of the events.

"I had some experience with goblin revolts, you know," Mo said. "As did my father. Interestingly, it all sort of led us here."

Dr. Foster decided to add a bit of scientific persuasion to the negotiations and activated her Level 10 analytical abilities. Golden light flickered around her eyes as she accessed the System data that made her tablet's readings look primitive.

Lord Crowe's attention immediately sharpened, showing a genuine fascination with the human as he watched the golden radiance dance around Dr. Foster's pupils. "Extraordinary," he murmured, leaning slightly closer. "I've never seen analytical magic manifest quite like that. Does the luminous quality hint to the depth of perception?"

"Lord Crowe," Dr. Foster said, her voice taking on the precise tone of someone reading data in real-time while basking slightly in his obvious admiration, "I'm detecting approximately 2.3 million entities within your world's boundaries that have been touched by the magical redistribution system. Most of them appear to be... confused. Disoriented. They're experiencing magical manifestations but have no basis for understanding what's happening to them. As we did on Earth. I should add that it's a most confusing state. I'm lucky to have had Mo near me during that transition." As she looked at Mo, her eyes lost a bit of that golden glow. But then she refocused on her connection with the System. "The readings suggest they're looking for guidance, for someone to explain what these new abilities mean and how to use them safely."

"And the solution?" Lord Crowe asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.

"Adaptation," Mo said simply. "Implement frameworks that acknowledge changing realities instead of fighting them. Give the people stake in stability rather than an incentive for revolution. The D.E.V.I.O.U.S. framework isn't just about worker rights. It will help you prevent this magical flood from washing away what you and your ancestors have built over the centuries."

Lord Crowe was quiet for a long moment, but it was obvious that his mind was making rapid political calculations. Finally, he sighed with the resignation of someone accepting inevitable change.

"Well," he said slowly, "it's fortunate that we've already begun implementing some of these... frameworks in the villages that comprise Valerius's inheritance trust. Small-scale pilots, you understand, but we have administrators there who could expand the programs if needed." He glanced at his son with something that finally resembled approval. "Perhaps your insistence on 'experimental governance models' wasn't quite as impractical as I'd assumed."

Valerius just shrugged.

"I suppose," Lord Crowe continued carefully, "that business partnerships with progressive empires might indeed prove... advantageous in such circumstances. Even without matrimonial components."

"Especially without matrimonial components," Mo agreed. "Though I do hope this means Valerius has your support for his actual romantic preferences. He seems to be making some smart decisions recently."