CHAPTER 51: STAGE PRESENCE 1

The dining hall buzzed with morning gossip.

Aegis spotted Scarlett at their usual table, attacking a pile of eggs like they’d personally offended her.

"Morning, big girl." Aegis slid onto the bench.

"Mouse! About time." Scarlett grinned. "Sleep well?"

"Like the dead."

"Good. Come, sit." Scarlett patted her thighs.

Aegis raised a brow.

"Excuse me?"

"Best seat in the house," Scarlett grinned. "Come on."

[Is she serious?]

Scarlett’s eyes gleamed.

"Unless you’re scared?"

That was clearly bait. Aegis took it anyway.

"Move over."

Scarlett scooted back, making space. Aegis stood, walked around the table, and plopped herself directly onto Scarlett’s lap. The redhead’s arms immediately wrapped around her waist.

"Comfortable?" Scarlett’s breath tickled her ear.

"Very."

Conversations stopped. Students stared. Someone dropped their fork.

[Perfect.]

Aegis turned her head and kissed Scarlett. Not a peck. A proper, thorough kiss that left no room for interpretation. Scarlett made a surprised noise before enthusiastically participating, tongue dancing with Aegis’s.

Aegis had never kissed anyone as Emily. Never been touched. Now, that she was actually doing it...

[This is... surprisingly addicting.]

When they broke apart, half the dining hall was gaping.

"Well." Scarlett looked dazed. "Very good morning to me."

"Thought you’d appreciate it."

"Oh, I do." Her hands tightened on Aegis’s hips. "Question is, can you handle the consequences?"

"What consequences?"

Scarlett stood abruptly, lifting Aegis with her. The height difference meant Aegis’s feet dangled.

"Hey!"

"Changed my mind about breakfast." Scarlett set her down but kept one arm around her waist. "Let’s go somewhere private."

"We just got here!"

"And now we’re leaving." Scarlett steered her toward the door. "Unless you want me to bend you over this table?"

Heat flooded Aegis’s face. And other places.

"You wouldn’t."

"Try me."

They made it three steps before Talia’s voice cut through the air.

"Absolutely shameless!"

Aegis turned, still pressed against Scarlett’s side.

"Morning to you too, Princess."

Talia stood near the noble’s section, hands clenched at her sides. Her yellow eyes blazed with fury.

"Do you have no dignity? No sense of propriety?"

"Nope!" Aegis chirped. "Fresh out."

"This is a place of learning, not a brothel!"

"Could’ve fooled me, what with all the fucking people over going on."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Talia’s face went crimson.

"You... you...!"

"Use your words, Princess."

"Vulgar commoner!"

"Guilty as charged." Aegis blew her a kiss. "Jealous?"

Talia made a strangled noise and stormed out. Several nobles scrambled after her.

[Scandal Points Gained: 15]

[Current Total: 75]

"That was a bit mean." Scarlett chuckled.

"Yeah. To be fair, though, she started it."

"Still. Poor girl looked ready to explode."

"She always looks like that around me."

At the same time, though, Aegis did wonder if she should tone it down a bit with Talia.

[Teasing her is fun but, well, I love her. I don’t want her to actually hate me. At least, not for much longer.]

They left the dining hall to whispers and stares.

Aegis mentally pulled up her Scandal Shop, scrolling through options.

[Valdris’s Secret Project - 50 Points]

[Shadow Empress Identity - 150 Points]

[Major Timeline Deviation - 300 Points]

[Lune - 500 Points]

The first one caught her eye. Valdris having a secret project could be anything. But for only 50 points...

[Purchase: Valdris’s Secret Project?]

[Yes]

Information flooded her mind.

Headmistress Valdris wanted to stage a play at the Rosevale Theatre.

A romantic drama about Queen Rosanna’s rise to power. But the board of directors kept rejecting her proposals, calling them "inappropriate for an academic institution."

More importantly, the lead roles required two actresses (Rosanna was, after all, a known woman enjoyer) who could portray a convincing romance. Including several intimate scenes.

[Holy shit. This was cut content!]

Aegis remembered now.

The developers had mentioned wanting to include a theatre subplot but ran out of budget. Forum speculation went wild about which characters would’ve been cast.

And if she remembered correctly...

[Liora was supposed to play Queen Rosanna. And the player character would be her love interest.]

The script apparently included a very steamy onstage kiss. Multiple forum threads had mourned its loss.

"You okay?" Scarlett’s voice pulled her back. "You spaced out."

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"How to cause more scandals."

"That’s my girl." Scarlett squeezed her waist. "Now, about that private time..."

"Rain check?" Aegis pulled away reluctantly. "I just remembered something I need to do."

Scarlett pouted.

"Seriously?"

"I’ll make it up to you tonight."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Aegis went on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek. "Save that energy for later."

"Fine." Scarlett released her. "But I’m holding you to that."

Aegis waved and hurried off. She had a theatre production to investigate.

---

The Rosevale Theatre sat at the academy’s edge, made out of carved stone and stained glass. Most students ignored it, focusing on combat and magic over arts. But Aegis knew better.

[This place hides some of the best romantic subplots in the game.]

She pushed through heavy oak doors into the dim interior. Rows of red velvet seats faced an empty stage. Dust motes danced in colored light from the windows.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed.

No response. The theatre felt abandoned.

[Maybe I should check backstage.]

She climbed worn steps to the stage, boards creaking under her feet. The curtains were drawn, hiding whatever lay behind.

"Anyone here?"

"Who dares disturb my domain?!"

Aegis jumped. A figure emerged from stage left, all flowing robes and dramatic gestures.

Professor Loralei floated three feet off the ground, blue hair whipping around her face like she stood in a personal windstorm.

"Professor! You scared me."

"Good! Artists should evoke strong emotions!" Loralei descended gracefully. "What brings you to my sanctuary, dear?"

"I heard about a play. About Queen Rosanna?"

Loralei’s theatrical facade cracked. Real interest sparked in her eyes.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Around." Aegis shrugged. "Is it true?"

"Perhaps." Loralei circled her slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to help make it happen."

"You?" Loralei laughed, high and tinkling. "A first-year student?"

"A first-year student who aced her Artistic Expression performance."

"With pornographic singing!"

"It was artistic pornography."

"Hmm." Loralei tapped her chin. "You have a point."

"So? The play?"

Loralei sighed dramatically, one hand pressed to her forehead.

"Alas! The Headmistress dreams of staging ’The Rose’s Thorn,’ her masterwork about Queen Rosanna’s forbidden romance. But those dusty bureaucrats refuse funding!"

[Bingo.]

"What if I could get students interested? Build grassroots support?"

"Impossible! The board cares nothing for student opinion!"

"They care about scandal though." Aegis grinned. "And publicity. What if the play became the talk of the academy before it even existed?"

Loralei lowered her hand.

"Go on."

"Rumors about auditions. Whispers about who might kiss whom onstage. Get everyone gossiping and suddenly the board can’t ignore it."

"Devious!" Loralei clapped. "Delightfully devious! But we’d need committed actresses. The lead roles demand chemistry."

"Leave that to me."

"You seem confident."

"I am." Aegis thought of Liora. Sweet, talented Liora who’d look very cute in period costume. "Trust me, Professor. Give me a week to build buzz."

"One week?" Loralei floated higher. "Very well! If you can make the student body clamor for this production, I’ll attempt to convince the Headmistress to try again!"

"Deal."

"But!" Loralei pointed dramatically at Aegis. "You must audition. I won’t have my conspirator hiding in shadows!"

Aegis grinned.

"I wouldn’t dream of it."

"Excellent! Now begone! I must prepare monologues about artistic suffering!"

Aegis left Loralei floating around the stage, muttering about creative vision.

[Step one: complete. Now to plant some rumors.]

---

"Did you hear," Aegis leaned in conspiratorially. "They’re setting up a play."

"A play?" One of her classmates, a girl she hadn’t spoken with much at all, asked back.

"Mhm. Apparently, it’s going to be pretty scandalous."

The girl’s eyes went wide. "Scandalous how?"

"Well..." Aegis glanced around like she was checking for eavesdroppers. "I heard it’s about forbidden romance. And there might be some very intimate scenes."

"No way!" The girl grabbed Aegis’s arm. "Who told you?"

"Can’t reveal my sources." Aegis winked. "But supposedly they’re looking for students who can really sell the chemistry. You know, make it believable."

The girl practically vibrated with excitement.

"I have to tell Mira!"

And off she went, already adding her own embellishments.

By lunchtime, Aegis had "accidentally" mentioned the secret play to six different gossips. Each got a slightly different version. By dinner, the stories had mutated and merged into something spectacular.

"Did you hear?" Miheyra whispered at their study table. "The Headmistress wrote a forbidden romance!"

"I heard it has nude scenes." Ellis adjusted his spectacles.

"Not nude." Tam corrected quietly. "Just very passionate."

"Someone told me it’s based on real events." Jona added. "Secret lovers in Queen Rosanna’s court."

Aegis hid her smile behind a textbook.

"Really? How scandalous."

"They’re holding secret auditions next week!" Miheyra continued. "But only for students with perfect Arts scores!"

[I didn’t start that rumor. Interesting.]

"We should go watch." Ellis suggested. "For academic purposes."

"Definitely academic." Aegis agreed. "Nothing to do with watching pretty girls stage-kiss."

"Exactly!"

The study group dissolved into giggles and speculation. Aegis excused herself, claiming she needed to return books.

Instead, she went hunting for Liora.

The play would be nothing without its main star, after all.