CHAPTER 64: STAGE PRESENCE 14

{Talia}

Talia rolled the vial between her fingers, staring at the clear liquid.

One day until the play. One day until she’d have to kiss Aegis Starcaller on stage in front of the entire academy, her mother, and who knew how many other nobles.

[It would be so easy.]

Just a few drops in Aegis’s water during today’s final rehearsal. By evening, the commoner would be too sick to perform. Liora would step in. Problem solved.

No one would ever know.

Talia slipped the vial into her pocket as a knock sounded at her door.

"Enter."

A servant poked his head in.

"Princess, they’re waiting for you in the rehearsal hall."

"I’ll be right there."

She gathered her script and notes, checking her reflection one last time before heading out. The vial weighed heavy in her pocket, like a stone.

[I haven’t decided yet,] she told herself. [I’m just keeping my options open.]

---

"Again!" Professor Loralei clapped her hands, hovering six inches off the ground. "Starcaller, you’re still too stiff in the second embrace. Imagine you’re holding a lover, not a sack of potatoes!"

Aegis grinned, her arm still draped around Talia’s waist.

"Maybe if the princess would stop tensing up every time I touch her, Professor."

"I wouldn’t tense up if your hands didn’t wander so much," Talia hissed behind gritted teeth, one eye twitching.

[One little gesture. A pile of Starcaller ash, instantly. A tiiiny amount of aether.]

But, of course, Talia refrained from it.

"My hands stay exactly where they’re supposed to be." Aegis’s fingers tapped playfully against Talia’s hip. "It’s not my fault if the script is so juicy."

Talia stepped away, breaking the contact.

"Can we take five minutes? I need water."

"Of course, of course," Professor Loralei waved a hand. "Everyone, take ten! But remember, this is our last full rehearsal before tomorrow’s performance. I need absolute perfection when we return!"

The cast scattered, most heading for their water bottles or the bathroom. Talia made her way to the small table with refreshments, acutely aware of Aegis following her.

"You know," Aegis said, leaning against the table, "for someone who insisted on going through with this play, you sure seem uncomfortable with the physical parts."

"I’m not uncomfortable." Talia sipped her water. "I simply prefer to maintain appropriate boundaries."

"Boundaries?" Aegis laughed. "We’re supposed to be lovers in this play. What boundaries are you expecting?"

The vial felt heavier in Talia’s pocket with every syllable.

[One drop. That’s all it would take.]

"Blah blah blah, blah blah blah ba-blah, blah blah, you and me, blah blah, blah blah blah~..." And on, and on, went Aegis’s incessant, smug boasting and goading.

She could slip it into Aegis’s water right now, while the commoner was distracted with her teasing.

"Talia? Aegis?"

They both turned to find Liora approaching, her script clutched to her chest.

"I was wondering if you two wanted to run through the love scenes again after this." Liora’s cheeks flushed slightly. "You both seem a bit... tense. And I thought maybe practicing in a more private setting might help."

Talia nearly choked on her water.

[Is she serious? She wants to watch me kiss Aegis?]

"That’s... actually a great idea," Aegis said, smiling warmly at Liora, and then smirking at Talia. "What do you think, Princess? A little private rehearsal to get comfortable?"

There was something in Aegis’s tone that made Talia’s skin prickle.

Specifically...

[Does she know? About me and Liora?]

No, she couldn’t. They’d been so careful.

Well...

They had been at first.

Lately, however, Talia’s urges had gotten the better of her. Could Aegis have...?

"Fine," Talia said stiffly. "After this rehearsal. The small practice room on the third floor should be empty."

"Perfect!" Liora beamed. "I’ll meet you both there."

As she walked away, Talia couldn’t help noticing how Aegis’s eyes followed her. Her usual smirk wasn’t quite so usual. There was something different in the air.

[She knows. Somehow, she knows.]

The thought made Talia’s fingers tighten murderously around her innocent water cup.

---

The small practice room was dimly lit, with just a few candles casting soft shadows against the walls. A single bench sat against one wall, with a mirror on the opposite side.

Liora settled onto the bench, script open on her lap.

"I thought we could focus on the confession scene and the reconciliation in Act Four. Those are the most emotional moments between your characters. You know, without all the pressure from having a big audience watching."

Talia nodded, trying not to look at Aegis, who was stretching her arms above her head, making her massive breasts strain against her shirt.

"Let’s start with the confession," Aegis suggested. "That’s the one we’ve been struggling with most."

They took their positions, standing a few feet apart in the center of the room. Talia closed her eyes briefly, centering herself, finding the Rosanna inside her.

When she opened them, she was no longer Talia Stone. She was Rosanna, young and uncertain, facing the woman who stirred feelings she couldn’t explain.

"Elara," she said softly, "we need to talk about what happened in the council chamber."

Aegis stepped closer, her usual smirk replaced by a look of genuine concern.

"You were brilliant today. Don’t let Councilor Varris’s words trouble you."

"It’s not his words that trouble me." Talia moved toward the window, as the script directed. "It’s my reaction to them. To you defending me."

"What about it?"

Talia turned back, allowing vulnerability to show on her face.

"No one has ever stood up for me like that. Not since my father..."

"Hey." Aegis crossed the space between them, taking Talia’s hands in hers. "You deserve to be defended. You deserve loyalty."

Her touch was gentle, her eyes intense. For a moment, Talia almost forgot who she was acting with.

Until Aegis moved so close her chest pressed against Talia’s.

And her hands went to Talia’s lower back.

[This little...]

"E-Elara..." Talia whispered, right on cue. She was supposed to be embarrassed, but instead, she had a frozen smile on her face, one eye twitching. "What are we doing?"

"What we’ve been afraid to do for months." Aegis’s hands went even lower, cupping Talia’s ass. Talia could visibly see the bitch holding back a shit-eating grin. "What I’ve wanted to do since the first day I saw you."

[I’M GOING TO KILL HER!]

But at the same time, Talia’s heart raced.

This was where Rosanna was supposed to kiss Elara. Where Talia was supposed to kiss Aegis.

She glanced briefly at Liora, who was watching with rapt attention, her eyes wide.

But before she could break character, Aegis’s hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

"Rosanna," she murmured, her voice husky. "Let me in."

Talia’s hand slipped into her pocket, fingers closing around the vial.

[Now. Do it now. One kiss, slip her the poison through it, and it’s over.]

She could feel the stopper between her fingers, could pull it out and hold the liquid in her mouth. One kiss would transfer it. Aegis would be sick by morning. Liora would take her place.

Everyone would win.

But as she looked into Aegis’s eyes, another memory surfaced. Aegis, in the darkened hallway, the Autumn Gala raging on in the distance, standing between Talia and an assassin’s blade (with her tits out, for some reason). Aegis, fighting alongside her, helping her escape.

Aegis, saving her life.

Talia considered it. She really dd.

But, as the memory came...

[I can’t do this. Not like this.]

Talia released the vial, letting it sink back into her pocket.

Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Aegis’s.

Unlike the brief, chaste kiss during rehearsal, this one lingered. Aegis’s hand tightened on her neck, her other arm wrapping around Talia’s waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other.

Talia gasped against Aegis’s mouth, the sound swallowed by the kiss. Aegis took advantage, deepening the contact, her tongue sweeping inside.

For a moment, Talia forgot about Liora watching, forgot about the play, forgot about everything except the warmth of Aegis’s mouth and the firm pressure of her hands.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Talia’s lips tingled.

"Wow!" Liora’s excited voice broke the spell. "That was incredible! So natural and passionate! That’s exactly what Professor Loralei has been looking for!"

Talia stepped back, reality crashing down on her. She’d just kissed Aegis Starcaller. She’d really kissed Aegis Starcaller.

In front of Liora.

And...

She’d liked it.

The thought nearly made her puke.

[What is wrong with me!?] She thought, her face heating up.

"Thanks," Aegis said, grinning at Liora. "I think we finally found our rhythm."

Her hand was still on Talia’s waist, thumb stroking small circles above her hip. The touch sent sparks through Talia’s body, unwelcome and confusing.

"Should we try the reconciliation scene next?" Liora asked, flipping through her script. "It has that beautiful moment where Elara returns from exile."

"Actually," Talia said, pulling away from Aegis’s touch, "I need a moment. Excuse me."

She hurried from the room, not waiting for a response. In the hallway, she leaned against the wall, trying to steady her breathing.

[This is insane. I can’t be attracted to her. I love Liora.]

But the memory of Aegis’s lips, soft yet demanding, refused to fade.

Talia reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial. In the dimly lit hallway, the liquid seemed to shimmer, tempting her.

One drop. Problem solved.

With a sudden, decisive movement, Talia walked to the nearest trash bin and dropped the vial inside. It made a soft clink as it hit the bottom, disappearing among the crumpled papers and discarded quills.

She wouldn’t poison Aegis. She would defeat her on her own terms—by giving a performance so spectacular that no one would remember Aegis Starcaller’s name afterward.

This was her play. Her moment, one of many more to come. And she wouldn’t let anyone, not Varyn, not her mother, and certainly not Aegis, take that away from her.

Taking a deep breath, Talia smoothed her uniform and headed back to the practice room.

[Game on, Starcaller. Game on.]