CHAPTER 70: STAGE PRESENCE 20

Sunlight stabbed through the curtains like it had a personal vendetta against Aegis’s eyeballs.

She groaned, trying to burrow deeper into the warmth surrounding her. Something soft pressed against her left side. Something else equally soft pressed against her right. Her morning wood throbbed between two sets of thighs.

[Wait.]

Memory crashed back. The cast party. The wine. The threesome that had gone until three in the morning.

Aegis cracked one eye open. Talia’s black hair spilled across her left shoulder. Liora’s blonde curls tickled her right collarbone. Both were naked. Both were drooling slightly on her tits.

[Holy shit, it actually happened.]

She grinned.

[It happened!!!]

The door clicked open.

"Oh," Lune said, stepping inside with her art supplies. "Did you all have sex last night?"

Talia shot upright so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.

"WHAT ARE YOU—HOW DARE—THIS ISN’T—"

Her yellow eyes were wide with panic, her face turning the same shade as a tomato. She grabbed a pillow to cover herself, which just made her ass stick up in the air.

Aegis burst out laughing.

"Good morning to you too, Lune!"

Liora stirred, blinking sleepily.

"Mmm... five more minutes..."

She nuzzled deeper into Aegis’s side, apparently unbothered by their audience.

"I’ll just..." Lune set her supplies on her desk. There was the faintest hint of pink on her cheeks. "Paint by the window."

"You don’t have to—" Talia started.

"No, no. Do not mind me." Lune pulled out her canvas. "This lighting is excellent for my work."

Talia looked like she might spontaneously combust.

"I’m going to murder you," she hissed at Aegis.

"Which one of us?" Aegis grinned. "Because last night you were begging me to—"

Talia slapped a hand over Aegis’s mouth.

"Not. Another. Word." She said, pressing her forehead against Aegis’s, their eyes an inch apart.

Liora finally sat up, stretching like a cat. The blanket fell away from her chest.

"Morning, everyone." She smiled at Lune. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise." Lune didn’t look up from mixing her paints. "Your hair has an interesting shine in this light."

"Oh. Thank you?"

Aegis gently removed Talia’s hand from her mouth.

"Anyone want breakfast? I could murder some eggs right now."

"H-How are you so casual about this?" Talia demanded.

"Practice."

"That’s not—" Talia paused. "Wait. Practice?"

"With Scarlett. And one of the professors." Aegis counted on her fingers. "Oh, and there was that thing with the maid, but that was just oral—"

"STOP."

Liora giggled.

"You’re going to give her an aneurysm."

"That’s the goal."

Talia grabbed her dress from the floor, holding it against herself.

"I need to leave. Mother will notice if I’m not at breakfast."

"Your mother thinks you spent the night in the library," Liora said. "I told her we were studying for next week’s Strategic Thinking exam."

Talia blinked.

"You... covered for me?"

"For us." Liora kissed Talia’s cheek. "I’m not ready for this to end yet."

Something in Talia’s expression softened. She looked between Liora and Aegis, chewing her bottom lip.

"This doesn’t mean anything," she said finally.

"Of course not," Aegis agreed.

"We’re not... together."

"Absolutely not."

"This was a one-time thing."

"Definitely."

"Stop agreeing with me!"

"Okay."

Liora pulled Talia back down onto the bed.

"Relax. No one has to know."

"Lune knows!"

"I know nothing," Lune said, adding a stroke of yellow to her canvas. "I’m simply painting a still life of three friends having a platonic morning conversation."

Aegis glanced at the canvas. It was definitely not platonic. In fact, it captured the exact moment Talia had shot up, ass in the air, with remarkable accuracy.

Talia groaned, burying her face in a pillow.

"My reputation is ruined."

"Your reputation is fine," Aegis said. "Now, let me check something real quick."

She mentally pulled up her status screen, careful to keep her expression neutral.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS UPDATE

Talia Stone: Route Complete!

Permanent Buff Unlocked: Noble’s Pride Effect: +20% to all social interactions with nobility Special: Intimidation attempts against you have 50% chance to fail

Liora Vale: Route Complete!

Permanent Buff Unlocked: Honest Heart Effect: Lies directed at you are 75% easier to detect Special: Your genuine compliments have double effect

Joint Route Bonus: Royal Scandal

Effect: Scandal Points generation increased by 50%

Special: Access to exclusive Noble Gossip Network

Bondmark Training Efficiency: 100% faster XP gain

[Oh fuck yes.]

Between this and Nazraya’s shadow magic training, Scarlett’s combat progression bonus, and Rosanna’s training...

She was becoming genuinely overpowered.

"What are you grinning about?" Talia asked suspiciously.

"Just thinking about last night."

"Ugh."

"Specifically that thing you did with your tongue—"

"AEGIS."

"What? It was impressive! I didn’t know the human tongue could bend that way."

Liora blushed but looked pleased.

"You weren’t so bad yourself."

"I have references if you need them."

The door burst open. Scarlett stood there, still in her workout clothes, sweat making her shirt cling to her abs.

"Mouse! You missed morning training—" She stopped, taking in the scene. "Oh. Oh shit."

"Hi Scarlett," Aegis waved.

Talia looked like she was going to explode.

Scarlett let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Mouse. Respect."

"THIS IS NOT HAPPENING." Talia pulled the blanket over her head as Scarlett just slowly closed the door.

Only after Scarlett left did Talia emerge from her blanket cocoon.

"How many people are going to see me naked in your bed today?"

"Well, let’s see." Aegis pretended to count. "Lune, Scarlett... Professor Nazraya has a key—"

"She WHAT?"

"Kidding! Mostly."

Liora stood, completely comfortable in her nudity.

"I should go. I have voice practice before class."

She leaned down, kissing Talia deeply. Then she turned and kissed Aegis just as thoroughly.

"Last night was wonderful," she said. "We should do it again sometime."

"Liora!" Talia squeaked.

"What? It was fun." Liora started getting dressed. "You came six times."

"Seven," Aegis corrected. "That last one was pretty quiet though."

Talia made a sound like a dying cat.

Once Liora left, Talia rounded on Aegis.

"This changes nothing between us."

"Of course not."

"I still think you’re an insufferable commoner."

"Naturally."

"And I’m not going to help you with whatever scheme you’re planning."

"Wouldn’t dream of it."

"Stop being so agreeable!"

Aegis pulled Talia closer.

"Would you prefer if I pinned you to the wall again?"

Talia’s breath hitched.

"I... that’s not..."

"Because I distinctly remember you begging for—"

Talia took Aegis’s head in her hands.

"... Yes?" Aegis asked, blinking innocently with a smile.

Then, Talia kissed her. Hard.

When they broke apart, both were panting.

Talia glanced at Lune and whispered:

"Just... just one more time," Talia said. "Then we never speak of this again."

"Sure."

[It absolutely won’t be one more time, hehe.]

A short time later, Talia fled with her dignity in tatters and Lune had finished what was definitely going to be sold as "artistic nudes" to the highest bidder, Aegis finally got dressed.

[Now, time to deal with Varyn.]

She’d let him slide for too long. The assassination attempt during the play was the last straw. Sure, it had worked out in her favor, but he’d crossed a line nearly hurting Talia.

[Nobody fucks with my conquests except me.]

---

The dining hall buzzed with post-performance excitement. Students clustered around tables, rehashing the previous night’s drama. Aegis caught fragments of conversation as she made her way to the food line.

"Did you see when the backdrop almost crushed Princess Talia?"

"That commoner girl saved her!"

"The kiss looked so real!"

"I heard they practiced for hours..."

Aegis grinned. Let them talk. Every whispered rumor increased her notoriety, and notoriety was just another form of power.

She loaded her plate with eggs and toast, then scanned the room for a familiar face. There—Varyn Duskbane sat at a corner table with two other noble brats, looking like someone had pissed in his morning tea.

Perfect.

Aegis walked over, her heels clicking against the stone floor. Conversations quieted as she approached. Everyone wanted to see what would happen next.

"Morning, Varyn," she said, setting her plate down across from him. "Mind if I join you?"

The two nobles flanking him, she recognized them as minor house flunkies, shifted uncomfortably. Varyn’s violet eyes narrowed.

"Actually, yes. This is a private conversation."

"Oh, I insist." Aegis sat down anyway, crossing her legs. "We have so much to discuss."

"Such as?"

"Such as your little stunt last night. Very creative, trying to drop a backdrop on Princess Talia. I’m almost impressed."

The blood drained from Varyn’s face. His companions looked confused.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Sure you don’t." Aegis leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper that only their table could hear. "But here’s the thing, Varyn. I have evidence. Magical signatures, witness testimony, the works. One word from me and you’ll be expelled faster than you can say ’attempted murder.’"

"You’re bluffing."

"Am I?"

She was.

Aegis pulled out a small crystal from her pocket, one of the Aether Cores she’d collected during her dungeon crawls with Scarlett. She’d enchanted it with a simple light spell, but in the dim morning light, it looked suitably ominous.

"This little beauty recorded everything. Amazing what magical surveillance can pick up these days."

Did it actually? No. But, well, Charisma 100, right? Why not put it to the test?

Varyn stared at the crystal, sweat beading on his forehead.

"What do you want?"

"Simple. You’re going to stand up, walk over to that table of scholarship students, and publicly apologize for every insult you’ve ever thrown their way. Then you’re going to spend the rest of the semester being a model citizen. No more schemes, no more sabotage, no more being a general pain in my ass."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I take this crystal to Headmistress Valdris and let her decide your fate. I hear she’s particularly harsh on students who endanger royal family members."

Varyn’s jaw clenched. He glanced at his two companions, who were looking at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head.

"You can’t prove anything."

"Try me."

For a long moment, they stared at each other across the table. Aegis could practically see the wheels turning in Varyn’s head as he weighed his options. Finally, his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Fine."

"Excellent." Aegis pocketed the crystal and picked up her fork. "I knew you’d see reason."

Varyn stood slowly, his face pale and drawn. His companions scrambled to follow him as he walked across the dining hall toward the scholarship students’ table. The entire room went silent, watching the show.

Aegis took a bite of her eggs and smiled.

[One problem solved.]

---

Back in her room, Aegis flopped onto her bed. It still smelled like sex and expensive perfume.

[What a morning.]

She pulled up her status screen one more time, checking her progress.

A different notification came up.

Current Objectives:

Second Monthly Ranking: 13 days

Winter Tournament: 45 days

Umbral Invasion: No Current Indication

She had Bondmarks with Nazraya, Scarlett, Talia, and Liora. Her magic was progressing nicely with both shadow and aether paths. Her combat skills were... acceptable.

[Time to get serious about training.]

The Umbral Empress would arrive eventually. The real plot would begin. Everything so far had been tutorial mode.

But first...

Her stomach growled.

[Breakfast. Definitely breakfast.]

She stood, stretching. Outside her window, Rosevale Academy buzzed with normal academic life. Students hurried to classes. Professors debated in the courtyard. Everything seemed peaceful.

[Enjoy it while it lasts, everyone.]

Aegis grinned.

She had to become strong enough to face a goddess-tier enemy. She had to build her harem into an army. She had to completely break this game’s plot, in a real-life environment.

[... I’ve beaten this game hundreds of times. What’s one more?]

She headed for the door, already planning her next move. Maybe she’d visit Rosanna tonight, work on her aether weaving. Or convince Nazraya to teach her something particularly nasty. Or see if Scarlett wanted to "train" in private.

The possibilities were endless.

And Aegis Starcaller, maxed-out Charisma and all, was going to exploit every single one.

[This year is going to be fucking amazing.]