Starcaller Manor stood complete.
The walls were whole, the windows glead, the gardens had been trimd and replanted. What had been a crumbling sack of... broken dreams just a few weeks ago now looked like an actual noble estate.
Still modest compared to the great houses, but respectable enough that Aegis could host fancy dinners without worrying about the ceiling falling on soone’s head.
And it was hers.
Evelyn stood beside her with the ledger closed for once, staring at the finished product like a proud parent at a graduation.
"The laborers exceeded expectations. We finished two weeks ahead of schedule and under budget. The east wing still needs so costic work... and the west wing... and the entrance... b-but, well, structurally everything is sound."
Aegis nodded absent-mindedly. Her actual thoughts were sowhere else entirely.
Most Likely Shadow Empress In This Tiline:
Aegis Starcaller
The words had been bouncing around her skull like a drunk pinball for three days straight. Three days since the auction. Three days since she’d seen that notification pop up like the world’s worst fortune cookie. Three days of trying to figure out what the actual fuck it ant.
She was the Shadow Empress?
Aegis squeezed her own biceps as she had the sa thought now that she had a few seconds after she’d seen that notification.
[What the fuck do you an I’m the Shadow Empress!?!?]
How? The Shadow Empress was the main antagonist of Queen of Hearts. The mysterious big bad who commanded the Umbral Forces, who wanted to plunge Valdria into darkness, who the player spent the entire ga preparing to murder, with shaless amounts of gratuitous, filthy sex in between.
That wasn’t a route. That wasn’t an option. You couldn’t just beco the Shadow Empress.
[Unless the rules have changed. Unless this world’s thrown the ga’s script in the garbage and set it on fire.] Aegis thought. [But why ? I’m not trying to destroy anything. I’m trying to build a house, marry a princess, and make the world’s hottest polycule. Normal isekai protagonist stuff. That’s not exactly supervillain behavior... is it???]
"My lady?"
Aegis blinked.
Evelyn was watching her.
"Sorry, uh, brain wandered off." Aegis forced a grin. "The workers did great. It’s an actual ho now."
"Will you be moving in permanently?"
"Not during the school year. I’ll stay at the dorms then. It’s easier for classes, training, that sort of thing. But once the school year ends?" She looked at the manor again. "Yeah. This’ll be ho base."
It would be ho for another month, for now. There was still a whole month left of sumr break. A whole month to figure out what the hell that notification ant. A whole month to—
"My lady." Evelyn’s voice shifted. "You have a visitor."
A carriage had rolled up to the manor gates. Aegis recognized the crest imdiately—gold and black, fancy as hell.
House Stone.
Talia stepped out, dressed in casual riding clothes. Her expression was carefully neutral, but Aegis could see the tension in her shoulders, the tightness around her eyes.
"Princess." Aegis walked over to et her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We need to talk." Talia’s gaze flicked to Evelyn, then back. "Privately."
Aegis smirked.
"As you wish."
---
"She acted like she owns you!"
Talia’s voice ca out sharp and breathless, punctuated by the slap of skin on skin. She rode Aegis hard, hands braced on Aegis’s chest, black hair loose and wild.
"Serilla—fucking—Frost—parading around—like you’re her—property—"
Aegis gripped Talia’s waist, fingers digging into soft skin, matching her pace.
"She’s possessive. You know that better than anyone else."
"She’s insufferable!" Talia ground down harder, pulling a gasp from both of them. Her pussy clenched around Aegis’s cock like she was trying to strangle it. "The way she looked at you during the Waltz, like you were so prize she’d won—"
"Talia."
"And then she just... dragged you out... in front of everyone—"
"Talia."
"I swear, I wanted to freeze her solid and shove an icicle up her—"
Aegis sat up, catching Talia’s face in her hands and kissing her mid-rant.
Talia made a frustrated sound against her mouth, but didn’t pull away. She lted into it, slowing her movents from furious bouncing to sothing more like grinding.
When they broke apart, Aegis was grinning.
"You’re jealous as hell."
"I am not."
"You’re very, very jealous." Aegis’s cheeks hurt from smiling. "It’s hot."
"I’m concerned, you fool. There’s a difference." Talia’s yellow eyes flashed with indignation that would’ve been more convincing if she wasn’t still grinding on Aegis’s dick. "She’s probably gonna kill you mid-sex one of these days."
"Uh-huh."
Talia pressed Aegis back down onto the mattress hard.
".... Shut up and let finish, you peasant."
Aegis did just that.
---
Later, they lay tangled in sweat-damp sheets, sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and making the whole scene look way too romantic for what had just been angry sex.
Talia’s head rested on Aegis’s chest, her breathing slowly evening out. The jealous fury had burned itself out.
"I’m getting closer," Aegis said quietly. "To being able to challenge Darius’s claim."
Talia didn’t move, but her body went tense.
"The auction helped. Third place, Vermillion sponsorship, Cindergrave humiliated in front of half the kingdom. Other noble houses are reaching out to learn about . I’m building real credibility."
"It’s not enough."
"Not yet. But with a bit of ti—"
"We don’t have ti." Talia lifted her head, eting Aegis’s eyes. "Rember? My mother plans to formalize the marriage before sumr ends."
"... Right."
"She’s already got ideas. A formal betrothal ceremony at the end of the season. Once that happens..." Talia’s jaw tightened. "Once that happens, it’s pretty much fucked. Darius’s family has too much influence. It would be damn near impossible."
"How long do we have?"
"Five weeks."
Five weeks.
Five weeks to go from "promising newcor" to "legitimate rival for a princess’s hand."
It was insane. The kind of challenge that would require everything she had and probably more. The kind of tiline that made her want to laugh hysterically or punch a wall.
Aegis whistled.
"Then I’ll do it in five weeks."
"Aegis—"
"I an it." She tilted Talia’s chin up, forcing eye contact. "I didn’t claw my way from commoner to noble, didn’t humiliate a Great House at the Sumr Auction, didn’t build all of this just to lose you to so golden-haired dickhead with good hair."
Talia’s expression wavered between hope and skepticism, like she couldn’t decide which one to commit to.
"You’re very confident for soone who still can’t beat in a spar."
"I beat you at the Winter Trials."
"I let you win."
"You let win because you wanted to succeed. Which ans you believe I can do this." Aegis grinned.
"Only the weak rely on technicalities," Talia said, trying to fight off a smile.
"Yeah?" Aegis leaned in, kissing Talia’s cheek. "Sothing else about us weaklings," she kissed again, lower, "we have a tendency," she stuck her tongue out and licked up Talia’s neck, "to get creative."
Talia suddenly put Aegis on her back again.
Reaching down, she lined up Aegis’s slowly hardening dick with her pussy again.
"You need to be punished for this insolence."
"By you?"
"Naturally."
"Punish as best you can, then~"
---
Aegis was back at the academy.
She’d left Talia at the manor. The princess had other obligations, other appearances to maintain, but wanted to nap on Aegis’s bed for another hour or so first. Sothing about "you wore out, you insatiable peasant" before she’d faceplanted into the pillows.
Five weeks.
Aegis ran through her ntal checklist as she walked. Wealth, military, political, magical, reputation, all progressing, but was it enough? Could she compress months of progress into five weeks?
[I have to. There’s no other option. Failure ans watching Talia marry soone who’s not and I’d rather eat glass.]
"Lady Starcaller."
The voice made her freeze mid-step.
Professor Nazraya stood in the doorway of her classroom, leaning against the fra like she’d been waiting. Her red eyes glead, one brow arched playfully.
"Wandering the halls alone? How unlike you. Usually you have at least three girls following you around."
Aegis’s heart rate spiked. It usually did whenever she saw Nazraya, but this was different.
Three days ago, seeing Nazraya would’ve been great. A chance for training, maybe so fun on her desk. Now? Now, all she could think about was that notification.
"Professor." Aegis kept her voice steady. "Didn’t expect anyone else to be here."
"So of us prefer the quiet." Nazraya’s smile sharpened. "You look tense, pet. Sothing troubling you?"
"Just, uh... processing. The auction was a lot."
"Ah, yes. I heard about your performance. Third place, sabotage exposed, a Great House humiliated in front of half of Rosevale." Nazraya pushed off the doorfra, stepping closer. "You’ve been busy."
"You could say that."
"I could also say you’ve been neglecting your studies." Her voice dropped, gaining that familiar edge that never failed to make blood rush to Aegis’s lower half. "We haven’t had a proper session in weeks. Your... capabilities must be declining."
Aegis’s throat tightened.
[Given the notification, wouldn’t that be a good thing?]
Should she stop? Should she abandon Nazraya’s training entirely, cut off whatever was pushing her toward that fate? She wasn’t sure.
But that would an giving up power she desperately needed. She needed to be strong to stand as a house worthy of marrying into royalty. And, if Shadow Magic provided her with the edge needed, then...
She’d take it.
And, well, besides, the notification had said "most likely."
Not guaranteed.
Not inevitable.
Not "stop training in Shadow Magic right now you big-dicked bitch."
Maybe she could learn the power without becoming the monster. Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too?
"You’re right," Aegis said. "I have been neglecting it."
Nazraya’s smile widened.
"Perhaps we should redy that. Co." She gestured toward her classroom. "Unless you have sowhere else to be?"
Aegis hesitated for maybe half a second.
Then she walked forward, following Nazraya inside.
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