Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 195: The Moonspire Summit

Morning light slipped through the curtains.

Aegis had Serilla pinned beneath her. Their mouths moved together slow, lazy, with no rush. Just warmth and the vague taste of last night’s wine still on Serilla’s tongue.

Liora had left in the night. Serilla, however, decided she needed to get fucked a few more times before she could do the same.

Aegis pulled back just enough to talk.

"See? Sharing wasn’t so bad."

Serilla’s pink hair fanned out across the pillow. Her cheeks were flushed. Could’ve been sleep. Could’ve been the kissing. Could’ve been the fact that Aegis’s thigh was still pressed between her legs.

"Shut the fuck up."

Hand on her neck, Aegis grinned against her lips.

"You had fun."

"I said shut up."

"You came three times."

Serilla grabbed a pillow and tried to take Aegis’s head off with it.

Aegis laughed, batting it away, and leaned down to kiss her again. Serilla resisted for about half a second before chuckling and melting into it, her fingers curling into Aegis’s hair.

[God, she’s cute when she’s embarrassed.]

The door swung open.

"Darling, we’ll be practicing later this evening. Don’t make any..."

Nazraya stood in the doorway. Fully dressed, dark robes doing absolutely nothing to hide her figure, looking completely unsurprised to find two naked women in Aegis’s bed. Her red eyes swept over them both slowly, like she was deciding which one to eat first.

"Alright then."

She smiled, turned, and left.

Serilla’s head lifted from the pillow.

Her eyes tracked Nazraya’s exit. Specifically, they tracked that ass. The way her hips moved. The confident click of her heels.

The door closed.

Serilla blinked.

"... That was-"

"Professor Nazraya. She’s staying here for the summer."

"Right. She’s staying here." Serilla propped herself up on her elbows, tits on full display, apparently not caring. "In your manor."

"Yep."

"And she just walks into your bedroom whenever she wants."

"Pretty much."

Serilla stared at the closed door for a long moment. Aegis could practically see the gears turning. The jealousy fighting with raw, undisguised horniness.

"Maybe," Serilla said slowly, "maybe we aren’t quite done with this sharing thing."

Aegis grinned so hard it hurt.

[Oh, this is going to be fun.]

Before she could respond, the door opened again.

This time it was Evelyn.

The steward took one step inside, saw two very naked women tangled in rumpled sheets, and her brain visibly broke. Her face cycled through surprise, embarrassment, mortification, a failed attempt at professionalism, and finally landed on resignation.

"I— My apologies, I should have knocked—"

"It’s fine." Aegis sat up without bothering to cover herself. At this point, pretty much all her staff had seen her tits. "What is it?"

Evelyn’s eyes locked onto the ceiling like her life depended on not looking anywhere else.

"A letter arrived. Urgent. I thought you’d want to see it immediately, but I can certainly come back—"

"Hand it over."

Evelyn crossed the room with her gaze still aimed at the rafters, shoved an envelope in Aegis’s general direction, and retreated like the bed might bite her.

Aegis broke the seal.

Heavy paper. The expensive kind that rich people used to remind you they were rich. Elegant handwriting. And the crest stamped at the bottom made her eyebrows climb toward her hairline.

"Huh."

"What?" Serilla pressed against her back, chin hooking over Aegis’s shoulder, tits squishing warm and soft against her. She smelled like sex and expensive perfume.

"I’ve been invited to the Great House Summit at Moonspire Estate."

Serilla went very still.

"The Great House Summit."

"That’s what it says."

"That’s..." Serilla pulled back. When Aegis glanced at her, those blue eyes had gone wide. "Aegis, that’s eight of the most powerful families in Valdria. In one room. Deciding policy that affects the entire kingdom." She shook her head. "How did you get invited to that?"

Aegis thought about the past few weeks. The sheer amount of ass she’d kissed would’ve made her past self physically ill.

"Networking works, I guess."

---

Moonspire Estate was three hours from the capital by carriage.

Three hours of watching the landscape transform into something that definitely wasn’t in the game.

The familiar sprawl of Rosevale gave way to rolling hills blanketed in vineyards. The architecture shifted too. Where Rosevale favored stone and timber, everything out here was glass domes and white marble. Some of the buildings had gardens that floated in midair, suspended by magic Aegis didn’t recognize, flowers trailing down like living waterfalls.

Evelyn sat across from her, flipping through documents with the focus of someone who actually enjoyed paperwork.

"The summit covers three main topics," she said without looking up. "Trade policy adjustments following the northern route disruptions. Monster threat assessments for the coming season. And..." She paused. "Political marriages."

"Let me guess. That last one’s about Talia."

"Among others. But yes. House Stone’s betrothal arrangements will almost certainly come up."

[Of fucking course they will.]

The carriage crested a hill and Aegis got her first real look at Moonspire Estate.

She let out a low whistle.

A central spire of white stone rose from a cluster of interconnected buildings, each topped with those glass domes she’d been seeing. Floating gardens drifted at various heights around the structure, connected by bridges that looked like they’d snap if you breathed on them wrong.

[Okay. That’s actually impressive. Gaudy as hell, but impressive.]

"Neutral ground," Evelyn explained. "No single house controls it. Summit meetings have been held here for over two hundred years."

They rolled up to find other carriages already parked. Aegis spotted crests she recognized from her hours of game research. Vermillion’s crimson flames. Cindergrave’s black iron. Goldspire’s obnoxious golden wolf.

And Stone. Silver and black. Sharp edges.

[Fantastic. Mommy is already here.]

The summit chamber was a big circular room with eight seats arranged around a central table. Each seat had a fancy house crest carved into the back. The people filling them were mostly old, mostly wrinkled, and mostly looked like they’d been playing political games since before Aegis’s grandmother learned to walk.

Duchess Evangeline Stone sat directly across from the entrance.

Her eyes found Aegis the instant she stepped through the door.

[There she is. My biggest fan.]

Aegis took her assigned seat. A smaller chair near the wall, clearly meant for people who were supposed to shut up and take notes. Evelyn settled beside her, notebook ready.

"As a new house," Evelyn murmured, barely moving her lips, "you’re expected to listen and learn. Contributing is not typical for someone of your standing."

"Got it. Be furniture."

"Elegant furniture."

"The most elegant."

---

The summit began.

Trade policy came first. Arguments about tariffs, shipping routes, guild regulations. Aegis listened, filing information away, noting which houses sided with which positions. Lord Ashford seemed reasonable today. Lady Voss was sharp. The Cindergrave representative was a pompous dick who liked hearing himself talk.

[Boring, but useful.]

Monster threats came next. Reports of increased Emberfang activity down south. Coordinated hunting efforts.

Aegis kept her mouth shut.

It was harder than expected. Every time someone said something wrong, every time they cited outdated information or proposed strategies that wouldn’t work, she had to physically bite her tongue. She knew this stuff. She’d played through campaigns dealing with exactly these problems.

But she wasn’t here to show off. She was here to establish presence. To be seen. To prove she belonged at this table, even if her chair was smaller than everyone else’s.

[Just sit there and look pretty. You’ve done harder things than this.]

Then Lord Ashford mentioned the shipping situation.

"The northern route remains compromised. We’ve lost three caravans this month alone, and frankly, we’re running out of options. Unless someone has an alternative to propose—"

"There’s a viable path through Silvervale pass."

Every head in the room swiveled toward her.

[Shit. Did I say that out loud?]

She had. The words were already hanging in the air. Too late to take them back.

Lord Ashford raised a grey eyebrow.

"The pass is considered impassable, young lady. Rockslides in spring, ice in winter—"

"During the shoulder seasons, yeah." Aegis sat up straighter. In for a penny. "But there’s a six-week window in late summer where it clears up. I’ve been planning a trial run through my own shipping contracts." She kept her voice calm. Just stating facts. Nothing to see here. "Route adds two days compared to the northern path, but you’re not paying armed escorts to fight off bandits every trip. Long-term? It’s cheaper."

Silence.

Lord Ashford looked at the Embertide representative. The Embertide representative looked back.

"That’s... actually worth considering."

[Don’t oversell it. You made your point. Move on.]

"Also," Aegis continued, because apparently her mouth had decided today was the day it stopped listening to her brain, "regarding the Emberfang situation. My house recently developed a Fire Resistance potion that’s worked well against similar creatures. I’d be willing to share the formula with any houses dealing with incursions."

More silence. But this one felt different.

Three of the representatives were looking at her with actual interest now. Not the polite dismissal she’d been getting since she walked in. Real consideration.

Lady Voss leaned forward.

"You’d share the formula? Not sell it?"

"Consider it a gesture of goodwill." Aegis shrugged. "We’re all dealing with the same monsters. Seems stupid to let people burn when I’ve got a solution sitting in my alchemy stores."

[And now three houses owe me a favor. God, I love politics.]

The summit continued. Aegis kept her mouth shut for the rest of it. She’d made her splash. No need to drown in it.

When the break was called, she excused herself to the balcony.

Fresh air. Quiet. And those floating gardens were even weirder up close. Flowers she didn’t recognize drifted past at eye level, roots dangling in empty air like they’d forgotten gravity existed. Purple blossoms the size of her head. Tiny white things that glowed faintly. Something that looked suspiciously like a rose fucking a tentacle.

[Rich people are so fucking strange.]

"You’re making quite a spectacle of yourself."

Aegis didn’t turn around. She recognized that voice. Cold. Clipped. The verbal equivalent of being slapped with a frozen fish.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

Duchess Evangeline Stone stepped up beside her, hands clasped behind her back. Her expression could’ve frozen wine mid-pour.

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I know." Aegis smiled. "I’m choosing to take it as one anyway."

Evangeline’s left eye twitched. Just barely.

"You think you’re clever."

"I think I’m practical."

"You think offering scraps to minor houses will change your position." Evangeline’s voice dropped, quiet enough that no one else could hear. "It won’t. You’re new money, Lady Starcaller. New title. New everything. The great houses have histories stretching back centuries. Legacies built on blood and gold and generations of careful breeding." Her lip curled. "You have a refurbished manor and some potion recipes."

Aegis finally turned to face her.

"What exactly are you worried about, Your Grace?"

"Stay away from my daughter."

Each word came out sharp and clipped, like she was trying to stab Aegis with her consonants.

Aegis let the silence stretch.

Then she smiled. Soft. Sweet. The kind of innocent expression she’d perfected over years of hospital stays, the one that convinced nurses to bring her extra pudding and look the other way when she snuck out of bed.

"Your Grace, how could new money like myself possibly dream of marrying your daughter? The very thought is absurd."

She watched Evangeline process that.

The words were perfect. Humble. Self-deprecating. Acknowledging the vast gulf between their stations. Exactly what a proper minor noble should say when a duchess put her in her place.

But they both knew what Aegis actually meant.

Watch me.

Evangeline’s jaw tightened so hard Aegis heard her teeth creak.

The duchess turned and walked away. Heels clicking against stone. Back rigid. Fury radiating off her so thick you could practically taste it.

Aegis watched her go.

[One week left.] Aegis sighed. [One week until I make it official that I’m dicking your daughter down.]

She turned back to the floating gardens.

The flowers really were beautiful.

[Also, I’m definitely fucking Talia tonight. Purely out of spite.]