<div> Chapter 239: The Inner Circle
 The manor was quieter than Aegis remembered.
 Maybe it was because half the staff were still on edge after the wedding attack, or maybe it was because Evelyn had given everyone strict instructions to "maintain a low profile" while the political situation stabilized.
 Either way, when Aegis walked through the front door, the only people waiting for her were the ones she’d asked to be there.
 Evelyn was at the dining table with a stack of papers. Rosalie was next to her. Scarlett and Kanna were by the window, Scarlett leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and Kanna standing straight with her hands behind her back. The Summerfang twins were sprawled on the couch, Kai’Lin picking at her nails and Mei’Lin reading a book with her feet up on the armrest.
 "Everyone’s here," Aegis said, shutting the door behind her. "Good."
 She grabbed a pastry from the tray on the table, something flaky and filled with cream, and bit into it while she walked to the head of the table.
 "So," she said, still chewing, "who wants the good news first or the bad news?"
 "There’s good news?" Scarlett asked.
 "No, not really. I just wanted to see if anyone was optimistic."
 "I was," Rosalie said quietly. "Now I’m not."
 Aegis swallowed the pastry and wiped her fingers on a napkin.
 "Alright, here’s the situation. The Umbral Blade attacked my wedding. I used shadow magic in front of half the nobility to stop them. Sister Mirabel wants my head on a pike, and the Noble Consortium is ’monitoring’ me, whatever that means."
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
 </div> "It means they’ll be watching your every move and looking for an excuse to arrest you," Evelyn said without looking up from her papers. "I’ve already had three inquiries from minor houses asking if House Starcaller is ’stable’ enough for continued business relationships."
 "And?"
 "I told them we’re more stable than ever and that anyone who doubts us is welcome to take their contracts elsewhere." Evelyn finally looked up. "Two of them apologized. The third is still considering."
 "Good job."
 "On the positive side, our reputation took a hit with the conservative nobles, but several of the... more adventurous houses have expressed increased interest. Apparently, having a Lady who fights shadow cultists at her own wedding, with their own tools, is attractive to certain circles."
 "Danger is sexy," Scarlett said.
 "Something like that."
 Aegis grabbed another pastry.
 "What about the Umbral Blade? Any movement?"
 Kai’Lin sat up, her ears perking.
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦 "We’ve been tracking that, actually, nya. There’s been chatter in the underworld about new players in Rosevale! People who showed up in the last few weeks, keeping their heads down. That sort of stuff, nya."
 "Umbral agents?"
 "Probably, nya. Hard to confirm without getting closer, but the timing lines up."
 Aegis nodded. She’d expected as much, given what the Scandal Shop had just told her. The Umbral Blade wasn’t going to stop just because their wedding attack failed. If anything, they’d probably be more aggressive now.
 [Why did they even bother attacking that wedding, though? I mean, I doubt they had the foresight to know I’d use Shadow Magic to stop them. So, what the fuck was the goal?]
 She shook her head. That was a question she’d answer at some other point.
 "Here’s what I’m thinking," Aegis said. "If they’re sending agents into Rosevale, they’re probably going to target the academy too."
 Scarlett straightened up.
 "You think they’ll attack the school?"
 "I think they’ll try to get people inside first. Infiltrate, gather intel, figure out weak points. Then attack when they’re ready." Aegis took a bite of her pastry and chewed. "The main problem is who they want to target and why."
 "Probably not you," Kanna said. "Not many of the assailants attacked you directly, if I recall correctly."
 [Huh. She’s right.]
 "Yeah. Either way, we need to be ready." Aegis looked around the table, making eye contact with each of them. "Evelyn, I want you to tighten security on the manor. Hire more guards if you need to, but make sure they’re vetted. No new faces without background checks."
 "Already in progress."
 "Rosalie, make some more healing potions." Aegis turned to the twins. "Kai’Lin, Mei’Lin, keep tracking those agents. Don’t engage, just watch. I want to know where they’re staying, who they’re talking to, and what they’re planning."
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 <div>
 
 </div>
 </div> "Got it, nya," Kai’Lin said with a lazy salute.
 "And if we find out something juicy?" Mei’Lin asked, finally looking up from her book.
 "Report back immediately. Don’t try to be heroes."
 "Wouldn’t dream of it."
 "Anyway," Aegis continued, "that’s the plan for now. Nothing huge, just precautions. We don’t know exactly when or how they’ll move, but we’ll be ready when they do."
 Everyone nodded. The meeting broke up, people drifting off to their tasks, and Aegis grabbed one more pastry for the road before heading back to the academy.
 ---
 She found Lune under a tree near the eastern gardens.
 Lune was sitting on the grass with her back against the trunk, a canvas propped on her knees and a brush in her hand. Her long black hair was loose over her shoulders, and her pink eyes were focused on whatever she was painting. She didn’t look up when Aegis approached, but she shifted over slightly to make room.
 [... So I’m looking at a god right now, huh.] Aegis exhaled deeply.
 Then, Aegis sat down next to her and leaned back against the tree.
 "What are you painting?"
 "The sky," Lune said.
 Aegis looked at the canvas. It was, indeed, the sky. Blue and white and gold, with clouds that looked almost real enough to touch. Knowing what she knew now about Lune, Aegis wondered if those clouds were actually real somewhere.
 "Can I ask you something?"
 "You just did."
 "Smartass."
 Lune’s lips twitched.
 Aegis stared up at the actual sky for a moment, then asked the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind since the Scandal Shop revelation.
 "So, uh... any tips on how not to become the Shadow Empress?"
 Lune’s brush paused. She tilted her head, considering, and then resumed painting.
 "Wouldn’t it be as simple as just swearing off shadow magic?"
 Aegis blinked. "What?"
 "The Shadow Empress draws power from the Umbral Realm, according to the lore I had to learn to construct this world," Lune said, her tone flat and matter-of-fact. "If you stop using shadow magic, you stop feeding that connection. The prophecy, or whatever you want to call it, becomes irrelevant."
 "But what if I need shadow magic? It’s the only reason I survived the wedding attack."
 "Really? You couldn’t have done anything else?" Lune added a streak of gold to her painting.
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 </div> Aegis thought about it for a moment.
 [... Maybe. I mean, shadow magic was just the first thing I thought of. I guess I could have.]
 "The Shadow Empress is only a problem if you make it one," Lune continued. "Becoming the shadow empress would require you to take quite a few steps down a very well-marked path. You can choose to stop at any time. But, then again," Lune glanced over at her, "I made this whole world for you. If you want to be the shadow empress, if you want everyone in this world to bow to you, to kneel before you... I wouldn’t judge you for that."
 Aegis stared back at her for a moment.
 The whole Shadow Empress thing had been looming over her like some inevitable doom, like a fate she couldn’t escape.
 But Lune was right. She wasn’t being forced to use shadow magic. She was choosing to because it was useful, because it was powerful, because it had saved Talia’s life.
 But it was still a choice.
 "I don’t know," she sighed.
 Lune nodded. She set her brush down and turned to look at Aegis directly.
 "Then perhaps you should ask yourself what it is you really want before all of this concludes."
 They sat there under the tree for a while longer, Lune painting and Aegis thinking, until the sun started to set.
 [The Shadow Empress thing is only a problem if I make it one, huh? I guess so.]</div>
 

<div style="margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
</div>

Chapter 239: The Inner Circle

Chapter 239: The Inner Circle The manor was quieter than Aegis remembered. Maybe it was because half the staff were still on edge after the wedding attack, or maybe it was because Evelyn had given everyone strict instructions to "maintain a low profile" while the political situation stabilized. Either way, when Aegis walked through the front door, the only people waiting for her were the ones she’d asked to be there. Evelyn was at the dining table with a stack of papers. Rosalie was next to...

Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner

Chapter 239: The Inner Circle

Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner - Chapter 239: The Inner Circle