Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 172: Summer Auction 5

The Master of Ceremonies cleared his throat.

"The Judgment Phase has concluded. The votes have been tallied." He unrolled a ceremonial scroll with unnecessary flourish. "I shall now announce the final standings."

The room held its breath.

"In first place, with exceptional recognition for their contribution to Valdria’s cultural heritage: House Merriweather, for the complete restoration and donation of Empress Valoria’s personal library."

Polite applause ensued. An elderly woman near the front nodded graciously, looking like she’d been expecting nothing less and was mildly annoyed it took everyone so long to agree.

"In second place, for their generous gift of the legendary Dawnbringer to the National Archive: House Goldspire."

Darius stepped forward to accept the accolades with perfect posture and a shit-eating grin. Talia stood beside him, clapping like she was being paid by the motion and still felt she wasn’t being paid enough.

"In third place..."

Serilla’s hand tightened on Aegis’s knee.

"...for an innovative approach to noble generosity and demonstrated integrity under scrutiny: House Starcaller."

The applause was a lot louder than Aegis expected.

She stood, offering a modest bow to the assembly.

Third place, eh? Third place out of seventeen presenting houses, and she’d been a noble for less than three months.

[Not bad for a commoner, huh?]

The announcements continued. Fourth place went to some house she didn’t recognize. Fifth place—

"In fifth place: House Cindergrave."

The silence was deafening.

Cindergrave didn’t move. His face had gone the color of old parchment, like someone had sucked all the blood out through his ears. Fifth place for a Great House with seventeen generations of history, beaten by an upstart commoner and three other nobles who’d presented far less impressive offerings.

The humiliation was complete.

Aegis didn’t gloat. She didn’t need to. Everyone in the room understood what had happened.

[Get fucked, old man.]

As the ceremony concluded, the crowd began to shift and mingle. And suddenly, Aegis found herself surrounded.

"Lady Starcaller! Lord Harwick, we spoke briefly earlier—I represent several merchant guilds in the Harbor District. Those potions of yours, we’d be very interested in discussing bulk purchasing arrangements..."

"Lady Starcaller, Baron Corwin Galehurst. Your speech about relationships over transactions struck a chord. Perhaps we could discuss future collaborations over dinner sometime?"

"Lady Starcaller! Is it true you developed the potion formula yourself? My family has extensive alchemical holdings, we could provide ingredients at competitive rates..."

[Holy shit. This is what being popular feels like?]

The attention was overwhelming. Aegis fielded questions, accepted calling cards with house crests, and made noncommittal promises to "discuss further at a more appropriate time."

A young nobleman pushed through the crowd, barely older than Aegis herself. He had the kind of face that suggested his parents were probably disappointed he wasn’t more serious, and the kind of grin that suggested he didn’t give a shit.

"Lady Starcaller, I just wanted to say—that was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever witnessed at one of these events. Cindergrave’s been a bully for decades. Watching him get taken down by someone he dismissed as a commoner?" He laughed. "Worth the price of admission."

"I appreciate that, Lord...?"

"Fairholm. Victor Fairholm. Minor house, nothing impressive, but if you ever need allies who just genuinely like watching assholes lose, House Fairholm is at your service."

Aegis laughed.

"I’ll keep that in mind, Lord Fairholm."

"Please do. We throw excellent parties and hold absolutely no political power. Very low-maintenance friends."

[I like this guy.]

The crowd eventually thinned as nobles drifted toward the refreshment tables. Aegis caught her breath, accepting a glass of wine from a passing servant.

Across the room, Talia was watching her.

Their eyes met. Talia’s mask had slipped—pride and jealousy fighting for control of her face like two cats in a bag. Proud that Aegis had succeeded. Jealous that she couldn’t be standing beside her. Pissed that she was stuck playing the dutiful bride-to-be while Aegis claimed victory after victory.

Aegis raised her glass slightly.

Talia’s jaw tightened. She looked away, returning her attention to whatever Darius was saying.

[Soon, princess. I’m working on it.]

"Incoming," Serilla murmured.

Aegis turned.

Duchess Evangeline Stone was approaching. Not toward Aegis—toward Serilla. Her trajectory was deliberate, her expression the kind of polite that meant she was about to be incredibly rude.

She stopped in front of them, pointedly not acknowledging Aegis’s presence.

"Lady Frost."

"Your Grace." Serilla’s smile didn’t waver.

"I couldn’t help but notice your... choice of companion this evening. I hope you understand what you’re aligning yourself with. New money can be so unstable. Here today, ruined tomorrow. One wonders if the association is worth the risk."

Serilla tilted her head.

"I’ve always preferred risk to stagnation, Your Grace. Standing still is just a slower way of dying, don’t you think?"

Evangeline’s eyes narrowed.

"Youth speaks with such confidence. I pray it doesn’t become regret."

"And age speaks with such certainty. I pray it doesn’t become irrelevance."

Aegis’s brows shot up.

[Oh SHIT.]

Evangeline’s nostrils flared. For a second, Aegis thought she might actually slap Serilla.

Instead, she turned and walked away without another word, her spine rigid enough to hang laundry on.

Aegis let out a breath.

"What the hell was that?"

"Politics, of course." Serilla sipped her wine like she hadn’t just told Evangeline Stone herself to fuck off.

"And you’re okay with that?"

"I’m more than okay with it." Serilla’s smile turned sharp. "Evangeline’s been looking down her nose at my family for years. This is going to be fun."

"You have a weird definition of fun."

"You’re one to talk. You just publicly humiliated a Great House patriarch for entertainment."

"That was strategy."

"That was foreplay, as far as I’m concerned."

Before Aegis could respond to that, Headmistress Valdris’s voice rang through the hall.

"Honored guests, we will now take a brief intermission before the evening’s main event." The ancient mage stood near the main doors. "Please refresh yourselves. The Midnight Waltz will begin in thirty minutes."

The crowd murmured with anticipation.

Serilla’s hand found Aegis’s waist, pulling her closer.

"Thirty minutes," she breathed against Aegis’s ear. "Then I make you mine in front of everyone."

Aegis’s stomach flipped.

She’d known this was coming. Had agreed to it, even. The Midnight Waltz, where dance partners declared courtship intentions. Where Serilla would formally claim her.

But knowing it intellectually and feeling it approach were very different things.

"Having second thoughts?" Serilla’s voice was low.

"No. Just... processing."

"Process faster." Serilla’s fingers traced her hip. "I’ve been waiting for this all night. I’ve been hard for this all night."

"Serilla."

"What? It’s true." She pulled back slightly, eyes gleaming. "Watching you work that room, destroy Cindergrave, charm half the nobility... You have no idea what that did to me."

"I have some idea. You’ve been grabbing my ass every five minutes."

"That’s just my baseline. This is different."

Aegis took a long drink of wine.

Thirty minutes until the Midnight Waltz.

Thirty minutes until Serilla staked her claim in front of everyone who mattered.

[How did my life get this complicated?]

She finished her wine and signaled for another.

She was going to need it.