CHAPTER 109: MARRIAGE PROBLEMS*

Talia’s bed was significantly nicer than Aegis’s. Silk sheets, actual pillows that didn’t feel like rocks, and enough space that two people could lie side by side without touching.

Not that they weren’t touching. Talia had one leg thrown over Aegis’s thigh, her head on Aegis’s shoulder, both of them still in their uniforms because they’d been too lazy to undress after classes.

"He brought me flowers today," Talia said to the ceiling.

"Romantic."

"They were white roses."

"Very romantic."

"I’m allergic to roses."

"Less romantic."

"He said they symbolized our pure union." Talia made a disgusted sound. "Pure. As if I haven’t had your cock in me twice this week."

Aegis snorted.

"Three times, actually."

"Tuesday was just the tip."

"Still counts."

"Does not!"

"Does too."

Talia shifted, pressing closer against Aegis’s side. Her room had that fancy temperature regulation magic, but she always ran cold anyway.

"Mother says the engagement will be announced formally next month."

"Mm."

"Right after the Winter Trials. A celebration to mark the joining of two great houses." Her voice went flat. "House Stone and House Goldspire, united at last."

Aegis stared at the ceiling. There was a tiny crack near the corner, barely visible. Even Talia’s perfect room had flaws if you looked close enough.

"You could just marry him."

Talia went still against her.

"That’s what you think I should do?"

"That’s what makes sense, isn’t it?" Aegis kept her voice neutral. "People in your position almost never marry for love. It’s all politics and bloodlines and strategic alliances."

"How wonderfully pragmatic of you."

"I’m trying to be realistic."

"You’re trying to be an asshole." Talia sat up suddenly, yellow eyes blazing as she looked down at Aegis. "Is that really what you think? That I should just... give up? Marry some pompous ass who doesn’t know the first thing about me?"

"He knows you’re the heir to House Stone."

"That’s all he knows! He doesn’t know what flowers I like. He doesn’t know I eat dessert first when Mother’s not watching. He doesn’t know I still have nightmares about that assassin in the sewers."

"I know those things."

"Yes, well, you’re not exactly marriage material, are you?" Talia said it matter-of-factly, still lying against Aegis’s shoulder. "A commoner with a dick and more total scandals than the entire third-year class combined."

"Hey, I’ve been very well-behaved lately."

"You fucked me in the supply closet yesterday."

"That was you! You dragged me in there!"

"Only because you kept making eyes at me during Strategic Thinking."

"I was trying to pay attention to the lesson."

"You were staring at my tits."

"Your uniform was unbuttoned."

"One button. One."

"... It was a very important button."

They sat in silence for a moment. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tower chimed the hour.

Suddenly, Aegis said:

"Unless I became a noble, I guess."

The words slipped out before Aegis could stop them. Talia went completely still.

"Indeed." Talia blinked, gazing into Aegis’s eyes. "Unless you became a noble."

"Yeah. You know, theoretically. Hypothetically. In some alternate universe where commoners can just become nobles through sheer force of will and maybe some light fraud."

Talia stared at her for a long moment.

"That would be preferable."

"To Darius?"

"To literally anyone else."

The sincerity in her voice made Aegis’s chest tight.

"Talia..."

"Well, I should probably go." Talia stood abruptly, smoothing down her skirt. "I have a meeting with Mother’s seamstress. Wedding dress fittings."

"Already?"

"She wants to be prepared." Talia’s smile was bitter. "Wouldn’t want to risk the wrong shade of white and all that."

She left before Aegis could respond, the door clicking shut with a finality that echoed in the empty room.

Aegis walked through the halls in a daze.

[Become a noble. Right. Simple as that.]

But the thought wouldn’t leave her alone. It burrowed into her brain like one of those parasitic wasps she’d read about, laying eggs that would eventually consume her from the inside.

[... If I was seriously going to game this world’s economy and become a noble in under a year, how would I do it?]

The answer came to her in pieces.

First, she’d need money. Massive amounts of it.

[Now that I think about it...]

In the game, there were exploits. The merchant guild questline had a bug where you could buy silver ore for cheaper than you could sell silver bars, essentially printing money if you had enough starting capital.

[But that’s a game exploit. Would it work here?]

She thought about it more. The economy in Queen of Hearts had been surprisingly detailed. Trade routes, seasonal prices, supply and demand. If those same systems existed here...

[The Salamander Hearts.]

Every spring, fire salamanders migrated through the western forests for mating season. Their hearts were crucial ingredients for heat-resistance potions that the military bought in bulk. In the game, players could farm them easily, but here NPCs avoided the salamanders because they were genuinely dangerous.

[Wait. I know exactly where they spawn. And their attack patterns.]

She could hunt them with Scarlett. Her combat-focused girlfriend would love the challenge, and Aegis knew every exploit—where they couldn’t reach, which rocks to hide behind, how their aggro worked.

[A single salamander heart sells for three hundred gold. During peak season, there are hundreds of them.]

She had Ruby & Sapphire, her Charisma-scaling daggers. With Scarlett tanking, they could probably farm twenty or thirty a day.

[Then there’s the Moonbloom Jellies in the underwater caves. Everyone thinks they’re worthless slimes, but their cores are used in high-level alchemy.]

Her mind raced through the logistics. She could corner specific monster drop markets before anyone realized their value. Use her game knowledge to predict which materials would become scarce.

[The merchant guild pays premium for consistent suppliers. If I locked in contracts now...]

She thought about her knowledge from Earth. Supply chain management. Vertical integration. Market manipulation.

[What if I didn’t just hunt monsters? What if I controlled the entire ecosystem?]

She could map out spawn points. Hire desperate students as hunters. Create collection networks that would make the current guild system look primitive.

[And there’s all those field bosses that haven’t been discovered yet. Some of their drops are worth fortunes.]

The Crimson Wurm in the desert. The Ghost Leviathan in the northern lakes. The Twin Hydra in the—

[Wait, the Twin Hydra. That drops the Regeneration Gland. Sixty thousand gold to the right alchemist.]

It would spawn in four months, according to the game timeline. If she could get strong enough to beat it...

[I could also monopolize the betting pools for the Winter Trials. I know exactly which monsters they’ll use for the combat tests.]

The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Not easy—it would require intense training, perfect timing, and probably getting covered in monster guts. But possible.

[There’s also the Lover’s Festival coming up. The aphrodisiac brewing competition needs Succubus Orchid petals.]

She knew exactly where they grew in the Whispering Woods. Another monopoly opportunity.

[The merchant guild has that supply crisis event in spring. If I’m their main monster parts supplier by then...]

She could become indispensable. Negotiate exclusive contracts, tax exemptions, and most importantly, the right to petition for noble status as a "crucial resource provider."

[Holy shit. I could actually do this.]

The plan crystallized in her mind. Six months to build a hunting empire. Another three to leverage it into nobility. Hopefully, just in time to stop Talia’s wedding.

She needed to get to work.

Aegis practically bounced through the halls toward Scarlett’s room. Her mind was already racing through the possibilities—which monsters to hunt first, how to approach the merchant guild, whether Scarlett would be interested in a sixty-forty split or if she’d have to negotiate.

[She’ll definitely want to come. Scarlett loves hitting things, and I’m basically offering her a paid workout routine.]

The evening bells had just rung, which meant Scarlett would be back from her extra training session. Perfect timing.

Aegis knocked on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again, harder this time.

"Scarlett? You in there?"

Still nothing. But she could hear something. Muffled sounds through the thick wood.

[Is she working out in her room again?]

She tried the handle. Unlocked, as usual. Scarlett never remembered to lock her door, claimed it was because she had nothing worth stealing.

"Hey, Scarlett, I have this idea about—"

Aegis froze in the doorway.

Sophie was on top of Scarlett, riding her like she was competing for a medal. Her uniform shirt was unbuttoned, small tits bouncing with each movement. Scarlett had both hands on Sophie’s hips, guiding her rhythm, muscles flexing with the effort.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck—" Sophie was chanting, head thrown back.

"That’s it, just like that," Scarlett groaned, thrusting up to meet her.

They hadn’t noticed the door opening. Too caught up in each other, in the wet sounds of their bodies meeting, in Sophie’s increasingly high-pitched moans.

Aegis stood there, mouth open, brain completely offline.

[My sister. Is fucking. My girlfriend.]

Sophie’s pace got more frantic. She leaned forward, hands braced on Scarlett’s abs, changing the angle. Scarlett’s cock was massive, stretching Sophie in a way that looked almost painful but clearly wasn’t based on the sounds she was making.

"Gonna cum," Sophie gasped. "Scarlett, I’m gonna—"

That’s when Scarlett’s eyes opened and locked directly with Aegis’s.

Time stopped.

Scarlett’s eyes went wide. Her mouth opened to say something, but Sophie chose that exact moment to slam down particularly hard, and whatever Scarlett was going to say turned into a strangled moan.

"Fuck yes!" Sophie cried out, apparently taking that as encouragement. She started bouncing faster, chasing her orgasm with single-minded determination.

Scarlett looked torn between stopping and finishing. Her hands were still on Sophie’s hips, but she wasn’t guiding anymore, just holding on for dear life while maintaining horrified eye contact with Aegis.

Aegis knew she should leave. Close the door. Walk away. Process this information literally anywhere else.

But she couldn’t move.

Sophie’s back arched. Her whole body tensed. She came with a scream that probably woke up half the dormitory, squirting all over Scarlett’s abs.

"Holy shit," Sophie panted, collapsing forward onto Scarlett’s chest. "That was amazing."

"Sophie," Scarlett said weakly.

"Mm?"

"Your sister is here."

Sophie’s head whipped around so fast Aegis heard her neck crack.

"Oh. Hey, Aegis!" She waved cheerfully, not even attempting to cover herself. "Want to join? Scarlett’s still hard."

Aegis’s brain finally rebooted.

"I... what... you... WHAT?"

"Is that a yes?" Sophie asked hopefully.

Aegis nearly fainted.