CHAPTER 149: WORKSHOP

The manor’s front doors creaked as Aegis pushed them open.

Behind her, Rosalie clutched a worn travel bag and looked like she might bolt at any second.

"This is it," Aegis said, gesturing at the chaos inside. "Home sweet... construction site."

The main hall was alive with various forms of activity.

The manual labor crew was everywhere—hammering new support beams into place, replacing cracked marble tiles, hauling debris out through the side entrance. The sound of saws cutting wood echoed from the east wing. Someone was yelling vaguely about measurements.

Rosalie’s eyes went wide.

"This is... this is a manor?"

"It will be. Hopefully, sometime soon." Aegis stepped over a pile of lumber. "Follow me."

She led Rosalie through the maze of workers and materials, pointing out various sections as they went.

"Main hall’s almost done. East wing is still just framing but that’ll be residential space once it’s finished. West wing has the kitchen and storage."

They passed through a doorway that was missing its actual door.

"And this," Aegis said, stopping in front of a room that still smelled like fresh plaster, "is your workshop."

The space was maybe twenty feet square with high ceilings and three large windows that let in plenty of natural light. Someone had already installed sturdy wooden tables along one wall. Shelves lined another. A ventilation shaft had been cut into the ceiling—necessary for working with volatile substances.

[Glad they managed to work on this specific part on short notice. I really wanted to reel Rosalie in before she could change her mind! Hahaha...]

Rosalie stepped inside slowly, like she was entering a temple.

"This is mine?"

"All yours. Tables, shelves, whatever equipment you need—just give me a list and I’ll have it brought in." Aegis walked to one of the windows. "Good airflow, plenty of light, close enough to the kitchen that you can heat water easily but far enough that explosions won’t bother anyone important."

"I don’t—I mean, my potions don’t usually explode that much anymore."

"Anymore?"

Rosalie’s face went red.

"There was an incident with a regeneration potion last month. The shop’s roof still has a hole in it."

Aegis laughed.

"Well, if you blow a hole in this roof, at least we’re already doing repairs. Come on, there’s more to see."

She led Rosalie back through the hall and out a side door into what had once been a garden and was now mostly just overgrown wilderness.

"This needs work," Aegis admitted, pushing through waist-high grass. "But look."

She pointed at various plants growing wild throughout the space.

"Moonpetals over there. Shadow root near the south wall—thrives in shade, hard to kill. That cluster of blue flowers is frost mint. The vines on the far trellis are passion vine, though they’re overgrown as hell right now."

Rosalie followed, her professional interest clearly overriding her nervousness.

"These are all alchemical ingredients."

"Yep. Previous owner must have cultivated them. They’ve gone wild but most are still usable. Once we clear out the weeds and get this place properly maintained, you’ll have a steady supply of basic components right here."

Rosalie knelt beside a patch of moonpetals, examining the flowers with careful fingers.

"These are high quality. Better than what I was buying from the market."

"Good. Use whatever you need."

"I can’t just—this must be worth hundreds of gold."

"And it’ll grow back. That’s how plants work." Aegis pulled a weed out of the ground and tossed it aside. "Look, you work for me now. Which means my resources are your resources. Don’t be weird about it."

Rosalie stood up, brushing dirt off her knees.

"I’m not used to having access to... any of this."

"Get used to it. You’re part of House Starcaller now. We’re building something real here." Aegis started walking back toward the manor. "Come on. Let me show you where the well is. You’ll need water for brewing."

---

They spent the next hour going over practical details—where supplies were stored, how to requisition materials, the schedule for when workers would be in her area, safety protocols for volatile experiments.

By the end of it, Rosalie looked less like she might flee and more like she was mentally cataloging everything she wanted to start working on.

"I could begin with healing potions," she said, more to herself than to Aegis. "Those always sell. And maybe some stamina restoration for your retainers. Oh, and if I can get my hands on some basilisk venom, I’ve been working on an antidote formula that—"

"Rosalie."

"Yes?"

"Breathe. You don’t have to do everything today."

"Right. Yes. Of course." Rosalie adjusted her glasses. "When should I start?"

Aegis grinned.

"Whenever you want. Workshop’s ready. Garden’s available. You’re officially on payroll as of this morning."

"Then I’ll start now."

"Now?"

"Yes. I-I want to test that greater healing formula with the proper moonpetal ratio. And I should catalog the garden ingredients while the light’s good. Plus there’s the workshop setup, and I need to organize my notes—"

She was already walking back toward the workshop, talking faster with each step.

Aegis watched her go, shaking her head with amusement.

[She’s gonna work herself into the ground if I’m not careful. But at least she’s motivated.]

Later that evening, Aegis sat in what would eventually be her study.

Currently it was just a room with one chair, a makeshift desk made from an old door balanced on crates, and a single lantern for light. But it was quiet, which was all she needed.

She spread her papers across the desk and reviewed her progress.

Current Gold: 6,930g (after paying Rosalie’s first month and buying workshop supplies)

Staff:

Scarlett Lionheart (Combat Specialist)

Kanna Greaves (Training Specialist)

Rosalie Black (Alchemist)

8 laborers (Construction crew)

Manor Status:

Main hall: 80% complete

East wing: 40% complete

West wing: 60% complete

Gardens: Needs maintenance but usable

Basement: Still sealed (requires Runic Key)

[Man, they’re making PROGRESS!]

Aegis pulled out her Five Pillars document and updated it.

WEALTH: 6,930g / 100,000g target

Income streams:

Hunting (4,500g per trip), Future alchemy sales

Status: Good progress but need more diversity

MILITARY: 2 Elite Retainers

Status: Solid foundation, may need expansion later

REPUTATION: "Lucky Commoner Who Won Trials"

Status: NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Next move: Summer Auction

POLITICAL: House Roseheart (minor backing), House Vermillion (sponsorship)

Status: NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Need: More allies, higher visibility

MAGICAL: Shadow Magic + Aether Weaving

Status: Progressing well with daily training

She circled REPUTATION and POLITICAL in red ink.

[The Summer Auction. That’s my next big move. Lots of nobles, lots of opportunities to make impressions. Maybe cause some scandals, earn some points. But before then...]

She tapped her quill against the paper, thinking.

The manor was coming together. Rosalie would handle potion production. Scarlett and Kanna could manage the hunting operations when she wasn’t directly supervising.

But all of this required coordination. Scheduling. Resource management. The kind of administrative work that would eat up all her time if she tried to do it herself.

[I need a steward. Someone to manage this whole operation when I’m not here. Someone organized, trustworthy, and smart enough to handle multiple moving parts.]

She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and started making a list of requirements:

Requirements for House Steward:

- Strong organizational skills

- Can handle finances

- Trustworthy (won’t embezzle or sell secrets)

- Comfortable with ambiguity (this house is new and chaotic)

- Ideally someone who understands both noble and common perspectives

Aegis leaned back in her chair, staring at the list.

She needed someone who could bridge the gap between her commoner roots and her new noble status. Someone who knew how Houses operated but wouldn’t look down on her for being new to all this.

Someone who was competent but overlooked. Skilled but desperate enough to take a chance on an untested employer.

[And I know exactly who that is.]

Aegis grinned, already planning her next recruitment pitch.

The manor creaked around her—wood settling, wind through the half-repaired walls, distant sounds of nocturnal creatures in the overgrown gardens.

Through the window, she could see Rosalie’s workshop still lit up. The girl was probably going to work through the night if Aegis didn’t stop her.

[Tomorrow. I’ll make her take breaks tomorrow. Tonight, let her have this.]

Aegis looked back at her notes, at the Five Pillars, at the careful accounting of gold and plans and progress.

Time to find her steward, finalize the manor repairs, and make sure House Starcaller showed up to that event ready to make an impression.

She picked up her quill and added one more note at the bottom of her paper:

Recruit steward. Tomorrow.

Then she extinguished the lantern and headed back to the academy, leaving the manor to its workers and its single very dedicated alchemist.

[Step by step. Pillar by pillar. I’m building something worth a damn here.]

The summer night was warm, the streets mostly empty as she walked back through Rosevale.

Somewhere in the royal wing, Talia was probably enduring another dinner with Darius, playing the role of dutiful princess considering her options.

[Hold on just a little longer. I’m building an empire for you.]

Aegis smiled to herself and kept walking.