CHAPTER 151: DELEGATION AND TENSION

Aegis pushed open the manor’s front door, gesturing for Evelyn to enter.

"Welcome to Starcaller Manor. It’s a... work in progress."

Evelyn stepped inside, her sharp green eyes immediately cataloging everything—the half-repaired walls, the construction materials stacked in corners, the sound of hammers echoing from the east wing.

She pulled out a small notebook and started writing.

"When did construction begin?"

"About a week ago."

"Current completion estimate?"

"Uh, maybe sixty percent? The main hall’s mostly done, east wing is—"

"I’ll need exact percentages for each section." Evelyn walked toward the east wing without waiting for direction. "And a complete inventory of materials, current budget allocations, worker schedules, and projected timelines."

Aegis followed, slightly amused.

"I can get you those."

"By tomorrow morning."

"That’s... ambitious."

Evelyn stopped, turning to face her.

"Lady Starcaller, if I’m going to manage this house effectively, I need accurate data. Guesswork doesn’t build empires."

[Capable as ever, I see.]

"Fair enough. What else do you need?"

Evelyn continued walking, her notebook filling with rapid notes.

"The garden needs a full botanical survey—you mentioned having alchemical ingredients growing wild. That’s valuable but useless if we don’t know exactly what we have. The kitchen requires equipment upgrades if we’re housing staff permanently. Storage facilities need better organization. And this east wing—" She examined the exposed framing. "—has to be behind schedule, no? If so, the workers are competent but unfocused."

"They’re doing their best."

"I’m sure they are. But ’best’ without direction is just expensive chaos." Evelyn made another note. "I’ll implement a structured workflow by week’s end. Productivity should increase by at least twenty percent."

Aegis grinned.

"You’ve been here five minutes and you’re already reorganizing everything."

"That’s what you’re paying me for."

They continued through the manor. Evelyn identified problems Aegis hadn’t even noticed—inefficient supply chains, redundant labor, safety hazards that could delay construction for weeks if someone got injured.

Finally, they ended up in what would eventually be Evelyn’s office—currently just an empty room with decent lighting.

"This will work," Evelyn said, measuring the space with her eyes. "I’ll need a proper desk, filing cabinets, and a secure lockbox for financial records."

"I’ll have them brought in."

"What’s my budget?"

"For furniture?"

"For everything. The manor, staff salaries, materials, operations. I need to know what I’m working with."

Aegis leaned against the doorframe.

"Blank check."

Evelyn’s pen paused mid-word.

"Excuse me?"

"Spend what you need to spend," Aegis clarified. "I’m confident we’ll be making significantly more money in the near future. Just keep records of everything so I know where it’s going."

"That’s..." Evelyn closed her notebook. "That’s financially irresponsible."

"I’d prefer to call it investing in growth."

"You should call it a recipe for bankruptcy."

"Not if it works."

Evelyn studied her for a long moment.

"Very well." Despite herself, Evelyn’s lips twitched into something almost resembling a smile. "I’ll draw up a proper budget by tomorrow. With your ’blank check’ as the theoretical ceiling. But I strongly recommend we implement spending caps for different categories."

"Fine by me. You’re the expert."

Evelyn opened her notebook again.

"Now, about your alchemist—Rosalie Black. Where is her workshop?"

"Ground floor, west side. Why?"

"Because alchemical materials are expensive and potentially dangerous. I need to ensure she has proper storage, adequate ventilation, and a reasonable budget for ingredients."

"She’s got all that."

"I’ll verify it myself."

Aegis pushed off the doorframe.

"You’re going to get along great with Rosalie. She’s equally particular about her work conditions."

"Good. Particular people produce quality results."

They headed toward Rosalie’s workshop, Evelyn firing questions the entire way.

By the time they arrived, Aegis was starting to understand why Lady Cassandra had been reluctant to give Evelyn up.

The woman was relentless.

---

{Talia}

The carriage stopped at the edge of the Dawnspark Ruins just as the sun began setting.

Talia stepped out first, her yellow eyes scanning the crumbling temple ahead. Vines covered most of the structure. Sections of wall had collapsed entirely. The air felt wrong—too still, too quiet.

Umbral corruption did that. Made places feel dead even when they were technically full of monsters.

Scarlett climbed out next, stretching and cracking her knuckles.

"Looks fun."

"Looks dangerous," Kanna corrected, already checking her sword.

Liora was last, clutching her lute case and looking significantly less confident than the others.

"Maybe I should just... wait with the carriage?"

"No." Talia’s voice came out sharper than intended. "We need you."

Liora flinched slightly.

"I mean," Talia tried again, softer this time, "your magic will help. Aegis was right about that."

Liora nodded but didn’t say anything.

Talia sighed.

[I could have sworn we’d dealt with this awkwardness. Though... I guess I have gotten a little less warm with her. Maybe everything with Serilla affected me more than I thought.]

Scarlett cleared her throat loudly.

"So. Game plan. Kanna and I take point. Talia, you cover mid-range with your magic. Liora stays back and does her... bardic thing. Everyone good with that?"

"Sounds good," Talia said.

"For the record, you can use bard magic, Liora?"

"I can," Liora nodded.

"Alright. Good... Nice."

They started toward the ruins.

The entrance was a massive archway, partially collapsed but still passable. Beyond it, darkness stretched into the temple’s interior.

Scarlett lit a torch.

"Stay close. Don’t touch anything that glows. If something moves, kill it."

"Inspiring speech," Talia muttered.

"I’m a fighter, not a poet."

They entered.

The temple’s interior was worse than the outside. Corrupted shadows writhed along the walls. Strange symbols pulsed with sickly purple light. The floor was littered with old bones—whether human or monster, Talia couldn’t tell.

Something skittered in the darkness ahead.

Kanna’s hand went to her sword.

"Movement. Three o’clock."

A creature emerged from the shadows—vaguely humanoid but twisted, its limbs too long, its eyes glowing with Umbral energy.

Scarlett charged immediately.

Her blade cut through the thing’s torso, black ichor spraying across the floor. It shrieked and collapsed.

Two more appeared.

Talia stepped forward, ice already forming around her hands. She launched a barrage of frozen spears that impaled both creatures before they could attack.

Behind her, Liora started playing her lute.

The melody was soft at first but grew stronger, weaving through the air like visible light. Talia felt her muscles relax slightly, her mana flow more smoothly.

[Her magic. It’s actually working.]

More creatures came.

They fought their way deeper into the temple, falling into a rhythm. Scarlett and Kanna handled close combat. Talia provided ranged support. Liora’s music kept them energized and focused.

After the fourth wave of enemies, they stopped to rest in a relatively clear chamber.

Scarlett was checking her armor for damage. Kanna was cleaning her blade. Liora sat against a wall, fingers still on her lute strings.

Talia found herself sitting beside Liora without really planning to.

"You’re good at that," Talia said quietly.

"At what?"

"The music. It helps. More than I expected."

Liora’s fingers stilled.

"Thank you."

Silence stretched between them.

"I’m sorry," Talia blurted out.

Liora looked at her.

"For what?"

"For being weird. Since Serilla showed up and all this stuff with Goldspire started... I’ve been—I don’t know. Confused."

"You’re not the only one."

Talia nodded slowly.

"I don’t want things to be awkward between us."

"Neither do I."

They looked at each other properly for the first time in weeks.

"I haven’t gotten to hang out with you as much as I’d like lately," Liora confessed.

"Yes, same, I... I’d like to as well."

The words hung in the air.

Talia shifted closer.

"Maybe now that Serilla’s calmed down and everything’s calmed down... we could try again?"

"I’d like that."

Emboldened by relief and residual adrenaline, Talia leaned in and kissed Liora’s neck.

Just the sight of Liora was still enough to light a flame in Talia’s heart.

Liora’s breath hitched.

"Talia—"

Talia kissed lower, along Liora’s collarbone, her hands settling on Liora’s waist.

Liora’s fingers tangled in Talia’s hair.

Talia pulled Liora into a proper kiss, deep and hungry.

Liora melted into it immediately, all her earlier hesitation evaporating.

Talia’s hands started wandering—

"Um."

They broke apart.

Kanna stood a few feet away, her face slightly flushed, looking anywhere but at them.

"We should keep moving. Before more creatures spawn."

Talia’s face went hot.

"Right. Yes. Moving. Good idea."

---

{Aegis}

Night had fallen by the time Aegis made it back to the academy.

She flopped onto her bed, exhausted from showing Evelyn around and dealing with approximately eight thousand logistics questions.

Lune was already asleep on her own bed, paint-stained hands folded on her chest.

Aegis pulled up her HUD, checking her stats.

Scandal Points: 147

So close to 150.

At 150 points, she could unlock the Shadow Empress’s identity—information that wouldn’t be revealed in the game until late second year. She could get a whole year ahead.

[Just three more points. One good scandal and I’ll know who she is.]

The Shadow Empress, the main antagonist of Queen of Hearts. A powerful mage who’d been corrupted by Umbral magic and was secretly building an army to overthrow the kingdom.

Aegis couldn’t wait for the reveal to happen naturally. She needed to know now, needed to prepare.

[Three more points. Shouldn’t be hard. The Summer Auction’s coming up. Plenty of opportunities to cause chaos there.]

She closed the HUD and stared at the ceiling.

Somewhere out there, Talia, Liora, Scarlett, and Kanna were fighting corrupted monsters in a temple ruin.

Evelyn was probably already drafting budget proposals and workflow optimization plans despite it being late evening.

Rosalie was likely still in her workshop, testing potion formulas.

Aegis smiled and closed her eyes.

[My little empire. Growing bit by bit.]