CHAPTER 156: TIME OFF 3

Aegis’s tongue swept into Sophie’s mouth as Sophie straddled her lap, both of them still half-tangled in bedsheets.

Sophie’s hands were in Aegis’s hair, tugging slightly. Aegis had one hand on Sophie’s lower back, the other sliding up her thigh.

They’d woken up like this—Sophie crawling into Aegis’s bed claiming she was "cold" and then immediately kissing her.

Not that Aegis was complaining.

[Fuck... A few days without sex and suddenly I feel like I’m burning up inside.]

Sophie pulled back just enough to gasp happily for air, then dove back in. She ground her hips down and Aegis groaned into her mouth.

"Fucking hell, Sophie. You wake up like this every day?" Aegis murmured into her mouth.

"Only when I wake up with you~"

[That’s a damn lie but that was hot, so I’ll let it slide.]

She pulled Sophie back down.

Footsteps creaked on the stairs.

They both froze.

The footsteps got closer.

Sophie scrambled off Aegis’s lap so fast she nearly face-planted on the floor. She dove into her own bed, yanking the covers up to her chin.

Aegis grabbed a book from the nightstand and opened it to a random page, holding it upside down.

The door opened.

Lisannia poked her head in, smiling.

"Good morning, girls! Breakfast is ready."

"Morning, mom!" Sophie said, her voice slightly too high-pitched.

Aegis nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Lisannia’s eyes narrowed slightly, like she sensed something was off, but she just smiled wider.

"Come down when you’re ready. Don’t take too long or your father will eat all the bacon."

She closed the door.

They waited until her footsteps faded completely.

Then Sophie burst out laughing, muffling the sound with her pillow.

Aegis threw the book at her.

"You’re going to get us caught."

"That was your fault! You’re the one who started kissing me back!"

"You climbed into my bed!"

"Because I was cold!"

"It’s summer!"

Sophie grinned, completely unrepentant.

"Okay, but like, that was close."

"Too close."

"We should probably stop doing this here."

"Probably."

They stared at each other.

"...Tonight?" Sophie asked.

"Tonight."

Downstairs, Aaron and Lisannia had already set the table. Bread, bacon, eggs, fresh milk from their cow.

Lune sat at the table, holding a fork like she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it.

Aegis and Sophie slid into their seats.

"There you are!" Lisannia set down a plate of bacon. "I was starting to think you’d sleep all day."

"Just needed a minute to wake up," Aegis said, reaching for the eggs.

Aaron poured milk into cups.

"So, Lune. Aegis tells us you’re an artist?"

Lune nodded.

"Yes. I paint."

"What do you paint?" Lisannia asked, genuinely curious.

"Whatever seems interesting."

[And apparently I’m the only thing she finds interesting. You’d think she would just ask me out already, hehe.]

"She’s really good," Sophie added. "Like, really good. She painted Aegis once and it was so detailed I thought it was gonna walk off the canvas."

Lune’s ears turned pink.

"It wasn’t that good."

"It absolutely was."

Aegis kicked Sophie under the table.

Sophie kicked back, grinning.

Lisannia and Aaron exchanged amused glances.

They ate, conversation flowing easily. Lisannia asked about the academy’s art programs. Aaron wanted to know if Lune had ever painted a farm before.

"No," Lune said. "But I’d like to try."

"Well, you’ve got plenty of subjects here. Fields, animals, the old barn." Aaron gestured broadly. "Paint whatever you want."

"Thank you."

Aegis was mentally mapping out her day when Lisannia spoke up.

"Aegis, honey, I need to head down to the village this morning. We’re low on flour and I want to pick up some fabric. Want to come with me?"

[Perfect.]

"Yeah, sure. I could use the walk."

Sophie perked up.

"Can I come?"

"You’re staying here to help your father with the fence," Lisannia said firmly.

"What? Why?"

"Because it needs fixing and you’re perfectly capable."

Sophie groaned dramatically but didn’t argue.

---

An hour later, Aegis and Lisannia walked down the dirt road toward Sparker Village.

The sun was already warm, but a breeze kept it from being unbearable. Fields stretched out on either side, golden and green.

Lisannia carried a woven basket over one arm. She hummed as they walked, occasionally pointing out changes since Aegis had left.

"The Millers had another baby. Third one now. And old man Hendrick finally fixed his roof—only took him five years."

Aegis listened, nodding at the appropriate times, but her mind was elsewhere.

[The caravan should be passing through today. Or was it tomorrow? Shit, I should’ve checked the timing more carefully.]

They reached the village—a small cluster of buildings around a central square. A general store, a blacksmith, an inn, a handful of houses.

Simple. Quiet.

Nothing like Rosevale.

Lisannia headed straight for the general store.

"I’ll just be a minute. You can wander if you want."

"I’ll look around."

Aegis walked through the square, scanning for any sign of the merchant caravan.

Nothing yet.

She checked near the inn. Empty.

[Maybe I got the day wrong. Or maybe the timeline shifted because this isn’t actually a game anymore and—]

"Lady Starcaller?"

Aegis turned.

A merchant stood near a wagon parked behind the inn. He was middle-aged, weather-worn, with sharp eyes and a calculating smile.

Aegis recognized him immediately from the game—Corvin the Wanderer. A traveling merchant who sold rare items if you had the coin and knew the right questions to ask.

"That’s me," Aegis said, walking over.

Corvin’s smile widened.

"I heard rumors of a commoner-turned-noble from these parts, but I didn’t believe it until now." He gave a small bow. "An honor."

[I guess mom and dad have been talking.]

"The honor’s mine. What brings you out here?"

"Business, as always. I travel the kingdom, buying and selling. You’d be surprised what treasures turn up in small villages."

Aegis glanced at his wagon. The canvas covering hid most of the contents, but she could see the edges of crates and boxes.

"What kind of treasures?"

Corvin’s eyes gleamed.

"Depends on what you’re looking for."

[Alright. Time to play the game.]

"I’m looking for rare materials. Alchemical components, enchanted items, anything that wouldn’t normally show up in city markets."

"Ah. A connoisseur." Corvin pulled back the canvas slightly, revealing rows of carefully packed goods. "I do happen to have a few items that might interest someone of your... refined tastes."

He pulled out a small wooden box and opened it.

Inside lay three vials of shimmering liquid—one gold, one silver, one deep purple.

"Essence extracts," Corvin said. "Harvested from elemental spirits. Rare. Expensive. And very, very useful for high-level alchemy or enchanting."

Aegis knew exactly what these were. In the game, they were mid-tier crafting materials that became damn good later on.

"How much?"

"Normally? Fifteen hundred gold for the set. But for a Lady of a new House trying to make her mark..." He tilted his head. "Twelve hundred."

Still expensive as hell.

Aegis did quick mental math. She had about eight thousand gold total between her savings and recent profits. Spending twelve hundred here would hurt, but these essences would sell for triple that in Rosevale—or she could use them to craft items worth even more.

"What else do you have?"

Corvin’s smile turned sly.

"Eager, are we? I like that."

He pulled out more items—a bolt of enchanted silk, a set of runed daggers (inferior to Ruby and Sapphire but still valuable), a grimoire of forgotten spells, and a small crystal that pulsed with stored mana.

"The crystal," Aegis said. "What can it do?"

"Emergency casting or powering enchantments. Perfect for those jobs, actually."

[That’s actually really useful.]

"And the grimoire?"

"Minor spells, mostly. Fire manipulation, basic wards, a levitation charm. Nothing groundbreaking, but solid fundamentals."

Aegis picked up the crystal, feeling its weight. It was smooth and warm to the touch.

"I’ll take the essence extracts and the crystal. How much for both?"

Corvin stroked his beard.

"Sixteen hundred for the pair."

"Fourteen."

"Fifteen-fifty."

"Fifteen, and I’ll recommend you to some of my equally ambitious Rosevale Academy friends."

Corvin laughed.

"You drive a hard bargain, Lady Starcaller. Fifteen it is."

They shook on it.

Aegis counted out the coins from her pouch—gold pieces that clinked satisfyingly as they dropped into Corvin’s hand.

He wrapped the items carefully and handed them over.

"Pleasure doing business with you. If you’re ever in need of rare goods, ask around for Corvin the Wanderer. I’ll find you."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

As Aegis walked away, she carefully tucked the items into her bag.

[Fifteen hundred gold spent, but I just acquired materials worth at least four thousand in Rosevale. Not bad for a morning stroll.]

She found Lisannia outside the general store, chatting with a neighbor.

"There you are! Find anything interesting?"

"Just looking around. Nice village."

"It is, isn’t it?" Lisannia adjusted her basket, now full of flour and fabric. "Ready to head back?"

"Yeah. Let’s go."

They walked back together, Lisannia talking about the gossip she’d heard in the store.

Aegis nodded along, but her mind was already calculating.

[The essences can go to Rosalie for potion-making. The crystal... I’ll hold onto that. Might come in handy during the Summer Auction.]

She glanced at her mother, who was smiling and chatting about nothing in particular.

[This whole trip is turning out way more productive than I expected.]