CHAPTER 37: THE ANNUAL AUTUMN GALA 5

{Talia}

Talia’s heels clicked against the marble.

Her surroundings, the academy’s familiar halls but bathed in moonlight, were mostly a blur. The cold air did nothing to stop Talia’s skin from burning with embarrassment.

[Mother’s office. Fetch her purse. Of course.] She rolled her eyes.

Talia knew what was actually happening the moment her mother started speaking. Evangeline Stone didn’t forget purses. Hell, she could probably recite with perfect memory every single move she’d made since the sun came up today.

No, this was punishment for dancing with Aegis, wrapped in a mundane errand.

Talia turned down the administrative wing. It was all empty, of course. Everyone was at the gala. Networking, building connections, plotting on how to kill the nobles they didn’t like.

And yet, all Talia was doing now was trying to will away the heat and failing. Her skin still burned where Aegis touched her.

[Stop thinking about it, you fool. That’s what... That’s what she wants.]

She had finally done it. She’d finally become completely aware of what Aegis Starcaller was trying to do and how she was trying to manipulate Talia. By simply becoming a presence in her mind at all.

And yet, Talia couldn’t shove her out of her skull.

That body pressed against hers. That chest that had no business being so... abundant. The way Aegis moved, like water, like she was a private pool Talia was diving into. How her breath tickled Talia’s ear when she whispered those insufferable little jokes of hers.

"....AAAAARGH!" She growled openly, knowing nobody would be around to hear her. "That little commoner rat! H-How dare she be so... so... brazen!?"

A floorboard creaked behind her.

Talia froze. The corridor stretched empty. Just her, the moonlight, and portraits of dead headmasters.

Another creak. Deliberate.

[Someone’s following me.]

Her fingers sparked with lightning. Yellow eyes narrowed as she scanned the shadows. The administrative wing shouldn’t have anyone here. Not during the gala.

Unless...

[Unless someone was waiting for me to be alone.]

---

{Aegis}

"GUARDS!" Varyn’s voice boomed through the ballroom. "Search the commoner!"

Aegis stood perfectly still as two armored figures approached. The crowd pressed closer, nobles craning their necks for a better view of the drama.

Aegis was in a bad spot.

[Fuck, fuck, fuck! I need to make this quick. But if I run, I look guilty.]

So, she had to let Varyn get on with this, while simultaneously trying to get it over with as fast as possible.

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Lady Roseheart pushed through the crowd, emerald silk swishing. "Aegis is my personal guest!"

"Your guest is a thief, Lady Roseheart." Varyn grinned. "And I have proof."

"Do you now?" Aegis tilted her head. "This should be entertaining."

Varyn pulled out a crystal vial filled with silvery powder. He held it up for the crowd to see.

"Earlier today, I took precautions. The Midnight Orchids in Lady Roseheart’s greenhouse were dusted with detection powder." He channeled magic into the vial. It blazed silver-white. "When exposed to magic, it glows. Like so."

The crowd murmured. Someone whispered about clever planning.

"Anyone who touched those orchids will have residue on their hands." His violet eyes gleamed with triumph. "The powder bonds to skin. Can’t be washed off. Can’t be hidden."

He said that as if any of that information was literally in any way relevant to Aegis.

[Oh, you sweet summer child.]

"Fascinating." Aegis held out both hands, palms up. "By all means, test me."

"Putting up false confidence? Fine. Let’s get the truth out, shall we?"

Varyn stalked forward with another vial. The ballroom held its breath. Even the orchestra had gone quiet.

He poured magic through the detection powder, holding it over Aegis’s outstretched hands.

Nothing.

Not even a flicker.

"That’s..." His face went red. "That’s impossible. You were seen entering the greenhouse!"

"Was I?" Aegis kept her hands steady. "By whom? When?"

"My sources—"

"Your sources lied." She smiled sweetly. "Or maybe you’re just bad at spy work?"

Nervous laughter rippled through the crowd. Varyn’s face darkened to purple.

"You’re hiding it!" He grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward. "It must be somewhere else!"

"Lord Duskbane!" Lady Roseheart gasped. "Unhand her immediately!"

"She has it! I know she does!" His other hand went to her neckline. "Check her dress!"

"Varyn, stop—"

But he was already pulling. Fabric strained. Aegis saw the exact moment his desperation overrode common sense.

[Wait. Shit.]

RRRRRIP.

The dress tore down the middle. Expensive purple silk gave way like paper. The bodice fell apart.

And...

WOBBLE

Aegis’s breasts bounced free into the cold ballroom air. Her nipples hardened instantly from the temperature change.

Dead. Silence.

[Well. Didn’t see that coming.]

Every eye in the ballroom locked onto her chest. A champagne flute shattered somewhere.

Aegis made no move to cover herself. Instead, she arched her back slightly, making everything jiggle.

"Oh my." Her voice carried perfectly in the silence. "If you wanted a look at these, you need only ask."

Varyn stumbled backward, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I—that’s not—there’s no orchid—"

"Obviously not." Aegis gestured at her exposed chest. "Unless you think I’m hiding flowers in my cleavage? Though I suppose there’s room."

[Scandal Points +15! Current: 50]

"A petty commoner like myself would have shown these off easily, right?" She cupped her breasts, pushing them up slightly. "We have no decency, after all. Isn’t that what you all think? Go ahead. Embarrass me. That’s all I’m worth, right?"

Spurred on by those words, Lady Roseheart called out:

"SOMEONE COVER HER!"

A shawl flew through the air. Lady Roseheart herself rushed forward, wrapping the fabric around Aegis’s shoulders.

"Guards!" Her voice reached opera pitch. "REMOVE LORD DUSKBANE FROM THE GALA THIS INSTANT!"

"But she—"

"You assaulted my guest! Destroyed a dress worth more than your monthly allowance! Exposed her—" Lady Roseheart’s face matched her dress. "GET. OUT. NOW!"

Two guards grabbed Varyn’s arms. He struggled, still sputtering.

"This isn’t over! She’s lying! My information was—"

"YOUR INFORMATION WAS WRONG!" Lady Roseheart looked ready to breathe fire. "And you just committed assault in front of two hundred witnesses!"

They dragged him toward the doors. His shouts echoed back.

"She’s playing you all! I’ll prove it! You’ll see—"

The doors slammed shut.

Lady Roseheart fussed with the shawl, trying to restore some dignity. Her hands shook.

"My dear girl, I’m so, so sorry. That boy has completely lost his mind!"

"It’s fine." Aegis clutched the fabric closed. "Though I should probably..."

"Yes! Of course! Go change immediately! Take my carriage—"

"No need." Aegis was already backing away. "I’ll manage. Thank you for the shawl."

She turned and walked through the crowd. The sea of nobles parted. Some stared. Others whispered. A few younger lords looked ready to follow until she shot them a look that promised castration.

[Talia. Need to find Talia.]

The ballroom doors closed behind her. The hallway stretched ahead, lit by moonlight through tall windows.

[She went to the administrative wing. Her mother’s office.]

Aegis broke into a run, bare feet slapping against cold marble. The shawl fluttered behind her like a cape.

[Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.]