Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 170: Summer Auction 3

Aegis walked to the platform, and the room watched.

She could feel their eyes—curious, skeptical, hungry for entertainment. The upstart commoner. The tournament winner. The girl who’d clawed her way into nobility through sheer audacity. They wanted to see if she’d crash and burn.

[Fat fucking chance.]

Behind her, Scarlett and Kanna moved in perfect sync, carrying a gilded case between them. Evelyn had outdone herself—the case was carved from dark mahogany and inlaid with silver filigree. It looked like something that should hold crown jewels.

The crowd leaned forward.

Aegis reached the center of the platform and turned to face them. Scarlett and Kanna set the case on the display pedestal, then stepped back to flank her.

"Honored nobles of Valdria," Aegis began, her voice carrying through the hall. "I am Aegis Starcaller, Lady of the newly registered House Starcaller. Some of you know me as a mere scholarship student of Rosevale Academy. Others know me as the Winter Trials champion. A few of you—" she let her eyes drift toward Cindergrave’s section "—know me primarily as a disruption to the natural order."

Scattered laughter. A few approving nods.

"Tonight, I present House Starcaller’s first offering to Valdria."

She turned and opened the case.

Twelve mana potions sat arranged in individual crystal holders, each one glowing with that soft, hypnotic blue light. The holders were carved to catch and refract the glow, making each potion look like a captured star.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"These are Resonance-Grade Aether Restoring Potions," Aegis continued. "Created by my house alchemist using techniques developed specifically for House Starcaller. Each potion provides complete mana restoration in under two minutes, with enhanced magical clarity lasting for one hour afterward."

She lifted one of the potions.

"For practitioners of any magical discipline, these potions represent a significant advantage. In combat. In research. In any situation where magical reserves determine success or failure."

The murmurs grew louder. Appreciative. Interested.

But not amazed.

Aegis could read the room. The potions were impressive, yes. Quality work, clearly valuable. But compared to a legendary spirit stone? Compared to an ancestral sword blessed by the Divine Light?

She was playing in a different weight class, and everyone knew it.

"The standard market value for potions of this caliber," Aegis said, "would be approximately one thousand gold coins each. Twelve potions. Twelve thousand gold."

She paused.

"But House Starcaller’s first offering to Valdria is not for sale."

The murmurs stopped.

"It is a gift."

Silence.

Complete, absolute silence.

[Got ’em.]

Aegis smiled.

"House Starcaller is new. We have no ancestral treasures. No legendary artifacts passed down through generations. What we have is ambition, capability, and a desire to serve Valdria’s prosperity."

She stepped down from the platform, carrying the case with her.

"Other houses measure their worth by what they possess. House Starcaller will measure its worth by what it provides. By the relationships we build. By the allies we support."

She walked directly toward Lady Cassandra Vermillion.

The crowd parted.

Aegis stopped before the Vermillion matriarch and withdrew a potion from the case.

"Lady Cassandra. For your continued guidance and your faith in a newcomer when others would have dismissed her."

She pressed the potion into Cassandra’s hands.

Cassandra’s eyes widened—genuine surprise, not the polished mask she usually wore. She accepted the gift with a small nod.

Aegis moved on.

Lady Roseheart was next. The older woman’s eyes were already wet.

"Lady Roseheart. For your kindness to a stranger. For clothing, for transportation, for treating a commoner like she mattered before she had any right to expect it."

"Oh, my dear—"

"You believed in me when I was nothing. This is the beginning of my repayment."

Lady Roseheart clutched the potion to her chest.

[Okay, a little too sappy, but she didn’t mind.]

The crowd watched, transfixed.

Aegis continued through the room, approaching nobles she’d researched carefully. Swing voters. People who weren’t committed to Cindergrave but weren’t in her corner either.

Lord Valdric Hensworth—an aging military commander with a reputation for fairness.

"Lord Hensworth. Your treatise on cavalry tactics saved lives during the Western Campaigns. House Starcaller honors those who serve Valdria’s defense."

The old soldier accepted the potion with gruff dignity, his mustache twitching as he tried not to look moved.

Lady Mira Dawnwood—a younger noblewoman known for her charitable work.

"Lady Dawnwood. Your orphanages in the Harbor District feed three hundred children daily. House Starcaller recognizes those who lift up the vulnerable."

Lady Dawnwood’s composure cracked. She blinked rapidly, nodding.

Baron Corwin Galehurst—a neutral power broker with no obvious allegiances.

"Baron Galehurst. You’ve mediated seventeen territorial disputes without a single conflict escalating to violence. House Starcaller values those who choose peace over profit."

The Baron studied her with new interest, accepting the potion with a thoughtful expression.

Each gift was personal. Each comment was specific... Referencing specific parts of Queen of Hearts’ lore!

Each interaction demonstrated that Aegis hadn’t just shown up with pretty bottles—she’d done her homework.

[Goddamn, all those hours spent being a fucking nerd are putting in work! And when they use these potions and realize how good they actually are, they’ll be knocking on Rosalie’s door within the week. Free advertising to the most influential people in Valdria. This is called playing the long game, Cindergrave.]

The remaining potions went to carefully selected nobles throughout the room. By the time Aegis returned to the platform, her case was empty.

She turned to face the crowd one final time.

"House Starcaller gives freely tonight, not because we have nothing else to offer, but because we believe generosity builds stronger foundations than transactions. We ask nothing in return except the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of standing among you."

She bowed—not deeply, but respectfully.

"Thank you for your attention."

The room erupted.

Not the thunderous applause that had greeted Cindergrave’s spirit stone. This was different. Conversation, excited chatter, nobles turning to each other with expressions of surprise.

"Did you see that—" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"A commoner, showing more grace than half the established houses—"

"That comment about Lord Hensworth’s treatise, how did she even know—"

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant—"

Voting tokens activated throughout the room. Green lights bloomed—not as uniformly bright as Cindergrave’s response, but far more than Aegis had dared hope. The swing voters she’d targeted were glowing enthusiastically. Even some of Cindergrave’s faction looked uncertain, their red votes dimmer than expected.

Aegis allowed herself to glance at Cindergrave.

The old Duke’s face had gone rigid. His smug expression had cracked, replaced by something colder. He’d expected her to fail spectacularly, to present something inadequate and confirm every prejudice about upstart commoners.

Instead, she’d played a game he hadn’t anticipated.

His jaw tightened.

[Yeah. Didn’t see that coming, did you, you crusty bastard?]

Serilla was watching from her seat, and the look on her face made Aegis’s stomach flip. It wasn’t just approval. It was hunger.

Like Aegis had just done something incredibly hot and Serilla was mentally cataloging all the ways she planned to reward her for it.

Aegis made her way back to her seat, accepting quiet congratulations from nobles she passed. Lady Roseheart squeezed her hand. Lord Hensworth gave her a respectful nod. Baron Galehurst raised his glass.

She sat down beside Serilla.

"Well?" she murmured.

"You absolute menace." Serilla’s voice was low, heated. "I’m going to destroy you later."

"That a threat?"

"It’s a fucking promise." Serilla’s hand found Aegis’s thigh under the table, squeezing. "The things I’m going to do to you after the Waltz..."

"Focus, Serilla. We’re in public."

"I am focused. Very focused. On you."

Her fingers traced higher.

Aegis grabbed her wrist, stopping her progress.

"Later."

Serilla pouted. Actually pouted, like a bratty child denied a toy.

"Fine. But you owe me."

"Pretty sure you’re the one who owes me. I just saved both our reputations."

"Details."

Scandal Points +75

Current Total: 222

Aegis let herself relax, just slightly.

The Offerings Phase wasn’t over yet. There were still more presentations to come. But she’d done what she needed to do. She’d changed the game.

Now she just had to survive the Judgment Phase.

And then the Midnight Waltz.

[One crisis at a time.]