Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 206: Testimonials

The market district was loud today.

Aegis walked through the crowds with the Summerfang twins flanking her, the three of them squeezing past vendors hawking everything from fresh bread to questionable "miracle elixirs" that probably just gave you diarrhea. Kai’Lin and Mei’Lin had traded their usual mercenary leathers for casual clothes, simple dresses that made them look like any other pair of young women out for a stroll. Well, any other pair of young women with cat ears, anyway.

"So," Aegis said, stepping around a man carrying an absurdly tall stack of crates, "what have my favorite spies got for me today?"

"Intel, nya," Kai’Lin replied. "Bad intel."

"How bad are we talking? ’Minor inconvenience’ bad or ’someone’s trying to kill me again’ bad?"

"Uh, somewhere in the middle, nya."

Mei’Lin leaned in close. Her white-and-brown hair brushed against Aegis’s shoulder, and her massive tits pressed against Aegis’s arm. Definitely intentional. Aegis didn’t complain.

"Duke Cindergrave is backing the audit personally, nya. He’s the one who suggested it to Duchess Evangeline."

"Ah." Aegis nodded slowly. "So the crusty old bastard’s still mad about the Summer Auction, then."

"Very mad, nya. He’s hired some special accountant to handle it. Real nasty piece of work, from what we heard." Kai’Lin’s ears flattened against her head. "Goes by the name Percival Blackwell."

"Never heard of him."

"Neither had we." Mei’Lin’s voice dropped lower, and she pressed even closer, which meant her tits were now basically using Aegis’s arm as a pillow. Or, Aegis’s arms were using- doesn’t matter. "But the merchants in the financial district? They know him, nya. He’s the kind of accountant who finds irregularities where there aren’t any. Very thorough. Very creative."

Aegis filed that name away in her head. Percival Blackwell. Great. So Cindergrave wasn’t just trying to find dirt on her, he was hiring someone who could manufacture it if necessary.

[Honestly? I’m almost flattered. He’s putting in real effort here.]

Aegis stopped walking for a moment, not because she was worried, but because she’d spotted a food stall selling meat skewers and she was kind of hungry. A vegetable vendor bumped into her from behind, cursed, saw who she was, and immediately started apologizing like she was going to have him executed or something.

"You’re fine," Aegis said, waving him off. She turned to the twins. "Either of you want a skewer?"

"Nya?"

"Food. Meat on a stick. I’m buying."

Five minutes later, the three of them were walking again, each holding a skewer of spiced lamb. Aegis chewed thoughtfully as she considered the situation.

[Cute. Real cute. But here’s the thing, Duchess: I don’t play defense.]

"Change of plans," Aegis said, taking another bite of her skewer. "We’re going visiting."

"Visiting who, nya?"

"Everyone who owes me a favor. And a few people who don’t, but should."

Kai’Lin’s ears perked up.

"Are we going to threaten them?"

"What? No. We’re going to be charming and pleasant and remind them why backing House Starcaller is a good idea." Aegis grinned. "The threats come later, if they’re stupid."

---

The first stop was House Bellford.

Lord Bellford was a portly man in his fifties with a magnificent mustache and a deep-seated love of hunting stories. Aegis knew this because the game had included a full sidequest where you helped him track down a legendary white stag, and he’d talked her ear off for approximately forty-five minutes of unskippable dialogue about every animal he’d ever killed.

She found him in his study, surrounded by taxidermied heads of various beasts. A Crystalback Bear loomed over the fireplace, and several smaller trophies lined the walls.

"Lady Starcaller!" He rose from his chair with a wide smile. "What an unexpected pleasure! Please, sit, sit. Can I offer you some wine? Tea? I have this excellent brandy from the Northern provinces, you really must try it."

"Wine would be lovely, thank you."

They made small talk for a few minutes. Aegis complimented his latest trophy, asked about his daughter’s upcoming wedding, and nodded along as he launched into a story about tracking a Firehorn Elk through the mountains. She made all the right noises at all the right times, and eventually steered the conversation where she needed it to go.

"Lord Bellford, I’m sure you’ve heard about the audit."

His smile flickered.

"Ah. Yes. Unfortunate business, that."

"Very unfortunate. Especially since House Starcaller has been nothing but a good partner to its allies." She leaned forward slightly. "I came here today because I value our relationship, and I wanted to give you an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"To demonstrate that value publicly." She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her bag. "A written testimonial vouching for House Starcaller’s legitimacy and good standing. Nothing elaborate, just a few lines affirming that your dealings with my House have been honest and profitable."

Lord Bellford’s mustache twitched. She could see him calculating, weighing the risks against the rewards.

"I..." He hesitated.

Time to close the deal.

"I also wanted to mention that I recently came across some information about a white-maned Shadowfang Wolf spotted in the Western forests. Extremely rare. I was thinking of organizing a hunting expedition, and I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather invite than the man who bagged the legendary Crystalback of Northmere."

Lord Bellford’s eyes went wide.

"A white-maned Shadowfang? Truly?"

"Truly. Though I’d only feel comfortable sharing the location with someone I knew I could trust completely."

The parchment was signed within a minute.

---

House Wenderly was next.

Lady Wenderly was a sharp-tongued woman in her sixties who had outlived three husbands and showed no signs of slowing down. She was also, according to the game’s NPC database, deeply concerned about her legacy and how history would remember her house.

Aegis arrived with a gift: a beautifully bound book of Valdrian poetry that she’d purchased from a shop in the Merchant Quarter on the way over.

"For your library," Aegis said, presenting it with a small bow. "I noticed during my last visit that you had quite the collection, and I thought this might fill a gap."

Lady Wenderly accepted the book with raised eyebrows. "How thoughtful. Most young nobles these days can barely read, let alone appreciate literature."

"My mother always said that a house without books is a house without a soul."

"Wise woman, your mother."

They talked for a while about poetry, about the declining standards of education at the academy, about how young people these days had no respect for tradition. Aegis agreed with everything, even the parts that were obviously wrong, and eventually brought up the audit.

"I’m sure it’s nothing but political maneuvering," Lady Wenderly said, waving a wrinkled hand. "That Cindergrave has always been a schemer."

"Indeed. Which is why I’m collecting testimonials from houses of good standing. To demonstrate that House Starcaller has allies who believe in its legitimacy."

Lady Wenderly studied her for a long moment.

"You’re quite clever, aren’t you? For someone so young."

"I try, my lady."

"Hmph." But she signed the testimonial anyway.

---

The third house was the trickiest. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lord Vance Pemberton was a fence-sitter by nature, the kind of noble who never committed to anything until he was absolutely certain which way the wind was blowing. He’d been perfectly pleasant at the Consortium, but he hadn’t made any deals with House Starcaller either.

Aegis found him in his garden, tending to roses.

"Lord Pemberton. Your flowers are beautiful."

He looked up, surprised. "Lady Starcaller. I wasn’t expecting visitors."

"I was in the neighborhood." She wasn’t. "And I wanted to discuss a business opportunity."

They walked through the garden together, past rows of roses in every color. Aegis laid out her pitch, talking about future trade routes and the benefits of early positioning. She didn’t ask for a testimonial directly, not at first. She let him see the opportunity, let him start calculating the profits on his own.

Then she mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that she was collecting testimonials from forward-thinking nobles.

"I see." Lord Pemberton plucked a dead leaf from one of his roses. "And if I were to provide such a testimonial, what would that demonstrate?"

"That you recognize a good investment when you see one." Aegis smiled. "And that House Pemberton isn’t afraid to back a winner."

He was quiet for a moment, still fussing with his roses.

Then he laughed, a short surprised sound.

"You’re bold, Lady Starcaller."

"I prefer ’confident.’"

"Same thing, in my experience." He pulled off his gardening gloves. "Very well. You’ll have my testimonial. But I expect to be remembered favorably when those contracts are finalized."

"Lord Pemberton, I never forget the people who back me."

He signed.

---

That evening, back at the manor, Aegis spread the three testimonials across her desk.

Evelyn stood beside her, reviewing each one.

"Lord Bellford, Lady Wenderly, Lord Pemberton." She set down the last parchment. "An interesting collection. Bellford is well-liked, Wenderly is respected, and Pemberton, well, if Pemberton is backing you, other fence-sitters might follow."

"That’s the idea."

"It’s a good start," Evelyn said. "But that accountant is going to dig deep. Testimonials won’t matter much if he finds genuine irregularities."

Aegis leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.

[Let him dig. Let him dig until his fingers bleed. He’s not going to find anything because there’s nothing to find.]

"Let him dig," she said out loud. "Our books are clean."

"They are," Evelyn agreed. "I made sure of it."

"Then we have nothing to worry about." Aegis grinned. "Now, let’s talk about what else we can do before this audit actually begins."