Enter the royal bath.

Though you have quite the beautiful bathing room at your manor, this is something else. The center of the room is where the pool of steaming water is built, though around it are cushioned seats, tables, and along the sides are multiple plants with flowers of varying colours. A constant stream of water flows in from a tube to the far corner, and though it isn't deafeningly loud, you start to wonder if the noise is one of reasons she brought you here. At the farthest end, the bath connects into a smaller, circular bathing area that would only fit a few people instead. There are shelves of towels, many soaps, and other cleaning products. It's much more dim than you're used to even with the magic ceiling lights, but red candles sit within holders atop four of the tables, and when she claps her hands twice, they flicker awake. The faint scent of raspberries begins to fill the air, and the warm glow is relaxing.

She pulls a small orb from a drawer and walks to the edge of the water, and she tosses it towards the center. There's a moment of pause. Suddenly, the water begins turning a slight shade of pink. Not only that, but what look like cherry blossom petals float to the surface.

"Is it really okay for me to be here?" you ask. After everything that happened with the doppel, you can't help but be a little nervous. Not to mention that this is the Queen of Tivera.

"If I say so, then yes. This is my empire. This is my bath. And right now, I say that not only may you be here, but you must join me."

"I must?"

"Yes. That is a direct command."

You can't tell if she's joking--there's no change of tone in her voice, and she's facing away. Though you watch the belt around her coat slip loose, and across one shoulder at a time, she slides the fabric down her skin and you watch in awe. You have no idea if you're meant to look away, but she doesn't say anything, or even look in your direction. Then as she retrieves her arms from the sleeves, the housecoat falls the rest of the way down, exposing the entirety of her backside. It's easy to think of a queen as old, but she's hardly older than you--perhaps only by a couple years. Her back is smooth, her ass is perky, and with her raven-black hair curling down past her shoulders, she's quite the sight from behind.

"Are you coming?" she asks.

"Right," you mutter as you fidget with your belt. As you remove your scabbard, you dislodge the blade slightly to notice the steel of the sword glowing a faint pink. You raise a brow up at the woman still turned away, and sheathe it once more to begin removing your shirt.

Catherine tests the water first with one of her feet, and once she adjusts, she moves down the steps into the bath. She steps all the way to the other side and moves into the circular area of the bath to sit down on a ledge beneath the surface--water just barely reaching the tips of her bust. Then, she looks to you expectantly.

With only your pants remaining, you try not to think too hard about the queen herself watching you undress and slip them loose. It's your underwear next. After dropping those to the ground, you thank your cock for not rising up quite yet, and start your way into the bath next. It really is hot, though not anymore than the bath you're used to, so you proceed down into the water. You follow her bath across the pool into the more personal area, and you sit down about seven or so feet across from her with a legitimately relieving sigh.

One of the petals floats past. When you reach out to grab it, your hand passes straight through--an illusion. There's a flowery scent to the water as well.

"Are you finding the bath to your liking?" she asks.

You look to the bathing beauty across from you. She brings both of her hands up and slides them back through her hair--bare sexy body submerged up to her tits. The water does little to hide her body, but it does so just enough to tantalize. You can see her nipples rather clearly, especially as her body shifts upwards along with her arms, but the water diffracts the image the deeper it goes.

"I am, yes. Thank you."

"Now that we're here, I wish to tell you a secret. Speak of this to nobody else. My mother Queen Francine III had two children, me and my sister Francine IV. Though she would be next in line for the throne if something were to happen to me, she has never had interest in such a thing, so she is currently far from home. My grandmother was Queen Francine II, before her was Queen Francine I, but before her, was Queen Catherine I. My namesake, and my great great grandmother. And she still lives. Well, if you can call it that."

"So the Vampire Queen is--"

She slowly nods. "She had never tried to take the throne before, however. I also don't know what would occur if she tried. Technically she is eldest in the bloodline, but there isn't a chance anyone would accept that."

"She's going to be pissed when she finds out none of her plan worked out."

"At us, but also at you, Sir Warren."

Shit. She's right. There's no way I can survive the Vampire Queen hunting me down, even without her servants.

She scoops some of the water up with both hands, and pours it down over her shoulder. It runs down her body--over and between her cleavage. Meanwhile, you start to feel your cock shift. Watching her has proven enough to bring it to life. Far beneath the surface of the water, thankfully, your cock stiffens and points eagerly towards what awakened it.

"Our mother unfortunately passed before her time," she continues. "I wasn't even twenty when I was tasked with taking up the throne in her place. Though I had trained my entire life, actually needing to lead all of Tivera is no easy task. I had to do a great job, no matter what. Thankfully, I grew into a respected ruler. I am just, but a queen must be intimidating as well. My mother taught me that, and it's true. Our borders have seen no wars during my reign, and I hope to keep it that way."

"You seem to be doing a great job to me. Though I don't really know much about that sort of thing."

Once again, she lifts some of the water and trickles it down over her upper body. "You're interesting, Sir Warren. I know many prissy, proper nobleman. I know many hard-headed adventuring thugs. But you're something else, like you don't quite fit in anywhere, yet it allows you to fit in anywhere. I don't need to know where you're from. Though I've had to deal with enough to know that there is much you haven't told me. Can you be a dear and hand me that bell sitting on the table?"

You rise up from the water, though awkwardly bring a hand down between your legs as you turn away in a **** attempt to mask your erection. You're not certain if she can see, though you also wonder why she didn't grab it herself. She is the queen though. You lift a silver bell from the top of the table, bring yourself back down into the bath, and hand it over.

"Thank you," she says. Then she rings it a few times before placing it down on the ground beside the pool's ledge.

"Someone can hear that?" you ask and glance around the empty room.

"Indeed. Give them a moment. In the mean time, tell me. How are you finding Dragonhide Manor?"

"It's great. Honestly, I've never lived in a place that huge before..."

"I see. You know, it once belonged to an accomplished mage. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. The building itself doesn't hold any significant historical value, but it's a fine home."