For a Bath

Returning the way she left, Alice snuck back into the palace through the secret passageway. {if Dominance >= 2} She did her best to hide her blood-soaked cloak and hands, though Katherine nearly had a panic attack when she saw the state of her clothes. After reassuring her maid that it was, in fact, not her blood, Alice stripped off her outer wear with instructions for them to be burnt. {else} She was in dire need of a bath after what had happened earlier, and had contemplated telling Katherine about her adventures. Would she be horrified to know that a princess had gotten down on her knees for some peasants? Or proud of her ingenuidty and praise her growth? In the end, Alice decided to keep the matter to herself. {endif} After informing her friend that the job was done, she had a bath drawn and was ready to relax a little. Washing away any traces of her prior altercations, Alice sank into the warm water, lounging happily as she celebrated her victory. Soon, she was joined by Katherine, towel in hand. It's been a while since the two of them bathed together, and the two chatted idly about empty nothings as the maid gave the princess a good scrubbing.

Alice kept the matter of the assassin's test a secrets from Katherine as well, figuring that if she told her, the maid would spend the day on the prowl, trying to bust the intruder, defeating the purpose of the test. She wanted to see his skills in action, but in a fair and reasonable manner. Siccing her attack maid on the poor guy probably wouldn't make it very fair for him.

Eventually, as time passed, and the two of them found their fingertips wrinkled, they reluctantly got out of the baths, promising that they ought to do this more often. Alice had found herself relying on her friend more and more in recent times, especially now that she's finally making her play for the throne, and she needed to make sure that Katherine had some rest as well. Plus, she needed to remember not to take her friend for granted. Good treatment of loyal subjects results in a successful kingdom, one of the few useful lessons she got from her father. Perhaps she ought to include Finley among them as well.

With her bath done, Alice changed back into a white dress, getting ready for what comes next.