Chapter 20
THEIR MISSION COMPLETE, the three made their way back to the academy. It was well past midnight by this point, and Pom fell asleep on the walk back. Mira quietly dismissed the spirit, taking care not to wake her.
“Sorry to keep you out so late.”
“Oh, no, it reminded me of old times and was very educational.” Cleos bowed and gave a genuine smile. “I’m grateful you allowed me to accompany you.”
“Thank you as well, Hinata. Without your help, we’d still be stuck on those puzzles.”
“It was nothing. I learned a lot about summoning from watching you two. Plenty of material to add to my future lessons.” Hinata’s words were modest, but her tail happily flicked back and forth.
“Hrmm, I see. That’s good to hear.” Mira was delighted that her actions would continue to benefit future generations of summoners.
And with that, the makeshift party disbanded and returned to their normal lives. Hinata said she would spend the night in a staff room at the academy, while Cleos would retire to accommodations near the palace that were granted to visiting Elders.
As for Mira, she headed straight back to the palace.
It’s late, but I’m sure he’ll still be awake, Mira thought as she passed through the front gates. After exchanging greetings with the guards on duty, she made her way toward Solomon’s office and came across Lily.
“Ah, Lady Mira. What brings you here at this late hour?” the maid asked, determined to render aid if necessary.
Mira took a moment to respond; Lily’s sudden change in expression was somehow both reassuring and unsettling. “O-oh, just hoping to see Solomon. Is he in his office?”
“King Solomon is currently in the baths.”
“Is he now? Well, guess I was wasting my time. Thank you.” With that, Mira spun on her heel and briskly walked away.
She wasn’t sure what Lily had planned, but there was a threateningly maternal glint in the woman’s eye.
***
The Palace of Alcait had a large, luxurious bathing area. When Mira entered the changing room, she spotted Solomon’s royal garments, neatly folded on a shelf. That was all the evidence Mira needed, and she began to strip off her own clothes as she savored the alluring scent of the bath. What better way to relax after a long day’s work and conduct a post-mission debrief at the same time?
Solomon was soaking in the cloudy waters of one of the larger tubs, humming a little ditty to himself as he unwound from the day.
“I’m back!” Mira called out as she headed straight toward the fountain to take a quick shower.
“That was quick. Considering your skill with puzzles, I figured you’d be gone at least a day longer.”
He looked over and was momentarily stunned by her appearance, but he quickly laughed it off. The king climbed out of the tub and joined her in the pool surrounding the fountain.
“Yeah. You could have at least given me a heads-up about those.” She pursed her lips in a mock pout, sitting down to have a soak.
“You always hated spoilers. Didn’t want to ruin the fun.”
“Fair.” Grumbling, she let her head sink below the water.
“But that was still incredibly fast. I thought you’d still be down there racking your brain over those puzzles.”
He looked at her with wonder. Few others in the kingdom that knew Mira’s strengths and weaknesses as well as Solomon—and puzzle games were most certainly the latter.
Mira’s head popped back up above the water, and she leaned back to relax. “Well, I invited Cleos to join to help with the lighting issues…and then Hinata said she wanted to tag along too. I figured, why not?”
“Aha! Outsourcing your adventures, are you?” Solomon chuckled and then leaned back himself.
“That Hinata? I tell you, she’s a real wizard. Well, okay, she’s a summoner, sure—but I mean she’s a wizard when it comes to puzzles. Took our eyes off of her for a second, and she solved the puzzle cube. And the bridge levers? Couple of minutes, tops.”
“Two minutes to solve the bridge?! Whoa…that is impressive.” Solomon took a moment to let it sink in. “Well, that explains how you got back tonight. So, how did it go? Did you find the documents we were after?”
“Hrmm, naturally.” Raising her left arm to show off her Control Terminal, she lost her balance and fell back under the water.
“Excellent. I was a bit worried. Sometimes, despite being in the inventory list, things are still missing.” Solomon smiled in relief as he watched Mira flounder around, trying to resurface. “I suppose I should be going, then.”
“Hold up. Let me give you the documents. Not in here, though; we don’t want them getting wet.” Standing to follow him, Mira squeezed some of the water from her hair before tying it up. Then the pair made their way back to the changing room.
Mira dried her hands with a towel, then pulled the copies from her Item Box and handed them to Solomon. “Here you go.”
Taking a moment to flip through, he nodded in approval, then dressed quickly. “These are the right ones. Thanks, and well done. I’ll get them to Suleiman first thing in the morning.”
“I wonder how long it’ll take him to crack the case?” Mira mused, pausing at the entrance to the baths. The longer it took, the more time she’d have to wander around Lunatic Lake like a tourist.
“Hmm, good question. He said probably less than a day, as long as he has the right materials to work with.” Solomon had a mischievous grin and knew exactly what Mira was getting at.
“That fast?” she muttered to herself, once again amazed by Suleiman’s efficiency.
“Well, I’m off. Have a good night.”
“Hrmm, you too.” Once he’d left, Mira returned to the baths. Stepping in, she surveyed the space before taking off in a run and doing a cannonball into the largest bath.
“It’s all mine!”
What luxury! She had the royal baths all to herself. Unable to resist, she paddled around and checked “swim in a giant bathtub” off her bucket list. After getting her fill of the forward crawl, the breaststroke, and a nice gentle back float, she was perfectly content.
Then the door opened, and in came the palace maid corps. One after another, the ladies filed in after a hard day at work.
“Ah…” Slightly embarrassed to be found floating around the bath, Mira averted her gaze. But as the maids saw her, their eyes gleamed.
While the maids’ appearance had ended Mira’s brief monopoly of the baths, she found it hard to complain during her warm, lazy soak. Her eyes flickered about this way and that.
What a delightful view!
No one was on guard or trying to hide themselves—just bare skin as far as the eye could see. A veritable smorgasbord of maid flesh on display, glistening with little droplets of water. Mira was greatly enjoying herself, chuckling internally as she compared various shapes and sizes. She shamelessly leered from her perfect disguise with no one the wiser.
“This is paradise,” she murmured contentedly, leaning back against the edge of the tub.
“Are you tired, Miss Mira?” Lily asked, suddenly popping up nearby.
“I had quite the day.” She’d been down to the deepest reaches of a dungeon and back. Tired was definitely one way to describe her current state.
“Then would you care for a massage? They’re my specialty,” Lily offered with a grin. But her eyes were those of a ravenous beast hunting its prey.
“Oho, that sounds wonderful.” Unable to see the maid’s hungry gaze, Mira let her guard drop as she relaxed in the bath. “Would you be so kind?”
“But of course.” Lily tucked her dark desires deep away and zealously gave Mira a thorough rubdown.
“Ah, that’s the spot. That feels so good.”
Lily was as adept a masseuse as she’d advertised, leaving Mira feeling as pampered as a princess. The massage was so relaxing that her eyes grew heavy, and she started to doze off a little.
“So long as we’re here, shall I continue to the…full-body treatment?” Lily whispered in her ear, sensing an opportunity.
“Hrmm, why not?” Mira sleepily replied, any dubious concerns having long since disappeared. “This is heaven.”
Lily’s expression went predatory once more, and the maids nearby, who had been stealing glances, made their move as well. Mira had been peeping, thinking the maids to be innocent little lambs—all the while unaware that she’d been observing a pack of wolves. Lily gently picked her up and laid her out on the massage table near the bathtub. There, the maids worked in tandem, providing a deep full-body massage, sending Mira deeper into paradise.
Completely surrendering herself to the sensations of comfort and relaxation, Mira slipped off into a deep sleep.
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