A Widow’s Wiles
It was the dead of night when Hiro woke from restless sleep, and the wind was pawing at the windowpane like a whining beast. He was lying on a sumptuously decorated bed with an ornate chair and desk nearby. Beside that, the room was empty. The lack of furnishings left it looking, if not threadbare, at least a little forlorn.
Rosa must have gone somewhere...
The young widow who had fallen asleep by his side was nowhere to be seen. Hiro eased himself from the bed, stretching his neck, and approached the desk. He filled a glass from the carafe of water and drained it in a single gulp.
“Huh. I wonder how they keep it so cold?”
His words had been meant for himself, but the shadows in the corner of the room stirred in answer. He jumped back, alarmed, to see a servant sinking into a bow.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am one of the mistress’s ladies-in-waiting.” The woman said only that before falling silent once more.
Hiro smiled awkwardly. He glanced down at his glass. “Did you leave this?”
“I did indeed. We are commanded to replace the mistress’s water periodically to ensure it stays cold.” She opened the door and gestured toward the hallway. “You have been sweating in your slumber, Your Highness. You will only stain the sheets if you return to sleep now. A bath has been drawn for you, if you would like.”
Hiro opened his mouth to refuse, but the Black Camellia tightened around his throat. Take a bath, it seemed to say.
“I might just do that. Maybe I am a bit sweaty...”
He wasn’t certain, but if his longtime partner was that insistent, who was he to refuse?
“Very good. Please follow me.”
The lady-in-waiting stepped out into the corridor. In short order, she led him to the mansion’s balnea. Hiro parted ways with her at the door to the changing room, stripped off the Black Camellia, and strode into the steam-filled baths. He whistled as he looked around.
“Did they boil all this specially for me?”
The bath itself could easily have seated ten people. Heating that much water could not have been an easy task, but then, the great houses weren’t known for half measures.
Hiro groaned with pleasure as he sank into the water. “It’s no hot spring, but it sure is nice...”
It was hard to suppress a pang of longing for Berg Fortress. He might have gone to sleep on the spot, but at that moment, he saw movement in the steam. A human silhouette approached through the haze. For a moment, he wondered who it could be—the servant hadn’t warned him to expect company—but then he saw, and blanched.
“So it is you. I did wonder who could be using my balnea at this hour.” Rosa stood in front of him, making no particular effort to cover herself. Her voluptuous curves glistened seductively, hidden only by the steam. “I’m impressed you found this place.”
Her cheeks were a little pink, but it was hard to tell whether that was from embarrassment or simply the heat.
“Your lady-in-waiting said I should take a bath...although she didn’t mention you’d be here too.”
Rosa burst out laughing. “She did, did she? I see, I see!” She moved to stand beside him, wiping tears from her eyes. “Please don’t think ill of her. She can be a little...proactive, shall we say, on my behalf, but she means no harm.”
“I don’t mind, but aren’t you going to cover yourself up?”
“Why? We’re lovers now, aren’t we? Whatever would the court think to see you so scared of my body?” She cupped her ample breasts in her hands. “Did you know a woman’s chest floats in water? Liz used to go green with envy every time we took a bath together.”
Come to think of it, Hiro had found Liz holed up in Berg Fortress’s study, poring over books on female anatomy...
“Can’t tear your eyes away, hm? I do pride myself on my volume.”
Hiro hadn’t even realized it, but his eyes had been glued to Rosa’s chest. He hurriedly turned his back. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Now, now, don’t be like that. I’ll come over all bashful.” Rosa pressed herself against him, pushing her breasts into his back.
“I-I should go!”
Hiro tried to step up out of the bath, but Rosa’s grip on his wrist snatched his feet from under him. As he tried to regain his balance, he collapsed hands-first into the twin mounds of her chest. The softness made his head spin.
Rosa pouted. “Not quite so hard! That hurts, you know.”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean...” Hiro sprang away.
A sly smile crept across her face. “Be gentler this time.”
“Right. Got it.” Without thinking, Hiro stretched out his hands, but then his eyes widened and he pulled them back. “Hey! I’m not falling for that!”
“Ha ha ha ha! What’s the hurry? Come now, enjoy your bath. A night can last a long time, especially in the capital.”
Hiro obediently sank back into the water, but Rosa’s wiles would soon make him wish that he had left right there and then.
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