Vella stripped of the last of her clothes.
Her body was naked as she slipped a bare leg into the warm water waiting for her.
Her bathing chamber was scented with the way she liked it. Moonlight was pouring in from the small window on the wall at the very top and the large pool of warm water was laden with rose petals.
She slowly allowed her lush body to sink into peace. Her spine ached as she rested it slowly against the marble and allowed herself to inhale and exhale.
She was a gorgeous woman with a seductive body and such a body needed pampering.
Vella rested her golden haired head back as she waited for her attendant to come hurrying in.
Vella had inherited her father's calculative mind. She was a smart girl and could never rest easy no matter what the conditions.
A lone finger of hers traced the skin from her collarbone to the tip of her breast.
No one could think ahead like Vella could and no one would succeed the way she did.
A sudden rap on the door sounded.
"Come in," Vella ensured her voice was sultry as she waited for the young man to step in.
A nervous man with mousy hair and glassed entered quickly and shut the door behind him.
"M- Madam," he said, his glasses clouding with the steam in the room. His face blushed when she saw Vella, her breasts peeping from the water and one long leg out of the water and resting on the marble floor of the pool.
"Yes?" Vella smiled seductively at her loyal male attendant.
Hector was easy to sway. That was one of the things she liked about him.
The other thing she loved was that he was a faithful lapdog that she could use however she pleased.
"Madam," Hector hurriedly scrambled with the papers in his hand as he kept his eyes on the floor, "I- I am h-here to report on the- the happenings of the day."
"An eventful day it has been, has it not?" Vella asked, watching Hector with all her attention.
"Y- Yes, indeed," Hector said. He swallowed before he continued, "My lady… I- I wrote to Bolan to damage the carriage wheels as you had said."
Hector's voice was clear now and Vella perked up.
"And?" She asked, her eyes wide and searching Hector's face.
Hector shook his head, "He was able to damage four of them, my lady. But her grace, Cassandra, had arrived and she picked the last one and was able to make it to the palace just in time."
Vella's eyes flashed with anger but she restrained from making any loud remarks.
She was in the royal palace now and her quarters were right below those of the crown prince.
Already, it was rather risky to bring a male attendant in at night but Vella had had to risk it anyway.
"And?" She asked to gritted teeth.
"A- And, we know not what more. The carriage has gone back to your father's mansion empty, madam. This means that Ms. Cassandra is somewhere in this palace as we speak."
There was a heavy silence in the room.
Vella slowly contemplated what this meant.
Cassandra Heartrianne the sentimental fool had somehow made it into the palace itself. What would be next?
"She will not be staying long, Hector." Vella cooed slowly.
"Y- Yes, madam. Of course." Hector nodded with determination while his face stayed flushed.
"Anything else?" Vella asked, keeping her head held high, the water dancing around her naked body. "Tell me, Hector. Are you still keeping tabs on the royal crown prince, his highness, as I asked you too?"
"Y-Yes, my lady. As usual, I had one of my men tail him the entire day. He has not met with any new women."
Vella nodded, "Good."
Vella was not a possessive woman. She had no love or respect for the crown prince that she opened her legs to.
He was a powerful man and could ensure the life she desired and that was all she was concerned about.
But a smart person such as herself was not silly enough to sit around the palace believing that the man she had her net around would always stay love-stricken and tied to her bedpost.
No, powerful men were dangerous too.
Vella had no desire to have a son by the crown prince and sign herself away into a life of receiving only gifts and money from the royal palace.
No, Vella wanted power. She wanted power over the prince's choices, she wanted a hand in politics and she wanted to run the kingdom the way she wanted it to go.
For that, Vella had to play very carefully.
"Anything else, Hector?" She asked again.
Hector nodded, "Her majesty, the queen, she held a tournament today. She went there to personally watch it herself."
Vella nodded, her hands had become fists.
The queen was a hard nut to crack and a terrifying woman to understand. Vella kept her eyes peeled and ears open for any information she could ever get of her.
"And the winner of the tournament was a sensation from what I could gather, my lady."
Vella frowned. "Alright."
"So much so that the queen personally granted him several prizes and is rumoured to have him called to dine with her tomorrow."
Vella's eyebrows shot up, "What?"
"It is true," Hector was cleaning his glasses on his pants, "He has been invited to dine with her tomorrow, madam."
Vella frowned, "B- But… but the queen has never…"
"That is correct," Hector looked up before quickly glancing down at the floor, "Her Majesty has never ever called any man or woman to dine with her ever. It has never been done. Not to her lovers, not to her advisors and not even to her own son. The dinner she takes with only two to three of the older men and women is a private affair and she has never let anyone below even come near the dining chamber at that time…"
"So this man, this winner… he has really impressed her," Vella asked incredulously.
"Yes, indeed, my lady."
Vella stared ahead of her, in surprise. Her golden curls were spilling over her shoulder and into the water.
What did this mean?
It was a new situation.
How should Vella navigate this?
"Leave me, Hector," Vella said absentmindedly before looking up quickly with a gleam in her eye. She changed her voice into a soft, seductive tone, "And thank you for coming by, my dear. I will be sure to call on you again tomorrow… somewhere more intimate next time."
Hector could only nod before he hurried out of the room.