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Maris cradled her face to give her a chaste and quick kiss. “Yes. I was tired out.”

Valda chuckled at her, grasped her jaw, and deepened the kiss. A pleasurable groan escaped the queen before she managed to pull away. “I wish I didn’t have things to do. I could fuck you again right now.”

“Valda…” Maris purred, her lower stomach tightening as memories of last night resurfaced between the haziness of her still sleepy mind.

“What? Is that a no?”

Cerberus meowed and lifted a paw out to Valda. The queen sighed and reached for her pet, who pushed her adorable face into her hand.

“I don’t think poor Cerberus can take another of our fuck sessions.”

“I can take her out,” Valda suggested, gathering Cerberus in her arms with a grunt. “Holy Ouranos, you are heavy. What are they feeding you?”

“They?” Maris chuckled while Valda casually tossed Cerberus in the sofa’s direction.

Thankfully, Cerberus landed right where the queen intended. Her dark pupils blew up as she ran around the entire room, her tail puffed up.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Valda opened the closet door and Cerberus ran between her legs, jumped on the sofa and let out an overly excited meow. The cat then dashed through the small breakfast table, knocking empty cups. The plates shattered. Maris cringed at the racket while Valda’s head slumped in defeat.

“Cerberus!”

“I think she really needs to go out,” Maris said, as she walked next to Valda and inspected the closet. She pulled out a linen dress and shoes she would wear after washing up, as well as a black silk blouse and pants for the queen. “You should take your pet outside unless you want your room destroyed.”

Valda scoffed, feeling along the stitching to orient the front from the back before pulling her pants on. Maris helped by buttoning up her blouse then tucking it. The queen's mood shifted, and Maris basked in it. She loved the subtle smirk at the corner of the lips, her relaxedshoulders, and features. She wanted to kiss her.She wanted to hug her, squeeze her, and keep her close. She wanted to cancel everything Valda planned for today and stay in bed all day, going over every scar and freckle on her skin. She… wanted her. Maris’s chest tightened, her hand smoothing a wrinkle over Valda’s blouse.

“I can’t keep an eye on her,” Valda mumbled with annoyance.

“I will,” Maris said while Cerberus zoomed between her feet into the living space again, where she jumped onto the liquor table. The cat knocked a glass to the ground then climbed down to smell the liquor spilled. “Cerberus!” Maris yelped, walking to the cat and waving her away from the mess.

“What happened?”

Maris picked the cat up and touched the top of her head, wet where the liquor had dribbled onto her fur. “She got some whiskey on her head.” Maris petted her again. “I might as well give you a bath. You kind of stink” Cerberus pulled back, swatted Maris’s hand and hissed. “Oh hush. You brought this upon yourself.”

Valda chuckled before reaching over Maris. She touched Cerberus, accidentally bumping her hand against Maris’s shoulder. “Cerberus. You will let Maris give you a bath.”

The cat growled.

“You will not put up a fight.” Valda then turned her attention to Maris. “I will call for someone to clean this mess up.”

“I am going to wash up and give Cerberus a quick bath,” Maris announced heading to the washroom. A tub filled with hot water was ready for her. Yet, she didn’t want to put Cerberus in the same water she was going to use to bathe herself. Closing the door behind her, Maris settled the cat down and sat on the ground. With little effort, she used her power to drag a steady stream of water from the tub to Cerberus.

“This will be our little secret, all right?”

Cerberus closed her eyes softly as a ribbon of the warm water fell on her head. As the stream continued, Maris scrubbed Cerberus’s body, giving special treatment to the top of her head. She couldn’t help but scratch under her chin and watch her purse her lips with delight.

Once Maris was done washing the whiskey from Cerberus’s fur, she opened the door and allowed the cat to run back outside. She then slipped into the tub and washed her hair. Before she dipped her head into the warm water, she made out the sound of Valda opening the door to someone. She welcomed the stranger, but their words were cut when Maris dipped her head in the water to wash away the soap. Maris paid no mind to the conversation, she knew Valda had to deal with queenly things daily, and Maris was just an assistant, she didn’t need to know everything that happened in the castle.

Finished with her bath, Maris put the oversized robe over her naked body and walked out. Valda was seated on the large sofa in the room’s living space and tilted her head as the door closed. She walked barefoot towards the queen, her padding steps alerting Valda.

“Who was it?”

Valda turned to Maris and clasped a pack of folders closer to her body. “General Arwin,” she answered, standing up.

Maris's eyes drifted from Valda’s serious face down to her hand. “What’s that?”

“Sato and Lain’s reports.” Valda’s face was void of expression, and Maris frowned at the sudden rise of the walls that she had once crumbled.