Chapter 294: The Morning After

The first golden rays of dawn crept through the chamber windows, painting stripes of light across the tangled sheets.

Seraphina stirred first, blinking sleep from her eyes as she took in the wreckage of their night. Adrian lay on his back, one arm flung possessively across Isabella's waist, his breathing still deep and even.

Isabella had curled against his side, her platinum hair fanned across his chest like spilled moonlight.

Seraphina carefully extracted herself from the pile of limbs, wincing at the dried sweat and other fluids crusting her skin.

Her movement jostled the bed, causing Adrian's brow to furrow before his eyes fluttered open.

Isabella woke a heartbeat later, her instincts sharper, already reaching for Seraphina's wrist before she'd fully registered the morning.

"Leaving so soon?" Isabella purred, her voice thick with sleep. Her fingers traced lazy circles on Seraphina's pulse point. "And here I thought we might enjoy a repeat performance."

Adrian groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand. "Mother, please. My body needs at least an hour to recover from what you put it through last night."

Seraphina snorted, shaking off Isabella's grip. "We all need baths," she declared, wrinkling her nose at the stale scent of sex clinging to them.

"I can practically taste last night on my skin."

Isabella stretched like a satisfied cat, the sheets slipping dangerously low on her torso. "I rather like the reminder," she mused, but rose anyway when Adrian threw back the covers.

The walk to Adrian's private bathing chamber was a study in contrasts - Isabella striding ahead with unashamed confidence, Adrian moving stiffly but with purpose, and Seraphina picking her way carefully while trying not to dwell on the various aches reminding her of their activities.

The bath was already drawn, steam curling from the marble pool. Someone - likely one of Isabella's ever-efficient maids - had anticipated their needs.

Lavender-scented oils floated on the water's surface, and fresh towels waited on heated racks.

Adrian was the first to sink into the steaming water with a groan of relief. "Mother," he grumbled as the women joined him, "you could have just asked instead of spiking our food."

Isabella dunked her head underwater before responding, emerging with her hair slicked back. "Where's the fun in that?"

She reached for a cake of soap, lathering it between her palms. "Besides, you both enjoyed yourselves immensely. Don't pretend otherwise."

Seraphina had just opened her mouth to retort when her eyes went wide with panic. "The little one!" she gasped, half-rising from the water. "If we were all unconscious-"

"Calm yourself," Isabella interrupted, pushing her back down with a hand on her shoulder. "I had arrangements made before I ever touched the wine. The maids took her for the evening, then to the nursery wing I had specially arranged for her. She ate separately, played with her dolls, and went to bed completely unaffected."

Seraphina sagged in relief, the tension draining from her shoulders. "You... Big Sis, that wasn't fair," she grumbled, splashing water in Isabella's direction. "You could have warned us."

Isabella's smirk was infuriating as she began washing Adrian's back. "You could have broken free at any time," she pointed out, her fingers working the soap into his muscles.

"Those ropes were purely decorative and you know it. The enchantments on the chair were child's play for someone of your skill. Yet you chose to stay. To play along."

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken admissions. Seraphina busied herself with a sponge, scrubbing at a particularly vivid bruise on her thigh.

Adrian stared fixedly at the mosaic tiles on the far wall. Isabella merely hummed, satisfied with their lack of rebuttal.

They washed in comfortable silence after that, passing soap and pitchers of clean rinse water between them.

Isabella insisted on washing Seraphina's hair, her fingers surprisingly gentle as they worked through the tangled crimson strands.

Adrian dozed against the bath's edge, waking only when Seraphina flicked water at his nose.

By the time they emerged, wrapped in plush robes, the morning had properly arrived.

Sunlight streamed through the manor windows, and the scent of breakfast - fresh bread, sizzling bacon, and rich coffee - wafted through the halls.

The dining hall buzzed with quiet chatter as the trio entered, the other ladies already seated around the long oak table.

Sophia was the first to speak, stabbing a piece of melon with her fork.

"There you are. We were starting to think you'd sleep through lunch." Her eyes narrowed as she took in their damp hair and fresh clothes. "Baths this early? Did something happen last night?"

Chris set down her teacup with deliberate slowness.

"Finally you guys have arrived. None of us remember much after the main course." Her sharp gaze moved between them. "One moment we're eating, the next we're waking up in our beds at dawn. Perhaps you guys know something?"

Eve leaned forward, her dark hair slipping over one shoulder. "It's like someone drugged the entire meal." The suspicion in her voice was barely concealed.

Seraphina's hand twitched toward her face but stopped halfway, settling instead on the back of her chair. Isabella, however, glided to her seat with practiced ease, the picture of noble composure.

"Oh dear," she tutted, pouring herself a cup of tea. "I may have asked the kitchen staff to add some... special herbs to the dishes. After that dreadful raid on the cultists, I thought we could all use proper rest."

She stirred honey into her tea with a delicate silver spoon. "My private blend of valerian root and chamomile, though perhaps they were a bit heavy-handed with the measurements."

Sophia's eyebrow arched. "Strong enough to knock out an entire table of warriors?"

Isabella's smile never wavered as she took a sip. "From my personal apothecary. The same mixture I use when Adrian has trouble sleeping after particularly grueling missions." She patted her son's hand fondly.

"Though I usually give him half the dose."

Adrian nearly choked on his coffee, coughing into his fist. Seraphina's grip on her chair tightened until her knuckles turned white.

He inwardly mumbled," When did I start having trouble sleeping? And grueling missions? What are they?"

Eve, however, wasn't so easily convinced. She studied Isabella with narrowed eyes. "Really?"

Isabella's smile remained perfectly composed as she set down her teacup. "Really," she affirmed, her crimson eyes glinting with amusement. "Would I lie about something as trivial as sleeping draughts?"