PS: This is the second update. The third might not be up until after midnight, but you'll see it by tomorrow morning at the latest!
That afternoon, warm midsummer winds drifted through Suzail and the Royal Palace's imperial gardens, past rows of secluded pavilions. The scorching sunlight fell on every corner of the palace. Behind the inner hall's curtains, eight candles flickered in the summer breeze.
"Enough." An authoritative voice sounded from within the room. "Help me bathe."
It had been morning when they began, and afternoon when they finished. Behind the screen in the center of the room, a beautiful silhouette cast a captivating reflection. Water slid over streamlined muscles and down a smooth, supple belly, where the Chaos Mark shimmered with a translucent glow against soft, rosy skin.
Alusair slipped into a loose bathrobe and swept her waterfall of golden hair behind her head. The yielding flesh of her feet pressed lightly into the carpet, her red-painted nails gleaming. She lay on her side on the bed and reached out to draw the curtains closed. Her two graceful legs looked all the more alluring beneath the purple-and-gold drapes. Her crimson eyes slowly closed, and a languid, contented expression settled over her exquisite face. "You pass."
"If that only counts as passing, I don't know what would qualify as excellent."
Aaron lay beside the Princess Regent, also wearing a soft bathrobe. Apparently, it belonged to Azoun IV; Alusair had simply taken it out for him to wear.
"Heh. Counting what you did in Baldur's Gate and the taxes you've provided the kingdom, I suppose I can just about give you an 'excellent.'" The Princess Regent traced circles on Aaron's chest with her long nails. Her toes, painted vivid red, gave his leg a gentle kick as she asked, half