Free from the confines of the carriage (even though it was slightly enlarged on the inside with experimental Space magic), the women decided to make use of the bathing facilities in the Staghorn inn, no, the residence of the Baroness Staghorn. Pearl was dying to soak in hot water, relax, and wash off the dust of the road. The Steam mage's concept of hot water was just a few degrees from boiling though.

"Seriously, your Royal Highness? Normal people would become stew in this bath," Cythrel whined as she doused her burned foot.

"That's what you get for not checking beforehand. Can't you see the water is steaming?" Sora grinned behind her and slapped the elf's pearly white butt.

Cythrel yelped and almost jumped forward into the Royal Soup Bowl. She turned her head around and snarled at the beastkin.

"Can you two stop that? It is unbefitting of two married women," Said the fourth female in the room. She shook her head and whined, "I don't even know what I am doing here."

"That's simple," Pearl answered. "We need to keep the appearances. It would be very strange if you didn't come in, Your Highness. Whoever gets first dibs on the bath is at a higher station. Which one of us should be it, I wonder?"

Politics. Even though Aidan was raised and tutored in the ways of nobility, being a Royal meant a whole different ball game. One with spikes and poison, Dawn was slowly coming into. She was staring at the roof, avoiding looking at any of the naked bodies in the bathing room.

To keep appearances, Aidan was with the Baroness, talking about completely irrelevant subjects. Thankfully the woman was still unused to being nobility and was keenly interested in anything Aidan had to say. Two of the four knights loaned to the newly appointed stewardess of the tunnel mouth were there, keeping guard and watching them talk. To Aidan, it was a completely useless measure. If he wanted to spy on the naked women all he had to do was to use a clairvoyance spell. He could do it chantless and nobody would be the wiser. Of the mages in the bathing room, only Dawn and Pearl could detect normal scrying and he would bet she couldn't detect his.

However, the appearances had to be kept.

Back at the bathing room, Pearl chided Dawn. "Oh, come on. Stop with the awkwardness, will you? You've seen me naked several times before, and this separation between male and female is just to avoid rumors regarding one's child's parentage."

"Yeah, no need to be awkward. You and Pearl in the dungeon, you went-- Yikes!" Cythrel's quip was quickly interrupted by a shove from Sora. The elf leaned forward and tipped toward the boiling bath currently occupied by the petite Princess but the squirrel-kin grabbed her arms.

Dawn waved a hand and chanted a spell under her breath. A section of the bath where Pearl wasn't stopped steaming. "It is safe to go in now."

"Don't you dare relea---"

*SPLASH*

Sora dared. Cythrel fell face-first in the now comfortably warm bath. The elf turned around and waved her hand, sending a stream of water at the still dry beastkin.

"Water Jet!"

"Kyaa!" Sora yelped as her fur soaked.

"Mean girls get punished," Dawn whispered in her lover's ears. Then she pushed her.

*SPLASH*

The recently anointed Princess calmly descended the steps, sitting next to Pearl. With her elemental affinities, Dawn could comfortably soak in the boiling water with the other Princess.

"Also, you should act naturally," Pearl moved to the side until their shoulders touched, "Because you will bathe with my sisters when we get home. I hope you can play along." She added with a tinge of fear in her voice.

After millennia of otherworlder summoning, some of the customs of the Japanese heroes seeped into the culture of the higher strata of society. One, in particular, taking baths in hot springs or bathhouses, was now firmly ensconced in their world's culture.

"You don't have to worry about that, Pearl. He's not interested in pubescent bodies," Cythrel remarked bitterly while glaring at Dawn.

She didn't answer and let her body sink in the water until only the head was out. Dawn knew of Cythrel's demands but was still reluctant of crossing that line. She blushed and stared down at her own thighs.

"At least he's spending the nights with you," Sora retorted. "Aren't you happy?"

The elf narrowed her eyes and didn't give in to the teasing. "It is not a 'walk in the clouds' if all we do is talk, cuddle, and sleep," She complained.

The jab was well placed. After all, the elf was still owed her own initiation to the Mile High club. Dawn felt guilty but she was still attached to the belief that it was better to wait. Cythrel's body needed to grow a bit more before they could enjoy each other and consummate their marriage. Or her other half and the elf, to be precise. Only Sora was comfortable with playing on both sides of the fence. But she loved the elf and owed her their lives. She got so absorbed in her own guilt trip that she was startled when an arm dropped on her shoulder.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"It's okay," The elf whispered in her ear then kissed Dawn on the cheek. "Only two years, right? Don't make that face," she purred. "I can wait, I was just teasing."

Dawn turned her head and kissed back but Cythrel didn't part her lips. The elf gave a mischievous glance at the Princess two bodies to her right and moved back to the other side of the bath.

'If they are happy with their dysfunctional three-and-a-half-some...', Pearl thought with a bit of envy. She had to remain chaste or her value as heir apparent would plummet but she was as curious as to the next maiden. That very curiosity won over prudence, and she caught herself speaking.

"I did notice the fixed sleep arrangements. I was wondering, how are you doing, Sora?"

It was obvious from her body language that Pearl meant how she was doing without Aidan at night. The Princess of Gohar was blatantly probing for juicy details of Dawn and Sora's private life and Dawn felt appalled by the naturality the real females were talking about that right in front of her. It was something unthinkable for the former male, that was an adherent of the 'kiss don't tell' line of thought.

"Oh, I'm doing great," The squirrel girl bragged. "Especially after Dawn crafted a go--"

Fearful of having her secret spilled, Dawn hit the water and splashed Sora. She glared at her loose-lipped mate. Sora gave her an amused and annoyed glance before grinning. Dawn soon noticed the reason as Cythrel pounced back.

"What did you crafted ago? Back in Yutis? Is that one of those wooden toys you don't let me use?"

Sora snorted. Dawn sighed in relief as it was obvious the elf misheard the words. She thought and decided to compromise.

"If I make one of those toys with a softer material, would you want it?" She proposed the elf.

"But if it is too soft, how will it..." Pearl asked then noticed what she was about to say. The Princess blushed hard and slinked until only her eyes were above the water.

"I think I know how that works," Dawn deadpanned. "Better than any of you three," She added, speaking between her teeth.

"Indeed, darling!" Pearl exclaimed, returning from the land of the drowned. "There was something I was dying to ask if you allow! Have you ever tried to... with yourself... I mean, between you and your other self?"

Dawn failed to catch the innuendo at first, but the way both Sora and Cythrel perked up and literally turned their ears around to focus on her answer gave her the last piece she needed.

"Oh. Me and myself? If I..." She fidgeted around, wondering if she should either answer or run away. Or hope that Rise to the Challenge would allow her to invent teleportation. 'Big fat chance of that happening', she dashed her hopes. Biting her lips, she decided to be completely honest.

"No." She vehemently affirmed. "I never did and didn't even try. I can count on a finger the number of times I've been naked in front of myself and I've never been alone."

The time she was healing in Elmhill didn't count as she was barely conscious.

"Seriously?" Pearl asked, incredulous. "From what I know about men, it would be the first thing most would try. Had the thought of doing it even crossed your mind? I mean, you are gorgeous and attractive. I believe the majority of men wouldn't resist."

Back in the Baroness' sitting room, Aidan committed the faux pas of spilling the tea. He quickly improvised a magical effect to remove the stain but he had to excuse himself and withdraw to the garderobe, leaving a befuddled former innkeeper behind. The young mage cursed Pearl savviness.

Dawn took a deep breath.

"Okay, if you want to know, I'll tell. [Greater Scrying Screen!]" She chanted a spell to protect the room. While she was sure she could detect even archmages scrying them, she wouldn't take chances with what she was about to disclose."

"Okay. You are correct, Pearl. I thought about it, and yes, I am aware that this body is gorgeous and attractive and very sensual. However, there are several reasons I didn't even try."

She paused to see if any of the three girls would say anything but they were within arms' reach of her and apparently holding their breath. The amount of interest they had on the subject was great even though their reasons to want to know were completely different.

"First, I'm Lumina's twin sister. Clone, if you want to be technical but the only difference was that I wasn't birthed by the late Queen Alina. It would be awkward to say the last. While the two years I spent in this body made me comfortable being myself, this face is still Lumina's. That's why I cut my hair shoulder length. It is long enough for nobility but makes me different from Lumina.

"Second, I already have two wives. Why would I waste... time with myself when I can spend that time with them?

"Third, I don't want to know how it is. I know how it feels for both genders. I also feel everything happening to both bodies at once. Doing it with myself will either be ridiculously good as the sensations will multiply or underwhelming. I think it will be the latter, because..."

She paused again to look around. Sora and Cythrel nodded for her to continue and Pearl was finally suffering from overheating as her cheeks were beet red. Probably the steaming water on her side of the bath as Dawn's magic to keep the temperature uneven was still in effect. None of the three females spoke anything so she had to go on.

"Because if you compare the pleasure of doing it yourself and sharing the experience with someone else..." She sighed. "It is much better when you are with another person."

"Is it?" An annoyed Cythrel asked and earned a glare from Sora for interrupting Dawn. "I mean, I wouldn't know as I'm the only one here that wasn't fiddled by Dawn," She stabbed.

Pearl gasped and became an even darker shade of red. Sora nodded and nudged Dawn. "Fix it tonight," The squirrel-kin ordered then declared: "We're swapping sleeping arrangements. I expect deeds worthy of the God-Slayers," She added.

The use of plural by Sora wasn't lost on Dawn. She looked at Cythrel and the elf nodded, displaying a rare bashful demeanor. Dawn smiled and pulled the forest-dweller to her lap.

"So there you have it," She concluded. "I don't think it is worth to even try, I don't need to, and I can keep the other me from getting involved too deep with the Royal family."

The last part made the politician in Pearl raise an eyebrow. "Aren't you betrothed?"

'To yourself', the unspoken modifier lingered on the air.

"Yes and no. It was mentioned in a conversation with my family sans Lumina when I asked to come to escort you but it was never decided, officially or otherwise. As far as Yutis knows, I'm going to Gohar as a goodwill ambassador to show how deep is our friendship."

"Dungeon deep," Cythrel mumbled.

Dawn squeezed the elf shut.

"Help, I'm being smothered by ye Royal Mammaries," She feebly protested.