A secluded pavilion could be found in the mountains that stretched across the northern part of Dizencia. This pavilion gained notoriety for the hundreds of mistresses who kept the place lively. It had a hot bath, which served as a witness to the steamy activities that were going on around the place.

The singing of birds that were hiding among the scattered trees blended in with the constant sound of water dripping from the bamboo fountain. These creatures could be heard singing their hymns, and they were joined in the chorus by the few cicadas that were scurrying around in the grass.

Women of varying types chatted and laughed among themselves as they attended to the needs of their one and only master while he delighted in the pleasures of a steamy, hot bath with them. In fact, one of the women was supposed to pour and serve him drinks on a scheduled basis.

And anyone who lived close by could hear them clearly.

Most especially, Vandread, who was the master of the whole harem pavilion.

He was apparently too relaxed because of not only the nature that brought him peace of mind but also the group of women, naked and beautiful, swarming around him while they all enjoyed a hot bath in a hidden spring somewhere in the mountains of Dizencia.

It was a life Vandread wanted to have for a while, away from all the troubles of raids, wars, or hunting for villains that wanted power. For once, he fantasized about spending time in his own harem, being pampered and entertained by the plethora of beautiful women vying for his attention.

“My Lord, I just came back from the Driftonlands, and look what I brought me: your favorite wine.” A woman with skin like porcelain and long brown hair walked up to Vandread and gave him the goblet with his favorite wine in it. She had a lustrous porcelain complexion.

"Thank you, but..." Vandread opened his mouth to respond, but just as he was about to say something, another woman with dark hair and ample breasts quickly snatched the goblet away from him.

This woman had the palest white skin imaginable when contrasted with the other woman who had brown hair. She stood out from the crowd with her fiery eyes, and Vandread had no prior exposure to her stunning good looks. He might have had too high of an expectation for a harem to provide him with such a perfect selection of women.

“Were you just taking on my schedule to serve the master?” She then told the other woman. Her voice meant war if the brown-haired woman was to even accept her invitation.

"There was absolutely no reason to feel guilty about what I did."

“Oh, so you really didn't mean anything when you tried to offer your services to the master even though they weren't even on your schedule yet?”

"All I was doing was presenting the master with the gift that I had brought back from my most recent trip. In case you have forgotten, we are all obligated to act with such courtesy. " The woman with the brown hair spoke out against it.

This kind of defense did nothing but make the woman with the black hair even more irate with the woman with the brown hair than she already was. She wanted to pounce on her and show her what it meant to defy the serving schedules for each mistress by giving her a taste of the consequences of her actions.

On the other hand, she was well aware that doing so would only cause her to look foolish in front of Lord Vandread. Good enough that Vandread tried to mediate between the two mistresses by making a throat clearing noise that was loud enough to stop them from fighting before any conflict could break out between them as a result of the minor misunderstanding.

It was efficient enough to prevent them from opening their mouths for the time being. The two were immediately forced to be separated in an instance, and the woman with the brown hair exited the hot bath hall immediately with a sly grin on her face.

There was a sigh of relief heard from Vandread. He was not interested in getting on the good side of either of them. Instead, he would prefer it if both of them continued to be faithful to him. He simply could not allow himself to suffer the loss of even a single exquisite blossom from his harem.

Vandread had hoped that this harem would be calm and soothing so that he could go there whenever he needed a break from his monotonous life or when he just wanted to take some time for himself to relax.

But eventually, that peace and quiet would be shattered when he would be surprised by the appearance of a woman who wasn't even a member of his harem. She entered the steamy tub wearing nothing more than a towel wrapped around her upper body and extending down to her thighs.

She flashed a sly grin at Vandread as she fiddled with a shaft in her hands.

Vandread was astounded by what he saw. The idea that he would run into her here, of all places, was beyond his wildest imagination. He was able to recall who she was as well as the last interaction that he had with her. However, for some reason, Vandread wished that it could be removed from his memory because he did not want to be brought back to that particular moment.

He was well aware of how fragile and helpless he was during that time period. He had no control over the situation, and he was left alone. It was the complete opposite of what it was like at this time, however, as he was worshiped heavily by his harem, attended to, and obviously very powerful.

Vandread felt an overwhelming sense of regret for the things that had happened to him in the past, and he had no desire to relive those experiences. Her presence, however, made him realize once again how helpless he really was.

It was inconceivable to him that, out of all the women who might join him in his hot bath, she would be the one to do so—Princess Camilla.