The bath chamber was thick with a silken, cream-white vapor that smelled of crushed orchids and warm, golden amber. It was a lazy, intoxicating fragrance that slowed the pulse and melted away the weight of the crown, clinging to the damp marble walls like a humid kiss.
The heavy mist carried the rich, sleepy scent of heated vanilla and sun-warmed resins, turning Valex's bath into a hazy, dreamlike sanctuary where time seemed to dissolve entirely. He sat at the edge of the marble bath, his head facing upwards with his eyes closed as he rested them on top of the marble bath edge. His face relaxed but his muscles were still tensed; he looked vulnerable but still alert.
