"Prince," Bulma whispered. He was kissing her just how he had before. His tongue rolling her shoulders, her eyelids fluttering at the feel. She was pressed against Vegeta's body, and he was on top of her. Her hands grasped his shoulders, and he bucked his hips into hers.

She could feel it again, prodding her, and she liked it.

She liked it.

She didn't gasp like a total idiot this time, no. She embraced his presence and even moaned a seductive breath into his ear.

"I feel your-" She said, and it came out so much more attractive than it had before. Less nervous and uncertain, much more confident. Yes. Exactly as the prince wanted. Confident and womanly, not the innocent child he viewed her as. And she wasn't even having to force this confidence, she just had it. " I feel you, Prince."

"You do?" He whispered back. And they kissed, and it was so perfect. "You can touch it," He mumbled. "It's yours, if you want."

"All mine?" She asked coyly, and for sure this was alluring. It had to be!

"All yours," He whispered. And then she felt him pulling at his bottoms, and he grabbed her hand to guide, and her fingertips searched space for that body part of his, and then… And then-!

"Oh!" Bulma's eyes shot open. Her breath was strained, her legs pressed together involuntarily. This had been the same dream she had every night since that particular morning, three days ago.

Beside her Bulma turned. The bed was empty again. Her husband had been making a point to sleep on the couch in the connected library, and she wished he wouldn't. She wanted him to lay with her, to hold and make her feel safe as she fell asleep. She wondered what it would be like to wake up beside him, to lay groggily together until they could procrastinate the day no more. Bulma found herself wanting to share a lot with Vegeta, and she didn't want to have to ask him. She wanted him to want to, as well.

Twenty minutes later Bulma found herself eating breakfast alone. Once again the servants had provided double portions to account for the Prince, and once again he was not going to eat it. This time was different, though. Typically she would be the only one to actually have breakfast, but he would at least keep her company while she was eating.

But today was different. Today he didn't come and watch while she ate, asking silly questions that she knew he didn't really care to know. He had been asking her for "truths" ever since she had introduced him to the game, so why did he not want to today?

When she finished her meal and he still hadn't shown himself, she decided to check on him. Carefully she opened the door connecting to the library, and she peeked in.

She frowned thoughtfully.

He wasn't there.

There was a twist in her gut, and she didn't know exactly why. Perhaps it was that he had not left the chambers for three days straight, and she was growing used to his company. Perhaps it was that she was worried about where he most probably was. It had been long enough, and funeral arrangements needed to be made, whether he cared for it or not.

Hoping he was doing alright, Bulma palmed the door shut. She decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to stretch her legs.

Having a tray full of empty dishes was a perfect excuse to pay a visit to the kitchens, and Bulma gracefully carried the stack to her destination. Upon entering she heard someone gasp, and she smiled knowingly. "Good Morning, Bobble."

"Oh! My lady!" Bobble, predictably, dropped to her knees in a low bow. "What a surprise to see you!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Bulma replied. "I thought a little 'hello' might be overdue. Please stand up,"

"Sorry," The cook breathed. She wiped her hands on her apron when she stood before shooting a careful glance to the Princess. "I'm not used to your kindness. It's almost frightening."

"Some things around here are going to have to change, then." The Princess frowned. "Has Nova been in here to reprimand you since our last visit?"

Bobble's face dropped, and the Princess noted how her knuckles began to tremble.

"She has, hasn't she?!" Bulma snapped, which caused Bobbly to jump straight into the air. "No! No - Bobble - I'm sorry, I promise I'm not mad at you. I just can't believe Nova's done anything to discipline you after I distinctly told her not to."

"She told me not to tell you, Princess." Bobble teared up. "I wasn't going to! I tried not to say anything!"

"Bobble, whatever happens between us will stay between us. I promise," Bulma said. She took the short woman's hand and gave it a pat. "Vegeta is here now, too. I will have a talk with him about the discipline you servants receive. It is unacceptable."

This didn't help with Bobble's shaking, who was so overwhelmed that she burst into sobs. "Oh, Princess! You are such a kind, such a noble-!"

"Bobble, it's okay," Bulma gave her a hug. "Please don't cry. Listen, I had a question for you. Speaking of Nova."

Dabbing her eyes with a hankerchief that Bulma handed her, she sniffled heavily before looking up to her Princess. "Yes, ma'am. Anything you ask…"

"What is her history here? She seems well established, especially with my husband."

Bobble froze. "Nobody has told you, my lady?"

"No…" Bulma frowned. "I keep asking my husband, but we keep getting side-tracked before he has a chance to answer."

"I don't know if I should-"

"Please, Bobble?" Bulma smiled warmly. "Remember, whatever happens between us will stay between us. I just need to know her history here so I can have more context of everything."

"Oh… Okay, my lady, but please…"

"I promise." She put an assuring hand on Bobble's shoulder.

"Well," Bobbly breathed. "I suppose I should start with the Queen."

"You mean my husband's mom?" Bulma asked.

"Yes Ma'am. Up until 20 years ago, the Saiyan culture rejected all newborns whom didn't fit the criteria of what was deemed to be normal. Pris, the Queen, was not considered a normal Saiyan female."

"Pris," Bulma breathed. "What a beautiful name,"

"Yes my lady, and she was just as beautiful as you. She had red hair and amber eyes that glowed. And for a queen she was so wonderful. She was gentle, fair. Quite different from the typical saiyan ruler."

"I think I know what you mean," The Princess frowned. She couldn't help but think about the way Bobble cowered so fearfully. The servant took a deep breath before jumping into her story,

"Queen Pris was born thin and frail, with no power. Physically, the only thing that she had resembling a saiyan was the fur on her tail. She would have been killed the moment she was born but her parents hid her.

"One day when she was about 19 years of age - and I don't know how it happened- she and her parents were brought to King Vegeta. They were supposed to be sentenced to death for hiding her and for lying to the empire. But King Vegeta fell in love the moment he set eyes on her. The King provided two options. Pris was to marry him, or they would all be executed by nightfall.

"Pris chose to marry the King. It is well discussed among us servants that the first year in the palace was hard on her, but her affection for the King grew with time. He was so in love. He was kinder to all when she was present. He spoiled her, and anything she asked for was received. Of course, the war with Frieza had begun by then, and the King only found peace with her. She was everything for him. Then she learned she was with child."

"Vegeta." Bulma whispered.

"Yes. The King never left her side during those months of her pregnancy. By that time, she had fallen in love with the King."

"What happened then?" Bulma asked.

"She did not have the strength of a typical saiyan. And she… She…" Bobble wiped at her eyes again. "She died during labor, my lady. The birth was just too much for her body to handle. And we mourned her, we mourned her so. The King was never the same, even with a new heir."

"So Vegeta never met his mom…" Bulma didn't realize there were tears streaming down her cheeks, and Bobble handed her handkerchief back to her.

"He stayed in his chambers for two days. He refused food, and we all thought he was not sleeping. Then all the sudden he took off. Went to fight in the war.."

"But then, what about Vegeta? Wasn't he a newborn?" Bulma asked,

"Well, he was left under the care of the queen's bodyguard. Her name was Kyva, a very strong female warrior. Kyva took raised the Prince while the King fought the war."

"So the King just left his son… He never took care of him?"

"The king traveled back and forth. Whenever he was here, he spent as much time with the Prince as possible. But Princess, you must remember that saiyan males do not typically babysit their children. Even the time that the King spent with the Prince was unusual for a male.

"And when the Prince was two years old, Kyva became pregnant. She gave birth to Nova."

Bulma gasped. Bobble smiled.

"Nova's father was the second commander of the Saiyan infantry, and a very good friend to the King. But, just like the Queen, Nova was born frail and with no power. She reminded the king too much of the Queen, and he saw to it that Nova was protected from any harm in the kingdom.

"In fact, with her birth the King changed the law. It was decreed that no Saiyan child, regardless of how little they fit the criteria of an ideal saiyan, would be killed. They would be registered. As you know, the Saiyans are a warrior culture. The few children that were born as Nova were not sent to battle or expected to perform physical missions. They were assigned other duties. Some are assigned as scientists, others as politicians, and others like Nova, to the palace. This is where the Prince's path and Nova's come together."

Bulma frowned and bit her lip.

"Kyva raised Nova while she took care of Vegeta. Until one day, her and her husband set off to fulfill a mission for the war. They were killed in action. The King still cared for Nova and allowed her to stay in the palace.

"Needless to say, Nova and the Prince spent their childhood together. They played together, ate together… He protected her, she watched him train, she was always by hid side. But they were separated when the Prince turned 8 years old.

"The war had been won and the King used the time of peace to focus on training his son. They traveled around the universe; the king showed the Prince the empire they ruled. Nova was sent to learn medicine. They rarely saw each other anymore. When the Prince started spending more time in the palace, Nova petitioned the Prince to allow her to work in the palace. Prince Vegeta accepted. She's been keeping order in the palace since then."

"Wow…" Bulma breathed. "Thank you for all of that, Bobble… That's quite a story."

"Yes it is."

"Now I understand," Bulma pondered. "She's probably in love with Vegeta if he spent so much time protecting her. That's why she doesn't like me,"

"Ahem," Bobble cleared her throat. "We'll, my lady, it's no secret among us servants that she wishes to be in your place. It's quite obvious with her behavior… Just be careful with Nova, Princess. She may be weak, but she is still Saiyan."

"Right," Bulma frowned.

"But you have the Prince's heart," Bobble continued, seeing that Bulma's face was dropping. "And that is the greatest advantage you could ever have. His love"

"His love?" The Princess asked.

"Why, yes, my lady." Bobble looked puzzled. "Surely you know the Prince loves you? Why, you two agreed to marriage did you not?"

"Well, yes, but…" She bit her finger. This was getting to a place so personal that she wasn't sure if she should continue. Bobble wouldn't understand if she explained what happened on their wedding day; all that had ensued since then. Frankly, Bulma wasn't sure where she stood with Vegeta. Sometimes they got along so well, he'd even take hold of her and kiss her so deeply, but in the end he always stopped. He always left her alone, acting embarrassed or ashamed of himself.

For what felt like the millionth time since they big wedding day fight, Bulma found herself reminiscing on how Vegeta acted around her before their marriage. He had been so much more consistent with his kind nature, so much less reserved.

"My lady," Bobble interrupted her thoughts. "You cry, my lady! Is everything alright?"

"Yes… Yes, Bobble. Thank you kindly." She turned to hide her face. "I appreciate you sharing the story about Nova with me. Nobody shall know we had this conversation."

"Surely I can make you a sweet to cheer your spirits?" Bobble offered, but Bulma was already heading for the door.

"No… Thank you, Bobble… But no." She held her shoulders high despite her trembling lip. She had a lot to think about, and a lot to process.