There was no parade, no hero’s welcome when Peach and Bowsette returned to the Mushroom Kingdom and came back to Peach’s Castle. Bowsette was okay with that.

Instead, when they arrived, they did so in secret, taking one of Peach’s personal underground trains to a back entrance of the castle. Bowsette had no idea this existed, so it must have been a recent addition to the Royal House Toadstool’s defensive infrastructure. She wondered why such a structure was built...

It was nice to be entering a secluded part of the castle without also being kidnapped by Koopatrol guards when doing so. The past few weeks had been tumultuous for Bowsette, and she most certainly did not want to relive that all over again. That today was relatively peaceful was an absolute boon.

However, two Toads, ones Bowsette couldn’t really recognize because she was not the best at telling Toads apart, gasped in terror as they saw the two women marching into the otherwise-quiet foyer. Both had mustaches.

“Princess! Where have you been!” the one with the brown cap shouted before running up to her. Bowsette jumped in front of her and flashed her fangs in case he was a secret attacker. You never knew with these Toads.

He stopped and almost had the spirit jump out of him with fear.

Peach pushed Bowsette out of the way. “I left on a secret mission, and I couldn’t tell you about it. I’m very sorry. Forgive me, Toadsworth.”

“Oh, well, that’s, uh...” the Toad tried to gather the words to actually say something, but didn’t seem able to.

The green-capped one behind him, though, pointed at Bowsette and yelled, “What is HE doing here?”

“Kakakakaka,” Bowsette laughed. She extended her claws. “My name is Bowsette, Lordess of the Dark Realms, Heiress Apparent to the Destiny of the Deities. Try that statement again.”

“I officially pardoned Bowsette for all the crimes she committed,” Peach said. “And as absolute ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Chancellor, I hope that you will understand that these such rulings are final and incontrovertible.”

“B-b-but, Princess...” the brown-capped Toad stuttered. “Why would you ever let this... being back into the castle like this? Surely you are not well...”

“I am well enough,” Peach said, striking a much more formal tone all of a sudden. “You will provide for her a permanent room close to mine, and all the finest ameneties the castle has to offer. Is that understood?”

Both of the Toads nodded.

“Very well. Then I shall go freshen up. I have not showered in weeks and wish to bathe. Bowsette, I trust that you desire one as well?”

...

...

“Oh, yeah, me too,” Bowsette saiid. “Definitely. I need a bath.”

“Very well,” Peach said. “Toadsworth, please send for our handmaidens to fill up bathwater in each of our tubs.”

...

Darn it.

Oh well. Bowsette followed some handmaidens up the stairs and down the hall to an unassuming door. She opened it and found, well, an unassuming bedroom. It was cute and pink but with not much personality to it, no sense that anyone had ever much lived in here. It was likely that few ever had. That was the thing with castles like these; most of its spaces were sadly unoccupied for its entire existence.

But even so, Bowsette laid down on the bed and felt her back nearly evaporate as she sank into the memory foam.

This felt amazing.

Not just getting a good rest for the first time since escaping from Dark Land, but just... being here, like this.

In the Mushroom Kingdom, but not as an enemy.

In the body of Bowsette, but not hated.

With Princess Peach, but not kidnapping her or fighting her.

For the first time in a long time, she could spread her arms and legs out like she was making a snow angel and simply lay like this without fear of being attacked at any given moment.

Wow...

She was Bowsette. Not Bowser or King Koopa or anything else. She was Bowsette, a woman, and one who at the moment felt a level of contentedness that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. She could finally accept herself, at least to this degree.

Bowsette drifted off to sleep.