Grace of the Rose (2)
Grace of the Rose (2)
I stood in the street and briefly surveyed my surroundings.
Taverns, gambling dens, and brothels were densely packed everywhere.
Despite the late hour, the crowds were still bustling noisily.
No wonder this was called the pleasure district.
Women soliciting customers in front of each brothel were showing off their bodies.
More skin was exposed than covered.
Feeling embarrassed just looking, I quickly turned my head away.
My gaze returned to the front.
A three-story building several times larger than other establishments came into view.
Grace of the Rose.
The most popular brothel in the city, according to nine out of ten passersby.
True to its reputation, even the entrance was different from low-class whorehouses.
Instead of scantily clad women, well-dressed burly men stood guard.
I stepped forward and walked toward it.
As I got closer, they seemed to notice me.
A giant of a man a full head taller than me strode toward me.
"Excuse me, miss. This isn't a place for ladies to linger."
"This is Grace of the Rose, isn't it?"
"Indeed. But our establishment doesn't provide services for female patrons."
The bouncer spoke with remarkably polite manners.
This was the first time since coming to this world that I'd received such courteous treatment from a stranger.
Such a considerate place might be good to entrust myself to.
I removed the hood I'd been wearing low over my face.
My features were revealed, and my ebony-black hair fluttered in the wind.
"Gasp!"
The involuntary exclamations of the surrounding men reached my ears.
Meeting their astonished gazes, I spoke quietly.
"I didn't come to receive services. Though I might consider providing them."
"Huh?"
"I'm looking for work. Are you perhaps short on girls to warm the beds?"
At my question, the man blinked in clear surprise.
The best way to accumulate lust points.
That was to become a prostitute.
As a whore, men would come rolling in even if I just sat still.
And I'd earn money too—nothing could be better.
It would even solve my uncontrollable sexual urges.
Truly killing three birds with one stone.
"Th-then please come inside first."
Following the flustered man, I stepped into the building.
Watching his back, I briefly lost myself in thought.
I'd escaped the life of a whore when the slums burned down, only to willingly return to it.
I didn't particularly need to steel my resolve to sell my body again.
If I wanted revenge even a day sooner, this was the best way.
The soldiers who took Rubyia from me, and their master.
Before they tripped on some blind man's cobblestone and died, I had to finish them with my own hands.
For that, I couldn't afford to be picky about methods.
Spreading my legs for strangers was trivial in the grand scheme.
By the time I emerged from my thoughts, the man's guidance had ended.
Following him, we arrived at an elegantly decorated office.
"Madam. A young lady has come seeking night work."
"A lady? I'm a bit busy now. For such matters, you should ask Ameline..."
The woman reviewing documents lifted her gaze to me.
Then she froze mid-sentence, staring blankly at me.
"......"
Several seconds passed in silence.
The woman called "Madam" set down her papers and stood up.
"Good work. Go fetch Ameline and Olivia. Our young lady will come with me."
The Madam smiled brightly and gestured for me to follow.
Her previously thorny voice had completely vanished.
"Excuse me."
Following her, I settled onto what looked like a plush sofa.
The soft velvet curved to cradle my bottom.
This level of comfort could rival modern amenities.
The establishment must be doing very well.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Rosalia, the owner here. You may call me Madam."
"Nice to meet you, Madam. I'm Rene."
Madam Rosalia.
A captivating beauty with fiery red hair.
She looked to be in her early thirties.
Younger than expected for the owner of such a large establishment.
"You came seeking work, I hear. You surely know what kind of place Grace of the Rose is?"
"Of course. I even have experience at other houses."
At my mention of experience, Rosalia's eyes sparkled with interest.
"Experience? Someone as beautiful as you is truly rare. I'm curious—where did you work before?"
"At a small house in Chevika."
"Ah. Chevika."
Chevika March—the homeland of both love and hate where I met and lost Rubyia.
Though Chevika and Rivaid weren't far apart, they had little interaction.
Due to the mountain range Tir, Seyron and I had crossed together.
"You've come to the right place. Grace of the Rose is the finest house in the city. Only we can offer treatment worthy of Rene's beauty."
The Madam had mentioned my beauty twice now.
Apparently my looks worked in the city as well as the slums.
In this favorable atmosphere, I opened my mouth.
"I appreciate your words. Before we continue, might I set some conditions for my work here?"
"Conditions?"
The Madam tilted her head.
Instead of answering, I took out my mercenary badge and placed it on the table.
The silver plating glittered in the lamplight.
"I'm a mercenary. Though I'm returning to the brothel, that fact remains unchanged."
"...This is a genuine guild piece. Please continue."
After examining the badge, she nodded with a serious expression.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to think me impertinent.
"This may sound greedy, but I wish to pursue both occupations rather than focusing on just one."
"You mean mercenary work and night work simultaneously?"
Rosalia asked in apparent surprise.
Exactly the reaction I expected.
Though prostitutes commonly took side jobs, mercenary work was practically the opposite.
Both involved selling one's body, but they were fundamentally different trades.
"Yes. I want to work as a mercenary by day. So would it be possible for me to only work evenings or nights here?"
By day, staining my hands with blood as a mercenary. By night, spreading my legs as a whore.
Pain and lust.
This was the method I'd chosen to catch both rabbits.
After brief consideration, Rosalia asked:
"Hmm. Don't some mercenary jobs take more than a day?"
"Sometimes."
"So you essentially want flexible hours?"
"...That sums it up."
Was my request too excessive?
Her prolonged deliberation made me self-conscious.
If Grace of the Rose refused, I'd have to look elsewhere.
"Is it too difficult?"
"No. Not at all."
Rosalia shook her head with an odd expression.
Her thoughts weren't hard to guess.
Prostitution was a last resort for women at dead ends.
A silver-ranked mercenary with skills had no need to endure such dishonor.
"...Only a fool would turn away someone as lovely as Rene."
Yet she made no attempt to voice her questions.
She must have sensed I had my reasons.
"You may work whenever you wish, Rene."
She chose pragmatism over prying into my circumstances.
I likewise didn't bother with lengthy explanations.
We only needed to satisfy each other's terms.
"Thank you. You needn't worry about stamina issues."
Fortunately, I wouldn't need to search elsewhere.
As negotiations concluded successfully, a knock sounded and two women entered.
"Madam. You called for us?"
"Ah, there you are."
The Madam rose from the sofa.
I hastily stood up too.
"Ameline, Olivia. This fine young lady will be joining us starting today."
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Rene."
They greeted me in turn.
They didn't look like prostitutes—likely mid-level managers.
After introductions, the Madam spoke again.
"Rene. Before formalizing the contract, there's something we must do."
"What is it?"
"As you know, in our line of work, there's something we need to check besides your face, right?"
Her gaze traveled over my robed figure.
Though she phrased it delicately, this was actually more important than my face.
Without protest, I loosened my robe.
As the fabric concealing my figure fell away, the three women's eyes widened immediately.
"...Rene. Truly fantastic. Why did you wait so long to come to me?"
"With breasts like these, she'd rank top three in our house."
"I agree. I've never seen such a perfectly sculpted body."
They showered me with genuine compliments that made me slightly embarrassed.
"Rene. Could you undress completely? We'll need to inspect thoroughly."
I'd expected as much.
With only women present, there was no reason to hesitate. Moreover, hygiene checks to prevent STDs were common.
I removed my corset vest, blouse, and leather pants, placing them on the table.
Finally stripping off my undergarments, I stood completely nude.
My bare white body was fully exposed to them.
Rosalia, Ameline and Olivia simply stared holes through me.
"Madam?"
"...Ah. My apologies, Rene. Your body is so beautifully picturesque it left me speechless."
The Madam approached me with an almost enchanted expression.
At close range, she carefully examined my perky breasts.
Her breath was close enough to feel, making my heart skip.
Her beauty was enough to make even me slightly nervous.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Madam Rosalia's cool hands grasped and kneaded my full breasts.
Her touch was neither too gentle nor too rough—exquisitely balanced.
Her slender fingers repeatedly sank into and withdrew from my flesh as if savoring them.
The pleasurable sensation made me unconsciously arch my back and push my chest forward.
"Soft yet elastic. Barely any sag despite their fullness. A very pretty shape."
Not stopping there, her fingertips found my nipples.
The already slightly erect pink buds were teasingly fondled.
"The areolae are nicely proportioned too, and these nipples are temptingly colored. Anyone would want to suck on them."
As she finished speaking, she pinched my nipple between two fingers.
This forced out the moan I'd been suppressing.
"Hahhn...!"
"Good sensitivity too."
Smirking mischievously, she naturally moved downward.
Her palms slid along my body's contours from under my arms in slow, deliberate strokes.
Her hands were no longer cold, having absorbed my body heat.
They only stopped upon reaching my pelvis.
"An ideally slender waist. A nicely indented navel too, and hips I might actually envy. They call this the childbearing type, don't they? Easy to deliver babies?"
Joking, the Madam briefly embraced me.
A strong rose fragrance wafted over as her hands cupped my buttocks.
"Excellent elasticity here. One might call it chewy or sticky. Do you enjoy being spanked?"
"I-I don't really..."
"Hehe. Violence is bad. But they say it's quite addictive once you try it."
After whispering this by my ear, she released me with a laugh.
Moving behind me, she crouched and spread my buttocks apart.
"Completely hairless—perfect grooming. I appreciate your thorough preparation. Both openings are beautifully closed with no discoloration."
Her hot breath brushed against my exposed privates.
Whether she noticed my flinch or not, she continued speaking.
"This waist, these hips, this backside—a perfect trio. The view when bending over with just your rear raised must be incomparable."
When her hands withdrew, the tension left my legs.
But returning to face me, she knelt directly before my spread thighs.
"Could you bend your knees slightly wider?"
"Y-yes..."
Had I already grown accustomed to her touch?
Foolishly, I obediently spread wider in response.
"Good girl."
Her now-warm hands stroked up my inner thighs.
Gradually, they reached my neatly closed womanhood.
"Some plumpness here. Adorably chubby."
Her fingers slowly parted my tightly closed outer lips.
My pink inner folds were completely exposed to her gaze.
"Hihh...!"
I tensed completely, holding my breath.
After examining my most private area, she quietly shared her thoughts.
"...How can every hole be so pretty? Even as a woman, I feel envious."
Though sincerely complimentary, my face burned with embarrassment.
I'd been growing wet since she touched my nipples.
She must have seen my glistening folds when making that observation.
No matter how shameless I was, this level of exposure was mortifying.
"The urethra is cute, and the clitoris is perfectly round. Many men must have wanted to put their mouths here, no?"
"I-I don't know..."
I barely managed to reply in a fading voice.
Smirking, she glanced up at me before bringing her face close enough to brush my sex.
Her cautious sniffing sent puffs of breath against my sensitive flesh.
The stimulating contact made my vaginal opening twitch involuntarily.
"Clean and clear—innocently lewd. Makes my mouth water just smelling it. I want to keep inhaling."
She continued her appraisal nonchalantly.
Fortunately, she seemed not to notice my humiliating quiver.
As I sighed in relief, she looked up and asked:
"Rene. May I insert a finger?"
"...If you wish."
Having already been touched everywhere, refusal now would be laughable.
Her middle finger stroked my entrance a few times before slowly pushing in.
"Hahh..."
I shuddered at the penetration.
Even the same finger felt vastly different when someone else's.
"Excellent tightness. Not just stiff—your inner folds grip each knuckle perfectly. Mediocre men would finish immediately upon entry."
Her curved fingertip lightly scraped my inner walls.
The mounting pleasure made my hips twist and my muscles clench reflexively.
"Is this skill ingrained? Or pure instinct? Either way, magnificent. No instruction needed."
Her slender finger withdrew.
A thin strand of my fluids stretched briefly before breaking.
The Madam stood up smiling.
"A very satisfactory examination. But what pleases me most is—"
Her suddenly thrusting finger deeply scraped upward through my slit.
The simultaneous stimulation of vagina, urethra and clitoris forced out a sharp cry.
"Nhyaaah...!"
My head jerked back at the embarrassingly loud moan.
Smirking knowingly, the Madam licked my juices from her finger.
"That Rene has an easily aroused body."