To the Brothels, to look for Blake

Prince Blake was Alice's third brother, only one year her senior. He was also the one to care least about succession, and in fact, royal matters as a whole. As soon as he became a man, he indulged in carnal pleasures, spending more time in brothels than in the palace. His reputation as a philandering playboy somehow made him more popular with the noble women who all wanted to "ride the stallion", so to speak. Content with squandering the kingdom's wealth on worldly pleasures, Blake is the least threatening of her three bothers, yet also the one with the most knowledge of rumors and gossips, owing to all the time he's spent with the ladies.

The Capital was the both the financial and cultural heart of Gardius, and that is reflected in not just the architecture, but in the boisterous spirits of the people. Even in the lower half of the city, where the peasants there is always a jubilant and festive mood in the air, which Alice could feel as she strolled through the streets, attracting no small amount of attention from those that recognized her. {if Finley Met = false}Walking alongside her was the final person involved in her conspiracy, her personal knight Finley. Like all members of the royal family, Alice was assigned a knight at the age of sixteen, over two years ago, and in those two years she's grown to understand that while the young man was skilled with a blade, he had little else going for him. Still, he was loyal and absolutely smitten with her, so there was little reason not to make use of him. {else} Finley was by her side, as she saw no harm in it. He likely wasn't going to be speaking to Blake, after all. {endif}

Soon, they arrive at their destination, The Golden Swan, a bathhouse technically. In reality, it was prince Blake's favorite brothel. It was a quaint, wooden lodge built upon a natural reservoir of hot spring water, which made it a good place for all kinds of relaxation. Since it had Blake's fancy, it was massively popular with a large client base, and rumor has it that even nobles had to book over a week in advance to get in.

Upon their arrival, Alice and Finley were greeted immediately by cheery brunette attendant, who comes rushing over. "Princess Alice! Your brother said you were going to come today. I'm humbled to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, did he now?" Alice asks, thinking to herself how impressive Blake's network of knowledge must be. If she could utilize it for her own purposes, she would be nigh unstoppable. But the thought of asking Blake for a favor churns her stomach. The man was inscrutable, and normal negotiation methods didn't work with him. After all, how would you strike a deal with a man who wanted neither power nor wealth?

"Yep, he's waiting in the large bath, first door to your left," the attendant says happily, pointing Alice to where she needs to go.

She nods to Finley, and he knows that it's his cue to wait in the lobby and ensure no one interrupts this meeting. Going down the hall, stepping into the first door to her left, Alice arrives at a changing room. Cursing underneath her breath, she spent over ten minutes trying to take off her dress and the corset underneath, and she swore even harder when she realized she wouldn't be able to put it back on herself. God, was she going to need that attendant to help her? Shaking her head in annoyance, she stripped off her clothing and folded them neatly into a cubby, standing there naked as the day she was born. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around herself, tying it tightly to ensure it won't slip off. Her bare feet treading on the wet, wooden floor beneath her, she pushed open the door to the baths.

Alice heard her brother before she saw him. Sitting at the edge of the pool, completely naked without an ounce of shame, a harlot on each side, taking turns running their tongues up and down his engorged shaft like animals, moaning all the while as his hands teased their massive tits. Blade's face broke into a wide grin when he saw her, though he made no move to stop the degeneracy before her eyes.

"Ah, you're here sis," he said with a smug grin, beckoning for her to come closer. "I waited so long I thought my intel was wrong, so instead of waiting alone, I got a few friends, hope you don't mind."

Alice did mind. A lot. It was hard to concentrate with all the...insanity that was taking place right in front of her. Plus, her brother's...thing...was just dangling there, and she couldn't help but be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Despite the fragrant waters of the hot springs, the stench of sex permeated the whole room, and clearly, Blake was enjoying the attention.

Gritting her teeth, Alice pointed to the door behind her. "Out," she growled, and the word echoed throughout the bath. The two whores exchanged glances before looking to the prince for confirmation. When he nodded slowly, they quickly scurried out of the water, not bother to cover their slutty bodies as they scampered away, tits bouncing with each step.

Shameless whores, Alice thought to herself. If I was to sell myself, I'd get far more than a few coins for my trouble.

But now, they were alone, and Alice slid into the hot water, towel still wrapped around her. Blake might be comfortable showing off, but she didn't need any more vulnerabilities. Plus, all it would do was draw comparisons between her less than endowed body and those of the whores.

"What a shame, I was close too," Blake said, seemingly not mad at all despite getting his blowjob interrupted. The smug expression never left his face as he joined his sister in the water, submerging his cock. "So, what did you want? I doubt you came all this way just to blueball me."

"Information," Alice replied bluntly, and it was the truth. Blake probably knew everything in the kingdom, even if he didn't care about half the gossip that entered his ears. "There's much I need to know. Who the nobles favor, how father's illness is progressing, and so much more. I'm sure you've got ears everywhere, even if unintentionally."

"Haha, you're not wrong about that. But why have so much trust in me? I could lie with ease you know?" He asked in return, slowly swimming across the pool, inching over to join his sister.

"But you won't," she countered. That was a gamble. She only had a tenuous grasp on his personality, but from what she knew, he considered the succession game as nothing more than just entertainment. And seeing as she was the underdog, he'd gain nothing by sabotaging her...or so she hopes. "Because a three way battle is more interesting. Plus, you hate Jamis. Why not bet on me taking him down?"

Laughing once again, Blake nodded. "True, you're not wrong. I would like that pompous bastard taken down a notch...but that doesn't mean I'll help you for free."

There it was. The devil's deal. How much of her soul would she need to sell, she wondered. The throne and the crown was her life's goal, but how much is too much? How much of her dignity can she sacrifice while remaining true to herself? Even she herself didn't know the answer to that question.

"I'll tell you what, lets keep things simple," he suggested, having finally made his way across the pool. Sitting beside his sister, he reached an arm out, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her into him. Alice didn't resist, but she glowered at him in rage at his presumptuousness. Still, she waited for him to finish speaking. "Every day, I will provide you an answer to your query. Any question you can think of, I'll answer if I can. If I can't, you can pick another. The price will change every day though, based purely on my whims on that day in particular. Today...I'll have you shed your towel. How does that sound?"