Jaehaerys walked through the streets of King's Landing with a perfumed cloth covering his nose. The stench was as unbearable as always. He walked with a hood hiding his face, and another figure walked beside him.
"The stench of shit is unbearable," said the female voice beside the prince.
"I'm sorry to put you through this," Jaehaerys said with a hint of pity in his voice.
"It doesn't matter, I understand everything." Ros's voice was surprisingly reasonable, not at all like before when she complained about being separated from the prince for long periods of time.
Ros had traveled to King's Landing via the Blackwater, so she arrived in a few days
She went to the capital with the sole order to take control of Baelish's brothels. When Jaehaerys approached her, he almost expected her to refuse, since it would require her to leave ArgentStone. But she didn't. There was a different maturity in her, as if she understood that it wasn't a whim of the prince, but a necessity.
Two people fully covered might raise suspicion elsewhere, but in the capital, it was quite common to see them that way. Jaehaerys had done some research on the brothels of Littlefinger and quickly found someone to take control.
"Chataya's Brothel," read a sign. It was a fairly busy place, it seemed. Not just anyone could enter. Seeing the prince's attire, the two guards guarding the entrance prevented him from entering. Ros threw them a gold coin, which seemed to buy them a pass.
Two types of people would go to a brothel dressed like that. A poor fool who aspires to more than he can afford. Or a nobleman important enough that he couldn't or wouldn't want to be involved in scandals involving prostitutes.
Jaehaerys removed the scarf from his face, still keeping his face covered. There were young women going back and forth, holding clients by the hand. He heard Ros sigh with a little pity for the women's fate.
"Ah... two mysterious men," a woman with a heavily accented voice said as she approached them. She was dark-skinned and curvaceous. She wore a feathered dress that Jaehaerys had never seen before. "Are you looking for someone in particular? Or do you want to look around before choosing?" she asked as she pointed to some girls who were free.
"I'm looking for the owner... Chataya," Jaeaherys said, his diction alone telling Chataya that he was of high caste.
"You're talking to her... although I have a different price than my girls," she said as she began to fondle the prince.
"Nothing I can't afford," the prince let her see a fraction of his face, revealing the features of the House of the Dragon.
Chataya's expression changed immediately. "This way, please," she said to both of them.
Jaehaerys followed her, glancing at the floor, where a mosaic of two women adorned it. For a moment, the sound of bagpipes distracted him; an older man was playing. It was a brothel, a place of lust and degeneration, and yet it seemed so... dignified, not like a brothel, but like a temple where tribute was paid to sex.
Chataya came from the Summer Islands, a place known for its liberal outlook. So much so that even Dorne seems like a nun in comparison. There, sex was not just pleasure; it was a religion.
The air was heavy with spices, and Jaehaerys could recognize some aphrodisiac drugs as well. He smiled under his hood. He had created those drugs. He wondered if Chataya had obtained them long ago or if someone had taken over his business in Essos after R'hllor's fanatics destroyed it.
He also wondered where Melissandre was. Her visit the other day was not real; it was a shadow she used to tempt him, perhaps already sensing that he could resist her.
"Here, Your Highness," Chataya had said, leading them to a room away from the rest. It seemed to be her own quarters.
"Your brothel is... different," Jaehaerys said, scanning the room. Then he lifted his hood.
"It is a place for passion and desire," Chataya said, scanning the prince's eyes. "In the Summer Islands, we are not ashamed of what happens under the sheets. We pay tribute to the gods with our bodies," she told him. Jaehaerys looked into her eyes, which regarded him with curiosity. "I am sure we will be able to honor my gods very well," the woman said, pouring wine.
"We didn't come here for pleasure," Ros interjected, uncovering her face as well. Jaehaerys detected a hint of annoyance in her voice. "We came on business," she added.
Chataya's face changed slightly. Before, she had spoken with a certain happiness, but now she seemed a little lost. Even so, she did not lose her manners and gave each of them a glass.
"Business, you say?" the woman urged him to continue.
"Baelish," said the prince. Chataya said nothing. "We have heard that you have bought their brothels," he told her.
"I heard they were for sale, saw an opportunity, and bought them. I didn't mean to offend a prince," said the woman. She wasn't angry; she even seemed a little scared.
"You haven't offended me. I actually came here looking for a partnership," said the prince, sniffing the wine. The collar on her body didn't react at all.
"You want me to sell you the brothels," she guessed easily. "All right... I just... hope the price makes up for some of what I spent," she swallowed.
It wasn't entirely wrong for a prostitute to be willing to give up her chance to make more money; after all, it wasn't in her best interest to make enemies. But Jaehaerys didn't intend to take everything from her.
"I want ownership of the brothels, yes," Jaehaerys drank from his glass. "But I don't want to leave you with nothing," he said afterwards. "Ros here," he pointed to his companion, "will be the one to run everything. I want you to help her. It won't be for free, of course, a percentage of the profits will be yours." It was a simple deal.
"You want my girls to spy for you," Chataya said in a guttural voice, drinking wine in a refined manner, closer to the manners of a princess than those of a prostitute.
Jaehaerys did not respond directly: "Are you against the deal?" the prince asked.
"No. I'm in favor," she said quickly.
She seemed more relaxed. "But... you may have made a mistake," Chataya told him. "The brothels I bought are few; after all, I can't say I'm capable of buying all the brothels in King's Landing, not to mention those outside the capital," she explained.
"But you know them, right?" asked the prince.
Chataya, despite owning one of the most expensive and exclusive brothels, was not able to buy Baelish's entire empire. Jaehaerys was not looking for possessions in her. He was looking for knowledge and contacts. He would provide the gold, and Chataya would guide Ros to obtain everything.
"I'll do it," she nodded, understanding what the prince wanted from her. "Ros... have you ever worked in a brothel?" she asked the redhead, who shook her head. "Ah... there are so many things you have to learn, some are better experienced firsthand—"
"No. My involvement will be purely commercial. I already run some brothels, but I'm not interested in being a prostitute," Ros refused flatly. She looked at Jaehaerys for a few seconds before looking away.
"In my lands, being a prostitute is not a bad thing," Chataya tried to convince her.
"Enough," Jaehaerys did not like the idea at all. "I do not want a sour relationship with you," said the prince.
"Ah... I can understand why you don't want any more men," Chataya looked at the bond between them. "With someone as handsome as Prince Jaehaerys, what other man could come close? Besides, the rumors about his skills in bed make even me a little excited," she said as she sat down on a bed, slowly and deliberately crossing her legs.
"Rumors?" asked the prince.
"Ah... your wedding night, the sounds that came from the princess's mouth were the talk of the castle. It didn't take long for one of the nobles to gossip with my girls. They're pretty good at getting what they want from a man," said Chataya.
"I'm counting on it," said Jaehaerys as he stood up. "Ros will come here through the tunnel that leads to the stable," said the prince.
"How do you know?" Chataya asked in surprise. That was a tunnel that had been created for a Hand of the King. She jealously guarded its existence.
Jaehaerys smiled, but no answer came from his mouth. "Ros speaks for me," he said as he covered his face again.
They both left the brothel, and Chataya was left alone. She had lost her new brothels, but she had gained a bigger business. She only hoped that getting too involved with the prince would not hurt her unnecessarily.