Free Web NovelChapter 144: The Art of Making Men Talk
Sarah leaned back in her chair and looked at Violetta. "You know there are rough customers too, right?"
Violetta immediately nodded. "Of course. They are usually the worst. Many of my fellow courtesans were hurt by them."
Sarah grinned. "Exactly. They are the worst, but don’t forget who we are."
She crossed one leg over the other. "Heavenly Palace accepts all kinds of customers, including the rough ones."
Violetta frowned slightly. "Then how do you deal with them?"
Sarah’s grin widened. "Didn’t you already see it?"
She leaned forward slightly. "We act even rougher than they do."
Violetta blinked.
Sarah laughed. "What? You think every customer wants someone soft and obedient?"
She pointed toward the door Darius had left through. "Men like him have strong fighting spirits. They enjoy arguing, competing, drinking, and testing their strength."
Sarah shrugged. "If they act rough, I act rougher. Usually, one of two things happens."
Violetta listened carefully.
Sarah raised one finger. "They either get scared and run away because they can’t handle the shame of being beaten by a woman..."
Her smug smile widened as she raised a second finger. "Or they grin, get even rougher, and want more."
Violetta stared at her.
Sarah laughed again. "Think about it. A rough man already enjoys fighting. If the person challenging him happens to be a beautiful woman, that only makes it better."
Violetta slowly nodded. "I see... I think I somewhat understand now. You simply act like them, but with a beautiful face, which makes them enjoy it more."
Sarah nodded approvingly. "Now you get it. Who wouldn’t enjoy arguing and fighting with a beautiful woman?"
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face. "Although, if you’re talking about truly masochistic customers, it’s probably better to leave those to Raven or Rosa."
Raven slowly looked up from her tea.
Rosa’s smile immediately froze.
Sarah continued shamelessly, "Both of them are much better at..."
"Enough!" Rosa shouted, cutting her off.
She immediately stood up, grabbed Violetta’s arm, and pulled her away. "That is enough learning from Sarah. Now it is my turn."
Sarah burst out laughing.
Rosa ignored her and dragged Violetta toward the door. "Come on. You have already seen Raven and Sarah. This time, you are following me."
Violetta glanced back at Sarah, then looked at Rosa. "Yes, Senior Sister. Are we going now?"
Rosa smiled brightly. "Of course, we’re leaving right now. My client this time is a new one, so you can learn even more."
Violetta nodded.
The two of them soon arrived at Rosa’s private room.
Just before entering, Rosa turned toward Violetta. "Just like with the others, you do not need to do anything. Simply watch how I handle a client."
Violetta nodded seriously. "I understand."
Rosa giggled softly. "Hehe... good. My method is much more fun than theirs."
---
Rosa gently pushed open the door and walked inside with Violetta following quietly behind her.
A young man was already waiting at the table.
Judging from his expensive robes and nervous expression, he was clearly wealthy. Unlike Darius, however, he did not carry the confidence of someone used to places like this.
The moment he saw Rosa, his eyes immediately brightened. "Miss Rosa?"
Rosa smiled warmly. "That’s me."
The young man quickly stood up. "I-I’ve heard a lot about you."
Rosa giggled softly. "Hehe... hopefully only good things."
"Of course!"
His answer came so quickly that even Violetta nearly smiled.
Rosa casually gestured toward the table. "Sit down. You’re making me nervous by standing there so seriously."
The young man immediately sat.
Somehow, that single joke was enough to make his stiff shoulders relax.
Rosa introduced Violetta as her junior sister before sitting down and pouring tea instead of wine.
"Oh?" she said with a curious smile. "You don’t drink?"
The young man looked surprised. "How did you know?"
Rosa smiled brightly. "You kept looking at the wine like it insulted your ancestors."
He burst out laughing.
Within only a few breaths, the awkward atmosphere had disappeared.
Unlike Raven and Sarah, Rosa did not carefully guide the conversation or challenge the client.
She simply talked to him.
She remembered his name the first time he said it, laughed at his jokes, and somehow made even his boring stories sound interesting.
At one point, Rosa stared at him in surprise. "You really argued with your father over that?"
The young man snorted. "That crazy old bastard started it first."
Rosa covered her mouth and laughed. "Hehe... I’m sure he would say exactly the same thing about you."
She tilted her head playfully. "Although, of course, you were obviously the one who was right."
The young man laughed again.
Half an hour later, he was already complaining about his family.
An hour later, he was talking about his friends, his worries, the woman his parents wanted him to marry, and how terrified he was of disappointing everyone around him.
Rosa simply listened.
She did not force the conversation in any particular direction.
Instead, she reacted according to what the young man needed from her.
When he wanted sympathy, she listened gently.
When he wanted to complain, she complained with him.
When he wanted to laugh, she teased him.
From the side, Violetta slowly began to understand.
Unlike Raven and Sarah, Rosa did not truly lead the conversation.
She simply made the path smoother.
She made the client feel comfortable enough to keep walking forward on his own.
The young man no longer seemed like a customer.
He looked like someone speaking to the one person he believed would truly understand him.
Eventually, he even began mentioning family disputes, merchant connections, and secrets he had clearly never intended to reveal.
Rosa never asked for any of them directly.
She simply continued making him comfortable enough to keep talking.
Violetta’s eyes sharpened slightly.
Only now did she fully realize just how different the paths of the three senior sisters truly were.
Their methods were completely different.
Yet somehow, they always reached the same result which were a lot of secret informations.
