𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎:
Beauty is the manifestation of the divine
(1354)

A COURTESAN.

The women who accompanied those high and wealthy men in their private quarters, dressed in expensive dresses made with the most beautiful fabrics, wore luxury jewelry of gold, diamonds, and pearls.

They are the valued and adored women worldwide, but they are more than just an eye feeder.

Courtesans are the most educated women in the world, and they are more than pleasure and lust with their bright and intelligent minds.

More knowledgeable than the wives who only know how to carry their husbands' children.

Courtesans are the most treasured women in the world.

"A courtesan is a force of nature in a civilized cloak. Any chambermaid can flop down, take off her shirt, and men will come. Your true power. Comes from something much deeper than beauty. Cleopatra knew that. Theodosia. Aspasia. She could seduce a man at 20 paces without revealing an inch of flesh." Amira lectures as she guides Genesis toward the library that only allows men and, of course, courtesans.

"How?" Genesis asks curiously, and she looks around the library in awe.

"With her mind," Amira answers as she takes Genesis by the hand and guides her outside. The village is buzzing and has busy streets.

"To choose your lovers wisely, you need to understand men. No matter their shape or size, position or wealth, they all dream of the temptress. The irresistible, unapproachable Venus quickly turns pliable maiden when they've had a hard day." Amira says as she looks at the men who are already looking at Amira with their hungry gazes. Genesis listened to her every word, entranced by Amira's wisdom.

"Knowledge and wisdom are a man's hidden desire. A confident woman is what they want, a temptress." Amira tells her as she gathers every book and geographical map in her closet and lends it to Genesis.

"You must learn how to read and write and how to play an instrument, sing, and dance."

"You must learn everything in order to gain everything." Amira continues as Genesis begins to take her lessons. She studied every morning and night, learned by the book, and gained beautiful penmanship.

A month of learning knowledge, then a month of learning seduction.

"Dancing without showing them any inch of your skin is a skill. Move, smooth like wine." Amira demonstrates her every move, she moves so gently, but every movement is mixed with confidence and power. She swayed her hips and caressed her arms.

"To know that beauty is the manifestation of the divine." Amira then stopped as Genesis halted playing the harp. "You never learn seduction overnight, my dear, so you must know the root of it all."

Amira beckoned Genesis to her chambers, and when they entered, a man was waiting for them.

A naked man.

"You can't be squeamish. if you don't enjoy it, they'll smell it like a dog smells fear, and they'll hate you for it." Amira warns her as she walks behind the man, putting a hand on his shoulder as her fingertips caress his chest.

"What's there to be squeamish about?" Genesis replies, looking at the man from head to toe.

"if you touch here..." Amira instructs as her hand glides towards his erection, "Use your fingers lightly like feathers." She began to stroke him, "Then harder. Your tongue is like licking sweets. Your teeth with restraint. Just enough to keep him wanting more."

The man moaned. "It's wanting that keeps us alive." Amira finishes with a grin as she winks at the man.

Genesis finished her lessons with Amira for the day. So she returned to her and her mother's maid's quarters. She stopped mid-way when she heard their room with voices but not of her mother's. Strangers.

"We thank you for the rings, madam." A man says.

"Until next time." A female voice says, and they exit the room.

There were two of them, a woman with red hair and two men dressed in fine clothing. And Genesis senses it.

Vampires.

Why is her mother negotiating with vampires?

Rings?

Daylight rings.

They surpassed her, and Genesis barged into their room.

"Vampires, mother, really?"
Genesis questions, and her mother just shrugs as Helen cleans the table and hides what seems like a vial of blood from Genesis.

"You have no right to question me, child," Helen answers gruffly.

"I should be the one asking you, where have you been sneaking off to this past month?"

Genesis lifts up her chin and answers, "I'm learning how to be a Courtesan, mother."

Helen's head snapped towards her. "A courtesan, have you gone mad?"

"No, mother, I did not."

"And for what? For Alexander to notice you?" Helen questions with a disappointed shake of her head, sitting on the edge of their bed.

"Not only that, mother, but I finally learned how to read and write, to even play an instrument," Genesis adds as she kneels down, taking her hands in hers. "Being a Courtesan is an advantage for people like us,"

"How?" Helen asks her with furrowed brows in her creasing forehead.

"Knowledge and wisdom are hard to come by, especially for us. And being a Courtesan, I can have access to learning more. And the money, it'll help us."

"We do not need the money, Genesis," Helen tells her. She stands up from her seat and gives her the bag the vampires paid her with. Genesis opened it, revealing a large sum of money that could last them their entire lifetime.

"There's more." Helen points her eyes towards the corner of their room with five more bags."

"How badly do they need the rings?"

"They haven't had one for centuries. And they have been looking for a witch who knows a spell since then, and they finally found me." Helen answers as she places the bag in the corner, hiding it with a red cloth.

"Mother, you understand what this means?" Genesis looks at her in excitement, "We can finally leave the castle and have our own place."

"We can, Genesis. A home."

Author's Note:
—The whole Courtesan scenarios are inspired from the movie 'Dangerous Beauty' that was released in 1998. After I watched that movie I instantly said I will make this Genesis' human story.