brother hurt him. He set about focusing on the battle. In truth Ines was an exceptionally kind and compassionate person. He cared about people and animals immensely. He was always protecting and rescuing birds, he was careful never to kill any creature, and he hated the idea of any living thing ever being hurt.
It was his heart that drove him in to battle that evening, not, as Marco suggested, his desire to please Mummy or Daddy, or steal Marco’s future throne from him. For that was the real issue at stake. The family and the people believed that Ines would make a better King, yet Marco, being the eldest, was next in line to the throne.
The truth of the matter was that Ines did not hunger for power the way Marco did, however he did care about people.
Ines was lonely, he did not spend much time with others, yet he would busy himself learning, reading or drawing. He tried as best he could to live his life well.
Chapter III
Prince Marco lay on the red velvet colored sofa in his palace quarters, being fed grapes by his favorite courtesan, Annabelle. Around him troubadours played their instruments, and women lay half naked, dancing, reading poetry and massaging Marco, as he smiled and titillated them. Red wine and whisky flowed freely. For Marco, life was just one long party, and he could not understand why anyone would choose to live any differently. Marco was a dashing prince, with dark dancing eyes, chiseled features and a strong physique. His younger brother Ines too was incredibly good looking, yet with more delicate angelic features, however the two boys could not have been more different.
“Oh Annabelle! It exasperates me so! You should have heard him.”
He made the sucking sound.
“Yes Mummy, yes Daddy….”
He imitated his younger brother. “It is like he has no soul, no personality of his own. He only exists to do what Mummy and Daddy tell him. He never puts a foot wrong. It drives me crazy! Making me look like the wild card all the time.”
“You are a wild card.” Annabelle, with her hair softly flowing over her large breasts said provocatively.
Marco looked at her flirtatiously with a cheeky smile.
“True. But that doesn’t mean he has to be so goody two shoes, all the time, and I mean all the time. If only there was some way I could get him to trip up, do something, anything. That throne is rightfully mine, and I can tell you I know that they are plotting to take it away from me, and that is not fair. I have to show them that Ines is just as capable of making mistakes as anybody else.”
Annabelle sat thinking.
“Why don’t we get him to fall in love?” she said, seriously.
“You must be joking. That boy doesn’t have a male bone in his body. What do you mean anyway. With who?”
Chapter IV
Annabelle smiled at the Prince seductively.
“Come on you!” exclaimed the Prince.
“I can see the workings of that devious mind and I want to know what is going on in there! As your Majesty the Prince, I command you to tell me!” Marco said playfully.
He laid his head in her lap, ready to be seduced by one of her cunning ideas.
“You see Marco, we have a girl working at the brothel. She is new, and very innocent. I haven’t mentioned her to you, because I know your powers of corruption. Anyway, believe it or not, though she is a prostitute, she is still a virgin.”
“A virgin!!!” exclaimed Marco, jumping up, intrigued and excited.
“Calm down Marco, do try not to be such a typical man. Yes, a virgin.”
“But how can she work as a prostitute and remain a virgin? It makes no sense! None whatsoever!”
“Well, she performs, you know, different acts for our clients, massage, pampering, hand-jobs, blow-jobs, that kind of thing. She actually does very well. Clients seem to find it…intriguing.”
“It certainly is intriguing.” Marco replied as he played with a locket of Annabelle’s hair and looked
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