“Welcome to the auction, Prince Augrun. We are extremely honoured by Your Highness’ presence,” greeted a well-dressed middle-aged woman with deep wrinkles and grey locks of hair. “You may call me Rita, Your Highness. I’ll be your guide for today. Should you have any inquiries or requests, we will do our best to fulfil them.”

Behind Rita were four attendants, dressed in immaculate servant attires, who were showing just as much reverence and respect as they took deep bows. Though they tried to remain as calm and still as possible on the surface, Augrun could hear how fast their hearts were throbbing. None of them here, including Rita, was aware of Augrun’s true nature but they were informed by Alvon to give Augrun and his companions the treatment of royalty. Alvon wasn’t present due to him attending to a more important duty, which was discerning the location of Iora’s friend.

The ones who were accompanying Augrun were Iora and Sera, it went without saying. Sera wasn’t in her maid uniform but in a lime green satin gown with a deep slit on both sides from the waist down, allowing her to perform wide movements should the need for that arise. The green really brought out the colour of her eyes and Augrun would compliment her about that every few minutes. As for Iora, she was wearing a white blouse with brown trousers and a metal corset armour donned over her torso. She looked ready for battle instead of an auction. Needless to say, their garments were all woven by Vyona and her children.

Rita and the attendants were staring at Iora after they raised their bodies from bowing. They all knew of the events two days ago but they knew very little of the true details. They had heard from Alvon that Iora was given to Augrun as compensation for the incident. They all expected Iora to be bruised and abused for all the destruction and troubles she had caused but instead, they found her woundless and scarless and dressed in the finest garments. She did not look like a slave at all but a dignified bodyguard, or at least that would have been their impression if Augrun wasn’t wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her a few light kisses occasionally. No matter how one looked at the two’s interaction, this was no relationship between a bodyguard and her employer. They simply resembled a pair of lovers. What was even more surprising for Rita and the attendants was that Augrun’s other lover, Sera, didn’t look the slightest bit jealous or irked. They had seen plenty of men bringing along their wives, mistresses, and lovers, and every time the men showed their love to one woman, the other women would surely display at least a slight hint of jealousy or envy. But not Sera. They felt no hostility emanating from her. Quite the contrary, they found her grinning proudly at them as if she was proud that her man was courting another woman and not just any woman, but the feared and renowned Ogre slave, Iora.

Curiosity was written all over Rita and the attendants’ faces but as they were professionals, they knew better than to indulge in their curiosities. They recollected their composure and proceeded to do their job, and that is to lead the guests to their seats.

“And here we are, Prince Augrun,” Rita said as the attendants opened a pair of doors to a balcony-like space with three luxurious armchairs and serving tables, and also an overarching view of the stage. Simply put, it was a box seat like the ones in an opera house. There was even a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice along with a few glasses on the side. “The finest seats in the house. Box five. Not too far from the stage and not too close. Reserved only for the most important guests.”

Augrun was pretty sure Alvon had a hand in Rita’s lengthy explanation but he wasn’t complaining. There was nothing to complain about. The seats were clean and as comfortable as they looked as Augrun plopped himself right down on the leather cushioned seats in the middle before Iora and Sera had even sat down. According to the human etiquettes, women were supposed to take their seats first before the men but Augrun was no human and he was a prince. Royalties were supposed to be seated first before their subjects. Rita and the attendants were slightly taken aback but they kept their silence.

Rita handed Augrun a book with only very few pages, a booklet. “And here’s the catalogue for the items that shall be in the auction today.”

Augrun took the catalogue and gave it to Iora. She immediately snatched the catalogue into her hands and quickly flipped through the pages in a hurry.

“The auction will be starting in ten minutes. Would that be all, Prince Augrun?” Rita asked.

“For now, Rita,” Augrun replied dryly.

Rita bowed and nodded. “Very well, Prince Augrun. If there’s anything Your Highness requires, just ring the bell on the serving table,” she said and gestured for the attendants to wait outside the room while she retreated to the corner, in the shadows of the box.

Augrun wasn’t surprised at Rita’s professionalism but he was surprised at her ability to meld with the shadows. If he wasn’t concentrating, he wouldn’t be able to feel her presence. She’s a professional in more ways than one, Augrun surmised.

Regardless, Augrun cast that thought off his mind and relished in the extremely comfortable seats of luxury that he had never gotten to fully enjoy in his past life. He had experienced this sort of luxury before but that was all a front and a guise to get closer to his target. He was never able to indulge fully in any luxury he got his hands on. It’s good to be royalty, he mused in his heart.

“It’s her, Your Highness,” Iora said, shoving the booklet into Augrun’s vision while pointing at a certain row on the list. “This girl right here. She’s my friend.”

Augrun’s eyes followed Iora’s tapping finger on the picture of a certain girl. Her hair was pale blonde and her eyes were like a pair of turquoise gems. The first thing that caught Augrun’s interest was the quality of the picture. He was then reminded by himself of the existence of a spell called Echo Remnant. It was a spell that was the substitute for camera and photography. It wasn’t a rare spell that only a few had heard of but neither was it an all too common spell that everyone would know. The second thing that caught Augrun’s interest was the girl’s appearance. Aside from her beauty and her slightly younger-than-expected appearance, her ears were a striking feature. They were long, thin, pointy, and furry, like those of an animal’s. She was a Demi-human or Demi for short. More specifically, she was part of the Beastfolk race. 

“Rynn…” Augrun mused the name that was written beside the picture. “She’s quite a beauty. Three years and no buyers for that whole time?”

“A beastfolk’s appearance can change a lot upon reaching adulthood…” Iora explained, barely holding in her tears. “Rynn was just two years away from adulthood when we were captured by slavers. The buyers wanted to wait and see how Rynn would develop. And she grew into a beauty and there were a lot of offers. To make it fair for the buyers, she was put on the auction.”

“What about your other friend? What was her name?”

“Kara… her name was Kara.”

“She’s a Beastfolk?”

Iora nodded. “She was the oldest. I was the brawn of the group and she was the brain. She’s not as beautiful as Rynn but… she was pretty enough to attract a buyer.”

“You don’t remember anything about the buyer at all?”

Iora shook her head. “We weren’t allowed to lift our gazes in the presence of customers. I remember his shoes but then again…they were all wearing the same sort…” A tear escaped her restraint and trickled down her cheek.

Augrun helped her wipe away that tear before she could. “We’ll find Kara and we’ll definitely save Rynn.”

“You’re going to make them into your sex slaves too?”

“I’m a lustful person. I’ll definitely be fucking them, but I won’t treat them as slaves, unless they asked me to.”

Iora snorted. “Better in your care than being in this place.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, Iora.”

“Don’t be pleased just yet. We don’t even know where Kara is yet.”

Augrun smiled wryly and kissed Iora on the cheek. “We will,” he assured her.

“What do you mean it’s occupied!?” a familiar voice resounded loudly from outside the room. “This is supposed to be my box!”

“But my lord, you did not make a reservation for this box.”

“To hell with reservations! This is my box! Why do I need to make a reservation at all!?”

“I am very sorry, my lord, but Mister Alvon was the one—”

“Alvon,” the furious voice scoffed at that name. “For so many years… he finally has the balls to defy me?”

“Baxter…” Sera chewed that name under her breath.

Augrun did the routine of holding Sera’s hand and calmed her down by whispering sweet nothings to her.

“I’m terribly sorry about this, Prince Augrun,” Rita said as she approached him. “I will resolve this matter immediately. Please, no need for Your Highness to get up.” And she trotted out of the box.

“Lord Baxter, please mind your volume. I implore you to be reasonable.”

Augrun heard such words being spoken.

“You too, Rita? You are defying me now too? Has the integrity of the management degraded over time?”

“Mind your words, Lord Baxter. Another unfounded slight from you about the management and I will not treat it as unintended.”

Augrun heard Baxter’s heartbeat picking up from that veiled threat. The word “management” held a lot of weight, Augrun gathered.

“Now, to address your complaints, Lord Baxter. There’s no defiance here. The management has always been very accommodating to your requests because you paid more than all the other clients. However, this time, there is someone else who paid significantly more than you did and this person had even made proper reservations. If you think we should still be prioritising your requests, that will truly be a degradation of the management’s integrity.”

“And so what if that’s the case? Do you know who my father is?”

“Lord William Rixon, an Elder. Yes, I know who your father is and if he was here, he would not be making this much fuss.”

“Damn it…” Baxter uttered, seemingly through his gritting teeth. “Who’s inside the box?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you that, Lord Baxter. That’s against the rules of the management.”

Baxter clicked his tongue but then, he laughed. “You there, girl!”

“Yes, Lord Baxter?” responded one of the attendants.

“Tell me who’s inside the box or your family, friends, lovers, everyone you know will meet a very terrible fate.”

“Lord Baxter, threatening employees of the auction is—”

“I’m not threatening an employee, hag. I’m threatening an employee’s family, friends, and lovers. They’re not employees now, are they?”

The girl. whose family and everyone she knew was threatened, began to open her mouth. “I… I…”

“Brie, don’t say it,” Rita warned. “If you say it, you will be fired and no one will want to hire someone who is fired from the auction.”

“But Rita… he…”

“It’s Lord Baxter to you, filthy commoner. Now spout it out or say goodbye to your family and friends tomorrow.”

Inside the room, Augrun sighed and rose from his seat. “I have enough of this.”

“Your Highness?”

“Stay put, Sera. You too, Iora,” Augrun said and wound his neck and shoulders, before heading out of the room.

Baxter’s grinning expression immediately fell when he saw and recognised Augrun. “Y-you!?” The guards by his side this time were dressed in ceremonial attires rather than uniforms or armour and they weren’t colossals like the ones prior. The four guards immediately moved in front of their master but Baxter refused to be obscured and ordered his guards to stand behind him.

“Forgive me, young master,” Rita immediately apologised. “I failed to uphold my word.”

Augrun wasn’t angry at Rita. In fact, he was impressed by her quick wit. She did not address him as a prince in front of Baxter. Even if Alvon had told her beforehand, it was still impressive for her to remember that in the heat of the moment. “You have nothing to apologise for, Rita. You are just doing your job.”

“And I’m being terrible at it, young master. I failed to resolve the issue before you lost your patience. I will take full responsibility but please… be lenient on the others.”

“Don’t worry, Rita. I’ll be lenient on everyone but this piece of shit.” Augrun glared at Baxter with a smirk.

“Y-you…! You not only ignored my father’s summons for you and now you dare to befoul me? Are you that eager to meet your end miserably?”

“Your father’s summons? I thought it was only a request? Since when did it become a summons?”

“My father is an Elder. His words are the law. You think you can defy him and not expect any consequences.”

Augrun couldn’t help but break into laughter. “No, I don’t think so. I’m certain of it. Oh, you silly stupid bastard… If it wasn’t for the fact that I want to enjoy the auction, I would have decorated this hallway with your blood and guts.”

“You dare threaten the young master in the presence of his Sentinels?” one of the guards stepped forward with a counterthreat.

Augrun rummaged through his memories briefly, trying to recall what a Sentinel was. He found the information after only two seconds. Sentinels were a company of private security detail and only the richest could afford them. Though their allegiance and service could be bought, they stayed loyal to their employers until the end of their contract or if their employers could no longer afford them.

“Lord Baxter, this boy just threatened you. Want me to teach him a lesson?” asked the Sentinel.

“There shall be no physical altercation in this very building,” Rita said. “Whatever grievance or grudge one may have, it shall not be resolved with a physical altercation in this building. Take it outside.”

“I don’t mind taking this outside,” said the Sentinel.

Baxter chuckled. “I don’t mind either. But I can’t say the same of this foolish boy. Look at him, he’s shaking in his boots.”

Before Augrun could accept the challenge, a thunder of claps resounded from inside the auction hall. “Aww, dang it.” He shrugged. “Looks like the auction is starting. Perhaps later, after the auction?”

“What’s this? You’re running away?” Baxter jibed with a laugh and his Sentinels chuckled along with him.

“No, I’m walking away. Or could you not tell the difference between walking and running?”

Baxter stopped laughing and his expression warped.

“Maybe you should be at school instead of an auction. Hmm, isn’t there a policy of the auction that forbids children from attending the auction without a legal guardian? Where are your parents?”

“You fucking upstart… You will not see the light of the day after this auction…”

Considering he would be returning to the tower after the auction, where the day was like dusk, that statement held some truth. “You are absolutely right about that, Baxter. Now, please excuse me,” Augrun said and walked back into his box. Baxter was still mocking, ridiculing, and taunting him but he just shrugged it all off and plopped down on his seat. “Well, that was exhausting,” he remarked just as the curtains were raised and a man walked onto the stage.

The man began the typical introductory messages and explanations but since Augrun already knew all there was to know, he merely leaned back in his chair and shut the host’s voice out of his mind. Occasionally, the sounds of thunderous applause would worm into his mind.

“Will that person disturb us again?” Iora asked, worriedly.

“Definitely, but not anytime soon. I wager he will be waiting for me outside the building after the auction.”

“And what will you do, Your Highness?” Sera asked.

“Nothing. He’s just a waste of time. I rather spend that time in the company of you two.”

Sera smiled and leaned her head on Augrun’s shoulder. “I share your sentiment, Your Highness.”

Augrun turned to Iora. 

She blinked. “What?”

“My other shoulder is open.”

She tutted and rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on the auction?”

“Let her be, Your Highness.” Sera wrapped her arms around Augrun’s arm. “She’s just shy.”

“This has nothing to do with me being shy. What you’re doing is something lovers do and I am not in love with Your Highness.”

“It’s a shame but more for me,” Sera muttered and snuggled closer to Augrun.

“You wound me, Iora. After all that love we shared for the last two nights, how can you say such a  thing?”

“Feigning a romantic gesture is ill-suited for you, Your Highness.”

“You’re breaking my heart, Iora.”

“I’ll break more than your heart if you fail to save both Kara and Rynn. Why aren’t you focusing on the auction?”

“I’m only participating in this auction for your sake, Iora. My interest in the auction lies solely in your friend. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. The seats and the champagne are just additional benefits.”

“If my friend was a man instead of a girl, would you still have helped me?”

“Of course, Iora. Well, I’m not interested in men but I will still help you save your friend. Because you’re my woman, Iora.”

Iora clicked her tongue again and cast her gaze down. “Romantic gestures certainly don’t suit you,” she grumbled.

“I disagree, Iora,” Augrun whispered into her ears and kissed her cheeks. “And it would seem you disagree too or is there another reason your cheeks are so red?”

Iora kept her silent with a scowl.

“And now, the moment you have all been waiting for, the main prize of the night!” At the host’s declaration, a fairly large cage was being pushed to the stage from the side on a trolley. Inside the cage was none other than Rynn, donned in a scanty silk dress that clung tightly to her body. Her bosom was slightly smaller than Sera’s but no less bigger in their own right, enough to be one of her charms. Her crotch was barely covered by the dress and her nipples were blatantly pressing against the tight silk. Unlike Iora, Rynn’s gaze was devoid of spirits and vigour. She was even barely moving. She only moved her head to gaze at her new surroundings but the despair on her face did not leave. She had a tail of a cat’s but it was also barely moving with only the occasional twitches.

“Rynn…” Iora muttered. She was clutching Augrun’s hands unconsciously as she stared intensely at her long lost friend. “Rynn…”

The audience went silent for a while at the sight of her. When the voices and noises resumed, it became a clamour that was praising her beauty but in very vulgar ways. It wasn’t just the men that were expressing interest in Rynn but also the women.

“Her name is Rynn. She’s a fully mature Beastfolk girl. As you can see, she’s got a nice figure and face. Adding to that, she’s a virgin, completely untouched, confirmed by our very own Seers. Starting bid is one hundred gold.”