West Palace]
This part of the palace belongs to the Low Royals—The Spectres.
And though it contains everything that the East palace has, but in smaller quantities.
Their castle is smaller, mansions for clansmen is smaller too. Their quarters for maids and Wings for slaves are even worse.
Their luxury is limited, and their slaves are 30+ while the Millions Family have 200+
Their gate is different from the East gate, and if anyone from this place makes the unforgivable mistake of using the East gate, then it's brutal punishment with acid rain.
The Spectres Family live in fear of The Millions, but at the same time, they're the only people who can contend with them as they're powerful too, just that they lose their powers at midnight every night.
It's some minutes past 7pm on the clock, and the family is sitting round the royal dinning, the soft clattering of spoons on plates and water journeying down throats filled the room as they ate in silence.
Kasia is the head of the family. She lost her husband some years ago, and that only contributed more to the weakness of the family.
She had two kids with the husband before his death though.
Winona Spectre is currently sitting beside Kasia
She's the first child who's as brave and relentless as her mother. She's beautiful.
Blaise Spectre is sitting at the other side of Kasia.
He's the second child, a nonchalant handsome redhead.
At the opposite side of the table, there's Astor—Kasia's new husband, and Faye, his daughter.
Kasia is a powerful woman, so it was Astor who changed his surname to her own after they got married, and Faye hates that.
Astor is a soft, supportive man, but Faye is far from it.
She was rolling eyes with malice as she dropped her spoon, getting up from her chair.
"I'm full"
"Me too" Winona stood too.
Faye smiled at her. Winona is the only person she seems to like in this family.
"Dark Room will be open by 8, we've got one hour to drive there," Faye checked her wristwatch.
"We can just teleport, no one wants that driving hassle." Blaise spoke, pressing his lips with tissues.
"No one is teleporting! You know how exhausted your powers get if you try just one teleportation! We're not as powerful as the Millions, so careful. I'm not losing a child!" Kasia warned.
"You can stay home if you don't wanna go," Winona spoke.
"If I don't wanna go?" Blaise stood with a scowl.
He strolled out of the room with his hands tucked in his pockets.
"The money bags got taken to the car trunks already. Use the limo, and make sure you return before midnight." Astor said.
"Sure, new dad." Winona smiled.
"Be fine, Faye." Kasia nodded at her.
"Sure, new mum." Faye gave her a fake smile, then she left with Winona.
"Your daughter and her fake smiles, she doesn't have to pretend to like me." Kasia picked her glass of wine.
"Give her time, it's hard for Faye to like someone, and you talk as if your children are innocent too. Winona is the only one who seems to love me genuinely, Blaise is just hateful." Astor spoke across the table.
"Blaise is territorial, not hateful." Kasia raised her glass.
"Whatever you say" Astor clinked glasses with her.
"What's the use of going to the auction when The Millions will always win anyways." He relaxed.
"If we don't show up at all, The Millions will see us as cowards, and I'm not ready to add that to the list of their unending dirty names for us." Kasia sighed.
"Don't overthink, this torture from the tyrannical Millions family will soon be over." Astor assured.
"Hope so" Kasia smiled.
They stood at the same time and leaned across the table to kiss deeply.
--
[East Palace, Millions Castle~ Major Royal Bathroom]
A slow instrumental played in the large stereo disc in one side of the red bathroom, accompanied by the rippling of fresh bubbles from the excessively large tub.
The tub is so large that it almost took over the bathroom, and the white foams stayed fresh as Azura sat in it, her head slung back on the tub edge, and her eyes are closed. She's obviously enjoying the playing instrumental music, the violin.
Zeke entered the bathroom, and despite the silence in his steps, Azura's eyes opened, beholding him.
He stripped himself, entering the tub nakedly with her. He sat across her, his hard gaze falling on her breàsts.
"Many kids sucked those devilish tits, but they're still standing," He intentionally said.
"Still a slut for my body?" Azura smiled, caressing his balls with her toes underwater.
"Always" he groaned.
"And where the fûck did the bastard go to? Been a day since I last saw him. He's aware he can't be far from this castle, isn't he?" Azura smirked.
"If he's not back by tomorrow, I'm killing Xena." Zeke declared.
Azura leaned closer, her suddenness not surprising.
"And are you really letting the lowly Spectres win the auction tonight?" She dropped her leg, her red fingernails seeming to stain the white porcelain tub body.
"Lose?" Zeke breathed hard. "Getting what they want is the twins speciality. Watch as they bring home the slave, even if it means killing everyone at the Dark Room. I trust my spawns."
A glint of hostility flashed across his eyes as he vomited the words.
--
[Dark Room, 7:50Pm]
Crowd of royals filled the inside and outside of the room, caging cups of wine and bid-paddles in their hands as they flooded inside, ready for tonight's show.
The Dark Room could compete for one of the largest mansions in Luminaria, but calling it a Room is cos of the purpose it was built for.
For auctioning slaves—for selling forbidden breeds.
Winona led Faye and Blaise inside, and the other royal clansmen made way for them as they walked in synchrony to their spot in the midst of the toxic regality.
* The Spectres are here.
* Aww, look at Winona. I can't get over her beauty. Never.
* Isn't Faye prettier?
* Blaise's red hair and straight nose gets me always.
* Wait...the parents aren't here? It's just the children tonight?
* Makes it more fun! Where are The Millions please?
"There they are!" A man pointed at the long staircase rail.
Sadie, Soren and Jude stood there, looking as imposing and majestic as ever with their wine cups and black suits. Jude has no plans to partake in the bidding, he's just here to laugh when the twins lose tonight.
No one is standing around them. Everyone stood at least five feet away, and that's how it's done.
Sadie and Soren have that degrading looks on their faces as they stared at the Spectres at the ground floor.
No one. Not even a single person would dare to comment about them. Everybody in this city knows about the evil twins hot temper, so it's better to not to mess with the spawns.
Everyone stood and bowed to them...
"Greetings, Grand Princes and Princess!!"
"Sadie became more arrogant," Winona muttered from the ground floor, rage crawling into her head.
"Suppress your rage, you can't start a fight right now. Do not stir trouble." Blaise held her.
"That's right, Winona. We came to bid, not fight." Faye added.
Winona calmed, and the room git pregnant with surprised gasps when the auction committee came in with some guards.
The guards are the ones carrying the cage containing the slave that's for sale tonight, and she's the main reason for the gasps.
There's a round chain on her neck that looks damn heavy. The chains are cuffed on her wrists and ankles too. Her hair is tangled and twisted, and her skirt is brown—dirty. Her blouse is tattered, and she looks tiny and slim as a result of underfeeding.
But she's really beautiful with her full lips and soft brown eyes.
Winona's eyes are wide like the eyes of every other royal in the room.
Even Jude... He's staring too, his hand grabbing the rail edge tight.
"Love at first sight?" Soren spoke beside him,
"Mind your business, Soren." Jude huffed, then he returned his interested eyes to the slave.
Sadie is busy looking at Winona, and there's a sly smile on her lips.
"That bîtch has probably fallen."
"What do you mean?" Soren inched closer.
"Winona, look how she's staring at the slave like she wants to eat her. Have you ever seen her fancying any man?" Sadie drank all her wine.
"You're saying... Winona Spectre is into girls?" Soren snickered.
"That bîtch, and she probably wants the slave more than ever, judging by the way she's devouring her with her eyes." Sadie cleared.
"More reason to go hard on this auction. The bastard should better show up." Soren muttered.
The slave cage was set down in front of the room, and the poor slave knelt inside, holding the iron bars and staring hopelessly at the sea of wicked people, waiting to buy her.
The auction committee stood in front of the cage, covering her from the crowd at first.
"No time to waste, let's start the auction, and as usual, the highest bidder gets the slave. Her name's Shayla" Their chief declared.
"One billion!" Jude started, raising his bid-paddle.
The twins turned to him immediately, surprised that he's bidding.
Isn't he here to mock?
"1.5 billion!" Winona shouted from the ground floor.
"2.5 billion!" Sadie raised her paddle.
"3.5!" Winona shouted.
Silence.
There was silence in the room afterwards, and the committee are starting to wonder what's going on.
No one has started bidding with billions before, it always started from a million, but tonight is different.
The heat resumed when Soren raised his paddle too.
"4 billion!"
"6 billion!" Winona shouted from the ground floor.
The twins hands went down, they looked at each other.
Their limit is 4.9, so they can't go higher unless the bastard comes, but he's not even anywhere around.
Sadie bit deeply into her nails, but then Jude spoke...
"10 billion!"
The twins eyes snapped back to him in obvious shock.
10?
Jude is willing to spend 10 Billion on a slave?
"15 billion!" Winona raised from the ground floor, shocking the committee again.
Faye and Blaise look shocked behind her, too.
"Don't tell me you actually like that malnourished slave." Blaise smirked.
"20 billion!" Jude went higher.
"This is crazier than crazy," Faye muttered.
"35!" Winona returned.
"40!" Jude raised.
"60!" Winona raised back.
Another round of silence fell in the room, the shock so intense and hard.
60?
That's about the highest bidding price ever in this place.
What exactly is going on??
Even Jude has reached his limit. He can't raise more than 40 without the joint family account.
He grabbed the railings tighter, gritting his jaws.
"Going for 60... Anyone bidding higher?" The committee Chief announced.
Silence.
"Anyone going higher?" He repeated.
"Call the bastard again!" Soren faced Sadie.
"I've been calling him since we got here, it's off!" Sadie snapped.
"Stop calling him the bastard, his name is Ryker!" Jude corrected.
"He's not a royal, he's the son of the old chef!" Sadie argued.
"Son of the old chef, yet he's powerful than you both combined. He's more respected and much more powerful than anybody in this city!" Jude laughed.
"Seems the arrows you received earlier weren't enough, you want bonuses?" Soren glared.
"She's going for 60 billions!" The committee chief announced, pulling them out of their argument.
"No" the twins chorused, preparing to jump down and behead everybody.
Jude's jaws tightened again.
Winona smiled wide at the ground floor, ready to receive the slave.
The hotness in the room was scathing, but it got watered down suddenly, replaced with coldness.
Dry ice grew from the ground, so crusty and large, spreading to the walls and ceilings and breaking some parts, causing plasters and ceiling pieces to fall on the ground.
Two chandeliers plucked and broke to bits, scattering around.
The ice kept extending, growing larger and higher and colder, spreading on the grounds and running a path to the iron cage.
Shayla shifted back in fear, her eyes fearfully wide.
"He's here" Sadie and Soren said with matching smirks.
The ice and the coldness that hit the royals alerted them of his presence, too. Everyone fell on their knees, bowing their heads to the ground.
Everyone except the Spectres who're still standing.
"The bastard is here." Winona muttered, turning around with Faye and Blaise.
Truly, he stood there in the middle of the room. The bastard.
He's wearing a long black royal robe, messy dark hair with slight sprinkles of whiteness. He's barefoot, and water from the ice is cascading at his clean feet. A small ruby ring is on his middle toe. He smells like doom, and carries the aura of blood.
There's a smear of bloodstain on his face, but it's definitely not his own blood. His goodlooking face is intensified with his coloured lips.
Ryker Millions. The bastard. Demigod Of The Grand Palace.
His eyes rolled to the cage, and Shayla was fast to duck her head to the ground, bowing.
Jude was smiling on the top floor, seeing Ryker feels refreshing to him.
"You're finished, Winona! We're winning again!" Sadie grinned.
Soren laughed.
Winona's fists are balled, she stared hatefully at Ryker.
The royals who're bowing on their knees are still in that position.
Ryker powerfully waved his left hand, and the cage padlock broke away, shattering on the ground.
The cage door broke, too, falling away from the cage body and landing on the icy ground heavily.
Shayla shifted back on her butt inside, shivering as a result of cold and as a result of him.
Another wave of his hand, she was thrown out of the cage with a force she has no idea about.
She fell on her belly in front of him, getting wet by the melting ice. Her skirt lifted up her butt, revealing her thin underwear.
Her groan was low, painful and shaky as she continued laying there at his feet, using her elbows to tilt, not daring to look up.
With droopy frigid eyes, Ryker cast a look down at her, extreme tension dropping in the room once again.
He didn't raise any bid-paddle.
Didn't overreact.
He didn't raise his voice, but...
His voice is weighty—madly deep, sending extra chills down several spines as he said the first word.
"150 billion."
"What!!!