Sold To The Demon King

Episode:2

CHAPTER TWO

Aust's POV

“Ladies and gentlemen, look at the treasure we have found tonight!”

The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the huge room, made even louder by a shiny brass horn. He stood on the main stage wearing a bright silver coat, pointing his wooden cane at my crystal cage like he didn't have a care in the world.

“This is item number forty-two! A special backup prisoner caught just hours ago from the southern farms,” he said, walking back and forth across the stage. “A very rare treat for our special guests who want only the best.”

I didn't blink. I forced myself to sit up completely straight on my knees. My hands were still chained tightly to the heavy metal ring on the floor. The hot lights from the giant chandeliers shined down on me, making me sweat. The nice white shirt they had forced me to wear was left open, showing off my strong chest and shoulders to the giant crowd.

“Wait, look at him!” a woman shouted from the front row, leaning over the balcony. “That’s not a girl!”

“Is that a boy?” a rich man in a shiny jacket yelled, standing up from his seat to get a better look. “He looks like a warrior!”

The whole room went crazy. The quiet music was drowned out by gasps, shouts, and the sound of people eagerly waving their bidding signs. Hundreds of people stared at me through the clear walls of my cage. I saw hungry, shocked, and excited faces all looking back at me. They didn't see me as a human being. To them, I was just a rare pet.

“Quiet down, please!” the auctioneer shouted. He smiled greedily and tapped his cane on the floor. “Yes, your eyes are working perfectly! He is a top-quality male prisoner. Strong, healthy, and perfectly built. Let the bidding start at ten million gold coins!”

“Fifteen million!” a man in the back yelled, raising his hand.

“Twenty million!” a merchant shouted from the right side of the room.

“Thirty million!” a woman in a dark dress called out right after.

The bids went up so fast. It made my stomach sick, but I kept my face totally blank. I was just a toy to them. They were throwing away mountains of gold to buy a piece of the broken royal family, and they didn't even know it.

I looked through the glass at the front row, where the most dangerous people sat. That was when I saw him.

He was an older man sitting in a giant, soft chair, wearing a thick fur coat. His fingers were covered in heavy diamond rings, and he had a mean, creepy smile. I knew exactly who he was. Duke Harren. Everyone in the kingdom of Valovrik whispered about how evil he was. Anyone sent to his castle never came back alive.

“Fifty million,” Duke Harren said. His voice was sharp and clear as he lifted his silver cane.

The room went quiet for a second. Then someone else yelled, “Sixty million!”

“Eighty million,” Duke Harren said right away. He stared right at me through the glass, his smile growing wider.

“Eighty-five million!” a sweating merchant yelled.

“One hundred million,” Duke Harren said. His voice was smooth but deadly.

The whole giant room went dead silent. Nobody whispered. Nobody wanted to fight with a man as dangerous as Duke Harren.

The auctioneer looked like he was going to explode with joy. “One hundred million gold coins from Duke Harren! Going once!”

I stared into Duke Harren’s cold eyes. My heart stopped. I knew exactly what would happen if he took me. I would be locked in a dark dungeon and tortured until I died.

Panic gripped my chest. For the first time in years, I thought about breaking my number one rule. I thought about shouting my real name. If I screamed to the entire room that I was the true king, the royal guards would have to arrest me. It was a huge risk, but going to the palace prison was a million times better than going to Duke Harren’s torture room.

I swallowed hard. My jaw tightened. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs. I was ready to ruin everything just to survive.

“Going twice!” the auctioneer yelled. He raised his heavy wooden hammer high into the air.

I squeezed my eyes shut. My lips parted. *“I am Aust….”*

But before the sound could even leave my throat, and before the hammer could strike the wood, a new voice cut through the dead silence of the room.

It wasn't a shout. It was a calm, smooth, and chillingly quiet voice that somehow echoed across the ent

ire hal.

“Five hundred million.”