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“Thank you for waiting patiently, esteemed guests. Finally, we present today’s last item.”

Applause erupted at the auctioneer’s announcement. The five men seated in the audience were bidders who had been waiting for this very moment in the bride auction. Though they pretended to sit calmly, their excitement was evident, and their lower halves were already in chaos. 

“So, it’s finally Princess Aria.”

“She’s no longer a princess, is she?” 

“Does it matter? It’s an opportunity to have her.” 

“Well, that’s true. Ha… I feel like I’m about to burst already.” 

The men spoke with ecstatic expressions. Who could have imagined that Princess Aria, who had disappeared after the fall of the Imperial Family, would appear as an item in a bride auction? 

Even though she was a fallen member of the Imperial Family, Princess Aria was valuable in her own right. Her ample chest and slender waist were certainly appealing, but above all, Aria was the most beautiful woman in the Empire. There were countless men who had been desperate to experience those bright red lips. 

Thus, the five VIPs invited to today’s auction were granted an exceptionally rare opportunity. While bride auctions typically catered to a select few, special items were reserved for an even smaller group. Today was one such occasion. 

“Now, this item is undoubtedly the finest quality. As you all know, she is a renowned figure and a treasure of the Empire—Princess Aria.” 

The auctioneer gestured toward the curtain. Just imagining the princess waiting behind it as a “bride” made the atmosphere more heated. 

“Even after falling into slavery, she hasn’t been passed around recklessly. Her virginity is guaranteed!” 

No one truly believed the claim about her virginity. It was obvious that she had been confined in someone’s mansion, used thoroughly, and discarded when they grew tired of her. That was the typical fate of items sold here. The statement was clearly meant to stir enthusiasm, but the men were enamored by the false promise of being her first. 

“Aren’t you curious how the once-noble princess is now waiting for you in such a vulgar state?” 

“Stop talking and show her already!” 

One of the men shouted in frustration as the auctioneer continued to stall. Yet, the auctioneer chuckled and refused to reveal Aria easily. 

“The fruit of patience is sweet, isn’t it? But, since the princess must have been waiting for quite some time, shall we call her out?” 

“Damn it, hurry up!” 

The teasing remarks drew jeers from the men. 

Behind the stage, Aria frowned as she listened to their shouts. She couldn’t fathom how her life had come to this overnight. 

She desperately wanted to escape this place, but she knew it was impossible. The term “princess” was used mockingly now; she was nothing more than a slave. 

The auctioneer exclaimed in an excited voice, 

“The last princess of the fallen Empire, Lady Aria, will now be presented!” 

Aria swallowed hard and closed her eyes tightly. It was time to reveal herself in this humiliating state, to be mocked and sold off to these men. 

The auctioneer dramatically pulled back the curtain. Immediately, the men raised their opera glasses to examine Aria closely. 

“Oh…” 

Aside from a few short exclamations, the room fell into a tense silence, broken only by the sound of the men swallowing nervously. 

Aria felt their sticky gazes cling to her and turned her head away. But the auctioneer grabbed her chin and forced her to face forward. 

“Who could have imagined a princess in such a lewd state?” 

“Ugh…” 

The auctioneer’s words were true. Aria was dressed in thin white lace undergarments that were practically transparent. Her arms were bound high above her head, rendering her immobile. Though she was still seated in a chair at the moment, she knew, based on previous auctions, exactly what kind of humiliating position she would soon be forced into. It was customary for ‘brides’ to be displayed in shameful poses for the bidders. Aria’s despair and fear had reached their peak. 

“Now, let me explain the final bride item.”

As the auctioneer finished speaking, he lifted one of Aria’s legs. He then forcefully spread it apart and secured it onto a support. After fixing her other leg in the same way, her private area was completely exposed between her spread legs. Though it was still barely covered by thin white lace panties, the sight was provocative.

The fabric was so sheer that her protruding cl*toris was visibly outlined. The auctioneer let out an appreciative sigh and poked her cl*toris with a baton-like stick with a pointed end. 

“Do you see this, gentlemen?” 

“Ah…!” 

When Aria let out a soft moan, the men began groaning, eager to touch her themselves. It was as if the sweet scent emanating from her body had reached the audience. 

Sensing the men’s reactions, the auctioneer smirked and began gently stimulating Aria with the stick. 

“Ah… Ahh!” 

“The center of the revolution! Her cl*toris may be slightly swollen from Duke Cloud’s personal training, but I assure you, this virgin body has never taken a man!” 

The auctioneer’s words caused murmurs to ripple through the men, who began whispering among themselves. 

“So, this is where she’s been hiding—at Cloud’s estate.” 

“Well, if it’s Duke Cloud, he might have left that luscious body untouched and kept her a virgin.” 

“But didn’t they say he personally trained her? Perhaps she’s not as pure as they claim.” 

“If you’re dissatisfied, you’re free to leave, Lord.” 

“Ahem, no, that’s not what I meant.” 

Aria closed her eyes, enduring the humiliating remarks. What was even more despairing was the knowledge that, once the auction ended, she would become the bride—or rather, the bedroom slave—of one of these men. 

‘Duke Cloud…’ 

Aria felt a wave of anguish at her situation, wishing desperately to return to the duke’s estate. The thought of going back to the man who had brought her to ruin was absurd, yet she couldn’t help but recall his touch. Imagining Duke Cloud in place of these men was the only way she could catch her breath.