Epilogue
Graduation day - The Auction
There was an excited atmosphere in the assembly hall. A murmur of voices intermingled to form a steady buzz.
Meredith had to turn away a great deal of people, some of which attempted to bribe her just to be able to watch. She'd been adamant in keeping such practices at bay. Her boys deserved that much on the most important day of their lives, Graduation day.
Empera Television, the biggest network in the empire, wanted to buy broadcasting rights. The school board pushed for it but she refused that as well. While accepting would bring a short time revenue, it would also be seen as undignified and tarnish the school's reputation in the long run.
Graduation day at Meredith Lee's school for boys had become a national concern and reporters from every corner of the empire were in attendance. All the prominent members of the aristocracy in North America were present.
The reason for all this interest was the two students who competed in the Championships but most of it was because of Jude, who was crowned First Male of the Empire. It was the first time in fifteen years the title had gone to North America and the entire region was in a state of celebration.
The boys dressed up in their best outfits and they radiated of masculine beauty.
Jude was happy, Meredith had given him a light blue dress, fitted to his size. He'd never worn anything as expensive apart from the championship and felt conscious about it. He tried to refuse when she'd given it to him, saying she shouldn't buy something so expensive for him, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Meredith stepped onto the podium.
"Good evening Futas and family members, I'd like to welcome you to the 22nd Graduation of our school," She was met by a polite applause, "Each of you should have received an information brochure, if you haven't there are assistants by the end of your aisle that'll gladly give you one. Within you'll find the boys infomercials, this includes their grades along with a teacher's comment and if they've received a special commemoration in any subject. It also contains a bio of the boys themselves, their history, interests and a short letter to their future guardian."
The futas vehemently browsed through their brochures. Most we're already well informed, as the information had been made available on the web. The school website experienced an absurd surge of traffic since the championships and crashed five times.
"Graduation is a special day for boys," Meredith continued, "On this day they will take their first step into adulthood. For eighteen years they've been schooled and instructed, and it is with the utmost confidence I can say they're all well prepared. As headmistress I've followed their progress with pride, they're all good boys, and I'm certain that whoever adopts them will be pleased. However, if there is a complaint about your purchase the school will listen and we'll work out a solution to ensure your satisfaction. In my twenty-two years as headmistress we've only had two such complaints and both were solved in a satisfactory manner."
There was a murmur of approval from the crowd. The school had an impressive track record indeed.
"With that said, we should not keep our boys waiting, they're all eager to meet their new mistresses. To begin I'd like to call Lukas Ashford to the Podium."
The prices for boys from Meredith Lee's school ranged between three hundred thousand to two millions, and in special cases they could go for several millions. These were prices the lower classes could only dream of affording and thus there was only futas from the upper and the upper middle class in attendance. It might seem a high price to pay, but to afford a boy from an elite school was a sign of status. Also, what was the point of money if not to acquire precious things? There were some advantages to buying a well bred male, apart from the general rise in quality of life. In politics it was used to raise one's political gravitas. All ministers and high ranking politicians had males deemed as the best in the empire. Another reason was to develop good ties to noble families or prominent futas. It could be an important step to land a business deal or a partnership with the boy's mother, at times adoption would even be part of such a deal. As an orphan this didn't concern Jude, so it was logical to think that it would affect his price.
Meredith sat down on the front row while an auctioneer took her place on the podium and began the auction for the first item.
The auctioneer hit her hammer on the desk.
"Sold, for a million to the lovely lady in the back."
Lukas curtsied to the audience and stepped off to the side.
"Wow, a whole million, that's amazing," Jude said to him. Lukas had a wide smile across his face.
"It's all thanks to you. If it weren't for your performance during the championships I couldn't dream of getting such a high price."
Jude shook his head.
"That's not true Lukas, the effort was all yours and you're worth every penny."
They hugged and promised to keep in touch.
The boys was called one by one to be auctioned and adopted. The prices were high this year, likely an effect of the school's result in the championships and the interest that followed. Several boys were auctioned for a million or more. Jan's final price was clubbed in at three million. With the background of him being an aristocrat and having competed at the qualifiers, it was a reasonable price.
Mikkel's name was called and he walked stiffly to the podium.
"For our next item we have something special. The fourth place in the championships. His specialty is that of twerking, a specialty which is sure to keep any relationship interesting. The bidding starts at one million dollars".
"One million in the front, do we have one point two?" The auctioneer immediately went into her frantic mode.
"one point four, one point six? We have one point six from the lady in the front."
two millions from the Baudeville sisters. Two point two?"
A bidding war was about to erupt as there were four different parties vying for Mikkel's hand.
"three point four. Lady in the front, three point six? We have three point six from the lady in the front."
Jude was smitten by the excitement of the bidding, only one of the bidders had given up and the others glanced at each other with ill concealed hostility. Mikkel could barely stay still on the podium, Jude recognised it as him wanting to dance.
Keep it together Mikkel, you can't twerk here.
"five point eight, madame?" The auctioneer called out. The elegant futa in the front, dressed in a white sunhat, tensed up. Her chest heaved and her eyes had a nervous tune to them. It was only her and the Baudelaire sisters left.
"the first, the second and..."
She held up her flag at the last moment.
"We have five point eight, do we have six from the Baudelaire sisters?"
There was no hesitation from the back, they raised their flag immediately.
"We do. six point two?"
The lady in the front was shaking now, clenching her fist so hard the white of her knuckles showed.
"Madame?"
"The first, the second.." Her hand twitched as if she was about to raise her flag but she stopped herself in the last moment.
"and third, Mikkel is sold to the Baudelaire sisters for six million dollars."
Jude stretched to see who bought Mikkel. In the back he saw the two sisters and gasped at their elegant visage. Dressed in tight violet dresses that oozed of wealth, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The both of them were albinos, with pale ivory skin, silvery white hair and grey eyes. They looked excited over their purchase and the one to the left licked her lips.
Jude pushed through the crowd of boys to reach Mikkel, who'd moved to the side of the podium.
"Wow Mikkel, six millions! Congratulations."
"haha, yeah I know. More than I thought it'd be." He said. "Did you see them, the Baudelaire sisters?"
Jude nodded.
"Very handsome and so pale," He leaned over to whisper in Mikkels ear, "I wonder if their dicks are the same color."
Mikkel gawked and his cheeks flared red at the crude remark. It was a first for them, to have Mikkel blush at something Jude said.
"Jude! When did you get such a foul mouth?"
"Admit it, you want to know too."
Mikkel smiled and they giggled.
"If I'd known you liked to talk about such lewd things I would've brought it up a long time ago."
"Don't we all?" Jude winked at him. "I'm jealous of you, you get to have two Mistresses."
"Mhm, I can't wait."
"I'll miss you," Jude said, his tone turning somber.
"I'll miss you too. Maybe our mistresses will let us visit each other."
Grief tugged at Jude's heart, this might be the last time he saw his friend for a long time. He felt he should say something.
"Mikkel I..." He saw a tear fall from Mikkel's eye and they instinctively grabbed a hold of each other and hugged.
"I'll miss you so much. I promise I'll write every week."
"Me too."
Jude was about to cry but Mikkel pulled them apart and put his forehead to Judes.
"Don't cry now, you'll ruin your makeup."
Jude took a deep breath and collected himself. The auctioneer clubbed another adoption.
"You should get back," Mikkel said. Jude nodded but didn't want to let go.
"Don't worry, it will work out. You'll get adopted by a wonderful mistress and we'll go on to achieve great things, I promise." Mikkel leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
"Eh?! Why a kiss? Mikkel, I thought you weren't into boys!"
Mikkel blushed.
"Sorry, it just felt so right. Uhm, anyway, you need to get back now, you're up soon."
He forcibly turned Jude around and pushed him forward.
Jude stumbled to stand among the boys who waited to be called to the podium. The kiss had taken him by surprise. He still felt a tingle upon his lips. Why did he do that? It wasn't that he found Mikkel unattractive or something, it was just that he'd never seen him that way before and Mikkel had always been adamant he wasn't into boys. What changed?
As he stood there musing his name was called.
"Jude could you please come up here, Jude?"
While he dreamed it had become his turn to take to the podium. Embarrassed he rushed up.
"I'm so sorry," he said and bowed.
Mrs Fawlorne approached him, she adjusted his dress and pushed his hair aside.
"Really Jude," She said with a glint in her eyes, handed him his diploma and hugged him tight. "I'm so proud of you, my boy. Now go stand before the crowd."
He walked to stand at the center of the podium. All eyes focused on him, no one fiddled with their phones or took notes. He was the main attraction and the reason the graduation pulled such interest this year.
"For our next item no introductions are needed. He's one cute fighter who's struggled through many hardships to rise and stand at the top. Introducing The First Male of the Empire, Jude Lee!"
"The bidding starts at three millions"
Three Millions?! That's insane.
Did they really expect someone to pay that much for him? He was the champion so maybe it was warranted but still, that is an absurd amount.
"We have three millions, do we have three point five? Three point five to the madame at the back."
It felt strange to have futas offer so much money for him. He wanted to shout at them that they shouldn't waste it on him, but that would be rude so he kept silent.
"five millions. Five point five?"
A flag was raised in the front and everyone gasped at the identity of the bidder.
"M-Meredith?" Jude stammered then realised he was supposed to stay quiet and covered his mouth. He was not the only one surprised though. For a headmistress to bid on one of her own students was unconventional to say the least. There were no rules forbidding it though.
"Uhm, five point five from the headmistress. Do we have six?"
Meredith expected there would be a reaction, it wasn't proper for her to bid on Jude but she didn't care. During the last weeks he'd been in her thoughts day and night. She couldn't fool herself any longer. She wanted him to be hers from the bottom of her heart and if she won she would make sure he was always protected and loved. As headmistress and the largest stock owner of a company with several elite school across the nation, she was a wealthy futa with a net worth of over sixteen millions. She would go as far as she dared.
"We have seven, do we have seven point five?"
The bidding accelerated and there were now four different bidders fighting over Jude.
Meredith raised her flag.
"seven point five from the headmistress. We have a bidder over the phone, what was that?" An assistant walked out to the auctioneer and whispered in her ear.
"Ten million from the phone!"
Meredith drew breath. To raise the price by two and a half millions in a single bid was a clear signal to the others. 'Give up now'.
"Do we have eleven? Yes we do, eleven from the madame at the back".
The other Bidders were an aristocrat named Minerva Lanston, she was the chairman of the council of Music and art in North America and it was no surprise she was interested in Jude. The second bidder was a famous investment banker, Amanda Stutts. The third was a Futa that seemed altogether unremarkable, dressed in servant's clothing. She was probably there to represent her master. Then there were the mystery phone caller and Meredith.
"Twelve Millions from Ms Meredith."
Juliette turned to her.
"M'am are you sure about this?"
Meredith ignored her and kept her focus on the auctioneer.
"thirteen millions from Minerva Lanston."
"fourteen million from Amanda Stutts, do we have fifteen?"
Meredith's hand trembled as she raised her flag.
"M'am, you have to stop. Do you even have that much money?"
She didn't expect the price to surge so quickly.
"Fifteen million from Meredith, sixteen?"
"Sixteen million from the lady in the front."
It was over. Meredith accepted her defeat with a heavy heart. She glanced over at Jude, who seemed to be in a state of shock, never again would she get to touch that cute, little butt of his.
She sighed, hoping he would be happy in his new home at least.
"seventeen million, eighteen millions, nineteen..."
The price had passed the school record of twelve since long but how far would it go?
"We have another bid from our caller, hold on a moment." Everyone waited in excitement. "twenty five millions!" The audience gasped.
The bidding price had in such a short time closed the distance to the world record at thirty two.
"twenty eight from the lady in front do we have thirty?" The auctioneer looked at Amanda Stutts and Minerva Lanston but both of them shook their heads. It was up to the homely futa sitting in the front and the mysterious caller.
"We have thirty from our caller, thirty two?"
The homely futa nodded
"Thirty four?" The auctioneer panted, perhaps it was because she was out of breath after the long bidding war or because of the absurd amount offered.
"We have thirty four from the caller," she exclaimed. The audience drew a collective breath. It was a new world record! Beyond lay uncharted territory, how far would it go?
"Thirty six, from the lady in front."
"Thirty eight, from the caller, M'am forty?" The homely futa looked nervous but she raised her flag.
"Forty millions!"
The assistant, handling the call, suddenly drained of colour. The auctioneer leaned forward for her to whisper in her ear. Her eyes widened and she looked at the assistant.
"Are you sure?" she said loud enough for the audience to hear and the assistant nodded.
"Fifty millions from the caller!" The audience was in an uproar and everyone forgot to keep quiet. Some gasped, others raised their arms and waved them about and some stared blankly ahead.
"Q-q-quiet!" the auctioneer shouted, looking bewildered. The crowd grew silent but the anxiousness was palpable.
"We have fifty millions. D-Do we have fifty two?" Everyone looked at the homely futa sitting at the front. A sweat had broken out on her forehead and her eyes were dead set forward. She began to raise her flag but then stopped herself.
"The first," The auctioneer said, drawing out the vocals, "The second.." The homely futa twitched as if she was about raise her flag. Everyone held their breaths.
"And third. Jude Lee is sold for fifty million dollars to our bidder on the phone."
The audience was in a state of shock, some cheered and others sat still with their mouths ajar.
Fifty millions was an absurd amount to pay for a male, even the First Male. It had not only broken the world record but blown it away. The highest amount ever paid for a male in the empire's history.
Jude stood shaking on the podium, he was seeing double.
F-f-f-fifty?Even in his thoughts he stammered. He swayed and nearly lost his balance but regained his balance in the last moment.
"Jude," an assistant addressed him.
"Y-yes?"
"Would you please come with me."
He followed the assistant. Everyone around him was on high alert. Handling him as if he was a fragile piece of art, not daring to touch him out of fear for leaving a mark.
She led him to acquisition area which had been cleared out by a group of guards. They all looked tense.
"M'am, here's the boy," The assistant said.
Jude looked up at a futa dressed in a maid's outfit. He was surprised, she did not look like a person who could afford fifty millions.
"Would you like him wrapped up?" Wrapping boys after the auction was a practice where the boy was dressed in fine wrappings and placed in a bag. It had gone out of fashion during the last decades but was still a service offered to the buyer, some futas felt it was easier to carry them that way.
"No, thank you, we'll take him as he is."
"Mistress, it is an honor to meet you," Jude said to the maid and curtsied. She smiled.
"I'm not your mistress, she's waiting in the car outside. Follow me and I'll take you to her."
They walked outside, flanked by guards, to a limousine with tinted windows. The maid opened the door and motioned for him to enter.
Jude swallowed and tried to calm his beating heart.
Inside that car lay his future and his new mistress. What was she like and how would his life be with her? He had no answer these questions but there was one thing he was certain of.
His life would never be the same again.