The Mysterious Owner

As Gilgamesh entered the silent room, the scent of flower petals filled his senses, and the room's decor was filled with books, medicines, and many sheets covered in writing in a language he had not yet studied. 

"I must thank you for such a reception, but this lack of respect is not something I can tolerate." Gilgamesh found no one in the room, not exactly where someone who receives a guest should be. Instead, the feminine silhouette was behind a long curtain made of dark fabric. 

"You are much smaller than I imagined, Prince Gilgamesh." A woman, dressed in white, her delicate face carried a seductive tone but was devoid of emotions. She had an air of arrogance, something that could be easily perceived. 

For Gilgamesh, who had seen beauties and goddesses, this woman had a normal appearance for which he would not gaze upon like any other man dominated by sexual desire. But what stood out most about this woman were her pointed ears, emerald-green eyes, and the jewels that adorned her body. 

"I was too polite with someone like you by showing my real face; I am not known for this appearance, so I am already being very considerate with you." 

At that moment, the bright eyes of this elf fell upon Gilgamesh. There was no lust or bewilderment like the noble swine of this realm, which surprised her greatly and also garnered her respect. 

The attractive eyes of this woman were evident. However, Gilgamesh remained standing, calm, comfortable, and with a breath as if there was nothing in front of him important enough to pay attention to. 

"Gilgamesh, my name is Elaine, and I am the owner of this auction house, of which you have been an incredible customer these past few days." 

Elaine greeted Gilgamesh directly, although her height was not balanced, Elaine was much shorter than usual. Therefore, she was not much taller than Gilgamesh already was. 

Gilgamesh nodded casually. Despite Elaine's unparalleled beauty, he was not moved by this gesture and, on the contrary, said, "In my first encounter with someone of your kind, you are indeed a very beautiful woman. I was expecting an elderly lady in her twilight years as the owner of this auction house." 

"Should I take that as a compliment? Furthermore, I must add that I deeply detest men." Elaine looked into Gilgamesh's crimson eyes, and certainly, this young man would be very attractive in the near future. 

"If someone as beautiful as you says so, it's because you hadn't met me, or perhaps, certain magical reasons prevented you." Gilgamesh said as he walked to a chair near the window. 

Like a pure diamond in Gilgamesh's eyes, this woman in front of him had captured his complete attention due to how intriguing she was. 

"Tell me, Prince Gilgamesh, what are your intentions in coming to my Auction House when there are better ones in this city?" Elaine gazed at this young prince with a cold expression; what she hated most was nobles pretending to be innocent when they were the worst of humanity. 

Gilgamesh acted as if he didn't notice Elaine's attitude. He comfortably propped his feet up on the chair and looked at her, speaking sincerely, "I want to own an auction house. Your auction houses were the right ones, so I planned to buy them and take control." 

"The fact that I haven't severed your neck means I appreciate the workers here, so you can leave as soon as possible. The Black Pearl Auction House will no longer do business with you." 

Gilgamesh stopped playing around, and his eyes turned cold. "You must think that, because of your great age, you know everything, but I have more years than you think, and you should be grateful to receive a compliment from me." 

As he finished saying that, several shimmering ripples appeared in the room, and chains like snakes moved toward Elaine and held her tightly. 

"You!" 

Elaine wanted to dodge those chains, but before she knew it, her feet had already been firmly bound, and no matter what she did, she couldn't free herself. She, a powerful elf who could defeat Sword Kings and evade the most powerful spells, had been subdued by golden chains from a ten-year-old boy. 

She was trembling with anger, and her face was deeply flushed. Elaine had invited him because she wanted to know what kind of prince he was, all because he wanted to make such a significant move with slavery in the city of Ars. 

"You have pride, I can understand that," Gilgamesh said, not acknowledging her anger as he approached Elaine. "You think there's no man who could deserve your body, but let me tell you, not all are the trash you imagine. Furthermore, I don't want your auction house for any particular reason; I simply don't want to wait for your decision when making purchases, selling something, or auctioning a particular item." 

"Become my right hand, and if you wish, at some point, you could get to know me better." Gilgamesh looked into Elaine's eyes and lightly touched her face, which only displayed a cold expression. 

"Not in a hundred years would I marry a human, and much less someone like you." Elaine replied through gritted teeth. 

"I can feel the chains within your soul; it must be some kind of curse. As my first gesture of sincerity, I will break that seal," Gilgamesh's eyes gleamed, and his hand drew near Elaine's abdomen. 

"Don't you dare touch me!" Elaine screamed, but at that moment, she felt a surge of golden energy pierce through her belly and spread throughout her entire body. 

The divine energy broke through the icy seals within Elaine's body, and she could only grit her teeth in pain. Her curse was to suffer from powerful waves of cold that, if left unchecked, could freeze her entire body. It was for this reason that there was a lot of medicine in her room, and why she traveled across the continent in search of a remedy for this curse. 

However, at the most unexpected moment, a child immobilized her body and openly touched her. This was something she would not forgive, but when she felt that divine energy leave Gilgamesh's body, the tension in her body and her resistance gradually disappeared. 

The chains loosened their grip, and Elaine, now powerless, slumped onto Gilgamesh's body. Due to the pain, she clung tightly to whatever she could and ended up embracing a complete stranger. 

"Accursed meddler..." Elaine muttered before losing consciousness. 

"The curse on your body must have been placed by a very powerful being; it took more effort than usual to remove it from your body," Gilgamesh carried Elaine to the sofa and looked at her sleeping form. His curiosity about her ears piqued his interest, but as he had resolved to change, he decided not to touch them. 

"What the hell is happening to me? I should be glad that someone like me is interested in someone like her... Oh, what the hell am I saying." Gilgamesh shook his head and, after leaving a note on the table, exited the room.