Cinderella is... the Male Lead? - Chapter 17
In the novel, Cinderella awakened her magic on the day of the ball. But could she really trust everything described in the novel? For one, Susan, whom she thought was her mother, turned out to be Rona’s nanny. So, Cinderella’s magic awakening might differ from the novel’s depiction.
Cinderella, once awakened, had taken revenge with the prince’s tacit approval. Before that, she had attempted to escape but failed.
‘Now, getting close to her is the best option. Staying alive means keeping my mouth fed.’
Rona’s eyes widened as an idea struck her.
‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Getting close to Cinderella means a path to success. She’ll marry prince charming, yeah? I should stay by her side and later serve as her maid to reap the benefits.’
She should have realized this since regaining her past life’s memories, but it only just dawned on her. Instead of running away, she needed to win Cinderella’s favor by acting like a faithful servant.
Thinking about this, Rona recalled Susan’s gaunt face.
Initially, she wanted to cut ties with Susan, but she couldn’t completely disregard the woman who had cared for her since childhood. However, Susan, unlike her cautious self, was still eager to resume tormenting Cinderella as soon as she recovered. If left unchecked, the harassment might start again.
Even if she told Susan about the future, she wouldn’t believe it. Rona didn’t want Susan to die, so she pondered ways to save her.
She could either make Susan so neurotic that she couldn’t bother Cinderella, or… secretly remove her from the mansion. Out of sight, out of mind. It might not be the best saying for this situation, but if Susan wasn’t around, she couldn’t harass Cinderella.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Rona picked up a piece of clothing that had tripped her. Why was there men’s underwear on the floor? Was it Cinderella’s father’s? Why would he keep such a thing in his room? But the underwear looked worn, as if someone had recently taken it off.
Oh my, Rona realized, covering her mouth with a hand.
Poor Cinderella! She must be so destitute that she was forced to wear men’s underwear. It was pitiful. One of the culprits who harassed her had no right to say this, but it was pitiful nonetheless. Cinderella probably wanted to buy new underwear but was too afraid of Susan to ask.
“I should use my allowance to buy her some new underwear. And it’s not just the underwear, those ragged clothes…”
All the women’s clothes in the wardrobe were tattered. Cinderella must want to wear pretty clothes, but everything she owned was loose and shabby. There must be decent clothes in her original room. Why was she sticking to these old clothes?
Rona speculated that Cinderella preferred them because they were comfortable for housework. She clicked her tongue and tossed the men’s underwear far away, carefully opening the door to check outside before sneaking out. She didn’t even think to return the underwear to its original place.
***
After Rona left the room, Cinderella’s forehead twitched as he stood at the mansion’s entrance. He suddenly looked up.
“What’s this?”
His slender blue eyes darted to the top floor of the mansion where the attic was. He had placed a detection spell in the attic just in case, and Rona had triggered it. One side of his mouth curled into a crooked smile as he muttered.
“Hah, she won’t find anything useful…”
His mind wandered to the underwear he had left on the floor. Rona might have seen it. The thought of her discovering it made him oddly warm. How would Rona react if she learned he was a man?
Did she only see the underwear? Did she read the diary? It didn’t matter much if she did. The diary mentioned his magic awakening, but would Rona understand its significance?
‘My clothes are in the wardrobe… but she’d never think I’m a man.’
Cinderella’s body still retained the magic that maintained his female appearance. So, even with all the clues in the attic, Rona would never suspect his true gender.
‘I wonder what she’d say if she found out. I’m too curious.’
He knew he had to keep his disguise until the ball, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. However, he had to restrain himself. Shaking his head, he resumed tending to the garden. Even though Rona had snuck into the attic, he couldn’t stop humming. He didn’t even realize his own good mood as he cared for the flowers.
‘Hmm, she’s not coming to see me today.’
Cinderella looked up to see the sky turning red. Rona was probably too embarrassed to come after snooping through the attic. He sighed regretfully.
Without realizing it, his feelings towards Rona were slowly changing.
