Cinderella is... the Male Lead? - Chapter 53
Rona struggled to sleep, tossing and turning all night. She must have dozed off for a moment when she was awakened by a knock at the door. Bright sunlight filled the room.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Rona told them to come in. A maid entered and spoke in a low voice.
“You’re called for breakfast, Miss.”
She thought she would be given time to think, but she was wrong. There was only one person in this mansion who would call her to breakfast—Cinderella.
Rona quickly washed up and stood in front of her wardrobe. She found herself unconsciously trying to choose a nice outfit, and, shocked at herself, she deliberately chose the plainest clothes she had.
She headed to the dining room, feeling self-conscious about her bare face. The closer she got to the dining room, the more her heart pounded.
‘I am a woman scorned, having been given an unreasonable demand and was sleepless with despair last night. I am angry and resentful. There’s not a hint of anticipation in me.’
Rona tried to keep a serious expression, afraid that Cinderella might notice her feelings.
Given his behavior yesterday, Cinderella seemed interested only in her body. His relaxed demeanor and constant attempts to undress her indicated that. Once he got what he wanted, he might lose interest and discard her. To avoid future humiliation, she had to act like she was reluctantly complying.
She walked briskly into the dining room, determined to maintain a cold demeanor, but her resolve melted away when she saw Cinderella. He was sitting there in a bright dress.
‘Why is he wearing a dress? He knows I know he’s a man now. Could it be…’
After seeing everything yesterday, it felt strange to see Cinderella still cross-dressing. He wasn’t the type to worry about what the servants thought, so cross-dressing must really have been a hobby he enjoyed.
Her green eyes wavered and settled on Cinderella’s chest. The frilly dress made it hard to tell the size of his chest, suggesting he didn’t use magic to enhance it.
Reflecting on it, Cinderella had always worn dresses that thoroughly covered his chest. Even in summer, he only exposed his arms, with necklines reaching up to his collarbone.
‘How did I not suspect anything? I’m seriously so dense.’
Rona cautiously pulled out a chair and sat down, stealing glances at Cinderella. Unable to contain her curiosity, she impulsively asked,
“Why are you wearing that…?”
“Because I want to.”
Cinderella smiled and showed his palms. What used to seem charming and beautiful now looked perverted knowing he was a man.
But the problem was that Rona’s heart was still pounding.
‘I’m going to die of embarrassment. No, I must have gone crazy after surviving yesterday.’
Feeling her attraction to a pervert was a sign of severe madness. Rona lowered her head, trying to hide her feelings, afraid Cinderella might read her emotions.
Cinderella tilted his head and rested his chin on his hand, staring at Rona. Aware of her feelings and what happened yesterday, he saw no need to hide his gaze.
The food was served, and the meal began. The intense gaze on the top of her head made it impossible for Rona to concentrate on her meal. Realizing her feelings, Cinderella’s mere presence made her head spin.
‘This is driving me nuts. I’ll just eat quickly and leave.’
It felt like her heart would jump out of her chest. Cinderella watched Rona’s desolate expression as she picked at her food, then spoke calmly.
“Have you thought about what to do?”
“Cough— Um, just… Please give me a little more time.”
Caught off guard, Rona choked on her food and gulped down water. She hadn’t expected him to bring it up right at breakfast. After calming her coughing, she lowered her eyes.
“I need time to think. I still don’t know what to do…”
Rona trailed off. She knew what he wanted, but she needed time to brace herself.
Cinderella shook his head and poked at his food. He thought a night would be enough time, but apparently, she still needed to think.
“It’s a wonder you’ve survived this long. A con artist should be quick-witted, so how did you manage to get this far without getting caught?”
“Conning isn’t really my thing. I was going to quit after this…”
Rona agreed with him. Even after regaining her past life’s memories, she wondered how she and the naive Susan managed to scam people in this harsh revenge novel world. Her memories before that were blurry, as if they belonged to someone else. The ‘Rona’ from back then felt like a different person to the current Rona.
Cinderella, smiling faintly, clasped his hands.
“You didn’t realize this was a death trap?”
“Ah…”
“I’m not going to kill you. Can’t I joke around a little?”
“Phew…”
Rona, who had turned pale, felt like she was chewing on paper as she ate her salad.
From yesterday, Rona noticed that Cinderella enjoyed her reactions. Like a child finding joy in tormenting a small animal…
Knowing the original plot, Rona was understandably scared, but Cinderella had no idea of her inner turmoil.
