Cinderella is... the Male Lead? - Chapter 6
“Haa. The air… is nice.”
In the suffocating atmosphere, the two arrived at the garden. Rona tried to break the uncomfortable silence with forced small talk, but suddenly flinched when Cinderella abruptly let go of her wrist. Cinderella nodded her head, signaling Rona to walk ahead.
‘What is this… Is this how someone who wants to go for a walk together acts? It would be nice if she’d just let me go, but it seems like she’s determined to stick with me till the end. There’s no way I can escape like this. This is driving me nuts!’
Under the silent pressure, their uncomfortable walk began. Rona carefully navigated the dark garden. The murderous look from Cinderella’s eyes sent chills down her spine. It was as if a cold breeze was blowing down her back. Unable to endure the prickling gaze any longer, she turned around.
In the darkness, Cinderella’s white teeth shone brightly. Whether she found Rona’s discomfort amusing or she actually enjoyed the night walk, there was a hint of a smile in Cinderella’s voice, though it was more like a sneer.
“Stay ahead of me, Sister.”
“O-Okay…”
This wasn’t a walk… It felt like it would be more pleasant to walk with a ghost. Rona, nearly in tears, trudged along.
Cinderella kept a few steps behind, maintaining a distance. After a forced lap around the garden, Rona glanced back, hoping they could stop now.
Knowing the novel’s gruesome ending, having Cinderella following her felt terrifying. Though Cinderella hadn’t done anything yet, it was still frightening.
This can’t go on. If they continued like this, they’d be walking until dawn. Rona gathered her courage and spoke.
“Um, uh, shouldn’t we go to bed? The night air is getting chilly.”
“Oh, I’m planning to go up with you, Sister.”
“Huh? R…Right.”
Her plan for a nighttime escape was completely thwarted. Rona re-entered the mansion, feeling Cinderella’s oppressive gaze.
Cinderella smiled whenever Rona glanced at her, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.
When they reached the second-floor hallway, Rona gulped nervously under Cinderella’s stare. Cinderella, her gaze fixed on Rona’s bag, spoke up.
“The night walk was fun.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Despite her words, her face showed no enjoyment. The continued focus on her bag made Rona uncomfortable.
‘Why is she acting like this? I want to ask why she’s following me, but her expression is too scary to even speak…’
Unable to endure the persistent gaze, Rona hid the bag behind her back. Silence fell again. Rona scratched her head awkwardly before suddenly perking up with a thought.
“Oh, about hiring workers…”
“It’s fine. I never expected it anyway.”
Cinderella, holding her skirt, answered brightly. There was a cold aura in her blue eyes. Startled, Rona spoke again.
“If I keep persuading Mother…!”
“This is your room, right? Go in.”
Before Rona could finish, Cinderella pushed her into the room. The door slammed shut behind her, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.
Leaning against the door, Rona slid to the floor. Was it just a coincidence that she ran into Cinderella during her escape attempt? She couldn’t shake the feeling that Cinderella had followed her on purpose.
‘Could she be… watching me to prevent my escape?’
It didn’t take long for her suspicions to be confirmed.
Every time Rona tried to escape at night, Cinderella would appear, turning her escape attempts into nothing more than night walks. Trying to walk with Cinderella in tow was making her nauseous from the stress.
As the nightly walks continued, the light of hope gradually faded from Rona’s eyes.
‘I’m sure of it. She’s watching me to stop me from escaping.’
Rona touched her gaunt face. The day of Cinderella’s bloody revenge was a year away, and it was clear that Cinderella was monitoring her for that day.
Though it wasn’t mentioned in the novel, Rona suspected Cinderella knew she would soon awaken to magical powers. Otherwise, why else would she keep watching Rona to prevent her escape?
‘Should I just ignore her and run away? …No, Cinderella might have already awakened her powers and is just hiding it.’
Frustrated, Rona nervously unpacked the bag she had carried around for her escape attempts and sat weakly on her bed. She gave up on escaping. Her only hope now was to win Cinderella’s favor.
