I stood in the kitchen, then paused when I noticed two mice running around. They were wearing shirts.
Was I seeing things? I walked up to the mice and grabbed them by their tails. They hugged each other and screamed. The kitchen door suddenly opened.
I looked over—it was the girl. Her eyes widened as she rushed over.
"Please let go of Gus and Jaq," she said.
She extended her hand, and I dropped them. She put the two mice down.
"Guys, I told you to be careful. Go back home," she said.
They nodded and ran away.
What the hell? What am I seeing right now? She stood up and looked at me.
"My name is Cinderella. What is yours?" she asked.
"Fergus," I replied.
"Well, Fergus, it's nice to meet you." She smiled.
I nodded. Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly. She looked surprised, then giggled and moved toward the ingredients.
"I'll start making it now," she laughed.
Watching her work, my heart skipped a beat. Cinderella, huh? Quite an interesting woman.
A bit later, she finished cooking. Smelling the fragrance, I gulped. Why did it smell so good? She placed it on the table.
"I'm sorry, eat this first. The pie is too hot right now," she said as she passed me a plate of potatoes.
They looked boiled. I grabbed one and threw it into my mouth. I watched as she took her own plate, put two potatoes inside, and sat across from me.
She peeled the skin and took small bites. Watching me eat the potatoes, she smiled.
"Are you happy?" I asked.
She nodded.
"I haven't eaten at the same table with another person in a long time," she said.
I paused at her words. Didn't she have a mother and sisters? Why would she say that? How badly was she mistreated?
As we ate, I suddenly spoke.
"What is your greatest wish?" I asked.
She stopped eating, then smiled.
"I want to one day marry a kind man, have a happy family, and live happily ever after," she said.
So she wants a better life. I grabbed her face and inspected it more closely. It seems like she isn't getting enough food.
Seeing that she was still eating the plain potatoes, I took out a jar of honey that Moon gave me.
I opened it and gave it to her. She looked confused.
"What is it?" she asked.
"This is honey," I replied.
Smelling the sweet aroma, she gulped. But then she shook her head.
"This is too much—" she tried to say.
"It's a gift," I said.
She paused, then pursed her lips.
"Thank you," she said with a genuine smile.
I returned the smile. As we ate, we talked and laughed.
"So what do you do in your free time?" she asked.
"Oh, I grow fruits and vegetables," I answered.
She smiled.
"Can I see?" she asked.
"Sure, I'll show you later—"
Boom.
The kitchen door slammed open as an old woman appeared.
"Mother," Cinderella said and stood up.
The woman's eyes narrowed as she pointed at me.
"Who is he?" she asked.
"This is my friend, Mother," Cinderella answered.
The woman looked angry.
"Disobedient girl, how dare you bring others into the manor without my permission," she said coldly.
She raised her hand, and Cinderella closed her eyes. I instantly appeared in front of her and let her strike me.
When she hit me, she shouted in pain and took steps back. She probably sprained her hand. Cinderella opened her eyes, and seeing her mother in pain, ran to her.
"Mother," she said, helping her.
She then turned to me.
"P-please leave," she asked.
I paused at her words, then sighed. I left and headed back to the village. What was she thinking? How could she protect her abuser?
"Sigh, she's too kind and seems easily fooled," I muttered.
Thinking about the pie I ate earlier, I gulped. I want her—she will become my personal chef. Not because of another reason. Definitely.
But what could I do? She seems attached to her family. But—it seems her mother doesn't feel the same. I smiled.
I have a perfect plan. I returned to their estate and knocked on the front door. The door slowly opened, and seeing me, she tried to shut it.
I stopped her and passed her a pouch.
"Think of it as an apology," I said.
She looked hesitant and slowly opened the pouch. Seeing what was inside, her eyes widened.
"W-what do you want?" she gulped, looking at the gold.
"I want to talk about something," I said. She nodded, opened the door, and led me to a room.
We sat down as I looked straight at her.
"There is only one thing I want," I said.
"And what is that?" she asked.
"I want Cinderella. Whatever price you want," I said.
She scoffed.
"You think I would stoop that low—"
I took out a bunch of chests from my inventory. Her eyes widened as she saw everything.
"I-it's all gold," she stuttered. But then her eyes shone with greed.
"This isn't enough. Cinderella is beautiful, kind, and compassionate. She also has a beautiful voice. You would need at least another ten chests," she said slyly.
I smirked. Greedy—just as I'd expected. I took out twenty chests, and her eyes widened even further.
"I-it's a deal," she said.
She stood up.
"I'll get her now," she said.
I nodded and waited for her to return. What pie should I eat for dinner? I rubbed my hands together, thinking about it.
Soon she returned with Cinderella behind her. Upon seeing all the gold, Cinderella looked amazed and surprised.
"F-Fergus," she stuttered, noticing me.
"From now on, you belong to him," the woman said.
"W-what?" she asked, confused.
"Don't you understand the situation? You've been sold," the old woman said.
Realization hit quickly. She dropped to her knees.
"I-I've been sold?" Her voice was shaky.
"Stop messing around, Cinderella. Do you not see all this gold? With this, your sisters and I can be happy. Do you want us to live in poverty because of you?"
Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.
"I-I understand," she said.
I sighed. I thought she'd fight it, but I guess her will was weaker than I thought. I stood up and walked out.
"Cinderella, follow me," I said.
She did as told and followed me. We walked until we reached a secluded area. The whole time, she stayed quiet.
"S-sir, w-what will you do with me?" Her voice sounded hollow.
I looked back at her, a little confused.
"I just want you to make pie," I said matter-of-factly.
She looked up at me in confusion.
"I like the pie you make," I said.
A few hours later, we were in a forest. I took out a stove and many ingredients.
"Make me pie," I said.
She looked dumbfounded but still did it. She moved around and started cooking.
"What pie do you want?" she asked as she worked.
"Anything will be fine," I said.
She nodded and continued. As I watched her work, I thought things over. I needed to help her be more aware of danger.
She's too trusting. I'll probably bring her on my future campaigns, so she'll need to get used to seeing blood and dead bodies.
Or I could just leave her in the palace and come back when I'm hungry. Yeah, I think that's a better choice.
As I thought about it more, she started humming. Hm, she's quite interesting. Even though she was just sold, she's still optimistic.
Looking around, I nodded. This was a good clearing. I took out a large tent from my inventory and started setting it up. Cinderella, busy with the cooking, didn't notice until she finished.
She stayed silent and just looked in awe. After I was done, I put a bed down. I scratched my head when I realized I only had one bed.
"Well, whatever. I can sleep on the floor," I muttered.
I left the tent, and seeing that the pie was done, I sat down at the table and started eating. It was amazing, but I paused when I noticed Cinderella was just standing there.
"Why are you standing there? Sit down and eat."
She shook her head.
"I-I'm not hungry," she said.
"It wasn't a question. I'm telling you to sit down and eat. You're malnourished and need to eat. Now do as I say," I ordered.
She pursed her lips and sat down. I gave her a large piece, and she began to eat. I took out a special fruit I'd planted from my inventory.
-Pure Essence-
A fruit that holds a lot of nutrients and can give you the energy to last for a whole week.
I gave it to her.
"What is this?"
I didn't answer.
"Eat it. It's good for you," I added.
She nodded and took a bite. Her eyes widened at the burst of flavors.
"I-it tastes amazing."
I smiled. Of course it does—I planted it myself. I spent a lot of time crossbreeding hundreds of fruits, and that was one of my final products.
As we ate, I talked more than her, probably because she was still trying to process her current situation.
Soon the sun began to set. Noticing this, I led her to the tent. She looked a little hesitant but still followed.
Entering, I showed her to the bed. She nodded and started taking off her clothes. My eyes widened as I stopped her.
"Whoa, are you crazy? I'm right here," I said.
She looked confused.
"Are you not planning to bed me?" she asked.
"Bed you? Why would I do that? And I'm not allowed to do that until I'm wedded," I added.
"Then why did you bring me in here?" she asked.
"To show you where you'll be sleeping," I said.
She looked at the bed, then back to me.
"But the bed is huge."
I scratched my head and smiled.
"It's the only one I have."
The place fell into silence as the realization hit, and she blushed.
"A-ah, I'm sorry," she stuttered.
I shook my head.
"No, it's fine. It's partly my fault," I sighed.
She nodded in embarrassment. I prepared to leave when she stopped me.
"Where will you be sleeping?" she asked.
"Outside," I replied.
"I think I should be the one to sleep outside. I'm your servant, after all," she said.
"Unless you're a warrior, that won't happen," I said.
She pursed her lips.
"Then we can sleep in the same bed."
I raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
"How will you be able to find a husband if they find out we slept in the same bed?" I teased.
She pursed her lips again.
"I-it's fine. I don't think a man would want me, especially since I have so much debt."
"You have debt?" I asked.
"Yes, to you. You bought me, remember?"
I paused at her words, then smiled.
"You're right," I joked.
Damn, she's too timid. I smirked.
"How many children do you want?" I asked.
"I wanted a lot of children, but I don't think most men would be able to support it," she said, a little confused about why I changed the subject.
That's great. She makes tasty pies, is nice and understanding, and she wants a lot of children.
Not only will I get what I want, but I can continue my father's plan of having hundreds of descendants.
I grabbed her face again and inspected it. After eating the pure essence, her body had gotten the right nutrients and was mostly healed. She looked more beautiful than before.
"All right, I've decided. From now on, you're my wife," I declared.
Her eyes widened. I took out a ring from my storage and gave it to her. This ring I'd had Father make for me after I told him I would help him continue his plan.
He was hesitant and said that though my intelligence was high, my emotional intelligence was lower than Moon's.
Now I can make him eat his words. I grabbed her hand, then went to the bed, placed her down, and lay next to her.
I looked at her. She looked stunned.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"T-this is going faster than I thought," she said.
I nodded.
"It's fine. Now that we're married, we can sleep together," I said.
She nodded, then turned to me.
"But don't we need to be naked to be able to have children?" she said.
I turned to her, confused.
"My mother told me when people get married, they hold hands to get a baby."
"Pft," she giggled.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Nothing," she smiled.
Eh, whatever. I'm too lazy to care at the moment. I yawned.
"Well, good night," I said.
She nodded. Slowly I fell asleep, still holding hands with Cinderella.