Chapter 44
If Cinderella bought her lame excuse, ‘she’ would be a fool, especially with the box thrown on the floor and the underwear scattered on the bed.
I should have stayed put. My anxiety has brought this upon myself. If I could go back to before I came to the attic, I’d do anything.
The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
It felt like Cinderella might explode with anger at any moment. What had Rona been striving for all this time? This moment determined whether all her efforts would be in vain or if she could escape unscathed.
Cinderella tilted ‘her’ head slightly, and a mocking tone pierced Rona’s thoughts.
“Lies. You came here before, too.”
“What? That, that was…”
“Explain.”
Cinderella sat on the bed, crossing ‘her’ legs and raising one corner of ‘her’ mouth.
How did she know? Rona thought she had snuck into the attic without ‘her’ knowledge, but she was wrong. Maybe she had left the diary askew, or perhaps she had dropped something.
What’s the point of retracing her steps now? Rona felt like crying. If ‘she’ had known all this time, why hadn’t ‘she’ confronted her earlier? Perhaps ‘she’ was sharpening ‘her’ knife for a moment like this.
Even though she knew ‘she’ probably wouldn’t believe her, Rona mumbled an excuse. She couldn’t admit she had been snooping.
“I was curious about how you were living… That’s why I kept asking if you wanted to move rooms…”
“Uh-huh.”
Cinderella nudged the overturned box with ‘her’ foot, silently asking why it was like this. Sweat trickled down Rona’s temples.
“Oh, I accidentally kicked the box…”
A derisive chuckle escaped Cinderella’s lips. He was angry at her obvious lie. But more infuriating was the distraction of her plump lips, wondering what expression she’d make if he pushed something into them. His core tightened at the thought.
Rona, noticing Cinderella’s scrutiny, sighed. Why ask if ‘she’ wouldn’t believe her anyway? She felt a heavy burden on her shoulders. Cinderella’s probing eyes then asked a question she didn’t understand.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
“Ask what?”
What now? Rona stared at ‘her’, eyes wide like a rabbit’s. Cinderella, seeming amused, widened ‘her’ eyes and patted the bedspread, right where Rona’s underwear lay.
“The underwear. It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“Oh, this… Well, if you needed underwear, you should have said so. Last time, you said I could have them…”
Rona’s survival instincts kicked in, making her spew groveling words. She couldn’t outright ask why ‘she’ had stolen her underwear.
Their relationship was special. They appeared as stepsiblings due to their parents’ “remarriage”, but in reality, it was a dynamic of a sucker and a con artist. Moreover, Cinderella was the most powerful being who could end her life at any moment.
So, unless she had yet another life to reincarnate to, Rona had no choice but to grovel. Even though it was clear ‘she’ had stolen them, she pretended to be a kind older sister who didn’t mind.
But her desperate attempt at survival was shattered by Cinderella’s next words.
“That’s right. I needed the ones you wore.”
“Ah, the ones I w… what?”
“Yes, the underwear you wore.”
Did she hear that correctly? She asked again, hoping she had misunderstood, but Cinderella’s smiling confirmation made it clear she hadn’t. Rona stared dumbfounded at Cinderella and the underwear. Why would ‘she’ need her used underwear?
Cinderella’s smile grew brighter as Rona’s mouth hung open. He found her confusion amusing, or rather liberating. He no longer wanted to wear a mask. Cinderella felt it was time to reveal the truth.
He picked up a piece of underwear and waved it in front of her.
“Aren’t you curious about what I did with this?”
“Cinderella. I just… things like that…”
“Aren’t you curious?”
How should she respond? Rona finally realized this was indeed a revenge story. She had been preparing for the ball with greedy ambitions, thinking she’d achieve a happy ending and live a cushy life.
But the atmosphere had suddenly shifted.
Cinderella’s menacing expression made Rona’s eyes well up with tears. She didn’t want to know what ‘she’ had done with her underwear. It was obvious it wasn’t anything good.
As her hesitation dragged on, Cinderella’s blue eyes darkened, urging her to answer.
Unable to endure the suffocating tension, she finally spoke.
“What… did you do?”
“Would you like to know?”
Cinderella suddenly grabbed Rona’s hand and pulled her close.
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