Chapter Text
Two doves together,
one black and one white,
see Cinderella's struggle
and watch her sleep every night.
'There is nothing to tell -
no story!' they cry,
but they do not know yet
that this is a lie.
╼ ❅ ╾
Everybody has a perfect version of themselves, one that they always work towards and hope to become. It is usually an unreachable ideal, but through continuous working on oneself and one's personality, it is possible to achieve one's goal simply in the steady convergence to it.
For you, one personality trait of your ideal self was being reliable. You wanted to be there for your friends and family, wanted them to be able to rely on and confide in you. It was a huge part of being a good person, in your opinion. All the heroines and heroes in the stories you loved so much as a child were such people. Your mother had been such a person, too. She had always been your role model.
Which was why it hurt badly that right now, you were made to be responsible for the betrayal on one of your best friends, Emil.
Emil, who had been by your side since childhood.
Who had been the prince to your princess whenever you had played some of your favorite stories.
Who had held your hand when you had crossed fallen trees in the forest.
Who had hugged you tightly while you cried when you had lost your mother.
Who struggled so much to survive in this economy, but still had always been there for you.
Your stepsisters, Pearl and Rosalith both smirked at you. The older one, Rosalith, pushed a strand of her silky magenta hair behind her shoulder. "You should probably be more careful where you have such important talks in the future," she told you smugly, with a glint in her eyes. Pearl, with a similar hair colour to her sister, only lighter, continued in her stead. "Or at least be mindful of who might be able to hear. Who knows what would happen to that little friend of yours if it came out he's the thief everyone's been looking for all this time."
You just stared at them, filled with panic and unable to answer. They seemed to enjoy your shocked reaction a lot, which shouldn't surprise you at all.
"Picture it, Emil, the thief, the headline on the front page of the Steambird," Rosalith continued. "He'd be cast into Meropide without a second thought and thrown to the wolves. Poor, kindhearted Emil probably wouldn't last there very long, would he?"
Finally, at her taunts, you found your voice again. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The Fabergee Egg, my dear sister," Pearl told you and moved her fingers to your cheek, but you pushed her hand to the side. She just laughed so sickly sweet it made you want to puke. "The one that's so insanely valuable. You know? The one that Emil stole?"
"It seems you also don't know what you're talking about." You willed yourself to be as calm as possible to refute your sisters' accusations, praying she didn't hear how fast your heart was beating.
"So if I go to the police and they interrogate Emil, they won't find out he mysteriously suddenly acquired a huge amount of money?" Rosalith giggled. "They won't find any proof at all?"
You could almost feel the blood drain from your face, and you could definitely see the small rise in the corner of Rosalith's mouth as she most certainly understood your reaction. "Now, now, there is no need to be afraid. Why would we rat out our sister's friend?"
Again, Pearl reached for your cheek and grabbed it harshly. "After all, we get along soooo well. And do so many favors for each other!"
With a sharp turn, you pulled your cheek from in between her fingers and glared at her. You knew that she didn't care how much you hated her. She had never liked you as well, after all, just like her sister. "What do you want?" You asked them coldly.
And finally, the fake smile disappeared from Rosalith's face and she talked to you seriously. "You know how mum wants to have connections to Meropide so badly? I have no fucking idea why, but she wants me to marry for that connection. Well, I am sure as hell not going to marry some sleazy prison warden. And neither is Pearl. Which leaves you. Volunteer to marry that old guy in my stead and our lips are sealed. There's no benefit for us in getting Emil arrested."
Rosalith and Pearl had never considered you family, you knew that much, and neither had their brother by blood, Jonas. There had been a hatred, cold and piercing, right from the very moment their mother had stepped into your father's life, and it had only increased after their marriage. At the beginning, you had tried to get along with them, but it had never worked out. They would always claim you bullied them, and since it was three against one, no one ever believed you that it was the other way around. Your father's disappointed face still haunted you.
The three siblings had always gotten their way, by wit or by force, and this time was no different. You knew there was no winning here. And most of all, you wanted to protect your friend.
"Let's be clear," you said to your sisters. "If I agree to marry that prison warden, you won't tell anyone anything?"
"Let's be clearer," was Pearl's answer. "Tonight, at dinner, if you don't tell mum and dad that you'll marry that warden in my sister's stead, we'll immediately go to the police."
After a small moment of silence and panic - the latter from your side, at least - your two sisters giggled amongst themselves. "I trust even you should be smart enough to choose the right option!" Rosalith's shrieking voice increased the venom of her insult. With one step she was too close to you for comfort and whispered in your ear, "He's gonna get killed. They'll kill your friend." Then she turned around and left the room, followed by her sister.
You stood in the same spot for a few moments more, trying to process what had just happened, and then you finally got moving. Your destination was the only one who could help you now, and sadly the exact person who was in the gravest danger of all.
╼ ❅ ╾
"Emil!"
The young man, almost exactly your age, sat on a box and was reading a book. It was one of his favorite past times, and a hobby the two of you shared. He had dirty blonde hair and a face full of freckles that you would usually make a comment about, but now there was no time for teasing.
You ran towards your friend with such haste, he fell from the box when you finally reached him and threw your arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Emil, I'm so-"
"Calm down, please," he laughed, unsure how to take your sudden apology. Slightly laughing from the fall, he pulled himself up and reached out to you to help you up as well. "What is even going on?"
And that was when you couldn't hold in your tears anymore. Again, you threw your arms around him, but this time he realized that something wasn't right. As you continued sobbing, he softly called your name again and again. "Calm down. Shhhh."
He gently pet your hair and back until you found your voice between the sobs. "They found out. They overheard!"
"Who found out what?" Emil asked, still calm.
"My sisters. They found out about the egg. Please, Emil, you need to get rid of any evidence as quickly as you can!"
That finally got a reaction out of him, but it was by far not as bad as you had imagined it would be. He paled, grabbed your shoulders and pushed you away to face you directly. "They found out? How?"
"They overheard one of our conversations..." you answered, still hiccupping, but wiping the tears from your face. "I'm so sorry, Emil!"
"Shit..." Emil bit his lip while he frantically arranged his thoughts. Probably about any evidence that was left and how to get rid of it. After a few seconds, his hands tightened around your shoulders.
"It's not your fault. And don't worry," he said while looking you deep into the eyes. He tried his best to sound reassuring, but you knew him well. He was your best friend since childhood, after all. Still, he tried. "There is nothing to worry about. Most of the evidence is gone, and what little there is left, I'll get rid of it immediately. They can't prove anything. Your sisters can't do anything to me, and they know it, so they won't tell anybody."
"I..." It was insane to you to think so optimistically. How could he say that there was nothing to worry about? He would be thrown into prison, and you would lose yet another person more important to you than yourself. He and Chiori were the only ones left.
He noticed your hesitation. Of course he did.
"Listen to me. Nothing will happen to me, I promise."
You just shook your head, sending a few more tears flying. "You don't know that! You can't be sure! Emil, please take this seriously, I don't have many people left in my life!"
Hearing that, Emil pulled you into him once more and hugged you tightly. "I swear to you, nothing is going to happen to me."
He didn't get it, was your conclusion. He didn't take the risks seriously. He either thought he had hidden all the evidence well enough, or he was sure that your sisters wouldn't go to the Gardes. But you knew them well. They had tormented you enough in the last years, told lies to all your friends and family, pushed you around, berated you and picked on you, all of which made you sure of their character. They were not good people, at least not to those they deemed lesser than themselves. And sadly, you as well as Emil were in that category. But Emil didn't get it. He was too naïve, too good for this world, to realize how causelessly evil some people could be.
He had always been there for you, had never believed any of the lies told about you and stayed by your side through all the hardships. His as well as yours. Emil didn't deserve to suffer because of your family drama. He had already suffered enough by the hands of all those debt-collectors, harassing, pressuring and threatening him. Going so far that, out of fear for his own life, he had gone as low as stealing from a rich person, just so those despicable people would leave him alone for a bit. His whole life he had gone through nothing but hardships. Only because of his good-for-nothing parents that decided to live well above their means and gamble away things they didn't even own. And then went and got themselves killed, leaving all their problems to their innocent son.
Emil had gone through enough already. This time, it was on you to protect him. Of course, you were not as naïve as to believe your sisters’ promise to keep their lips sealed forever, but you could at least buy time.
Plus, there was another positive side effect.
If you were to marry a man, you'd finally be able to leave your 'family' behind. You'd be free - at least more so than with them. You'd finally be able to grow as your own person.
That was the moment you decided to accept your sisters’ proposal. You would agree to marry the prison warden in Rosalith's stead. You'd get through it. Maybe he wasn't even that bad. And if he was, you could wait until enough time had passed for Emil to be safe, and then you could get a divorce.
But you would do everything in your might to protect Emil. And yourself.
╼ ❅ ╾
Dinner was awkward for you, as usual since Hematitia and her three children had moved into your house. You were used to it. Still, you missed the fun evenings where it was just you and your dad, talking and having fun. Now, you didn't speak. Only listened to your stepmother’s and sisters’ shrieking and your father’s and his friend’s deep laughs.
At the head of the table there sat, of course, your father. Alan Rainsworth, successful businessman and loving father (though towards you that had changed a bit since your sisters lies hat gotten to him) and proud owner of Rainsworth COM, a company trading with goods as well as information. He was balding, due to all the stress he was constantly under, but still looked like a respectable gentleman in his black suit.
To his right, there was his wife, your stepmother Hematitia. He loved her dearly, as much as she loved money. Of course she was always dressed in the most luxurious dresses, mostly red ones. Next to her sat her two daughters, Rosalith and Pearl. They followed their mother's taste, wearing only brand clothing. Their favorites were their pink and purple Lashé brand dresses that were more lingerie than actual clothes but cost a fortune. Ironically, you had a third one of those, but never wore it.
Opposite Hematitia was your father's best friend George, who once had been almost like a second father, but now rarely spoke to you. He was a very handsome older man, with a full head of brown locks and friendly green eyes. Between him and you was Jonas, your stepbrother. With his ginger hair he almost didn't look like he was part of the family, but you were thankful that he was, since he was the kindest to you of the three children - as in: he ignored you. What he did share, however, was their love for fancy clothing, as he was wearing an elaborate green suit.
This was your family, one that you didn't feel like you belonged to anymore.
After dinner was eaten, you all stayed seated, as was expected of you, and anything relevant was to be discussed. You usually didn't speak during these times, but today your heart was hammering in your chest because you knew that this time you had to.
The discussion started out as usual, with some business-related topics that didn't interest you much. While usually you didn't listen because you didn't care, this time you were unable to focus at all. You decided to wait until the end to speak up.
As it turned out, you didn't even have to. It was Hematitia who started the conversation. "And then there is the topic of the connection to Meropide. My daughters have informed me that there is some change in plans, apparently?" And then she looked at you, expectantly. With a small smirk on her deep red lips she stared and you stared back for just a moment, into her face with too much make up and strands of her purple hair that had fallen from the elegant bun. Your gaze burned.
"Ahem... yes." You then turned to your father. There was no going back now. "Father, I have talked to my sisters about your and mother's plans for the marriage to the warden."
"He is not just a warden, he is the administrator," He interrupted you, almost with disdain that you were not aware of such basic information. "Wriothesley, the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide. I'm sure you've heard of him."
You hadn't.
"Yes, of course," you lied to him. Then you took one last deep breath. "We thought about it and came to the conclusion that it might be a better idea for me to marry him instead of Rosalith."
What followed was a short silence.
"Hmmm," he said, deep in thought and possibly taken by surprise.
Hematitia was quick to come to your aid, though. "Dear, think about it," she said to him, her hand on his shoulder, slowly massaging. "My daughters are still too young to be married off yet. But her? She'd need it." She sent you a glare bursting with hatred, and you shot an equal one back. "Just think about all that she's done in the last months. Being in such close proximity to the prison might actually do her character a lot of good as well!"
The missing alcohol that you had apparently drunk, the broken gadgets in your room, the pierced tire on your father's automaton, and many more. You knew Hematitia was talking about those things, none of which had actually been done by you. But once somebody is convinced of a person's bad character, other accusations just seem to be easier to believe. And your stepfamily had worked meticulously to ruin your character in your father’s eyes. According to Hematitia, it was your rebellious phase, your misbehavior due to having lost a parent and hating your new family, even though they 'had been nothing but nice'. You wanted to puke.
"Also, don't forget how she's running after every guy she sees. It should help her settle down!" Pearl threw into the conversation.
Another one of your sisters' lies. Making it seem like you were sleeping around and stealing their boyfriends when instead, they were the ones to always go after the guys you showed even the slightest interest in.
Hematitia, Pearl and Rosalith. The three of them together were quite convincing. Not only to your dad, but to so many others as well. You really only had Chiori and Emil left.
"None of this is true! I haven't-!" you tried to defend yourself but were rudely interrupted by your father's loud voice.
"SILENCE!" he bellowed. "We've talked about this! I cannot stand your recent lying habits! And do not-" He hit his fist on the table, "-accuse your sisters when they did nothing but try to help you!"
You wanted nothing more than to punch the fake sad looks from Rosalith's and Pearl's faces - but you were already going to prison anyway, you didn't need a reason to go there as an actual inmate as well.
"But..." you tried again. It failed, of course.
"Let's not discuss this now," George, your father's best friend, intervened with his calming voice. "You've done so extensively in the past. Isn't this about the marriage?"
"Exactly," Hematitia agreed with him. "As I see it, there are only upsides to this decision." Then she took a direct look at you again. "Besides, it's what she herself wants, isn't it?"
"I... yes," you said. It occurred to you that your stepmother might be in on that blackmailing. You'd believe it in a heartbeat. For now, though, you had to swallow your pride and do what was best for Emil. "Mother is correct. It might really do me good. You chose him, father, so I'm sure he must be a decent man."
"My daughter, you have made a very good point there." For the first time the whole evening, your father seemed pleased with you. "Leave the table, children. I have to discuss this further with my wife!"
All of you nodded and stood up to leave, but Hematitia stopped you by clearing her throat, gesturing to the dishes. And of course, like a good obedient daughter, you took care of it. It was your duty, as a punishment for 'your behaviour'.
At this point, you quite possibly even looked forward to being married off, at least you'd get out of this horrible house.
As you exited the dining room, hands full with the dirty dishes, the other three were still waiting in the hallway.
"Smart choice." Rosalith smirked as she and Pearl left to go to their rooms.
Jonas said nothing, ignoring you as always. He put on his jacket to leave the house. What he was up to at this hour, you had no idea. But it wasn't like you had ever really talked to him before.
You made your way to the kitchen to do the dishes.
╼ ❅ ╾
The journey to Meropide had taken longer than expected, but the place itself was exactly what you had imagined. Dark, chilly and moist. Of course, all of those things were given, even beforehand, with Meropide being a prison at the bottom of the sea. Still, merely being prepared did not lighten your mood.
You walked to the edge of the boat that had brought you here through a long underground tunnel. No matter how hard you tried to lie to yourself, you couldn't: You were nervous as hell. Which was evident in the way your knees were slightly shaking (though you hoped people wouldn't notice, or at least credit it to the unsteadiness of the boat). You tried to calm your nerves with deep breaths. This would be only the first of many times that you'd visit this place, if everything went well.
"Be careful, Milady." Walden, apparently an assistant of Wriothesley's, had been tasked with receiving you. He held out his hand to you to help you step on the metal floor safely, but you were too quick for him, having already stepped off the boat.
"I'm fine, thank you," you told him with a light smile.
Walden nodded. "Please follow me."
He led you through the fortress, all the way to the center of the giant cylinder deep under the ocean, where Wriothesley's office was located. Throughout the walk you tried your best to keep your mind occupied. You studied your surroundings.
Everything seemed dark and gloomy to you; every wall was made of metal, stone or concrete. The artificial light did little to make this place seem homely – which it wasn't supposed to anyway, you thought. There were a lot of inmates too, and almost all of them stopped what they were doing to look at you when you passed them – obviously, as you stood out like a sore thumb with the over-the-top dress that your stepmother had picked out for you to wear. Most of the stares you received were curious, but you sensed some maliciousness as well. But every single one of them made you uncomfortable. All these people were convicted of some sort of crime, after all. Your heart dropped down to your knees as you realized how often you'd have to come down here in the future, to spend time with your future husband.
When you arrived in front of the huge office door, you were a nervous wreck. Not only because of your surroundings, but also because it was time – there was no more escaping meeting the man you'd marry. What if he was a domineering creep that loved to use violence to keep people in check? It would make sense for a prison warden to be that kind of person. What if he'd treat you badly? Even worse than your family did?
No, you shouldn't make assumptions, you hadn't even seen the guy yet. You shook your head slightly to empty your mind.
Walden seemed to sense your uneasiness, as he turned to you and asked you, "Are you ready?" and even waited for your nod before knocking on the door.
In your head you went through everything that your father had instructed you to do.
Always be polite. Be a lady. Be a good representation of the Rainsworth family. Always address him as 'Your Grace'. Don't show any fear. Make him like you.
Easier said than done.
And then you had no more time for any preparations, because you had entered the office and were walking up the stairs to where Wriothesley’s desk was. To the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide. Your future husband.
When you finally saw him, your breath got caught in your throat. He was not what you had expected at all. Instead of the old, ugly warden you had imagined, there stood a fine young man, possibly only a few years older than you. He was leaning against his desk, wearing something that could almost be a suit, but still made him out to be a prison guard. His hair, black with a few gray strands, was unruly and gave him the look of a wolf. There were scars on him, most noticeably on his chest and one underneath his right eye. His demeanor was confident, almost frighteningly so. But the most noticeable to you were his eyes. Icy blue and piercing through you, as if he could read you like a book and know exactly what went on inside of you. You shuddered lightly.
But most of all, he was incredibly handsome. You had no doubt that if Rosalith were here, she'd immediately push you away and take your place again. And for a moment, you were actually glad that things had happened the way they had. But the reality of the situation came crashing back into you, and with it the nervousness.
"Thank you, Walden." Wriothesley's voice fit his looks and you almost grew goose bumps on your arms.
"You're welcome, Your Grace. I'll leave you to getting to know your fiancée." Walden took his leave, and suddenly you were alone with him. You were not ready at all. Wriothesley was far too intimidating, and his ridiculously good looks didn't help with that either. But it wasn't like you could run away now, so you just faced the situation to the best of your ability.
"Your Grace." You curtsied and introduced yourself with your name, as the heiress to Rainsworth CO. Not as 'one of the heiresses', just like your father had instructed you to.
"Welcome to Meropide. I'm Wriothesley, as I'm sure you're aware," he introduced himself as well. "I hope your journey here was alright?"
"Of course. Thank you, Your Grace." You gave him a polite smile. Being pleasant. Just like you had been told.
Wriothesley crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked you up and down, scrutinizing you. This time, the goose bumps arose for real. "So you'll be my future wife."
Don't show your fear. With fake confidence you answered him. "It seems so. If everything works out." But you had already made your first mistake.
His voice suddenly got cold. As cold as his gaze had already been the whole time. "Why wouldn't it?"
"I-I do not know, Your Grace." You stuttered, blindsided by his harsh response. Be polite. Be a good representation. Make him like you. You caught yourself and told him what you thought to be the best answer. "I'll certainly give it my all to make this work."
"Of course you will." Wriothesley rolled his eyes at you. Not what you had expected at all. "If it's for your benefit."
This did not seem to be going well, but you couldn't pinpoint what you did wrong. Panic added itself to the cocktail mix of nervousness and fear inside you. "What do you mean?" you asked, still trying to appear as calm as possible.
"Let's stop this farce, shall we?" He suddenly pushed himself off the table and stepped closer to you. So close that he invaded your personal space. "When it's just the two of us, there is no need to play any roles."
You looked up at him - since he was so close now - then took a step back, fleeing. "Play roles? Why would I?"
"That's what we'll do in public. Play our roles as the happily engaged couple to keep the gossip in check. But in private, there's no need for that." Wriothesley wouldn't let you escape. He closed in on you again, stepping uncomfortably close to you once more. "We both know this is nothing more than a contract. An agreement that ends up beneficial for both of us."
Again, you stared up at him, in silence as your brain registered what he had said. You didn't back away this time, though. Trying your best to keep standing your ground as you realized his stance on the matter.
He, of course, read your silence correctly. Almost tauntingly he told you, "Don't tell me you were expecting anything else."
"No," you lied to him, but agreed to his overall sentiment. "You are right, Your Grace, there is no need to treat it as more than it is. Like you said, this is nothing more than a contract."
Finally, he retreated back to his desk, satisfied with your answer. "Good to know we are on the same page."
"I agree," you said. "In that case, I stay out of your affairs, and you stay out of mine? And in public, we'll play our roles."
"Deal." Wriothesley held out his hand for you to shake. This time you stepped closer to him, grabbed and shook it. To seal the deal. "I have a lot of work to finish. But I instructed Walden to show you around Meropide, so your visit is not that short lived," he continued. "He's waiting for you outside."
"I understand." Being so used to it, you dropped a light courtesy again. "Thank you, Your Grace."
It was over. You got through your first encounter with the Duke, unharmed (except maybe internally). It hadn't gone the way you wanted it to, or your parents had expected it too, but the outcome was alright. It was alright, you told yourself, desperately.
As you walked down the stairs, Wriothesley stopped you by calling out your name. You turned towards him once more. "Yes, Your Grace?"
He looked at you intently, and again you felt like his eyes were piercing your very core. "I don't know yet what you're getting out of this, but trust me, I will find out."
He was still intimidating, but even though he probably meant for it to get to you, this time you didn't take what he said personally at all. After all, it wasn't like you had any idea either. So you just told him, "Tell me what it is, if you do," smiled at him politely and continued downstairs.
As soon as you exited the office though, the weight of the situation dawned on you as you worked out what had just transpired. Wriothesley didn't like you. He didn't plan on having a real marriage with you.
While you were following Walden, only pretending to be listening to his explanations, you tried your best to stop the burning tears from surfacing. Clenching your fists, you willed them down to the best of your ability. Without even noticing, you had built up hope. Hope that there'd be some kind of connection between you and your future husband. That you'd be some kind of team. Of course not. You were stupid to think that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was the world of business, not a fairy tale. This was just how things were in this world. You were unable to escape that. And you'd just have to make your peace with that. Make the best of it.
╼ ❅ ╾
While you were certainly ready for a lot of things upon your return home, what actually awaited you was nothing you'd be able to stomach lightly. You'd heard the screams already from the outside, but your mind was filled to the brim with the events of the day and the shouting hadn't even registered in your mind. Only when you entered the house did you realize that something wasn't right.
The screams were unlike anything you'd ever heard from your family. They were all there, in front of the entrance to your father's study. Hematitia wailing on the ground. Rosalith and Pearl clinging to each other. George, with a hand in front of his mouth and tears in his eyes. And Jonas, gasping in shock.
All of them were staring into the room. And when you walked closer to look at what had them were reacting like this, you finally understood.
In his study, there lay your father. Motionless and stiff. In a pool of his own blood. Mouth and eyes wide open, but filled with life no more.
And you, too, fell on your knees. Even though he hadn't been the greatest in the last few years, he was still your father and you loved him dearly. He was all that was left of your family. And now he was dead.
╼ ❅ ╾
The room is full as all animals gather;
'Who killed Cinderella's father?'