...Once upon a time,...
...in a faraway land, a young couple lived happily with their son, Seokjin. They lived peacefully, the mother raising her son among the flower fields and the forest, teaching him to befriend the animals, as the father went abroad as a merchant, bringing back lovely gifts for his family....
...The years continued on, but their happiness did not last. At the age of 7, Jin’s mother became ill. The doctor said there was nothing he could do, for she was too sick. She called Jin to her bedside and said, “Jin-ah, remember, always treat others with kindness, but never let anyone exploit you for your kind heart. But be mindful that there is a level of self-preservation you must always be aware of. No matter what, always keep a fire within your heart.” She wiped away a tear from his cheek and looked at her son with love in her eyes, before her hand dropped and she fell into eternal slumber....
...Jin visited his mother’s grave everyday to tell her about his day and how much he missed her, always keeping his mother’s words in his heart. He grew up to be a very handsome young man with a kind heart but bold fire....
...As the winters passed, his father married another, for he felt that Jin needed a guiding mother figure while he was away. The woman arrived one bleak morning, bringing two daughters with her and a black, lazy cat....
...They were very beautiful… outwardly, anyway. As beautiful as they were on the outside were they as wicked within....
...Used to the luxuries of France, they were not used to the rural tranquilities of the countryside....
...They treated Jin with trying manners, barely shrouding their thinly veiled disgust in the presence of his father. When he was away, they treated him like an intruder, throwing extravagant parties and flaunting his father’s wealth in the living room whilst Jin stayed in the attic, preferring to befriend the mice in the alcoves rather than entertain the gaudy cougars in the dining room....
...It continued on like this for a year or so, until one fateful night. Jin sat in the attic playing with the mice during another evening party, until he heard the loud wail of his Step-Mother. “Don’t tell me, she lost to poker again?” Jin said sarcastically to the mice, pretending to be surprised. Instead of making little squeaky giggling sounds, as if they agreed with him, (he swears it’s like they can understand what he says) the mice stayed silent and stilled in their frolicking....
...It was then that Jin heard his step-mother and step-sister’s exaggerated sobs. “Well that was new,” he thought, jokingly, a sense of dread growing in his stomach. He slowly got up, fearing what he would find at the bottom of the stairs....
...He saw one of his father’s travel assistants standing at the doorway, with his head bowed, hat clasped in his scraped hands. His step-mother lay dramatically on the floor, making an overexaggerated “fainting” pose. His step-sisters crowded around the poor man like vultures, screaming, “What about my parasol?!” “What about my lace?!” He simply cowed under their screaming, obviously overwhelmed....
...With tentative steps, Jin made his way towards the man, scared to hear what he had to say. He had known him for years, as he always accompanied his father on his merchant trips, and he was always bright and jovial. To see him with a solemn face scared Seokjin more than the wailing of his step-family ever could....
...“Joseph… what’s wrong? Where’s my father?” Seokjin asked quietly, anxiety hastening his words. The poor man slowly looked up at Jin, tears shining in his eyes and making streaks down his grime-covered face, like he had been in a tussle. At this, Jin’s step-mother let out another loud wail. By now, multiple guests of the party had gathered near the entrance, wondering what had the woman so distressed....
...Jin didn’t notice any of them, desperately waiting for Joseph’s answer. “Mister Jin… your father… he… he… we got caught n’ a terrible storm on the way back from France. It came up so suddenly, no one could have predicted it… Your father was badly injured. He slammed against one of the ship rails in all the tossin’ n turnin’... As soon as we docked, we boarded a carriage and raced as fast as we could to the nearest doctor. The rains made the roads slippery and the carriage tipped… He… He didn’t make it…” Joseph bowed his head once more and gave Jin his condolences....
...Seokjin didn’t realize tears were streaming down his face until he tried to talk and his voice cracked. “... T-thank you Joseph, for a-always looking out for my father… Thank y-you for telling me…”...
...The guests who had been listening in promptly gave their condolences to the “lady of the house” and left. The house was now still. A large contrast to the bright, boisterous party it had been before. Joseph had moved aside, making way for the guests, but he did not leave....
...Joseph held a tree branch out to Jin. “...He told me to give you this,” Joseph explained. Jin took it with shaky hands, slightly confused. “He told me it was the first branch that hit him on his journey, and so he kept it with him. He said it reminded him of your presence, waiting for him at home. He told me to give it to you, as a sign that he is always with you,” Joseph explained....
...Jin could barely let out his thanks before his step-sisters pushed him aside, resuming their greedy screeches. “What about my parasol?!” “What about my lace?!” They screeched, completely devastated, “...for the wrong reasons,” Jin commented in his head, irritated at their priorities. They didn’t even seem sad at all that his father had just died, only concerned with the gifts he was bringing back. Joseph had a similar look of shock on his face, before he schooled his features and became solemn once more....
...“Most of the exports were lost to the storm,” he said. “We’re going to sell what is left, and we will give as much as we can to your family, missus.”...
...He turned to Jin and said, “I’m afraid this might be the last time we see each other, Mister Jin. Bless your heart a thousand times over. I wish you well. My wife is praying for you.”...
...“T-that can’t be,” Jin’s step-mother said. “This must be some kind of cruel joke!”...
...“You as well,” Jin replied to Joseph hurriedly, saying his farewells as quickly as possible, before his step-mother tried to sue the poor messenger. And with that, the merchant’s assistant left....
...“We’re… poor?” Valentina , one of Jin’s step-sisters, said. “NO!!!!!” Madeleine , the other step-sister, wailed....
...From that day on, they treated Jin like a servant, asking him to do all the chores of the house, saying things like, “You’re a boy, and so you must do all the hard work!” They also forced him to room in the attic, reasoning, “Well, since you like it there so much, give the room to your sisters. They need it more than you.”...
...He moved his things with a derisive scoff, imagining their gaudy, sequined boas, hats, and accessories littering his room like a glittering, pink explosion....
...Day after day, he had to cook, clean, and follow their orders, always running around town to fetch what they wanted....
...It was frustrating for Jin. He wanted to scream at them to do their own chores, instead of dumping all the work on him, but he knew that it would only create more trouble than was necessary. They were lazy, boorish creatures, who had no talent for anything, really....
...They failed at the simplest tasks of housework. They had never tried, but from the way Seokjin saw them stumble over themselves, tittering and talking about meaningless things, he concluded they would break more things than doing any good, like his sanity. He kept that to himself, of course....
...But this meant, unfortunately, that there was no one else who could do the household chores, correctly , except for himself....
...So Jin continued the days like this, cleaning, cooking, going on errands, having occasional bouts of frustration, making snarky comments about his step-family in his head, checking on his mice friends whenever he had a break, petting the step family’s lazy cat, Gloss , etcetera....
...Every night, after Jin finished his nightly chores and the bossy… people had gone to bed, Jin went into the forest to visit his parents’ graves. The day he received the tree branch, he planted it in the ground next to his mother’s grave. This way, they were together. He watered the branch with water he had brought from the kitchen and then proceeded to tell them about his day, ask how they were doing, and how much he missed them. Jin believed that his parents could hear him in heaven and he knows what they would say back....
...“Stay strong, Jin. Good things come to those who wait. After all, I landed your mother, didn’t I?” Jin’s father would say....
...“My little baby, you’re so handsome! I miss you and I love you very much! Remember, be kind but keep your wits about you. Your happy ending will come, Jin-ah,” His mother would say....
...He laughed wetly at what he knew his parents would say. Oh, he missed them dearly. Then he left without a goodbye, saying, “I’ll be back tomorrow.”...
...When the girls got bored of singing and painting, they took to forcing Jin into helping them choose dresses to go out in. They mockingly nicknamed him, “Jinderella,” for his “amazing fashion taste.”...
...Whenever he tried to make comments on how to improve their outfits, they ignored his suggestions, answering with a, “Wow, you’re so fashionable, you must be a girl! We should call you Jinderella instead!” The two girls snickered and snorted like it was the funniest joke in the world. Seokjin simply rolled his eyes at them and thought, “If I was a girl, I’d be way prettier than both of you and with an amazing fashion sense. Oh wait, I’m a boy and I already am all those things! And minus a terrible personality and monthly periods? Score!”...
...Anyway, today was one of those days. As Seokjin ranted to the mice and Gloss about his step-family, he heard a high-pitched, “Jinderella!” He rolled his eyes and the animals seemed to have similar reactions, some covering their ears, or making their own small animal versions of eye rolls. Even the cat the step-family had brought with them, Gloss, seemed fed up by their actions....
...Having no choice, Seokjin took it as a break from the grueling chores to… yet another form of grueling work. Except this one was more… mentally challenging....
...“I swear those girls have nothing in their heads but glitter and air,” he muttered to himself as he watched the girls ransack their room for clothes, dresses and things being flung around the room....
...As he laced Madeleine's corset while she breathed deeply and insisted, “Tighter, tighter,” he thought to himself, “You wouldn’t even really need a corset if you didn’t eat so much.” He rolled his eyes as he kicked her back, holding the corset’s laces like reigns and forcing them tighten further. “Perfect,” she said in a tiny voice, obviously strained. He then moved on to do Valentina’s. After that, he sat through hours and hours of dress combinations. His step-sisters seemed to buy the worst clothes imaginable. Each “style” made Jin cringe more than the last. They claimed it was simply “Parisian fashion” that peasants like him couldn’t understand. Finally they settled on dresses....
...Valentina chose a verdant, small hat decorated with feathers, and a large, poofy dress to match, boasting even bigger green feathers, making her look like a pregnant bird of the tropics....
...Madeleine wore a hot pink dress with so many gems and sparkles on it that it looked like a rich kid’s arts and crafts project. As Madeleine came out and posed, she said proudly, “I made this one myself.”...
...“Well, that explains it,” Jin thought, laughing inwardly to himself....
...They caked makeup on their faces, and forced Jin to go with them to the town square. “Well, I needed to buy groceries anyway,” Jin thought, already planning on making his escape to the market as the girls dragged him along, with the full intention of making him carry all of their shopping bags. When they neared civilization, they immediately let go of him and made attempts at looking like innocent young maidens....
...Before Jin could gag at their sad attempts at coquettishness, he figured that it was his chance to go get the groceries....
...Seokjin quickly escaped and made his way to the marketplace, mental grocery list running through his head. He spied the apple stall and quickly made his way there, noticing there were only a few left. He had planned to have one for his birthday. A birthday apple. He smiled at the thought of his meager treat....
...His birthday actually wasn’t until December but since they were out of season at that time, he would just have one now instead. God knows he’d need it as motivation to put up with his demanding step-family....
...All of a sudden, he ran into something solid. He looked up from the barrier of tan cloth to see the most handsome guy he’d ever seen. “Damn, you hot.”...
...The man smiled at him, revealing two cute dimples. “Oh, thank you..? I’m sorry for bumping into you,” the stranger apologized. He had a deep yet warm voice, like smooth caramel. (Caramel macchiato lmao)...
...“Oh, shit. Did I say that out loud?” Seokjin said, eyes growing wider....
...“Uh, yeah, you did,” the stranger said, awkwardly rubbing at his neck, smiling amicably....
...“Uh, well, I forgive you. Anyway, please excuse me. I need to buy an apple,” Jin said hurriedly, partly in embarrassment and partly because he needed to buy an apple. It was actually his fault, since he wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings, but that didn’t really matter....
...He was a man on a mission, and ain’t no man, handsome and way taller than him and sexy and with a voice that melts chocolate- anyway-- ain’t no man stopping him from getting food....
...Jin leaned over to check how many apples were available at the apple stand, only to see all of them gone. The straw display was barren of any sign of the crispy, delectable treat. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? No, he thought, as he saw a couple of soldiers walking in the distance, heaving crates full of them....
...He walked closer and frantically looked to the back, for any crates containing more apples, only to see that there were none....
...“Sorry, dear. We’re out of apples. I would have saved you one, Jin-ah, but they asked for a lot of them,” the stall owner, Seon-hwa, said apologetically, knowing that his birthday was coming up....
...“Aww… It’s okay halmeoni. You can’t lose business, just for me,” Jin said, sadness and slight anger beginning to creep up on him. Normally, he wouldn’t be this upset, figuring as he could usually come back the next day and just buy one then, but there clearly weren’t any apples left, if the completely barren stall was anything to go by....
...He wasn’t upset at the stall owner--She treated him so kindly that there was no way Jin could ever be angry with her, always giving him treats for free and keeping him fed. If anything he loved her--No, he was upset because he worked so hard every day and all he wanted was a meager apple, for one day, and even then, he couldn’t get one....
...“Oh, were you going to buy an apple?” The stranger asked Jin. Jin whipped his head around, suspicious of the stranger who may have bought the last apple, but he saw no basket in the stranger’s hands. “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now,” Jin reasoned to himself....
...“Yes, I was.” Jin said, calming down. “Do you know why they’re all gone?” Jin asked, curious. It was rare that the apple stall was so completely out of stock....
...“Well, I heard that the crown prince is having a ball, so I think the royal family bought a lot of them to prepare,” the stranger said, an excited twinkle in his eye....
...“Oh, makes sense,” Jin said. “I wish it was for the whole kingdom, though. It’s quite selfish to hoard all the apples like that and leave nothing for the common folk,” Jin complained, crossing his arms sullenly....
...“Well, you never know, it might be open to all the people.” The stranger said, optimistically....
...“Well then prepare for me being disappointed when it isn’t,” Jin said, playfully harassing the young man....
...“I mean, what are the chances that he’ll open it for entry to all these thirsty girls in the kingdom? I swear, some of them are so vicious they might turn a man gay,” Jin commented, thinking of his step-sisters....
...The stranger snorted, displaying his dimpled smile again. “Are you speaking from experience? Surely all the girls in the kingdom can’t be that bad,” the stranger said, smiling....
...“My step-sisters are like ravens, always searching for shiny things. But you’re right, not all the girls in the kingdom are like that. For example, halmeoni! She’s graceful, kind, motherly, and gives out the best apples you could ever find!” Jin said, saying the last part louder so that she would hear, letting out a happy windshield-wiper laugh. The stranger laughed at his remark....
...“Yah! Jin-ah! You better not be saying that!” the stall owner said....
...“I’m not, I’m not!” Jin said, covering his mouth with his hand, trying to stifle his giggles. “But yeah, most of the girls in this kingdom are actually really nice, like Clara, from the bakery. But there are always a few crazy ones,” Jin answered seriously, turning back to the stranger....
...“I’ll be careful to watch out for them then,” the stranger said, chuckling....
...“By the way, I’ve never seen you around here before. I mean, I don’t socialize a lot, but I’m sure I would’ve remembered your handsome face if I saw it,” Jin said teasingly....
...A light blush painted the stranger’s cheeks. “N-Namjoon. My name’s Namjoon,” he stuttered in reply....
...“Ah, well, nice to meet you Namjoon! My name’s Seokjin but all my friends call me Jin!” Seokjin said, smiling at Namjoon’s adorable nervousness and shaking hands with the taller man....
...“Nice to meet you as well,” Namjoon said, regaining his composure....
...Suddenly a bright voice yelled, “Ah! There you are your hi--”...
...“S’ NAMJOON! JOON! Namjoon! I’m Joon! I’ll be right there!” Namjoon interrupted hurriedly, turning towards the voice. It turned out to be two men, one with brown hair and one with dyed orange hair, who seemed to have been looking for him. Close friends of his, Jin assumed, judging from Namjoon’s peculiar, yet funny reaction....
...The brown-haired man beside the one who had yelled, said, “Well, Mr. ‘It’s Joon,’ you better hurry! I wanna get some of the banana milk before it sells out! It’s on sale!!!”...
...“Lmaoooo, priorities,” Jin remarked....
...“Alright! Alright, Kook! I’ll be right there!” Namjoon said back....
...The orange-haired man beside “Kook” began guffawing. He seemed to be losing his shit and Jin couldn’t really understand what was so funny. Was it Kook’s worry about the banana milk? “I should probably get the groceries before it gets too late. I still have other chores to do too,” Jin thought....
...“Well, this has been fun and all, but I’ve still got groceries to buy. It was nice meeting you Namjoon, and Namjoon’s friends,” Jin said, waving to them in the distance. Jin then waved goodbye to Namjoon and began to make his leave....
...“Wait!” Namjoon shouted, getting Jin’s attention....
...“If the ball really is open to everybody, will you go?” he asked Jin hopefully....
...“Of course I will! It’s free food! How could I pass that up?” Jin joked. “See you around, Joonie!” Jin said, waving one last time. Namjoon, dumbfounded at the nickname, simply watched as Jin disappeared within the throng of people. His friends began to walk over to him....
...“See you,” Namjoon said, snapping out of his daze and giving a little wave in the direction Jin had gone. His friends burst out into laughter at Namjoon’s awkwardness. The orange-haired man nudged him....
...“Shut up Hobi,” Namjoon said, before he could get out a word....
...“I haven’t even said anything yet,” Hobi laughed. “But I do think ya’ll would be cute together,” he commented....
...“Okay, it’s great and all that Namjoon finally found a boyfriend after 124 years of solitude, but the banana milk is on sale and I really wanna go get some!” Kook said....
...“Yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s go get your milk, you big baby,” Namjoon said....
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...“Father! I’m telling you! We should--”...
...“No, Namjoon. I’m not opening the ball to the public,” The king interrupted, letting out a tired sigh....
...“And why not?” Namjoon argued. “It would be beneficial to the morale of our people! You and I and everyone in the kingdom has been down since Mom’s death! So much so that they haven’t seen much of the royal family lately! How are we supposed to be close to our citizens and gain their trust and support if we don’t do anything for them anymore ? Father, it’s time to stop grieving and instead appreciate the time you had with Mom...”...
...The king paused in his rebuttal, reverting to solemn silence....
...“... C’mon, it’ll be good for you. You can have fun and enjoy some time with the people. I know you were close with quite a few of them and you probably miss them. And you know, they probably miss you too...” Namjoon urged....
...“... You were always so smart, Joon-ah. Just like your mother,” The king sighed, smiling melancholically. “You make a valid point. I shall open the ball to the people,” he conceded....
...Namjoon, who was happy to hear his decision, still did not rejoice, for he knew what was coming next. “But you still have to find a possible bride at the ball, Namjoon-ah,” The king reminded him....
...Namjoon sucked in a breath, nervous. His hands grew clammy and his heartbeat quickened. You see, he wasn’t against it, knowing that he would need someone to support him during his rule--and with his father getting older, that day was only getting nearer--but, “But father,.. What if they weren’t royal?.. Or… Not even female?...” Namjoon asked quietly....
...“Well, I suppose that would be alright,” the king answered casually, like he was simply talking about what to have for dinner, and not a topic that Namjoon had mulled over for hours on end, wondering how to bring it up and build up his courage to even be able to....
...Namjoon looked up in disbelief, not quite trusting what he had heard. I mean, there’s no way, right? “I-It’s alright?” Namjoon asked warily....
...“Yes? Namjoon, are you alright?” His father asked, like he was the one who had said something strange....
...“Yeah… Yeah,” Namjoon answered dazedly, finally processing his agreement. “But… but why?” Namjoon asked, confused. He was sure that his father wouldn’t have agreed so easily. He had even articulated arguments with comebacks and compelling reasonings, ready to make his case. For his father to agree so simply. So easily, without any convincing, he just couldn’t believe it....
...“Well, you’re a smart boy. You’d probably argue something like, ‘Diplomatic marriages are often unhappy without adequate bonding and all that, making them fragile and less beneficial to the kingdom than a trusted bond between husband and wife,’ or something like that,” the king answered nonchalantly, like it was obvious....
...Namjoon looked at him, dumbfounded. That was indeed one of the arguments he had listed down on the parchment in his room. Almost word for word, too, if not for the ‘husband and wife’ part among a few other things....
...“Had he read it!? How did he even know?! And there’s no way he could’ve found it! He’s shit at looking for things!” Namjoon reasoned to himself, eyes widening at the thought of his dad searching through his room. “But... There’s no other explanation I can think of!… Well, I might as well ask since he’s already probably searched my room. I have nothing to lose now,” Namjoon thought, letting out a sigh of acceptance....
...“How did you know that was one of my arguments? There’s no way you could’ve come up with that on the fly,” Namjoon asked, partly amazed, confused, and scared....
...“Wow. I’m smart enough to come up with a reason ‘on the fly,’” His father said petulantly....
...“Not one as good as that,” Namjoon stated....
...“Lowkey offended, but true. Is that what you kids say nowadays? ‘Lowkey?’” He agreed begrudgingly, trying out some “modern lingo.”...
...“Uh… Yeah, but I advise that you stick to the words you know, dad. It sounds kinda weird when you say it…” Namjoon said, cringing slightly....
...“Alright, alright.” he agreed. “Anyway, to answer your question; No, I didn’t come up with that argument on the spot.”...
...“Then how’d you say it?” Namjoon asked, worried that his father might’ve actually looked through his room....
...“Well, your mom wasn’t royal either,” the king answered....
...“What?! But you’ve never told me this before!” Namjoon exclaimed, shocked....
...“Yeah, well you never asked.”...
...Namjoon spluttered at his father’s reply. Waving off his son’s flustered reaction, the king continued....
...“Anyway, to convince my parents to let me marry your mother, I spent all day locked up in my room, thinking of good arguments and writing them down on a piece of parchment. Then I memorized them and brought my case up to my parents. I’ve kept that piece of parchment up to this day. It gives me fond memories.”...
...“Wow, I guess we’re more alike than I thought,” Namjoon mused....
...“Your mother used to laugh at me for writing all my arguments down, saying that I was such a dork, but I knew she loved it. It showed her that I cared,” his father said, reminiscing....
...“Yeah, she would do that,” Namjoon chuckled, his laugh tinged with faint longing....
...“As for the gay part, did you really think I wouldn’t know?” the king said, smiling at his son knowingly, a mischievous glint in his eyes....
...Namjoon spluttered once more. “Pfft! Then, why did you leave me to worry about how to bring it up for weeks if you already knew?!”...
...“Well, where’s the fun in that? Besides, a king must have courage,” he answered wisely....
...“That’s bullshit. You just wanted to laugh at my pain, didn’t you,” Namjoon said, calling him out....
...The king chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah, I did. Also, if it's only open to girls that's technically not everyone,” he finished with a nonchalant shrug....
...As Jin scrubbed the marble flooring, he could hear the annoying squeals of his step-sisters nearing. It seems that they had rushed back from town after another outing of shopping and flirting, except this time, it might’ve been successful, unless they were back to rant about some ‘disgusting, brutish peasant,” again. At this thought, Jin scrubbed the floor more vigorously, redirecting his annoyance to something more helpful....
...“Mother! Mother!!! The prince is having a ball!!!” They screeched excitedly. Now this got Jin’s attention. Was Namjoon really right? Was the ball really available to the whole kingdom? He listened in, finished with his current task. ...
...Their voices echoed throughout the otherwise silent house. “Really? A ball?” Jin could hear his step-mother ask. In fact, he could already hear the gears turning in her head, thinking of all the ways to set up royal marriages for his step-sisters....
...“Not just any ball! A masquerade ball!” Valentina added....
...“Yes! In celebration of his 18th birthday, the prince is having a masquerade ball, in which he is to try to find a suitor!” Madeleine squealed....
...“And the whole kingdom is invited! Oh my, so many people are coming, to witness my wedding,” Valentina swooned. ...
...“Oh my God, she can’t actually be serious, right?” Jin muttered to himself, letting out a derisive snort. ...
...Madeleine let out an incredulous gasp. “ Your wedding?! No, it’s going to be my wedding!” Jin rolled his eyes. ...
...He could hear Valentina roar and the attempted placation of his step-mother. “Girls, please. Poised and proper ladies do not fight!” She said, only to be ignored by the quarreling idiots. ...
...“I mean, they’re not poised or proper, so I guess you’re finally right about one thing,” Jin commented in his mind, chuckling outwardly....
...“I’m obviously much more charming than you ! Of course the prince is going to choose me!” Madeleine asserted....
...“As a prize pig at the fair, maybe. No, that’s an insult to pigs,” Jin thought, immediately correcting himself. ...
...“As soon as he sees me enter the ballroom, he will propose to me right then and there, because of how beautiful I am and we’ll dance the night away!” Valentina boasted pompously. ...
...“Maybe you’ll break his feet away,” Jin added mentally. Jin pitied the poor prince who would have to deal with those two at the ball. “I think they really will turn him gay,” Jin pondered to himself....
...“How will he even think you’re beautiful if you’re covering your face?!” Madeleine retorted with a sneer. ...
...“It’s because I’m covering my face!” Valentina countered, roaring. ...
...Upon hearing this, Jin let out a loud windshield wiper laugh, unable to hold it in. Thankfully, his step-mother hadn’t yelled at him, probably assuming that he had moved on to clean the windows. ...
...It seems that she had had enough of her daughter’s arguing though, as she yelled, “Girls, enough! Jinderella! Come here!” ...
...With a sigh, Jin got up, cracking his back due to the long time he had spent hunched over, cleaning the floors. He headed over to the dining room, where he found his step-sisters with matching disheveled appearances and crossed arms, mulishly looking away from each other, whilst his step-mother sat primly on a chair, waiting for him to arrive. ...
...“Yes, ma’am?” Jin asked patiently....
...“Go tell the tailor to make three dresses and masks for the ball. Go! Quick! Hurry before she gets flooded with work!” She ordered, shooing him away....
...And off Jin went, just another task on his laundry list of chores. “At least I don’t have to make their dresses for them,” Jin thought, counting his blessings. ...
...And if he came back with tuxedo patterns concealed in his hands and a smile on his face, nobody had to know except him, the mice, and Gloss....
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