"Master… I'm wearing the black stockings you chose for me."
A soft, sweet voice drifted out from behind the curtain.
And then, stepping into view, was none other than Cinderella the heroine of the crystal slipper fairy tale.
Tonight, however, she looked different. Wrapped around her legs was a fresh pair of jet-black stockings she had only recently purchased. The thin, delicate fabric hugged her pale skin tightly, while lace patterns curled like vines around her thighs.
Cinderella turned, nervously lifting the hem of her skirt. Her whole self, her modesty and her beauty, was being offered up to her master Ethan Rivers.
"Hm." Ethan's voice came from the chair, calm but expectant. "Turn around. Let me see properly."
Her heartbeat quickened so much it threatened to leap from her chest.
Awkwardly, she shuffled her feet, stiff movements betraying her anxiety. Slowly, clumsily, she turned halfway, her figure coming into full view.
At last she stopped, her back toward Ethan, shoulders trembling as though she could barely stand still.
"Mas… Master! D-do you… do you think it looks nice?" The words tumbled out with hesitation. Though her face burned with embarrassment, she still yearned for Ethan's approval.
"Beautiful," he replied, his voice carrying a rare note of satisfaction.
That single word caused her to flush even deeper. Yet it also filled her with joy. If her master was pleased, then no matter the shame, it was worth it. And so, she began to fulfill her duty as a maid.
But before the moment could continue, a knock came at the door.
"Lord Ethan!" A young maid's crisp voice rang from the corridor. "His Highness Prince Ael invites you to dine with him tonight!"
The maid outside could hear only muffled sounds within the chamber, her ears reddening at what she might have interrupted.
Silence fell for a heartbeat. The air on both sides of the door froze, thick with tension. The young servant's cheeks flamed scarlet. This was the world of adults beyond her imagination, beyond her courage to ask.
Inside, Ethan lifted a hand, gesturing for Cinderella not to worry. He spoke toward the door with composed authority:
"Understood. Tell His Highness I will arrive shortly."
"Yes, Lord Ethan!" The maid outside sounded as if she had been granted amnesty, her hurried footsteps fading rapidly down the hall.
Within the room, silence once again grew heavy.
For Ethan Rivers was not merely a nobleman, nor simply a traveler. He was an Exorcist though in truth, his origins were far stranger.
Two months earlier, he had crossed into this unfamiliar, medieval world.
At first, he believed it to be an ordinary feudal society. He had even thought about settling down, picking cotton for farmers, blending quietly into peasant life.
But fate had other plans.
The turning point came during a banquet hosted by a local viscount in honor of a royal prince. Unlike exclusive court feasts, this was a grand celebration shared with common folk, a festival filled with music, wine, and laughter.
There, amidst the revelry, Ethan's gaze had fallen on a girl wearing glass slippers.
Crystal shoes.
A prince.
Those two symbols collided in his mind, igniting a spark of recognition. This could only be Cinderella.
And indeed, as he drew closer, he confirmed it she was the very girl of fairy tales.
That night opened the curtain to a world far stranger and more dangerous than he had ever imagined.
Ethan thought, at first, that knowing the "original story" gave him an advantage. Perhaps he could weave himself into the tale, profit from the romance of Cinderella and her prince, and secure a prosperous life for himself.
But the plot betrayed him.
The banquet turned ghastly. Without warning, the entire hall fell under a strange enchantment. Nobles and commoners alike sank into a dazed, dreamlike trance. Even the prince and the viscount succumbed.
Ethan too was pulled into the illusion but he was not without protection.
For within him awakened the gift of every transmigrator: his Exorcist System.
The system burst alive with three rewards:
The Holy Spear, a weapon capable of suppressing magic.
The ability to slay demons and devour 20% of their magic, converting it into his own strength.
A dimensional storage space, expandable and upgradeable.
The system's activation snapped him free from the enchantment. To his surprise, Cinderella too was unaffected. While the hall dissolved into madness, she clutched her skirts and fled in terror.
Why was she spared?
Ethan soon learned the truth: Cinderella's body carried a rare gift magic immunity. No spell, curse, or charm could bind her.
With the system guiding him, Ethan traced the cause of the banquet's horror. He uncovered two culprits:
A Candle Wraith, a demon shrouded in seductive smoke.
An Old Witch, a crone who controlled innocent girls, turning them into pawns for stealing wealth and magical resources from the nobility.
Cinderella had been one of the witch's victims.
Step by step, Ethan unraveled their schemes and destroyed them both.
Word of his deeds spread swiftly. In the aftermath, he was hailed across the viscount's domain as a capable Exorcist. For his trouble, he also collected a handsome bounty one hundred silver coins (with each silver worth a thousand coppers).
Yet Ethan was no fool, nor was he bound by the old fairy tale's script.
He had no intention of handing Cinderella back to the prince, as the "original story" demanded.
No. She was far too precious loyal, grateful, and beautiful beyond words.
So he made a choice.
He intercepted her, rescued her from a life of manipulation, and brought her into his service. From that moment forward, she became his personal maid.
And now, standing before him in black silk and lace, her heart bound to him with gratitude and devotion, Cinderella was no longer the helpless girl of glass slippers.
She was his maid, his companion, and perhaps… the first of many heroines in this strange and twisted fairy-tale world.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to leave a comment, drop a power stone, or add it to your collection your support keeps the journey going!