A Cinderella Demon Tale: Sukuna and Cinderella

Chapter 5: A Demon's Benevolence

Sukuna found himself summoned by the stepmother once again, her eyes filled with avarice as she pried him for information on when her wealth and power would be restored. "Tell me, oh mighty Lord Sukuna, when will I receive my wealth?" she implored, her voice dripping with greed.

He sighed, exasperated by her relentless impatience. "What do you think I've been doing for the past few days?" he retorted, his patience wearing thin. He tossed an emerald brooch onto the floor, a piece of jewelry that once belonged to a rival noble who had sabotaged her family and taken over their trading routes and wealth. "This is the noble who brought your family to ruin. It's yours once again. Manage it properly."

The stepmother's eyes widened with unbridled greed as she picked up the brooch and admired its sparkling facets. "Excellent! My power, my status! It's returning!" she exclaimed, her mind already filled with visions of endless luxuries and extravagance. She was no longer forced to sell her precious treasures, unwilling to part with any of them.

Just as her laughter grew maniacal, she abruptly turned to Sukuna. "You can take my youngest, as promised. Find a good excuse for her disappearance so we do not bear the blame," she instructed, her desire to be rid of Cinderella overriding any concern for her fate.

Sukuna hesitated in response, a hint of reluctance in his voice. "It will take some time. There are things I have to finish taking care of first. I will come for her when the time is right."

The stepmother, too engrossed in the idea of newfound wealth to question his delay in taking Cinderella off her hands, simply nodded. One less mouth to feed was one less burden on her dwindling resources.

Sukuna excused himself and resumed his role as a butler, walking through the mansion with an air of indifference but a hidden purpose. He intended to check on all the daughters, not just Cinderella, and observe the dynamics within the household.

As he wandered the corridors, he suddenly spotted Drizella, one of the stepsisters, stomping down the hallway in a furious rage. Intrigued, he decided to follow her discreetly, curious about the source of her anger.

Drizella entered a room where a certain blonde girl, Cinderella, was diligently folding laundry. As Sukuna watched through a crack in the door, he couldn't help but wonder what had sparked this confrontation.

"My dress! There's a stain on it!" Drizella shrieked, her anger directed at Cinderella.

What followed was a scene of chaos and cruelty. Drizella continued to berate Cinderella for her inability to remove the stain, even though it had been caused by Drizella herself. She paraded around the laundry room, throwing objects in a fit of rage, and finally, she grabbed Cinderella by her hair, pushing her to the floor.

Sukuna watched in silence as Drizella stomped on the sheets Cinderella had been folding and noticed a new outfit Cinderella had been sewing for herself – a simple, everyday dress to replace her tattered attire. Drizella's eyes lit up with malice as she seized a nearby pair of scissors and, with a wicked grin, tore Cinderella's dress to shreds.

"You don't deserve a new dress, Cinder," Drizella sneered, the derogatory name dripping with venom. "Next time, wash my dress properly, or else I will bring Mother into this mess. No dinner for you tonight."

Before Drizella exited the room, Sukuna concealed himself to avoid being caught and observed Cinderella, her eyes filled with tears, her spirit crushed.

Cinderella's cries tugged at Sukuna's emotions, stirring an unfamiliar discomfort within him. He couldn't comprehend why she didn't fight back against her cruel stepsister's tyranny. "She is so weak," he thought to himself, his frustration growing. "Why didn't she try to resist?"

After a few minutes of crying, Cinderella slapped her cheeks and summoned a newfound determination. She began picking up the scattered laundry, her resolve unwavering. Sukuna watched as she worked tirelessly for hours, washing and hanging everything to dry.

As Sukuna roamed the mansion, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by the injustice he had witnessed. Everyone else was enjoying a lavish meal in the dining hall, celebrating the return of their wealth, while Cinderella went hungry. His feelings of irritation led him to the kitchen.

Ignoring the protests of the chefs, Sukuna grabbed fruit and bread, stuffing them into a basket before leaving the kitchen with his newly obtained treasure. He returned to the room where Cinderella was sewing her torn dress and dropped the food on the table in front of her.

"You're going to listen to your sister just like that? Do you have no ability to speak up against her? You are truly weak," Sukuna chided her, his words harsh but tinged with a hint of concern.

Cinderella, her stomach growling from hunger, looked up at him and locked eyes with him. The connection felt like an eternity to her, and her blue eyes glistened with joy. Despite Sukuna's harsh words, she was grateful for this simple act of kindness. "Thank you so much... Sir!" she stammered, embarrassed that she didn't know his name.

"Sukuna," he replied curtly.

Cinderella reached down to bite into the bread, her face lighting up with delight as she savored the taste of the food. "Thank you, Sir Sukuna," she said between bites, her manners unapparent even in her dire circumstances.

"Aren't nobles taught manners?" Sukuna remarked, his tone still harsh.

Cinderella gulped harshly, worried she had offended him. "Please forgive me; I hadn't realized that. I never had a proper etiquette teacher."

Sukuna grunted dismissively and waved away her apology. "And you?" he inquired, a rare hint of curiosity in his voice.

Cinderella blinked in surprise. "Oh! It's Cinderella."

Encouraged by this newfound connection, Cinderella decided to share her story with Sukuna. "You asked me why I let my sister treat me poorly," she began, her voice tinged with sadness. "I'm known as the cursed child because my mother died during childbirth, and our family's business went downhill. It caused a kingdom-wide epidemic, and our trading routes were ruined. After my father remarried, he mysteriously died, and rumors began to spread that I had poisoned his tea, which I didn't."

Sukuna listened intently, absorbing her tale. Cinderella continued, "They call me Cinderella because I spend most of my days cleaning cinders from the fireplace, one of my many responsibilities and a source of my nickname. I'm not allowed to join my family at the dining table, and my stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella, treat me... well a bit stern, afterall, they think I murdered our father."

Her voice wavered as she revealed her painful past, and Sukuna couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. The name "Cinderella" was no longer just a label; it was a symbol of her resilience in the face of adversity.

Sukuna nodded and then said simply, "Ella."

Cinderella was momentarily puzzled by the nickname but soon realized its significance. It was the first name she had been given that wasn't demeaning. Her smile widened, and she watched as Sukuna looked away, struggling to understand the strange emotions welling up within him.

"Stop talking and finish eating," Sukuna ordered as he walked out of the room. "You look like a baby fawn on the verge of death."

Although Sukuna's words remained harsh, Cinderella took them as a sign of concern, and her smile endured. As she continued to eat, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope, a tiny spark of warmth in her otherwise bleak existence.