(Bl) Transmigration: Seducing and making Cinderella's prince mine

A DAY AGO (TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE GRAND BALL)

Kayden walked hand in hand with Cinderella, their fingers entwined as they passed countless staircases, trailing along the curved edges of an ancient staircase now riddled with cracks from years of neglect. At last, they reached the far end of the manor:

Cinderella's tower.

"I don't want to be left alone, Kayden… I'm scared." Her voice quivered, eyes darting like a frightened doe's. That fear? It came from what Kayden had just revealed—Mira's twisted intentions toward her.

Kayden blinked, surprised. Wasn't this the same girl who had been constantly nagging him just hours ago? Why the sudden trust?

Maybe being hunted had finally made her realize—he was her only shot at surviving the hellhole she'd stumbled into.

Even Kayden himself was starting to second-guess whether challenging Mira had been a wise decision. That woman... she might just be capable of doing something to him that he wouldn't survive.

Taking the lead, he stepped forward and turned the rusty doorknob. The door creaked—no, it howled like a dying beast. Kayden shuddered. How on earth did a wooden door sound like a summoning bell?

"You live here?" he asked, deadpan. There was no way. They had to be in the wrong place. No human could live in this.

Cinderella didn't even try to deny it. She merely looked away, and slowly, tears welled up in those pretty, glassy eyes.

"It wasn't like this before, Kayden. But years of neglect turned it into a nightmare. I begged Stepmother—over and over—to fix the leaking roof and the cracked walls. She ignored me. And so... I managed with what I had." Her voice cracked in that final line, echoing softly through the narrow corridor.

Kayden nodded, piecing the facts together. This wasn't the Cinderella from the fairytale he remembered. This was raw. Real. And damn unpredictable.

Maybe the interior wouldn't be that bad?

It was a castle, after all. The East Wing. A grand manor. It couldn't possibly be—

He spoke too soon.

When he pushed the door open wider, the sight that met him stopped him cold.

No way. No human lived in this.

But Cinderella, standing right beside him, was living proof of the impossible.

Turning to her, he whispered in disbelief, "You mean... you've been living in that hell for years?"

He expected her to laugh it off, to wave it away as exaggeration. But once again, she let his hope crash into the mud.

Even his dingy apartment back in the modern world was a hundred times better than this.

The bed was slanted, the stand beneath it cracked and bent in unnatural ways. The wall's once-grand decorations had faded into ghostly remnants, some peeled completely off. What remained looked more like cursed scribbles. A horror movie set would be jealous.

He muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth, "Wow. What a sight."

Snapping himself out of the shock, he turned back to Cinderella. "From now on, you stay in here. Don't step out. I'll deal with Mira and her demon-spawn kids."

The silence was tense until a soft voice broke through it.

"You won't let me die, will you, Kayden? I don't want to die."

Her words pierced him. Kayden turned and nodded slowly, giving her the assurance she craved. Then, with one last glance, he closed the door.

But he didn't leave.

Something—or someone—caught his attention.

"Lilian?" Kayden called, eyes narrowing as he spotted a familiar figure peeking around the corridor.

It was the stubborn fairy who had all but forced him into this twisted mission to seduce the prince.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, catching up to her as she started to vanish midair.

Lilian turned to him, now clad in a plain tunic, threadbare shoes, and a worn apron around her waist—like one of those grumbling old maids.

"What's it?" she snapped, clearly annoyed by the smug grin playing on Kayden's lips.

"I thought you didn't care about me, but here you are... spying? Following me? Tsk. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were obsessed," Kayden teased, like a lawyer cross-examining a shady witness.

Lilian sighed, finally giving in. "Fine. I was worried. I can sense dark magic in this castle... but I can't pin down where exactly."

Kayden raised an eyebrow.

Dark magic? Here In Cinderella's house?

So ridiculous.

Still, Lilian didn't seem like the type to throw around warnings lightly. Her face was pale—genuinely frightened.

That scared him more than he'd admit.

"Well, since you're here," Kayden said, shifting gears, "I wanted to let you know—I've decided to go through with the mission."

"I'm going to that ball tonight. I'll corner the prince, and using the power of my unmatched beauty and irresistible body, I'll seduce him into doing my bidding." Kayden declared dramatically.

If Lilian was shocked, she didn't show it. But her eyes... they twitched. A lot.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, suspicion lacing her words.

Kayden shrugged. "Let's just say... I don't want to end up dead in some twisted fairytale. If seducing the prince saves my skin, then bring it on."

He smirked. "All you need to do is make me a drop-dead gorgeous outfit. Stay here, make sure Cinderella doesn't leave, and make sure no other fairy gives her a stupid escape route. That way, I'll have the stage all to myself."

Lilian's expression turned red. "No way! I'm not babysitting some girl who doesn't even know what she wants!"

Kayden chuckled. "Then forget the mission, sweetheart. I guess that dark force you were afraid of isn't that bad after all."

That was enough to shut her up.

Eventually, Kayden signaled he was ready. "Time to transform me into something stunning and breathtaking."

Lilian nodded, her magic ready to fly—until Kayden interrupted.

"Wait. You're not putting me in that hideous corset, right? No way. Make me a crop top, baggy jeans, and boots. Trust me, it'll sell."

Lilian looked like she wanted to scream.

"Are you insane?! You'll expose yourself as someone not from this world!"

Kayden waved her off. "If I blend in with everyone else, how will the prince even notice me? I need to stand out."

Lilian grumbled. "This kid…"

"Alright, fine. But take this." She handed him a little diamond ring. "Use it to summon me if anything goes wrong. I won't let you face whatever's inside that palace alone."

For a moment, Kayden felt something strange in his chest. Was she actually... concerned?

Then came the spell—the magic. He was transformed.

But the warning bells inside Lilian's head kept ringing.

The castle around her seemed to pulse—like something ancient and wicked was slowly awakening.

She narrowed her eyes.

She needed to find out what darkness lurked behind those walls.

*******

(PRESENT)

Far away, in a chamber soaked in golden candlelight, Zolan stood before a tall mirror carved from animal skin, scowling. His hand cupped his cheek, the red, angry slap-mark still etched into his skin like a cursed mark.

Kayden's slap.

Then came a sharp crack.

The mirror shattered into a million jagged shards.

Zolan's fist dripped blood as he trembled with rage.

"Young man," he seethed, "for daring to strike the crown prince, you will suffer."

A voice called from outside his chamber. "My prince, your presence is requested in the dining hall."

Zolan's face darkened. His lips curled into a twisted grin, replaying Kayden's face—picturing him kneeling, begging for mercy.

"People like you need to be tamed. Faggots like you... disgusting."

His voice dripped with venom.

"I'll scour this world if I have to. But I'll find you."

And with that, he stormed off, not even noticing that the wounds on his knuckles had already begun to heal—skin knitting itself back to normal.

But the hatred in his heart?

It only burned deeper.