Cinderelo {A Queer Cinderella Retelling)

Chapter 4

While Elo got accustomed to his duties, if you could even call being a showcase for Gwendolyn and her ladies work, he luckily didn't catch a glimpse of the Prince again.

Elo didn't get to speak to the servants much. He assumed he would work alongside them often, perhaps make a friend or even two but soon found out they regarded him similar to how one would regard a royal because he was Princess Gwendolyn's 'special guest'. It was hurtful to feel like he was invisible among people of his own class while being used for show-and-tell by the woman that saved him.

Elo was lost between both worlds, bitterly amused that he still found himself stuck in his solitude even in this new environment. Still, he was used to it and adjusted rather quickly to the sting, although it was rather uncomfortable to be stared at by strangers now that his cloak was gone. He woke up in a state that flowed between numbness and terror and would spend some moments gazing at the flowers in the royal garden from his window to calm himself. For all he knew, he would be thrown out the moment he soiled their precious decor with his dirty fingers so he never went down there.

Dirty.

That's what some of Gwendolyn's friends had called him. His stay was beginning to lack-lustre, for both him and the princess, because while she'd seen in his skin the beautiful colour of chocolate, coffee and life-giving soil, her friends took one look at him and saw mud and faeces. They laughed at him, as he'd been scared they would and the princess did so too, albeit in a weaker tone. He was going to get thrown out soon, he just knew it and honestly, it was better that way. He could find a real job outside the luxurious, frigid halls of the giant castle and some day even give his mother's body the resting place she deserved.

He stood there in stuffy, fancy clothing for the third time that week. She had summoned him to impress another set of girls, once again. He wasn't sure why she was trying so hard. Wasn't being royalty enough? Daughter of the king of the land had a good enough ring to it.

He listened in as they spoke, for the sake of his boredom alone. Elo stood in the middle of the room as they all chatted, the bolder of the women coming forward to touch his hair or skin from time to time. Their conversations were mainly hinged on gossip but Gwendolyn seemed to be more interested in speaking about politics, at least until she realised they weren't listening. It was a surprise that she seemed to care about the kingdom and its people, at least to some extent. She wasn't the best at treating people well, partly due to how he was raised but the ferocity with which she spoke about the plight of those of his class did warm his heart to her the slightest bit.

She stopped talking to the women once she heard footsteps, whipping her head round to find her brother crossing past the door. She got off her seat rather quick and gripped Elo's wrist, tugging him in his direction and reminding the boy of why he found her frustrating, once again.

"Brother? Charlie, get over here! Have you met my rogue? Found him stealing something and paid off his debt so now he's mine! Can you believe that? Anyway, come join us. They're already bored of him. He just stands there and grins politely like a pretty statue. No fun at all."

Charles stared at the man he'd met not too long ago and arched a brow at the tight smile on his face. "Have you considered that this isn't fun for him, either?"

"Well, I saved his life from a big, scary woman so he better be having fun. Right, rogue?" Elo nodded in reply, keeping his expression as grateful as possible. Truthfully, he couldn't be sure which had been worse - living with his aunt or being an exhibit in the Princess' collection. Either existence filled him with a sense of meaninglessness and anxiety that he simply couldn't shake. For some reason, he felt Prince Charles could see through his lie and shifted his weight from foot to foot when the young royal didn't stop looking at him.