Cinderella's Fate | 🤍 seongjoong 🤍

Chapter 58

Seonghwa's POV 

    I woke up slowly. Every part of my body ached, my arms tied at the back, my back not fully supporting itself. My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and my limbs were too heavy to move.

     My vision was blurry at first. Colours smudged together, shapes not forming. But as things sharpened, I realised I wasn't in any normal room. It wasn't pitch dark, but close. A dim light glowed from a crack in the far wall. That's when I noticed that I was in a cell.

    The walls were made of stone. Rusted chains attached to the wall. A broken wooden bed frame lay discarded, and a torn, filthy blanket was scattered around it.

    Memories jogged back to me. Me back at the palace where I had given myself up willingly, to end this suffering, for Hongjoong, and for everyone.

The metal door creaked.

I looked up, just in time for a hand to grab a fistful of my hair.

"Well, look who's awake," a familiar, venomous voice said.

      She yanked my head back, spit landing on my cheek as she laughed. My stepmother. Her smile was wide, wicked, like she was enjoying my pain. She probably was, based on her history, but now she wasn't trying to hide it.

"Oh, you poor thing," she cooed mockingly. "You look just like your mother."

My heart burned. 

"What about her? WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"You want to know why she died?" she asked, stepping closer. "You want the truth?"

The truth might break me, but I wanted to know.

"Tell me."

She crouched down, eyes shining with cruel delight. "I married your father because I knew he had already married her. My dear ex-husband killed your mother, exactly as I planned."

My breath caught. "Why? Why would you do that?!"

"Because that 'curse' you all whisper about? It was never a curse at all. It was a gift. The fairy godmother blessed your bloodline with the happiest fate of all. Love, power, legacy." Her eyes narrowed. "But what about me, hmm? Where was my happy ending? My luxury? My crown?"

She stood again, voice rising.

"So, I messed with ancient magic. I made myself immortal. I followed your family through time, twisting every story, breaking the pattern. You think your tale is special? It was meant to be one lineage, bound by love. But I split it, tearing apart the love between your family and the royal crown, created chaos. And now, there are two bloodlines, both cursed, both mine to control."

    Realising that she had tried to come between me and Hongjoong the night of the ball, so we wouldn't reunite and continue the fate.

"You killed my mother... just to take her place?"

"She was in my way," she hissed. "In the way to finally get to the crown. That spot was meant for me."

"And now?" I asked, heart racing. "What are you planning?"

She smiled again. "Now that the royal family is divided and broken, I'll start a revolution, crown myself Queen. The nobles are greedy and easy to bribe. It won't take much."

"And my father?"

"Still abroad," she said, shrugging. "Drinking the sweet tea I made for him every day. It's poisoned, you know. Not to kill, obviously, too classy for that. Just to cloud the mind, so soon he won't even remember you exist."

I clenched my fists. "You're heartless."

She slapped me, hard.

"And I'm damn proud of it," she whispered, before hitting me again, and the world turned black.