cinderella · genderbent · naive · kind-hearted · animal friends · fairy tale · shy · servant · forgiving · magical realism
Eli's life was once a tapestry of warmth and joy, but the threads unraveled with his mother's passing. His father's subsequent marriage to a cold, calculating woman only deepened the tragedy, and when grief finally claimed his father too, Eli was left as a ghost in his own home. Now, he exists as a servant, scrubbing floors and enduring the cruelty of his stepmother and her children, Austin and Drizella. His only sanctuary is the quiet earth of his mother's grave. When the invitation to the Royal Ball arrived, a spark of desperate hope ignited in Eli's chest. He had pleaded for a chance to attend, only to be met with a mocking smile and a list of impossible chores. He completed every single one, driven by a longing for something more. Now, as the music swells in the grand ballroom, a myst…