Liechtenstein X Male!Reader - Cinderer

    Once upon a time, lived a young man named [y/n]. He had no siblings, and he lived only with his mother for his father had long ago died because of an accident. Even though so, he went trough his daily lives cheerfully, until one time, another man proposed to his mother. His mother accepted the man proposal, and they became a family of five, for this man came with his two sons that become the young man stepbrothers.

    Apparently, [y/n] new family weren’t so fond of him. The stepbrothers often bullied [y/n] or accused him of something he hadn’t done and told it to their parents. His stepfather was also often complained about every of his flaw, ignored all his good side. The mother, however, protected [y/n] as much as she could, and tried her best to bring harmony to the family. But she wasn’t an extraordinary woman, and this condition, at one point began to stressed her so that it robbed her of her health. In the end, she died, and left [y/n] to stand the bad treatment of his ‘family’ alone.

    “Hey, [y/n], where’s my roasted beef?!”

    “And make me some more pancakes!”

    I sighed and and walked out of the kitchen with the requested dish in my hand. Allen snapped the plate from my hand as I reached the dining table, and so did Matt. “You guys gonna get fat if you keep this up,” I spoke to them.

    “Oh, shut up,” Matt harshly replied while he spreading some syrup to his pancake before gobbled it up.

    “Oh, right,” I continued with a smirk, “I forgot that Al has already fat.”

    For this, Allen shot up from his chair and grabbed my collar. “You wanna pick a fight with me?” he growled.

    “Might be a good work out to burn your fat, Al,” I just replied him playfully.

    Right in that moment, the front door opened, thus canceled the fight. Everyone looked to the direction where a pink-blonde man came in, cheerfully, while holding a letter in his hand, “Kids, I have a good news!” He stopped in instant when he saw Al holding me by my collar.

    “[y/n], how many time I’ve told you to not pick a fight,” he sighed in a disappointed tone.

    Al let go of me and smirked mockingly to me for his father support. As always, whether I was the one to blame or not. “I just told them to burn the fat of their fifth plate,” I spoke up my weak argument.

    Olliver waved his hand, saying “it’s not important” with his gesture, then kept on, “Anyway, I have a good news for you my kids.”

    Matt looked up from his pancake, and Al asked him what was it. But before Ollie told them the news, he turned to me, “[y/n], why don’t you go and take care of the horses? They must be hungry by now, you should have remembered them.”

    Pretty well understood that Olliver attempted to get rid of me, I just shrugged and walked back to the kitchen where there was a back door that led to the stable. But instead of walked to that door, I stayed in the kitchen, and listened to what this news was about that made Olliver so hyped up. So far as I knew, the only thing could made him like this was a successful experiment with his cupcakes.

    “I met a messenger from the palace right before I entered the house,” he started his story. “He came to delivered this letter. It’s an invitation to a party in the palace that will be held tonight, and everyone, or should I say, every bachelor in the city are invited!”

    “Every bachelor?” I heard Matt asked about his father words.

    Allen asked it up as well, “Why would the palace invites especially every bachelor in the city? I thought such party are only for the noble.”

    “Well, this party is special,” Olliver answered in a girly manner. “The king intended to find a man suitable for the princess, and he only wanted a man from his own country!”

    “You don’t mean…” I heard Allen and Matt spoke in disbelief, “a groom for the princess?!”

    “Yes, yes!” Oliver could barely contain his voice when he answered. “Isn’t this a good opportunity to get yourself a royal title? Now, find the best clothing you could find in your wardrobe. There so much to do, and so little time!”

    At that moment, I already walked out to the stable. So that was it. A party, huh? I thought to myself inward. There would be no way Oliver would let me go to the party, I knew. Well, he didn’t even want me to know about the news. Soon enough, they would be busy ordering me around to help them get ready for the party. Good thing that I stayed in the kitchen before, for they wouldn’t answer my question if I asked what the preparation were for later on.

    Meanwhile waiting for those ruckus to involve me, I enjoyed some time by taking care of the animals. Yes, there were chickens in the coop, horses, and two goats in the stable that we kept in the backyard, and the responsibility to take care of them all fell upon my shoulder. Not that I mind, though. It had been my responsibility since the times when I lived only with mother. But…

    A meow distracted me from my tough, and I paused my task, feeding the chicken, to find my cat entering the coop and approaching me. “Hey, Itabby,” I greeted him and bent down to scratch under his chin. No, the chicken never worried of his presence, for Itabby was such a tame and friendly cat. He had the goofiest cat face a cat could have. Done with taking care of the chicken, I got out of the coop with Itabby in my arm, purred happily.

    I brought him to the kitchen, and gave him today’s leftover. He eyed the beef and pancake for a while, then shot up a disappointed look to me. “I’m sorry, buddy,” I apologized while petting his head. “No pasta today.” He looked sad, but understood of it, then started to eat his food as it was. I knew, it really odd for a cat to love pasta, that was why I and mother named him Itabby. When mother still alive, we would had pasta frequently to satisfy that cat, but now pasta had been rarely served, replaced by beef, pancake, and scone…

    I watched Itabby eating his meal, and felt some inner-peace in the presence of that carefree cat. For now, he was the closest thing to family I had…

    There they gone. They didn’t suspicious to knew that I had washed the carriage by noon and I didn’t ask them of what rushed them. They really excited of prospect being the princess groom, being a part of the royal family, that I was almost like an invisible servant for them. Oh well, while they having fun in the palace, guess I would just enjoy myself in the kitchen. I would enjoy their rare absence in the house.

    I approach my corner in the kitchen where I usually sleep, and laid down. Then patted the spot next to me, I called for Itabby to coil by my side. Instead of laid itself next to me, it climbed my chest and purred there. I let out a little chuckle, and began to pet it as I waited for sleep to come. “Hey, Itabby,” I began to talk to him in low tone, I didn’t know why. “I think there’d be no way Allen and Matt impressing the princess, don’t you agree?”

    Itabby gave me a cat face that could be interpreted as, “What do you mean?”

    “Well, I heard that the princess is such a kind and gentle girl… It just hard for me to imagine Al or Matt with such kind of girl.”

    Another similar face from Itabby, and a low meow. Somehow I tranlated it as, “Don’t you want to go to the party?”

    “The party…” I started then trailed off. To be honest, I would like to experience such party though just once in lifetime. I wouldn’t get my hope up to impressing the princess, that she’d choose me as her partner, though… But well, this was what I had, and I would just content myself with it. “I’m fine without it,” I finally answered Itabby with a small smile.

    Suddenly, I noticed something shining in the dark kitchen. I thought that I might not put down the fire in the fireplace properly enough, but when I sat up and looked around, I found that the light source was far from the fireplace. It was in the middle of the kitchen, flying in the middle of the air. I just could watch in amazement as it shone brighter and began to change form. Soon enough, in front of me stood a wavy, brown haired woman, with a flower adorned it, and she seemed to emit light around her body. Her green eyes looked at me warmly. “Ah, [y/n], so glad I could find you,” she greeted me with a friendly air.

    “W-who are you?” I managed to ask her a question. “And… what do you need with me?”

    “You see, my name Elizaveta,” she introduced herself. “I’m a mother fairy that your mother sent.”

    The mention of my mother startled me. Mother…

    “She’s sad to see you left behind while the other got the party,” she continued. “So she asked for my help. And I’ll help you so that you can go to the party!”

    “But…” It still hard for me to believe the presence of woman in front of me. Not that I doubt what she said, but… It just felt like a dream! “But,” I talked again. “All the horses are used, and we only have one carriage. Also… I don’t have a proper clothing to the party.” I said while pinched my worn out, dirty shirt. “All my best outfit had been given to my stepbrothers.”

    “Hey, I’m not called a mother fairy for no reason,” she snapped back. “Let’s see…” she paused as she thought for a moment. “Bring me four of your chicken. They’ll be the noisiest horses ever, but they should do. Then, a kettle for the carriage must be fancy!”

    I was dumbstruck at her word, nonetheless, I obeyed her. I gone to the coop and managed to get four unhappy chicken that woken form their slumber rudely. I need to cage them with a big basket while I took the kettle, and brought it to Elizaveta that had waited in the backyard with the caged chickens. She instructed me to put the kettle on the ground beside the chickens, and when I erected myself I saw that she already holding a frying pan. Wait, frying pan?

    “Hey, don’t you dare fry my chickens! It’s family treasure!” I exclaimed at her.

    She curled her lips and pouted, “I won’t! I’m here to help you get to the party, remember? Now, I need you to open the basket on my cue, so I can cast the spell on the chickens and the kettle in a same time.”

    Felt a bit hesitant to this ‘mother fairy’, I moved to the basket and put my hand around it, waited for her cue.

    “Three,” she counted down, “two… one, lift it up!”

    I lifted it up in hurry, and the chicken began to running around to four direction of the wind. But before they could gone far, a light from Elizaveta’s frying pan paralyzed them. For a moment, that five objects glow, then their form began to grew larger. Soon enough, the kettle was nothing like a kettle, and the chickens didn’t cackled anymore. Instead of those, before me was a most grand carriage with smooth surface of metal, and four beautiful white horses tied to it. Well, the chickens… I meant, the horses’ huff did really noisy.

    While I still stared at my new ride in amazement, Elizaveta turned to me and said, “Now, it’s your turn.”

    I didn’t get a chance to say a word when a softer light struck me from the frying pan and changed my dirty attire. When the spell done, I was wearing a clothes that match of a prince. Shining leather boots with best quality, belt with golden buckle, red velvet coat, finest silk robe, and white gloves. When I looked at my reflection on a window, my face that was dirtied by ash now clean, even beaming.

    I turned to the mother fairy with a big smile of amazement, and she smiled back to me, as if saying, “What had I told you?”

    Without word, I looked back at the carriage, feeling ready to be carried by such a grand ride. But then my sight fell upon the empty coachman seat. “Uh…,” I pointed to the coachman seat and said to Elizaveta, “Should I take another chicken to ride the chickens – I mean, horses?”

    “Ah,” Elizaveta looked at that empty seat with a blank stare. I bet she forgotten about that. “Um, well…” Her sight suddenly directed to Itabby who had been watching us in amusement by the back door. “Come, pussy, pussy,” she put up a sweet face and called for that cat.

    Itabby, happy to be called by such beautiful woman, jumped from the ground and approached her happily.

    “Wait… You don’t mean, Itabby will be…”

    Before I could finish my word, she had already cast another spell, this time on the cat. You could guess how shocked Itabby was, but when the magic light gone, what I saw was a young man with brown hair and coachman attire looked down upon himself. “Ve~ amazing!” he talked when he realized his human form. Then I recognized that face as my cat face, with a pair of droopy eyes and odd curl sticking out.

    “I-itabby?!” I just could gasped.

    “Ready to serve you, [y/n]!” he turned to me with a salute. “I mean, sir!” He winked to me and at that moment, I could see that he actually had a gorgeous eye.

    I turned to Elizaveta, and said, “Well, this is really a lot you do for me. I couldn’t possibly ask for more, so… Thank you very much.”

    “Don’t mention it,” she replied with a motherly smile. “Your mother’s such a nice woman, I just feel happy to be able to help her with helping her son. Have fun at the party, dear! Oh, but remember, you must come back before midnight, because all the magic will vanish as the clock’s jingle for the twelve time.”

    “Your magic just could hold on that long?”

    “Hey, if magic have no limit, you’d live in paradise by now,” she replied.

    A minute afterward, I was ready to get on the carriage, but then I remembered of another thing and halted. I turned to Elizaveta who gave me a wondered look, and I asked her for one more thing.

    Meanwhile that, in the party, Princess Lili seated on the throne in the center of the stage for this special occasion. On her left was her brother Prince Vash seated on another throne, and on her right were her father, King Alaric, on a taller throne. Along the party, she was introduced by every bachelor that attended. She had met a cheerful Spaniard, a flirty French man, a lively brothers from Asia, and a… intimidating looking Russian who came with his sister that kept glared at them while they spoke. Nonetheless, Princess Lili behaved sweetly to everyone.

    “Is there anyone who has caught your attention yet, Lili?” at one point, King Alaric spoke up to his daughter.

    “Well, everyone’s so nice, Father,” she replied.

    Prince Vash joined the conversation. “But is there anyone you like?” he asked, then continued, “In the end, you must choose a guy for you to marry…” He gritted his teeth, seemed somewhat unhappy of the thought. “Just please choose someone competent enough. And it’d be best that he born in this country. We would want to keep our neutrality.”

    “Don’t worry, brother. I won’t choose anyone without asking Father’s and your opinion first,” The Princess replied, assured her brother.

    “The night still long, and I’m sure not everyone is here yet,” said The King. “Take your time to know them better before you choose.”

    “Yes, Father.”

    At length, new attendant came, and presented before the royal family. The new guest were consist of a pinkish blond haired father with his two sons. After they exchanged formal greeting to the royal familiy, the father spoke up, “Oh, such a cute Princess, aren’t you! Here, I came with my two son, Allen F. Jones,and Matthieu William, and I hope you would enjoy their company.” Afterward, the father step back to give way to his sons to have some talk with the princess.

    In their talk, Lili could see that though Allen and Matt didn’t seem like the type to be polite, but they tried their bast to act nice to The Princess. They seemed like the rough type, she thought, but I guess they aren’t a bad people. The talk wasn’t last long, since it seemed hard for them to find something in common they could talk about. Nonetheless, Lili ended the conversation with a smile.

    After them, there were few another bachelors that stepped forth seeking audience with The Princess. But as night became late, there were fewer and fewer people came and the ball became more and more crowdy. However, the last guest came as the time for the dance drew near, and such a fantastic entrance he made!

    Firstly, the grand door opened, and an announcement heard, as happen to every guest that came, “I present you, [fake name (f/n)] [fake last name], the son of [father name] [fake last name]!” Everyone threw a glance to the door without actually expecting anything, and so, great was their amazement to see the young man that entered the ball.

    The young man had an air of nobleman as he walked further into the ball, as what his beautiful attire shown. But what amazed and astonished the audience the most, was the face that covered by an elegant platinum mask, left only his lips that smiling humbly completely shown.

    “Can I ask you another thing?”

    “But I thought you said that there’s nothing more you could ask for?”

    “Well, I was wrong. You see, this one is really necessary. I can’t just go to the party and let my stepfather and my stepbrothers recognize me, no?”

    “Well… You’re right.”

    Soon enough, The King servant approached him and asked him to step forth to see The Princess. There were a short low and harmless argument heard, most probably about the mask, before [f/n] finally approached the stage.

    After the formal greeting, King Alaric decided to spoke up first, “[f/n] [fake last name], am I right? May I inquire you the reason you wearing such mask to this party?”

    The young man bowed slightly before answered, “My apologize, your highness, if this act seemed to you as rude. But I have my own reason that obliged me to put on this mask to conceal my face.” His tone and his smile were so sincere that The King convinced of the young man resolution.

    Suddenly, they noticed the musician that announced the time for the dance had come. At this, the young man turned to Princess Lili, and offered his hand. “May I have the honor to dance with The Princess?” he asked politely.

    “Y-yes,” Lili accepted the young man hand with a blush, and he took her to the center of the dance floor, joined another pair of guests that ready for the dance. The music for the dance soon flowing trough the ball, and the dance started. Bodies swung and swirl elegantly.

    In the middle of the dance, out of curiosity, Lili asked the young man, “Who are you… actually?”

    “As my coachman announced before,” he answered, “My name’s [f/n] [f/l/n]. But what’s in a name anyway?”

    The Princess stared at that mask covered face for a little while before asked again, “Where do you come from?”

    “Where I come from is not really matter,” he once again avoided the question.

    “Are you a prince?”

    “No, my lady. I’m just one of your father’s, The King’s, humble servant.”

    Once again Lili could only stare. She tried to stare trough the mask, and found a pair of beautiful eyes that stared back warmly to her. Trough each other eyes, they found out more than they would if they were talked for hours. And soon they found themselves attached to each other…

    So short the time felt to them, that the midnight clock’s jingle startled the couple. The young man let go of The Princess, and with a hurried little bow said, “Pardon me, my lady, but I must go.”

    “Huh? But – ,”

    But the young man stepped back and hurriedly exited the ball, bumped with some people in the process. The coachman, who was eating pasta happily, noticed his master exit and followed him as well. In vain, Lili chased the young man. She even chased until  the palace entrance, but the mysterious young man had gone. She went back to the ball with a sad look on her face.

    On her appearance, Vash hurriedly approached his sister. “Lili!” he called out to her. “Don’t do such reckless act!”

    “I’m sorry, brother…”

    He sighed, then handed out something to his sister. The mask. “Someone found it on the floor,” Vash explained. “He must have dropped it when he hurriedly go and bumped into someone.”

    Lili accepted the mask quietly, and stared into the mask, while image of the young man's face beneath it still lingering on her mind, refused to leave.

    The next morning, everyone seemed a bit down. Allen, Matt, and Olliver was disappointed of their crushed hope in the party last night. From the talk they carelessly spoken, I found out how the party ended. When the announcement time came, The Princess kept persistence to choose the mysterious young man. It made some people went into rage, including her brother too, but King Alaric then calmed them down. And so, the party ended without any continuation of marriage news of The Princess.

    Meanwhile that, me… Well, last night was like… the best dream I could have since my mother death. But… the ending part was pretty much like a nightmare. I made it in time out of the palace so that no one saw my shabby appearance. In that time, I didn’t care much about my mask that dropped when I dashed out from the ball. I was bewildered as to how I should bring my kettle, Itabby, and my four chickens home safely. Luckily, I found a random basket on my way, so I just put them all in there. I was pretty much like an insane courier running trough the street with a big noisy basket on my head in the middle of the night.

    That was why I hadn’t teased my stepbrothers as I used to when I served the breakfast that morning, but they didn’t seem to notice this…

    The heavy atmosphere finally broken by a knock on the door. Olliver tried to put on his best cheerful face and got up to open it. In less than a minute, he came back with a real cheerful face, just like yesterday, and said, “Kids, good news! Go to the living room right now! Oh, you don’t have to, [y/n],” he halted me when I was going to follow.

    Nonetheless, I tiptoed to the dining room door where I could watch anything that happen in the living room. Just like yesterday, I eavesdropped on them.

    “They’re messenger from the palace, and they come in search of the mysterious man,” I heard Oliver explained to Al and Matt.

    Then another voice talked, “Lili has never being persistence in anything as she is now. That’s why my father, The King, ordered the search of the mysterious man. We visit every house of the bachelors that attended the party last night.”

    Then I heard a low shy mumbling, and I realized it must be The Princess. She herself came along to the search of the mysterious young man! After knowing this, I could easily guess that the one talked before must be her brother, Prince Vash.

    The Prince continued, “That’s why we brought the mask of the mysterious man. We need your sons to try to put it on. That way, if one of your son was the right man, Lili surely would recognize him.”

    I became tense as I waited behind the wall. Of course Allen and Matt would fail this test. They wouldn’t mistaken anyone else as me, right? No, I was sure that The Princess wouldn’t mistaken me for anyone else. Not after the dance last night… But then, what if I didn’t show up? What if they couldn’t find the mysterious young man…?

    I heard the announcement of Al and Matt's failed effort from behind the wall. Then Oliver insisted to try the mask as well. After some argument, he was let to wear it, but of course he failed as well. “Don’t you have another son?” I heard The Prince asked. “This is the last house we visited…”

    That’s it. I have to show up.

    I stuck my head out of the dining room, and pretended as if I was preparing tea. “Oliver, what tea would you like to accompany you with the scone this morning?” I exclaimed.

    Noticed my presence, Prince Vash exclaimed to me, “Ah, you! Come here at once!”

    “What?” Oliver bewildered at the Prince order. He tried to deny it in the softest way he could. “Ah, but… he’s only a servant in our house! You can see that his face dirty with ash, how could The Princess recognize anyone in such dirt? He didn’t even attend the party last night!”

    To hear this, The Prince shot up a glare to him. “And I thought, the invitation stated clearly that every bachelors are to attend the party? No matter his status and condition, as long as he judged proper to attend the party. And from what I see this young man seems proper enough.”

    At that moment, I already stood with them by the front door. Oliver couldn’t say any single word now, he and the other two could only wait and watch.

    “What’s your name?” Prince Vash asked me.

    “[y/n].”

    “Please try the mask.” Then he offered me the platinum mask that brought by a tray with cushion. Quietly, I picked it and put it on my face, tied the tape behind my head, and… Slowly, I turned to The Princess. For a moment, we stared on each other like we did in the dance.

    Finally, The Princess smile bloomed and her cheek went red. She said in almost a whisper, “It’s you…”

    “Yes, my lady.”