“Now, I will start reading the story.”
That night, the dormitory of Hanna Orphanage was filled with an unusual tension. The reason was simple: Leo, sitting cross-legged by the lamp, had a face that screamed maximum displeasure.
“Today’s book will be chosen by me. Therefore, Bruno is unnecessary here.”
“Le-Leo bro…?”
With a flat voice and unfocused eyes, Leo tapped the picture book “Cinderella” he had picked seemingly at random. The children, who had been excitedly looking forward to the story, were now raising bewildered voices at his extraordinary aura of displeasure.
“What, what’s wrong…?”
“Hey, Leo. Today’s story was supposed to be my recommendation, ‘The Art of War’—”
“Today, we will read Cinderella,” Leo interrupted Bruno’s slightly flustered objection with a resolute tone.
“What is this guy thinking, trying to read something incomprehensible like ‘The Art of War’ to my cute little brothers? Is he stupid? He must be stupid.”
“What did you say? ‘The Art of War’ is a legendary masterpiece, born in a foreign land and still passed down to this day, a book that condenses even life itself—”
As Bruno retorted indignantly, Leo, who had finally shed his usual courteous tone, bared his teeth fiercely.
“Shut up! I’m not in the mood to read your recommendations today! I don’t even want to see your face! Get lost, you fool! Idiot! Thief! Pickpocket!”
“You’re still angry about that? You’re so persistently unreasonable.”
Leo and Bruno were close childhood friends, but that didn’t mean they were always on good terms. Especially since Leo, who had a low boiling point, often got angry. Bruno just shrugged his shoulders lightly, which only fueled Leo’s anger further.
“Persistently unreasonable? You stole my secret savings without permission! It’s unbelievable, treachery! Heinous act, you bastard!”
“I needed the money that day to pay for repairs to the armor. I returned the exact amount I borrowed.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
Annoyed, Leo stood up quickly and slammed an old pillow on the floor with a loud thud.
“Do you understand how I felt then? My precious, meticulously polished small copper coins that I even named, suddenly all disappeared, replaced by a single copper coin! How do you think I felt then?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s pure despair!”
Leo stomped the floor lightly — not too hard, or the floor would give way. Meanwhile, the children, who had been listening to the exchange, understood the whole situation.
In short, Bruno had borrowed Leo’s precious secret savings to make a payment without permission. Although he returned the exact amount later, the ten small copper coins Leo had cherished were replaced by a single copper coin, which made Leo extremely angry.
Ridiculous.
If it had been about anyone other than Leo, the children would have snorted and dismissed it. But since it was their beloved Leo brother, they sided with him completely and criticized Bruno.
“How terrible, Bruno bro! You’re the worst!”
“Just thinking about Leo bro’s feelings makes me want to cry.”
“No way!”
Leo, feeling supported, turned around and hugged the children tightly.
“You understand, right? My small copper coins were my ‘family’! Suddenly, they were all kidnapped, and a stranger was left in their place. How could anyone not get angry about that?”
“No one could! Bruno bro is terrible!”
“Not human at all!”
The children, delighted to be hugged tightly, began to attack Bruno even more.
“It’s horrible having someone like that near us! He should leave quickly!”
“We only need Leo bro for tonight’s story! Leave, Bruno bro!”
“Actually, we never need Bruno bro again! Just go away forever!”
Being bombarded with such rapid and coordinated attacks, even Bruno frowned in frustration.
“You guys… There’s a famous saying in ‘The Art of War’—”
“We don’t care about ‘The Art of War’!”
Cutting off Bruno’s lecture, the children shooed him away and turned their sweet voices to Leo.
“Leo bro, hurry and read!”
“What kind of story is Cinderella?”
“Well…”
Leo, reflecting that maybe he had been a bit too childish, took a seat and prepared to start the story. Bruno glanced at the “Art of War” in his hand, then silently left the room. Leo watched him for a moment, then shook his head and refocused.
“A long time ago, in a certain place, there was a very beautiful girl…”
As soon as Leo began the typical opening, the children immediately bombarded him with questions.
“What does ‘beautiful’ mean?”
“What color is her hair?”
“What color are her eyes?”
Not interested in people’s appearance — or rather, he only judged people by whether they paid well or not — Leo made up the details on the spot.
“Her hair is golden like a gold coin… No, that’s too rare for common folk, so it’s probably chestnut like Anne’s. And her eyes are gray like Marcel’s.”
“The protagonist has surprisingly dull colors.”
“Ha ha, the protagonist has the same hair color as me.”
“Her eyes are the same color as mine.”
The reactions were varied.
Leo nonchalantly moved on with the story. The girl’s mother died early, and her father brought in a stepmother and two stepsisters. However, the stepmother and stepsisters treated her harshly and made her do all the work.
The girl eventually began sleeping by the fireplace, becoming covered in ashes, and thus was called Cinderella.
“Why doesn’t she fight back?”
“If this happened to me, I’d beat them up instantly.”
“Maybe she has a plan.”
Seeing the children tilting their heads in unison, Leo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
If Leo were in her place, he would have rebelled as soon as he was forced into unpaid labor. Since she didn’t, there must be some purpose behind it. A reason for enduring the ashes. If she wanted warmth, she could have taken a blanket from her stepsisters or invaded someone’s bed — at least, that’s what they would do at the orphanage.
So, lying in the ashes had to be a tactic, like a thief’s.
“Maybe she was training herself to find valuable things in the ashes. The girl was probably a pickpocket in training.”
Leo’s thoughts had apparently been heavily influenced by words like “thief” and “pickpocket.”
“That makes sense. I heard a pickpocketing uncle say he trains his fingers by picking up sesame seeds every day.”
“Using everyday things for training… Such a good idea. It’s a shame she chose that path.”
“She could have earned an honest living instead.”
The children, more familiar with pickpocketing than the concept of “keeping warm with ashes,” nodded solemnly. It seemed “Cinderella” was not a princess story but a crime tale.
On the next page, Cinderella, standing by her mother’s grave, was being advised by a fairy:
“If you can find even small happiness in the ashes, you will become a fine…”
Naturally, Leo filled in the worn-out part with “female thief.”
Old books at the orphanage often had their important parts worn out from being read repeatedly.
Leo read on smoothly, with no doubts about the plot.
“Cinderella’s luck eventually turned. An invitation to a ball hosted by the prince arrived. Inviting all the women in the empire to a grand ball, Cinderella’s heart throbbed with excitement, and she longed to attend.”
“Well, of course, she’d target the treasures gathered from all over the empire.”
“Anyone would aim for that.”
The children agreed.
But to prevent Cinderella from attending, her stepsisters threw beans into the ashes, saying, “You must pick up all these beans from the ashes before you can go to the ball.”
“Oh! The bean picking is connected here!”
“It was a setup!”
Nodding, Leo continued grandly.
“Cinderella picked up all the beans — her daily efforts paid off — and began preparing to go to the ball. But she had no beautiful dress or shoes. She went to her mother’s grave and wept.”
Then, a surprising turn of events unfolded.
“The grave suddenly glowed, and a robed guide appeared. Praising Cinderella’s efforts and spirit, the guide gave her a dress and shoes.”
“What!? Even criminal efforts are rewarded!?”
The children were astonished.
In fairy tales, effort is always rewarded, but they never expected a guide of the church, which preaches selflessness and love, to support thievery.
“What’s going on…?”
“I have no idea where this is going.”
“Me neither. This is my first time with such a fairy tale.”
Leo nodded heavily.
Bruno, it seemed, had played the role of the one who pointed out such oddities. Without him, the story was veering off in unexpected directions, far from the author’s intent.
Leo turned the page with a puzzled expression.
“Dressed in the gown, Cinderella rode a pumpkin carriage, sent off by the guide to the ball.”
The guide, a remarkably funky figure, used mysterious magic to turn a pumpkin into a carriage and mice into coachmen, entrusting them to Cinderella.
Parts of the text were worn out, but from the guide’s words,
“Make sure to return safely before the spell wears off and you’re discovered.”
“Yes,” Cinderella nodded.
So, they figured the guide had probably taught her a trick to make a quick buck with this magic.
The list of Cinderella’s crimes was growing: thievery, now fraud.
Though confused by the unpredictable story, the children listened intently, their hearts pounding. A beautiful, hardworking criminal protagonist was surprisingly captivating.
“When Cinderella arrived at the castle, everyone sighed in admiration at her beauty. Though many approached her, she slipped
away skillfully, avoiding detection, and headed to the prince’s treasure room.”
“Cinderella’s first step toward becoming a top-class thief was taken there.”
“Each step was lighter than the last, and her heart felt it would burst.”
The children nodded, eyes shining, eager for more of Cinderella’s dazzling path.
“Amidst the dancing people, Cinderella mingled unnoticed, following the map in her head. But just as she reached the treasure room—”
Unexpectedly, the text was completely worn out here. Nothing could be read.
The children held their breath.
“What happened next?”
“Does she get caught?”
Leo, tapping the edge of the picture book thoughtfully, decided to improvise.
“Just as Cinderella was about to steal the treasure, she realized she’d forgotten something crucial: the guide’s warning. The magic would wear off soon. She fled, leaving behind a single glass slipper as proof of her visit.”
The children were stunned by the twist.
“She couldn’t take anything but left evidence?”
“What a blunder!”
“But leaving something behind is the mark of a top-class thief,” Leo pointed out.
“She left a trail on purpose,” the children realized.
Leo, too, was impressed by Cinderella’s daring.
Returning home, Cinderella resumed her life of picking beans from the ashes, waiting for the next opportunity.
Meanwhile, the prince found the glass slipper and declared he’d marry whoever could wear it. The empire’s women tried it on, but none fit. When the prince arrived at Cinderella’s house, her stepsisters tried but failed. Then, Cinderella asked to try, and the slipper fit perfectly.
The prince was overjoyed and proposed. Cinderella, now a princess, continued her training, finding happiness in small things, eventually becoming the greatest thief in the land.
Leo closed the book, feeling accomplished. The children’s eyes sparkled with admiration for the unexpected heroine.
“What a great story!”
“I want to be a thief too!”
“Cinderella is amazing!”
Leo smiled, satisfied with the night’s success. Even without Bruno’s input, he had turned the tale into an unforgettable adventure.
And so, the children of Hanna Orphanage went to bed, dreaming of beans, ashes, and glass slippers, inspired by the most unconventional Cinderella they’d ever heard of.
“Hey, listen. Just make sure you don’t end up with a guy who thinks a ‘kabedon’ is a cool move,” Leo advised.
Leo often worried about Anne getting involved with the wrong kind of guy. He wanted to subtly warn her about the reality of certain romantic gestures while entertaining Emilio and the other children, who eagerly clamored for more of the story.
“Alright, alright. So, Cinderella shook off his grip and hurried away, as she had to return home just as the sorcerer had instructed. She grabbed the hem of her dress and ran, leaving the prince behind.”
“Ah, I see. So she finally ‘showed her true colors’,” Emilio said, trying to use sophisticated language.
Marcel’s eyes widened. “Cinderella was a horse!?”
Leo, caught up in the excitement, decided to narrate the chase scene like a horse race announcer. “Here we have Cinderella, breaking away with great speed! It’s a solo run! She’s leaving everyone behind with overwhelming speed!”
“Wow, a horse race!”
“The fairy tale turned into a horse race!”
The children, loving anything new and exciting, laughed and listened intently. Horse racing was a luxury entertainment for the upper class, something the children only knew about from the sidelines. It was an aspirational fantasy for them.
“But wait! Here comes the Prince on the inside track! He’s closing in! Will he catch up? The Prince is closing in on Cinderella!”
The children were on the edge of their seats, imagining the race vividly.
“The gap widens! The gap widens! Oh, Cinderella crouches down! She’s gaining distance! She’s gaining distance!”
“Go, Cinderella, go!”
“Don’t lose, Prince!”
The children were now completely engrossed, their hands clenched with excitement.
“And now, oh no!”
Leo’s voice took on a dramatic tone.
“She’s fallen! Cinderella has fallen!”
“What!?”
The unexpected twist made Emilio and the others gasp and clutch their heads.
As it turned out, the Prince had smeared tar on the stairs outside the castle to catch Cinderella, and her glass slipper got stuck.
“How underhanded!”
“That’s not fair!”
“Where’s the sportsmanship?”
Such concepts didn’t exist in fairy tales, but the children were genuinely outraged.
However, Cinderella, showing her resolve, left one of her glass slippers behind and swiftly escaped. Her decisive action impressed everyone.
“She finished the race even without her shoe…”
“That’s really admirable…”
Leo nodded, turning the page.
“The Prince, determined to find Cinderella, ordered every woman in the kingdom to try on the slipper, promising to marry the one it fit.”
“What a small-minded man, to issue a search warrant over a stolen shoe!”
“If such a prince existed, the world would be doomed!”
The children, now firmly on Cinderella’s side, grew increasingly angry at the Prince’s actions.
Leo calmed them down, “Now, the slipper was brought to Cinderella’s house. She tried to put it on.”
“She was about to turn herself in.”
“How honorable.”
But her stepsisters stopped her. “Stop, Cinderella. This slipper belongs to one of us. There’s no way it fits you.”
Emilio and the others were stunned into silence.
Leo continued, “The stepsisters said, ‘No way. This girl has been picking beans all day. There’s no way she attended the ball!’ and refused to let her try the slipper.”
“They even provided an alibi…”
“And when the slipper didn’t fit them, they cut off their toes to make it fit.”
The children were awestruck by the stepsisters’ extreme measures.
“This is family…”
“What love…”
Their strong bond left both the children and Leo speechless.
In the ensuing silence, Leo said softly, “The story of Cinderella ends here due to missing pages. But I think Cinderella reformed and spent her days making amends.”
“Yeah…”
“I think so too…”
The children clenched their little fists, determined.
Leo patted each child’s head. “We aren’t a real family, but if any of you make a mistake, I would stand by you just like Cinderella’s stepsisters did.”
“Leo…”
The children’s eyes filled with tears as they clung to Leo, who continued, “Your mistakes are not just your own. If you steal or hurt someone, it hurts all of us. So never do what Cinderella did.”
“Okay…”
“We won’t…”
“No stealing or cheating, ever!”
The children hugged Leo tightly, promising to stay on the right path. Though the story deviated significantly from the original “Cinderella,” it served a moral purpose.
However, there was always someone in the orphanage who would disrupt such moments.
“Hey, Leo,” Bruno called, walking over with a bundle of old papers.
“Apologies. Here.”
“Papers?”
Leo took them reluctantly and, upon realizing what they were, his eyes widened.
“These are…!”
“Yes. The ten-year-old records of the Ufborne Trading Company.”
Normally, trade records were tightly controlled, but the government would seize them every five years for inspection, keeping them for ten years before discarding them.
“While cleaning at the government office, I was asked to dispose of these expired records. I thought you’d like them.”
For Leo, who was passionate about numbers and commerce, this was a treasure trove.
“The records of… the golden age of the Ufborne Trading Company…!”
Leo’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he flipped through the records.
The children, still reeling from the Cinderella story, watched in confusion as Leo became engrossed in the records.
“Look at this beautiful balance sheet… the increasing sales prices…! The change from copper to small silver coins…! The numbers are practically smiling…!”
Marcel and Anne clung to Leo, glaring at Bruno.
“Why did you bring this now!”
“Leo was reading to us!”
But Emilio sensed danger and tried to intervene. “This is bad…”
Leo, in a euphoric state, embraced Marcel and Anne. “Do you want to see the records with me?”
“Uh…”
“Leo…”
Leo’s enthusiasm was overwhelming, and the children, feeling like trapped frogs, began to sweat.
Leo, smiling brightly, said, “I’m so happy! Let’s go through these records together. You can do it!”
“Um…”
“We don’t…”
“Let’s start with the basics. We’ll go through the costs and prices. It’s simple once you get the hang of it. Right, Emilio?”
Emilio, who was trying to escape, was caught. “Yes…”
Leo’s love for numbers and accounting made his lessons long and intense.
“Emilio, you struggled with multiplication last time. We need to get you up to speed on double-digit multiplication. Let’s work hard tonight.”
“Uh…”
“Anne, Marcel, you need persistence. Adding up these entries will build your endurance. Let’s do it tonight!”
“No…”
“Bruno, help us!”
The children pleaded, but Bruno just raised an eyebrow. “You’ll spend a lot of time with Leo from now on. Enjoy.”
The children paled.
“Nooo! Bruno, don’t leave us!”
“Stop Leo!”
They cried as Leo, beaming, said, “Let’s start with page one!”
Trapped, the children faced the records, learning a lesson in perseverance and perhaps a bit of ancient wisdom about not pushing people too far.