(I changed the age Ryuko could get her stuff to twenty.)

Years had passed. Jin was now twenty, Ryuko was eighteen, and Himiko was fifteen.

While Jin and Himiko wore the finest materials, always looking like royalty, which they were not, Ryuko had been forced to wear rags. She didn't mind it, it was better than spending a long time trying to corset herself as the servants had been instructed to do nothing for her.

Ryuko's dress was ripped and stitched back up. Her apron was dirty and her hair was greasy instead of its former shine. Her face was covered in ash and cinder as she was forced to sleep near the fire place. No use in wasting nice sheets on someone who would just ruin the fine silks with their filth.

Ryuko's horse had been put down. Chitose said there was no point in having a horse she would never ride again. The cruel bastard. Her horse wasn't even sick! She would always remember her.

The young girl had become a scullery maid to her own family. Of course Jin was nice and treated her with the amount of respect Chitose would permit. Jin was a bit bipolar. Went from cheerful and ready to help, to a mopey, tired man. He was still quite happy.

Himiko ruined the house on purpose, just to make her job harder. When the floors had just been mopped, she tread mud through the house, let the cat, Katsuki, roam around with muddy paws, and would mistreat the dogs. When she did such things, Ryuko would just smile. She didn't want Chitose to get mad enough to physically hurt her, which is something she hadn't done in years, so she she'd let Himiko continue to treat her like this.

"Hey buddy!" Ryuko whispered as she picked up the tiny dog. He needed to be taken out on a walk. She'd take this time to do her shopping for the day. Of course, not everyone knew her situation or even remembered who she was. The bright cheery five year old Ryuko had long hair that fell to her shoulders. Now her hair was up to her chin, her eyes constantly looked tired, and her face... it basically had stains from the ash. Her time during puberty actually treated her well, not giving her acne, but making her a bit curvy and make her moody. So her skin remained the same as it was when she was five. Smooth.

When she left the house with a good amount of money, she walked quite slow. The faster she walked, the faster she would have to return home. So... slowly walking through the path, covered by the forest, was a nice relaxing break from her torment.

Everyday she would just reminded herself "two more years." Then she got the house and she could kick both Himiko and Chitose out without regret. Jin would always be her brother, even if he was the child of Satan.

Finally arriving at the marketplace, it was at least eleven. Near lunch time. She left at 10.

At the market, Ryuko was quick to make sure she always had her money in her apron's pocket. There were dirtbags who would steal her grocery money and she wasn't in a good enough mood to deal with it. Normally she'd just laugh a bit and tell her step mother they could eat eggs from the chickens, but today, she wasn't in the mood.

The people of the market were nice. No one really knew her as she never stated her name, but they knew who she was and adored her.

"Hey Yuu!" Ryuko smiled. Yuu worked for her parents at a small shop. It was where she got most of her groceries. Yuu was fourteen years old, constantly getting into trouble.

"Hey. You're running errands for that bitch again?"

"..." Ryuko stayed quiet, trying to find a good response. "Don't compare my step mother to a dog, that's rude to Tenya here." She pointed at her German Shepherd. Yuu wheezed at her reply. "And yes I am. The lazy hag can't do anything for herself." She laughed a bit.

(Me wanting to make Hawks her brother but I cant.)

"You're gonna get out of that damn house one day and make them wish they were nicer to you." Yuu laughed. Ryuko looked at Tenya with an unimpressed look on her face. "You'll probably marry a rich guy or become the first female courtier." Yuu murmured.

"I'm not pretty enough to marry a rich guy. And I'm not smart enough to become a courtier."

"Ok ok, you are insane if you think you are ugly. Just wipe that smudge off your face if you really think like that. And, it doesn't matter if you're pretty. You can cook, clean, you're insanely nice, smart, and if that doesn't work, your last name might get you someone. I hope it doesn't, you're an amazing person and you deserve a good guy." Yuu continued to rant and Ryuko just sat there while she was complimented over and over again.

"Can I get groceries?"

"Oh shit, I forgot you came here for that." Yuu scrambled and let her pass by her.

"You're not afraid of getting yelled at for such a sailor mouth?" Ryuko asked. Yuu shook her head.

"My parents aren't here right now. They're at a friends place so they stupidly left their fourteen year old daughter home alone. Yay..." she sulked. Ryuko shrugged and got what she needed. She paid and got ready to leave again.

As she walked out, Yuu stopped her. "When you become rich and happy, visit me?" She asked. Ryuko stopped to drop her groceries and hug Yuu. "Hey it was just a request. You smell like Cinders, ash, smoke, and pig shit."

(Next chapter we meet our Prince! I might make him a king ngl. It just fits a bit better. But whatever, it's Cinderella so he's gotta be a prince-)