Lady Tremaine was a cruel, manipulative, cold-blooded and abusive woman, a type of woman that Dominic was very sure would kill and devour her own daughters, her very own flesh and blood if it was going to help her reach her own dreams and goals.
From what he remembered, she was married by Cinderella's father when he thought that his daughter needed a mother figure in her life after his own wife had passed away when Cinderella was young. He died shortly and left a fortune for his daughter. But all that went down the drain real fast under Lady Tremaine's grasp as well as the time she revealed her true colors.
Forcing and manipulating the young Cinderella into a scullery maid, loading her with work and abusive words as well as punishment while she and her own daughters indulged themselves with Cinderella's inheritance.
'They will be punished in time. Now, to deal with this right now.' He still had his back turned against the three Tremaines and had lowered his presence even further even if he was close to them, and he could her them hurling insults and abusive words towards Cinderella.
And boy did it take all his will power not to change into his dragon form and torch them to ashes.
"Cinderella, have been away for 3 minutes. Making me starve, what a worthless servant." A snarky voice called out. This made Dominic roll his eyes.
"We had to chase you down when we saw you pass by the store we were in with this man." It was then followed by a spoiled voice.
'Seems like they didn't see my face, perhaps I can use this moment to get Ella away from these demonesses.' He thought, he had sense four energy signatures and from the four had only two had spoken and he could assume that they must be Cinderella's step sisters, one was smaller most likely an animal, but he remembered that the Tremaines only bothered with one animal and that was their vile cat Lucifer, and that cat was as demonic as the devil himself.
The other signature that remained quiet observed him, he could feel her disgusting gaze on his back, observing him and analyzing him. With a little draconic magic, he made it seem like he was nothing but an ordinary man in her eyes for a moment. For he didn't want to bother with this woman at all at the moment so it was best to be ignored, until he took his Ella away.
But that didn't matter at all, instead it made things a little more complicated, a woman like Lady Tremaine who lusted for wealth and power was not one to have her reputation tarnished. And so when she saw him as unassuming and most likely unimportant she was didn't care at all, perhaps this was even good.
"Well, Cinderella. It seems like you have all grown up now, after taking care of you for so long you have decided to run after a cheap and poor man behind our backs. Clearly he is a match for you." She sinisterly said in a calm and composed voice.
Dominic didn't not give a damn about this evil incarnate.
He then remembered that this woman was nominated in the top 50 greatest villain in the world on the AFI list, of all the villains to cross the works of fiction she was ranked in the fifties!
This just goes to show how vile she just was.
But those words in Cinderella's mind rang differently, due to all the psychological manipulations she had suffered from Lady Tremaine, Cinderella had developed an innate fear for the woman and never once has she ever stood up against this woman even if she hated her to her core. This goes to show just how much trauma she had due to her, but that that moment Lady Tremaine insulted Dominic.
A different feeling overcame Cinderella.
'S-She… dared… To insult him… Him! Him! Our beloved master!' The voice in her head that she had been trying to keep out most of the entire time when she was walking with Dominic along the way and chatting with him, it would constantly try to make her do and say things that she would have never thought possible to even think about.
Now, it took all over her entire thoughts at full force, it wanted to grab Lady Tremaine and gouge out her eyes for seeing the greatness of her beloved, she wanted to grab that cat and stuff it down her throat for even speaking about him that way!
"Don't call him that..." With her head down so that they don't see her face and hands clenching her dress tightly Cinderella spoke calmly as she interrupted Lady Tremaine mid speech for the first time in a long time, the last time she did so she was forced not to eat anything for 3 days.
Now however, her body trembled as she tried to reign in her inner Cindy that wanted to jump this woman not even caring for what she might do to her at all.
'Hmm
? What's this?' Dominic was surprised that Cinderella even bothered to defend him, he had thought that she too would ignore the small remark to him.
And he could basically smell the oozing bloodlust from her it was like a dark aura from her.
'My word, having met her and half claiming her must have trigger something, don't tell me she is going to awaken the deadliest and most lovable deres out there.' He mussed with as a smirk threatened to split on his face.
The Tremaines however, were pretty shocked at this. It was utter humiliation for Lady Tremaine to even argue with this little servant, this made her enraged.
"So, now that you have a man you think that you can interrupt me huh? Seems like even under my care you have already become a little slut!" She said with a deep sneer.
Her words cut Cinderella deeply, and her body shook even more. For she couldn't understand why she even stood up for Dominic for a little comment earlier, it was as if her body and soul wouldn't allow anyone to insult him at all and she would rather be the one insulted.
She has grown used to it after all. Was what she tried to reason when she tried to come to a conclusion about what was going on with her.
Dominic's mind froze however when he heard her words. His aura flared slightly in anger, freezing the three women and cat behind him and had them tremble. The Tremaines felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice cold water on a cold winter morning while standing naked in the open.
Our dear Ella on the other hand shook because of two reasons; the first being that she could feel his anger for some reason. Making her also tremble in anger for the Tremaines for even daring to make her dear beloved angry.
The other was that Dominic's aura making her experience a slight feeling of bliss. Though at the moment she was angrier than joy, and it took a lot not to turn into a crazed young woman and fight her family for a man she had just met.
'Oh Ella, what have you become. Why do I feel like this for this man, why do I want to drown in his essence and find glory in his presence? Who is he and why does he make me feel so complete, happy, blissful, secure and almost want to go crazy for him?!' Her mind was in turmoil, never in her 19 years has she felt like this
Dominic had fully turned around and faced the rest of the grown having slightly disable his disguise charm, his full glory was seen.
The three Tremaines opened their eyes wide at his sight, and the cat in Lady Tremaines arms curled even more within its mistress' arms. For it could almost see this being in from of it, a being that it would not want to face at all, not now not ever.
"My Lord! I deeply apologias for my ignorance and not noticing for wonderful presence earlier. Please forgive your servant for not offering my humble gratitude towards your Lordship as well as making a fool out of myself with my little family, or if m step daughter had brought any inconvenience to you my Lord." Lady Tremaine, being as cunning devious as she is, was also a very smart, observant and calculative woman with a sharp mind that she was able to analyze and conclude with a glance that Dominic was a man of power(influence), wealth and nobility.
So she was able to swiftly bow down, dragging her two frozen and gawking daughters with her hastily with a pleading voice that made one want to pity her. Had it been some else that didn't know her at all, they would have fallen for her trick completely.
She looked well aged with sharp facial features, a large hooked nose with pronounced creases on both sides. Grey hair worn in a high heart-shaped pompadour, with a small light grey streak in the middle. She had green eyes that flashed with a glint that he could see that this woman was wicked to her very soul, she wore a large crimson gown with a purple collar and the same colored extended sleeves.
As for her two daughters; one had a slender figure, fair skin, black eyes and shoulder length dark brown hair with rolled locks on the back with a blue ribbon on her head. She wore a light green long-short sleeved dress and dark green flats.
And the other also had the same body figure and eyes but with red hair, she wore the same dress however, it was magenta with purple flats.
He recognized them as Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine respectively, with the former being older. These two had been torturing his Ella physically with the permission of their mother personally. In fact, they were ugly compared to his little beloved maiden behind him both in and out, it was also one of the many reasons she suffered under them.
Though he remembers that Anastasia good and turned against her family in the future.
"The only thing I find inconvenience is being disturbed during my visit of this provincial town by my lovely guide." Dominic said in a calm and cold voice that left no room for argument as he looked down at this woman and her two daughters as he stood in front of Cinderella.
"I-I see my Lord; we apologize for being so, shall be off at once. Please enjoy your visit to our humble town. Come on girls we are going; we shouldn't hold up this good lord from his tour of the town." She bowed once more and stood up and dragged the two once more that still haven't found their voices and disappeared like they had appeared without wasting a second.
There was a moment of silence after that between the two, Dominic turned around and looked at the young maiden that looked at him with eyes that shimmered like sapphires that had a pool of tears in them, could her heart dance within her rib cage.
Giving her a little smile he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It must be hard, worry not. I am here now." He said softly causing her to leap into his chest, and trembled in his arms as she held him tightly.