Chương 16: Sister

"What are you doing here?" asked the prince's short attendant.

"And... why were you hiding?" What to say? What to say?! So embarrassing! We got lost? You scared us so we hid? We are just stupid? I just stared at him, looking completely dumb.

"Why, it was silly of us," Cinderella said, giving her brightest, sweetest smile. I could see both men practically struck stupid by that smile already.

"I know we shouldn't be here, as the ball hasn't even started," she continued, "but… the garden was so beautiful, we simply had to take a closer look! The fountain and the weeping willows... it is magical. Oh, please don't be mad at us." If they had been struck by her smile, her plea completely finished them off. The prince gave his attendant a visibly hostile look, as if to say, how dare you accuse these innocent ladies? And the short man actually looked ashamed!

"Apologies, ladies," he said with a small bow. By Jove! Cinderella could rob a bank and sweet-smile her way right out of it.

"Would you like a tour?" asked the prince, who couldn't avert his gaze from Cinderella.

"In… in the garden, I mean," he stammered.

"Why, I'd like that very much," she said, offering a small, playful curtsy. Then she remembered me and turned her head.

"If… if you would like that too, Drizella?"

"I don't see a reason why not," I said.

"We still have time until the ball."

"Right," the prince said enthusiastically.

"Let's start with that statue! Follow me!" This wasn't the bored and apathetic prince I saw at the ball. It was a completely different man—enthusiastic and even charming. I hadn't seen Cinderella seduce the Prince up close before, and now that I was watching it happen, it really was a laughable matter. She was an absolute pro. A master seductress. She had the Prince wrapped around her little finger in less than five seconds. With this kind of skill, she could topple entire empires before dinner.

I also noticed the prince kept his royal identity to himself, probably thinking it would spoil the moment. Well, I won't tell Cinderella who exactly is her new boyfriend. She will find out soon enough, and it will be funny when she does. The prince started walking us through the entire grounds, showing us hidden alcoves bursting with moonlit roses, ancient marble statues of forgotten nymphs, and bubbling stone fountains.

His short attendant tried to add some historical information to the tour—dates and related royal events—but no one really cared. This was mostly a romantic evening between Cinderella and the prince; me and the attendant were the fifth and sixth wheels on the carriage. But I didn't care. The garden at dark was actually beautiful, and Cinderella was too. And despite myself, I had a good time. Then, BONG. BONG. BONG. The grand clocktower began to chime, ringing out over the courtyard. Ten o'clock.

"My prince!" said the attendant in distress.

"We are late!"

"Prince?" repeated Cinderella with a smile, probably unsure if it was a jest. The prince shot his attendant an accusing look.

"That's me," he said, smiling sheepishly at Cinderella.

"Sorry I… didn't say anything. But the ball… it's embarrassing, really, but it's to honor me."

"Oh, that is… quite so…" stammered Cinderella. her eyes widening.

"I'll see you later." He bowed and hurried to the ball room, but before crossing the threshold, he turned on his heel and called out, "Save a dance for me, will you?" I looked at Cinderella, who was blushing feverishly.

"The… the prince? It was him!" she said, still dumbfounded.

"Told you he'd like you," I said dryly.

"You knew!" she accused me.

"Of course," I said, smiling.

"It was funny."

"This day…" she said, shaking her head.

"More and more good things keep happening to me. When we ate the fruit tarts I was so happy, then the garden, and now… it's almost too good to be true." And it was. Tomorrow at midnight, it would all go back to normal for Cinderella. It wasn't really that different from that fairy godmother's magic in that regard. Well, at least I gave Cinderella an extra full day with the prince. Yes, I was definitely the superior wish-granting fairy.

We entered the palace doors and already saw all the ladies standing and waiting for the opportunity to get a formal yawn and an eye-roll from His Majesty.

"Oh, they are all already here," whispered Cinderella.

"We should probably join them."

"Nonsense," I said.

"These ladies are waiting to present themselves and make formal introductions with the prince. But we already did that."

"I guess so," she said.

"So what should we do in the meantime?"

"Why, try that punch, of course," I said, guiding her to the refreshment area.

"Later, all the ladies will flock to it like savage beasts and leave nothing behind, including most of the good cuisine."

"Is this also one of the things you magically knew?" asked Cinderella playfully, taking a generous cup of the punch.

"Yes. That too," I said, grabbing a cup for myself.

"Oh, but the punch is so good." Cinderella actually blushed from it.

"What else do you magically know?"

"Well," I said, taking a bite of a pastry.

"The prince won't have any interest whatsoever in any of the ladies—save for one. And he'll want to dance only with her."

"Really! But that's so romantic!" Cinderella said. She stood on her toes, trying to peek at the waiting ladies.

"Who? Do you know? Wait, can I guess?" I lightly smacked the back of her head.

"Think, stupid. It's not that hard."

"Ouch," she rubbed her head.

"Oh… oh!"

"But I don't understand," she whispered, surveying the room.

"All these beautiful ladies—princesses, duchesses. Why... why me?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." What? I wasn't going to tell her how breathtakingly beautiful she was; that is far too embarrassing.

"I think you may be mistaken," Cinderella said nervously. The introductions began, the royal announcer's booming voice echoing across the hall as he called each lady by her title—Lady this, Duchess that. One by one, they stepped in front of the prince.

"Look at him," I told her.

"His face…"

"He does look bored!" said Cinderella.

"Oh my gosh, did he just yawn in this lady's face? How rude of him!" Then, his gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Cinderella. In a fraction of a second, the boredom vanished from his eyes, replaced by a sudden, intense clarity. She hurriedly looked away, covering her cheek as she blushed.

"He looked at me!" she whispered.

"I think… you may be right!"

"Of course I am."

"What… what should I do?" she whispered.

"I mean, he is the prince."

"You like him too," I explained to the suddenly dull-witted girl.

"You had fun talking to him before you knew he was a prince."

"Yes, he was… really nice…"

"So just forget about him being the prince," I said.

"It's just a tiny kingdom anyway. You can just... well, enjoy his company."

"That…" Cinderella paused.

"That makes so much sense. You are smart, thank you." What was that now? Smart? Me? Cinderella had probably had too much of that punch. The prince seemed to finish with the introductions, barely making it through without falling asleep. Then, he turned and marched purposefully toward our corner of the room. I elbowed Cinderella, who was curiously nudging at a dish of caviar. She immediately looked at the approaching prince and gave him her dazzling smile.

She acted shy, Cinderella, but when it counted, she never lost her composure. Say what you want about her, but in seducing men, she was second to none. The prince arrived, offered a deep, formal bow, and—ever the gentleman—gently took her gloved hand in his, requesting the honor of a dance. And… they were off. The waltz music started, and the lights dimmed. I noticed it was orchestrated by the king and the grand duke. After all, this entire ball was nothing but a scheme to marry off the prince. So they danced.

Cinderella was an adept dancer, which I already knew, but still, how many talents did this girl have? I looked around until I spotted Josephine, watching the dancers with excited eyes and a slightly open mouth. I walked over to her.

"Good evening, Josephine," I greeted her with a polite dip of my head. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Why, Drizella!" she said in surprise.

"I definitely didn't see you with all the others. Didn't you want to be introduced to the prince?"

"That silly prince?" I said.

"Why bother?" Josephine went on her toes to catch a better sight of Cinderella.

"If I knew the competition were that tough, I wouldn't bother either," she said.

"I mean, just look at her! Dancing with such grace. She holds him like a lover!"

"She is so pretty," added another girl beside Josephine.

"Where did she come from? Is she a princess?"

"She will be a princess after today," said Josephine.

"I think she is the Duke of Dubois's daughter," added another girl in a gossipy tone.

"Heard they got into a financial crisis, going poor and all. Made his daughter practically throw herself at the poor prince."

"Brazen gal," added the first girl.

"But her dress is lovely."

"Sits well enough on her skinny frame," added the second girl.

"But an old fashion, that one." They kept talking about Cinderella, each offering their scholarly opinion on her dress, hair, and seduction techniques. Then they moved on to ridiculous speculation about her birth origins, ranging from a runaway slave to an assassin from the distant Ottoman Empire. When I lost all hope for a conversation on a different topic, I walked over to another group of girls that I somewhat knew. I discovered, to my utter horror, that the conversation there was exactly the same.

What a hopeless, gossipy bunch they all were. Meantime, Cinderella and the prince slipped away from the spotlight and into the garden to have their romantic evening. Probably kissing, too. Probably kissing a lot. I… was maybe jealous. A bit. I was bored, and had absolutely nothing to do, really. I looked over at the punch table… oh no… it had already been swarmed by the horde of savage ladies. I resigned myself to sitting on a couch, looking at the silly people with their silly dances and silly conversations.

I guessed that by now, Cinderella had all but forgotten about me. And by all means, she should have. If I were dancing with the prince, I probably wouldn't even remember I had a mother and sister—certainly not a stepsister who treated me like trash. Oh, I probably should have brought a book. Hmm… The palace must have a huge library somewhere. I looked at one of the fancy doors leading to the inner palace.

A guard was stationed to prevent guests from entering, but as my brain had turned into a criminal mind lately, I noticed the details. I saw how the guard chatted heavily with one of the maids every time she made her rounds near the door. And she happened to be there a lot, brushing dust from the huge vase near the door like five times already. With how the guard was concentrating on the maid (or her cleavage), a herd of elephants could sneak past him without notice. It would be easy.

But I wasn't in the mood for sneaking anymore. Maybe in some other repetition, I'd wear something revealing, sneak past the guards, seduce the ones I couldn't sneak by, and rob the palace dry of its treasure. Like… well, like Fifi LaRousse! Then, BONG. BONG. The heavy toll of the clocktower began to announce midnight. If it were before the repetitions, Cinderella would be running away right now, knowing that her magic spell was about to be broken, and terrified for the Prince to discover her lowly scheme.

But now she had won the Prince with the help of my magic. There was no need for her to bring the romantic royal evening to a sudden, dramatic stop. I, myself, needed to get home somehow. I would ask Josephine for a ride. I probably should make sure she didn't leave without me noticing. I was just about find Josephine and nudge her to leave early, when I noticed a stir and a shift among the ladies around me. Following their gazes, I found, to my astonishment, that Cinderella was back from the garden, alone.

She wasn't running; she was just walking casually, ignoring the hundreds of eyes that followed her every move. But why? Why did Cinderella come back? I didn't get it. Did the prince bore her already? No… couldn't be. Cinderella walked my way and joined me on the couch.

"Why did you leave the prince?" I asked urgently.

"What happened?"

"I mean, nothing really," she said, lowering her voice.

"Are they all… looking at us?"

"Yes, well, you were all that anyone talked about all night," I explained.

"It was so incredibly boring."

"Really?"

"Why did you come back?" I asked again.

"Did the prince bore you already?"

"No, no," she said.

"He was really sweet. It's just that… well, I came to the ball with you, after all." I stared at her.

"I wanted us to spend more time together," she said, giving me a small, genuine smile. I kept staring at her. She had just uttered the most crazy thing. The whole point of this ball was a prince-catching competition, and she had basically won. Oh, wait. I think I got it.

"You felt pity for me," I said.

"You saw me sitting alone while you danced with the prince, and felt sorry for poor me."

"That is not true, Drizella," Cinderella said softly. She reached out and gently took both of my hands in hers.

"I know it must be every girl's dream to have the Prince. But for me, just coming here... dressing nice, eating fruit tarts, sneaking into the royal garden, dancing… it has all been incredibly magical. And it was you who made it happen. So it just felt… wrong to be out there without you."

"I… why…" This again? So embarrassing. Heavens, I hoped I didn't blush!

"And it's late already," Cinderella added.

"Aren't you a bit tired?"

"I… I am," I admitted. I noticed again that everyone was still staring intently at us, so I quickly pulled my hands free from Cinderella's grip.

"I told the prince we came on foot," Cinderella said, "and he generously offered for one of the palace carriages to take us home."

"Us?" I asked, surprised.

"You mean, you are coming too?"

"Of course I am." She smiled playfully.

"Would you have me walk alone in the night?"

"I just assumed you would stay," I said.

"With… the prince."

"With a man I only just met?" she said.

"Why, that is entirely unseemly." Unseemly, yes, but also the fantasy of every lady in town.

"So you want to go home?" Cinderella asked.

"Well," I said.

"I did get a little bored."

"Sure." She smiled, then went to a butler standing ready near the door and exchanged some words with him. He gave a crisp nod, motioning respectfully for us to follow him toward the courtyard. He led us to one of the comfy royal carriages.

"Thank you so much," Cinderella sincerely thanked the butler, and then the footman, and then the driver, too. They all blushed and bowed and probably fell for her on the spot.

"This is too much!" said Cinderella as we entered the carriage.

"Look how fancy it all is!" It was magnificent, with polished black wood, gold trim, and plush velvet seating that swallowed you in comfort. It was much larger and far better cushioned than the cheap ones Mother ordered. But it was still inferior to that magical pumpkin carriage the witch had made. Ooh, I really wanted to try that one! The rider flicked the reins, and we were on our way. Fast. The road was bumpy, but with all the extra cushioning it didn't cause any inconvenience; if anything, it was fun.

"So tell me," I said.

"The prince. How was it?" I had a first-degree gossip source, and I was going to take advantage of it.

"It was so wonderful," she said with that dreamy, far-off expression returning to her face.

"And he was so handsome. And we danced a lot. We danced in the garden, near the pond, bathed in the pale moonlight. The air smelled like jasmine..." Like jasmine? That wasn't what I wanted to know.

"And… did you?" I prompted.

"Yes, we kissed." She beamed.

"The most romantic kiss it was. Not that I've had any before. But his lips… they were…" She then seemed to realize she was oversharing and blush.

"It was really, really nice!"

"And… when you left?"

"He was disappointed, wanted me to stay…" Cinderella said.

"But he also understood that I wanted to be with my sister." Sister, was it?

"But he said he must see me again," Cinderella said excitedly.

"He wants to send a carriage for me tomorrow at noon. He said he has a matter to discuss with me. Honestly, I didn't quite catch his meaning."

"He wants to marry you, silly," I said simply. Cinderella gasped, holding a hand to her mouth.

"He does not!"

"Yes, he does," I said.

"What… what am I…" Cinderella stuttered.

"By Jove, how daft are you?" I said.

"Just marry the dumb prince." Cinderella blushed like a silly girl and smiled to herself all the way home. The carriage arrived at the Chateau, and Cinderella thanked the driver as if he were the king himself. It was well after one o'clock in the morning when we quietly opened the heavy front door to the dark house. Before going to her tower, Cinderella took my hand in hers and looked me in the eye. She had this terrible habit of embarrassing me.

"Drizella," she whispered, smiling.

"I will never forget it. Thank you."

"Y-yes… fine," I stammered. We were just about to tiptoe toward the stairs when I heard an icy, familiar voice dripped from the shadows.

"I gather you had your fun at the ball?" Mother stepped out of the parlor. Cinderella gasped, and my eyes went wide.

"Not long ago," Mother said, watching the window, "I heard carriages driving down the road. This time at night, why, it got me curious, and I went to ask. You can imagine my surprise when my friends gloated about the wonderful ball they had just returned from, asking me why I missed it." She looked coldly at me.

"I wonder, why indeed."

"Mother, listen," I started.

"We—" She slaps me then. Hard. And just like the last time, the world washed away in a flash of white and pain. I stumbled, but this time I caught myself. I stayed on my feet, blinking back the tears.

"You took the ball invitation," she hissed at me.

"You hid it from us. You chose to go with…" Her face contorted in absolute loathing as she gestured toward Cinderella.

"This vile servant!" Last time, I had averted my gaze, apologizing, feeling the blame. Not this time. This woman was nothing to me. I felt nothing but contempt toward her.

"Don't you look at me like that!" she spat in my face.

"I work hard! Years of reputation I meticulously built, prestigious connections, all for my daughters. And you think you can just—""Nothing good came of you, Mother!" I shouted right in her face. Feeling the years of mistreatment, the endless attempts to shape us in her image, to marry us off just to raise her status—I truly had had it. But Mother didn't answer. Her eyes were always cold, but now as she looked at me, her eyes had something much worse about them.

Then, in a clean, quick motion, she took off her thick-heeled shoe and swung it at my face. The heavy wooden heel cracked against my cheekbone with a sickening thud. The world violently rattled in a burst of agony. My legs gave out, and I hit the hard floor. I could feel a deep, jagged cut open on my cheekbone. My entire face throbbed with pain, and I felt blood began dripping hot down my neck.

"No! Stop it, Stepmother!" shouted Cinderella, trying to throw herself between us. But Mother pushed her violently aside, sending Cinderella crashing into the heavy wooden table. The room still spun. When my eyes finally steadied, I saw Mother raising the heavy shoe once more. She… she's going to kill me! I threw my arm up in defense, squeezed my eyes shut, and braced myself for the incoming blow. But it never came. I opened my eyes to see Cinderella standing tall over me.

She had grabbed Mother's striking arm with a forceful, unyielding grip. Cinderella looked at Mother with a fierce, hateful gaze I had never seen on her face before.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Cinderella hissed. Mother tried to wrench her hand free, but Cinderella's grip was like iron.

"LET GO OF ME!" growled Mother, her face red with exertion. Cinderella held her tightly for a long, tense moment, staring her down. And then, slowly, she released Mother's arm. She still looked at her in absolute defiance.

"To the attic! Both of you!" Mother spat, her chest heaving.

"I don't want to see you. This… this isn't over!" Mother rubbed the red marks on her wrist where Cinderella had gripped her, stepping back into the shadows while murmuring, "Ungrateful… vile…" It… it was over. I was still on the floor, looking up at Cinderella. I managed a weak smile.

"Oh no, Drizella!" Cinderella rushed over to me and helped me stand.

"You're injured! Come to the scullery, we need to clean you up!" She supported my weight all the way to the scullery, even though I didn't strictly need the help. She sat me down, grabbed a clean linen rag, pumped cold water into the iron basin, and gently began dabbing away the blood from my cheek and mouth.

"Oh, Drizella," Cinderella said softly while cleaning my wound.

"I'm so, so sorry. If it wasn't for me…"

"Got nothing to do with you," I managed to mumble through my swollen mouth.

"My mother… is just… a wicked thing."

"How she hit you…" Cinderella continued, tears welling in her eyes.

"I thought…"

"It's not so bad… really." I spat blood into the sink.

"Doesn't hurt… as much anymore."

"Good," she sniffled.

"It… doesn't look too bad."

"So, I'm sleeping in your room tonight," I managed a crooked smile.

"It… isn't much, I'm afraid."

"It will do," I said. We headed up the narrow stairs to the tower, and spider webs immediately got tangled in my hair. Ew.

"You should really clean those," I said to her.

"But these are the spiders' houses," she protested gently.

"I couldn't destroy them!" Of course. The spiders. We got to her room, and Cinderella suddenly wore a troubled expression.

"I only have one bed!" she said.

"How could I forget? I… I ought to take some straw for the floor. I will cover it in a sheet, it will be perfectly fine for me." She turned to go out of the room, but I caught her hand, stopping her.

"None of that," I said.

"The bed is large enough for both of us." It clearly wasn't.

"And neither of us is excessively plump," I added.

"Yes." Cinderella gave a little laugh, followed by a wide yawn.

"Of course." I yawned too. I was so exhausted. We both crowded into Cinderella's small bed. But before I drifted off to sleep, I lay on my back and thought. My feelings toward Cinderella were a turbulent carriage ride. My hatred toward her used to run deep, but it turned out it dissipated fast. And now… well, it seemed I liked her? And… I liked that she liked me now. The thought of her forgetting all about me tomorrow night was horrifying to me. So horrifying that my stupid eyes were wet again.

I could never have friends. I could never have Cinderella as a friend, not truly. I… wasn't sure I liked this repetition magic anymore. I closed my eyes. Gosh, Cinderella even smelled nice.