by Susan Ee
The fairy fluffed one last piece of Cinder’s dress. “Ready?”
Cinder nodded. A wave of nervousness washed over her.
“How will I get there? There are no carriages left in the entire kingdom.”
The fairy arched her eyebrow as if she couldn’t believe Cinder was doubting her. She looked at the wall and cooed.
Seven mice scampered out of the wall and out the kitchen door.
“Come along, my lady,” said Lalyn. “You have a prince waiting for you.”
Outside, the fairy transformed the mice into a set of six matching horses. The seventh one turned into a rather funny-looking coachman.
Cinder glanced at the fairy sideways, wondering if Lalyn understood how transportation worked outside the forest.
“You doubt,” said Lalyn.
The fairy waved her arms. One of the pumpkins in the garden grew and dimpled until it turned into a pumpkin-shaped coach.
The coachman led his fellow mice-horses to the coach and attached them. He then opened the door for Cinder to enter.
When she set foot on the coach step, her old boots peeked out from beneath the glossy hem. Battered and dusty, the old leather looked terrible beneath her dress.
“We can’t have that,” said Lalyn. “The princes are known for appreciating a good pair of shoes.” The fairy waved her hands.
“Wait. Can I carry them as my fan or something?”
Cinder had no need for her boots. But the full moon was beginning to rise on the horizon, gathering the usual tension along with it. It was an ingrained habit now to always have her leather boots with her on the rare nights that she left the house on a full moon. The thought of being without them made her feel trapped and vulnerable.
The fairy nodded.
Cinder took her shoes off, and they turned into a fan and a small ladies’ dance card.
Then the fairy took off her own shoes. They were glass slippers so transparent that Cinder hadn’t noticed them before.
“I can’t wear those.” A small knot in Cinder’s stomach warned her not to take something directly from Lalyn.
“They’re more comfortable than they look,” said Lalyn.
Cinder hesitated, not sure if it was smart to put on a fairy’s shoes. Most likely, they were just an old pair of Darlene’s shoes that Lalyn had put a glamour on earlier in the day.
Cinder shrugged off the unease. The full moon and all the excitement of the ball was probably making her skittish. Anyway, it was a night for chances.
She put the glass slipper on, expecting it to be hard and clunky. At first, it was as if the shoe didn’t know how to be worn by her foot. But then, as soon as she slipped her heel in, it molded itself around her foot like a sock. It fit her perfectly.
Before she knew how she felt about that, Lalyn slipped the other shoe onto Cinder’s foot. The second shoe molded itself around her immediately.
The fairy gave Cinder a big smile, looking genuinely pleased.
“Have a lovely time.”
Lalyn waved goodbye as she closed the carriage door with Cinder in it. Cinder watched the fairy standing beneath the rising moon as the carriage pulled away.
Chapter 32
The moon dominated the night. Cinder had always loved the full moon until the night of her first hunt. After that, she couldn’t bear to look at it.
Now, the moon was larger than ever. A harvest moon, sitting low and heavy with a red tint to it. It looked too large to be rising over the horizon. The dark castle was silhouetted in front of it, giving the castle a soft pink glow. A foreign visitor who didn’t know better might mistake it for a fairytale castle tonight.
Cinder took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out. The hunt would be starting at midnight tonight. There had been very little talk about it this time because everyone was busy talking about the royal ball. It was sure to be a small hunt, but it would be full of the fiercest, most dedicated hunters.
Silver would be staked out in her usual spot tonight, watching for people to rescue. Cinder tried to tell herself that Silver would be all right alone tonight, but the nervousness in her belly refused to go.
Her gilded carriage rolled into the castle courtyard. Cinder marveled at how her nervousness grew at the thought of walking into a royal ball full of people who might discover that she didn’t belonged there. Silver would have scoffed at her, but that didn’t change the reality of it.
It was so crowded that it took over an hour to get out of her carriage. She could have just hopped out and walked the mile it would take to get to the front entrance of the castle, but that wasn’t what proper ladies did. And for tonight at least, Cinder was a proper lady.
Her stomach fluttered as she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Maybe she should turn back right now. She was sure that everyone would call her an impostor.
When it was finally time to get out of her coach, her hand trembled. She almost laughed. She could face all the tough scenarios that Silver could throw at her during training, yet she trembled at the thought of walking into a fancy party wearing a frilly dress.
A finely dressed footman helped her out with a gloved hand. She took a deep breath and gracefully exited her coach. She then walked as regally as she could into the castle.
Inside, the hall glittered with gold inlays along the walls, ceiling and even the floor. The marble beneath her feet clacked with ladies’ shoes as hundreds of women gathered to be announced. One by one, they were announced at the top of a grand staircase with a steady drone of names. The guests assembled below in the ballroom occasionally took notice, but mostly, they seemed absorbed in their own merrymaking.
Cinder couldn’t announce her true name, of course. So she had herself announced as Lady Fleur of the Thorn family.
Her cheeks flushed with the lie as she walked slowly down the gilded steps into the ballroom below. From there, she had a good vantage point of the crowd.
The grand ballroom was packed with towering wigs, endless yards of silk and every color of the rainbow. Men, women, girls and matrons all crowded in, trying to get the attention of the princes. Everyone seemed to know each other, or at least that was how it felt to Cinder.
She felt very alone walking down those steps. Her feet slowed as if having second thoughts of their own.
At the head of the ballroom, there stood a large throne on a red dais. It was empty, although there were two guards with spears standing like statues on either side of it. Red flags were poised beside it, and the only thing missing was the Dark King himself.
Below the dais stood two crowds of people dressed in breathtaking finery. Each crowd surrounded two young men who wore thin bands of gold around their heads. Ladies watched them with rapt attention and adoration.
In the larger group, a lady spoke to the prince. He nodded absently and turned to listen to another woman. As he turned, she got a good look at his face.
Cinder’s feet stopped in mid-stride on the grand stairway.
It was Dante.
She could swear it. She blinked a few times to make sure, but he didn’t change.
The other one was Gallant. Ladies spoke to him while he scanned the room with barely a nod at the women around him.
Dante and Gallant were the princes.
She had kicked mud at royalty. She had fought—
If these two were princes, then the brother she killed in the forest must have been…
The crown prince.
The air in the room seemed to drain out. A trickle of sweat dripped down her face.
Chapter 33
Someone jostled her on their way past her. Cinder blinked and took deep breaths to orient herself.
She had killed the heir to the throne.
The implication of that was staggering. She gripped the stair railing, trying not to be conspicuous.
She needed to get out.
For all she knew, this whole ball could be an elaborate trap to reel in the killer of the royal heir. If they recognize
d her…
She turned and tried to make her way against the flow of dresses. But she only managed to take a couple of steps before trumpets blared a regal tune.
Music began playing and everyone moved back to create a space in the center of the ballroom.
In front of Cinder, the great doors of the ballroom closed at the top of the grand stairwell. Two guards stood in front of it, blocking her from leaving.
The entire crowd of guests bowed to the princes as they each chose a partner and walked out onto the dance floor.
Cinder had to turn and bow as well, otherwise she would stand out. That was the last thing she wanted.
On the dance floor, the princes smiled at their partners, putting everyone at ease. Much to everyone’s relief, there were only a few unnerving stories of the princes. People said they were both charming and handsome, and also well mannered. It was also whispered that the princes were well adjusted, or at least one of them was. And the other one…he was as well adjusted as could be expected when his father was the Dark King.
The princes’ dance partners were beautiful in a way that Cinder had never seen. She didn’t recognize their fashion style and guessed that they came from far away. Their dresses were stunning, and so were their smiles.
“Enchantments,” whispered a matron beside her. “Don’t you worry, Millie—the princes will be jaded and familiar with cheap trickery. They’ll see your natural beauty shine through all these glamours.”
Millie looked like she had more than a few enchantments herself, but perhaps her mother wasn’t aware of them.
Cinder had no choice but to walk down the grand stairwell away from the main doors. She couldn’t just stand there until she was the only one left on the stairs. As it was, she couldn’t convince her slippered feet into moving faster, so she ended up trailing the other ladies coming into the ballroom.
All the other ladies were escorted by their mamas or aunts who looked almost as young as their charges. Cinder walked faster to catch up so that she wouldn’t be so noticeable.
There were plenty of men at the ball as well. Everyone knew that this was the place to be to converse with a lady who might be disappointed by the lack of royal attention. That would include most of the women in the room.
There were doors that lined one side of the ballroom leading out to a garden. She’d have to walk through much of the ball and through the dance area to reach them, but those doors were her best chance to leave.
Cinder paused when she saw her stepmother. She almost didn’t recognize Helene, even though she’d seen her only a couple of hours ago. Helene looked as young as her daughters. All three were gorgeous. Lalyn had outdone herself with such finery and fashion sense.
The men around them also noticed. All three women were constantly stopped by men. At first, they turned down all the invitations to dance. But after seeing that the princes were dancing, they agreed to dance as well.
Being on the dance floor would give all the ladies a chance to smile at the princes, at least for a moment, as they danced with them during the partner-switching parts of the dance.
“Would you care to dance?” asked a young man.
Cinder looked around to make sure he was talking to her.
He smiled. “You certainly could use a dance, that is obvious. My sister is the same way. I had to practically push her onto the dance floor.”
He looped his arm around hers and headed to the dance area.
She glanced up at the main ballroom doors. They were still shut and guarded. The garden doors were across the dancing area.
The young man paused. “Is this dance promised to another?”
“Not at all. I’d be happy to dance.” Cinder smiled a little, trying to relax.
When she’d first entered the ballroom, she worried about being alone and unnoticed in the corner all night. Now, she wished for nothing else until she could leave.
He moved onto the dance floor, gently pulling her along.
“Excellent.” He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I promised Mama, who is too sick to come today, that I would look out for her baby girl. But I’m afraid some rapscallion has whisked her away. I must check in with her on the dance floor and see if she needs rescuing. You will help a poor fellow in need, won’t you?”
She glanced about. Both the princes were stepping off the dance area now, surrounded by ladies and looking far too busy to notice her. The only way she’d be noticed now was if she made a scene.
She nodded. All she had to do was make it through this dance. When it ended, she could slip out into the garden.
He beamed. “My ailing mama thanks you.”
He took her in his arms. It was a lovely dance.
Cinder hadn’t danced since she was a little girl and had almost forgotten how much she loved it. She even smiled and forgot for a moment what sort of trouble she could be in. Sometimes, there was safety in numbers. For the moment, she felt safe that neither the princes nor her stepfamily would notice her in such a throng of people.
But then, someone tapped her partner on the shoulder.
The smile died on Cinder’s face as she saw Gallant.
Chapter 34
Cinder considered running. But in this crowd, she would only make it a couple of steps before someone caught her.
The gentlemen switched places as her partner, and the prince glided effortlessly onto the dance floor with her in his arms.
“I should probably apologize for taking you away from that fine gentleman, but I couldn’t help myself. All the ladies in the kingdom are here, but I find that they all look the same tonight. Strange, wouldn’t you say?”
Did he recognize her? She tried to keep the tension out of her grip as she twirled on his arm.
“Then why bother to pick one over another?” she asked, trying to keep her voice low so that he might not recognize it.
“My question exactly when I happened to look up from a chittering girl and saw my brother looking mesmerized as he watched you.”
Dante was watching her?
“I thought you said we all look alike.” She was surprised that her voice came out steady.
“All except you. You’re the only lady wearing a mask tonight.”
Her heart skipped a beat. The makeup mask that she’d thought would let her hide had only served to make her stand out in the crowd.
The prince pointed his chin to the sidelines beyond the dancers.
“See? My brother is still watching you, probably upset that he didn’t get to you first. He’s considering coming here, I can tell. Very rude to interrupt your elder brother during a dance to steal away his partner.”
They spun, making her dress twirl.
“Is this a competition with your brother?”
“When you’re in line to become king, everything is a competition. Whichever one of us chooses a wife that charms the king will inherit the entire kingdom. Is there anything more competitive than that?”
“How will you choose a wife if you can’t tell one apart from another?” Cinder’s mouth was dry, but she had to pretend everything was fine.
“Perhaps I’m wondering the same thing as I look at the one who is clearly different from the rest.”
Heat flowed up Cinder’s cheeks. She was sure that either he recognized her and was toying with her, or she seemed familiar enough to catch his attention. He was probably mistaking recognition for attraction.
“Your mask is very mysterious,” he whispered in her ear.
How was she going to extract herself? Any rude or unexpected behavior would be noticed by all, including her stepfamily.
“And so are your unusual glass slippers,” said Gallant as he admired them. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
Cinder caught a glimpse of her stepmother looking on with daggers in her eyes as they danced by. There was no sign of recognition, thank goodness, but naked jealousy was shining in her face.
The music stopped and the dancers paused. Cin
der was breathing heavily. She’d made it through the dance without being arrested.
All she had to do now was to lose herself in the crowd as the ladies rushed over to gain the prince’s attention.
She curtsied to the prince, all ready to slip away into the crowd.
“Shall we dance again?”
Cinder looked up at him like a rabbit in a snare. The crowd of ladies waiting at the edge of the dance area, most of whom still hadn’t had a dance with a prince, also stared. Gallant paused rather than walk Cinder off the dance area, and the tension grew.
Gallant chuckled. “Come now, am I that much of an ogre that you look so distressed at the thought of another dance with me?”
“You are rather frightening, brother.”
To Cinder’s horror, Dante strode onto the dance floor toward them without a partner. He was looking right at her.
Cinder curtsied again, bowing her head to hide her face.
“Dante, find your own dance partner.”
“But dear brother, if you dance twice in a row with the same lady, the other ladies will give up on you. Then I’ll be left to fend for myself amongst all these beautiful women. How will I possibly choose with so many?”
“I’m sure you’re up to the task,” said Gallant.
“Are you truly ready to let go of all the possibilities already?” asked Dante.
“I’m not going to just let you take…” Gallant turned to Cinder. “I was so charmed by…well, your charms, that I didn’t catch your name.”
For a second, Cinder couldn’t remember what name she had used when she was announced at the top of the stairs.
“Fleur,” she said. “Lady Fleur of the Thorn family.”
Dante looked at her sharply. His studied her face, looking like he was trying to figure something out.
Cinder’s heart pounded. She held her hands to keep them from trembling.
“Intriguing,” said Gallant. “You must tell me all about the Thorns. I don’t believe I know them.”
“Later, brother.” Dante tore his gaze away from her and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Remember, you have a long list of ladies whose fathers regularly speak into the king’s ears. These are not men either of us can afford to offend right now. You can come back later after you’ve danced with their daughters.”