chapter 22
In the pin-drop silence, Serenity finally spoke.
“It’s rare for the whole family to have a meal together. There’s no need to be angry with the child.” She refilled her empty wine glass and tried to soothe her father. “Since Bella already knows she was wrong, don’t keep that stern face.”
Hearing her mother say this, Bella regained a bit of courage. She quickly glanced up at her father, then lowered her head and mumbled, “Yes, Father, I know I was wrong.”
Another bout of silence.
“Alright, I won’t hold it against you this time, but if you make a mistake, you must be punished.” Father grunted heavily. “Otherwise, how will you remember the lesson?”
Bella, beside Tu Nan, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She stood up obediently and walked over to her father.
A loud “slap” echoed in the room.
Father swung his arm and slapped Bella across the face.
The force was so great it nearly knocked her off her feet. Bella stumbled backward with the momentum, only stopping when she hit the wall behind her.
Tu Nan shuddered, goosebumps rising all over her skin.
She couldn’t help but look up to see the reactions of the others at the table.
Cinderella had her head bowed so low her expression was unreadable, while Serenity gazed at the struck Bella with eyes full of pain and pity.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Alright, Bella, come back and eat.” Father’s voice buzzed. “Remember this lesson. Don’t make the same mistake again.”
“Yes, Father.” Bella, clutching her face, walked back to sit beside Tu Nan, her voice wooden.
Tu Nan turned her head to glance at her. Bella’s cheek was swollen high, blood at the corner of her mouth. Her already crowded face, made rounder by her weight, now looked even more ridiculous.
But Tu Nan couldn’t laugh.
Who knew if she herself might accidentally step on one of Father’s frayed nerves?
Father took a sip of the wine at his side, smacked his lips, and picked up the conversation where it had left off.
“The Royal Palace has already posted the notice. Tomorrow night, the Royal Palace will host a Ball, inviting all eligible girls in the city to attend.”
He squinted at his three daughters at the table. “All three of you may attend.”
Bella seemed to want to say something, but after the lesson just now, she opened her mouth and couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Instead, it was Cinderella, who had kept her head down, who spoke. “But Father, to attend the Ball, I need a gown. I don’t have a dress suitable for the Ball.”
That afternoon, Serenity had specially given her a new dress. Though the style was simple and not expensive, compared to the filthy, tattered dress Cinderella had worn that morning, it was a world apart.
“That’s nothing difficult,” Father said indifferently. “Let your mother get you a new dress.”
Serenity nodded with a smile.
Tu Nan heard Bella beside her give a dissatisfied snort.
Cinderella seemed to want to say more, but Father yawned and got up to head to the bedroom.
“I’m going to take a nap. Don’t disturb me.”
“Alright, daughters, finish your dinner and go to bed early. Tomorrow I’ll take you to buy new dresses,” Serenity said in a lowered voice.
“As for you, Cinderella…” She frowned, then gave a thoroughly wicked stepmother’s smile. “I suppose, since you’re always so busy, you wouldn’t be interested in the Ball anyway.”
“No, Mother…” Cinderella protested softly. “I want to go to the Ball.”
Serenity’s smile cooled. She picked up the Mother-of-Pearl Fan from the table and began to fan herself absentmindedly, her sharp eyes sweeping lightly over Cinderella.
“Alright.” She sighed, “Who told me to be such a kind person?”
Cinderella barely had time to rejoice before she heard her say, “But the household expenses are too tight right now. As for the dress for the Ball, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”
She paused, then added, “My good daughter, you wouldn’t trouble your father over such a trivial matter, would you? He works so hard, and if he comes home only to be bothered by this…”
Cinderella lowered her eyes slightly. “Yes, Mother, I understand.”
Bella let out a schadenfreude laugh.
Who is really the Mouse?
Tu Nan pretended to lower her head and cut the steak on her plate, silently pondering in her mind.
For now, it seemed unlikely that Bella was the Player.
As for the other family members, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual yet.
Or perhaps, the Mouse hadn’t appeared at all.
She needed to keep observing.
After dinner, Tu Nan returned to her room.
Her father’s snoring was deafening; even with the door closed, she could hear it clearly.
She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, so she got up and pushed open the window.
The moon in the Fairy Tale World always seemed so round and bright, making Cinderella’s yard look very luminous.
Cinderella sat in the yard, sewing a dress by moonlight, surrounded by many chirping birds hopping around on the ground.
As if sensing her gaze, Cinderella looked up, squinting slightly as she glanced over.
This time, Tu Nan didn’t avoid her gaze, folding her arms and watching her.
Cinderella seemed a bit embarrassed at being discovered and tried to hide the dress behind her back.
Tu Nan closed the window, but deliberately left a small gap.
She watched carefully for a long time. Around midnight, Cinderella finally stopped what she was doing and stood up to stretch.
She looked at the dress in her hands with satisfaction and went inside.
Tu Nan sat by the window for two hours but learned nothing. She yawned and got up to rest.
The shadow left by the last Instance was too great, making her deeply aware of how important sleep was.
Her father’s snoring was still loud, like a symphony, rhythmic and echoing.
Tu Nan didn’t sleep well, hovering between wakefulness and drowsiness, until sunlight from outside spilled onto her eyelids.
She struggled with sleepiness for a moment before opening her eyes.
Her father’s snoring had stopped; he must have woken up.
Tu Nan wasn’t sure if sleeping in would anger her father, so she quickly got up, dressed, washed, and went downstairs.
As expected, her father was sitting in the hall. Cinderella sat upright beside him, and when she saw Tu Nan come down, she immediately stood up to greet her.
Father liked harmony between sisters.
Tu Nan nodded in greeting as well.
Father showed an approving smile and nodded in satisfaction.
Bella wasn’t so lucky when she came down.
For some reason, Serenity hadn’t woken them up that morning, and Bella, who always liked to sleep in, came down late.
She was in such a hurry that her hair was still messy.
Father’s face darkened, and he reached out to slap her again.
The mark from last night’s slap on Bella’s face hadn’t faded, and now there was a new one. Her cheeks were swollen like buns, looking both ridiculous and pitiful.
“What kind of daughter gets up so late?” Father said angrily. “If you act like this after you get married, you’ll embarrass me.”