chapter 24
She went to the Kitchen and brought back a bowl of beans, a mixture of large and small black beans and yellow beans, still covered in quite a bit of dirt.
“Separate all the yellow beans and black beans here. I need them for tomorrow.”
Cinderella looked at the huge bowl. If she had to do it all by herself, it would take several hours to finish sorting these beans.
“What’s wrong, Cinderella?” Serenity asked deliberately. “Are you going to refuse your mother’s request?”
“No, Mother.” Cinderella took the beans, lowering her lashes. “I will do my best to finish it.”
When Tu Nan and Bella were getting ready to leave for the Royal Palace, Cinderella was still picking through that bowl of beans.
Her hands inevitably became covered in dirt, looking filthy.
“Truly a ‘Cinderella’,” Bella mocked.
“Hurry up, girls,” Serenity urged, sending them off at the door. “My beautiful daughters, the Prince will surely fall for you when he sees you.”
Tu Nan got into the Carriage, feeling troubled about the unknown Ball, while Bella sat opposite her, dreaming ridiculous dreams of becoming the Princess Consort.
“If the Prince invites me to dance later, how should I respond to appear dignified?” Bella couldn’t help but fantasize.
“Dear sister, it’s just a dance,” Tu Nan said absentmindedly, looking out the window.
The last rays of the sun faded away bit by bit, and night began to take over the world.
Night, in the world of Strange Tales, was always dangerous.
Tu Nan frowned slightly.
“What do you know?” Bella suddenly asked warily. “Sister, you’re not planning to compete with me for the Prince’s favor, are you?”
What would she want that for?
A man’s favor was the least valuable thing, not to mention the Prince was probably not even a man, but something bizarre.
In a place where one’s life could be lost at any moment, all she wanted was to survive.
Tu Nan sneered inwardly, but constrained by her role, she could only force a smile and reply, “Dear sister, that is my right.”
Bella snorted disdainfully. “Then we’ll see about that.”
The Carriage drove on for a while longer before finally stopping. The coachman’s voice came from outside, “Ladies, we’ve arrived at the Royal Palace.”
Tu Nan was the first to lift the curtain and step out.
They were now at the entrance to the Royal Palace, surrounded by Carriages packed tightly together, and everywhere were young girls in Evening Gowns.
Almost every girl in the city had come.
In a place as heavily guarded as the Royal Palace, there should be quite a few Rules to follow, but with so many people around, where was she supposed to find the Rules?
“Ladies, please follow me.” A Court Attendant approached and led them into the Royal Palace.
Tu Nan had a sudden idea, quickly slipped off her Gemstone Ring and secretly handed it to the Court Attendant, whispering, “It’s my first time at the Royal Palace. I’m afraid I might do something wrong and offend the Prince, the King, or the Queen…”
The Court Attendant glanced quickly at the ring in his hand, showed a satisfied smile, and pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket, handing it to her.
Tu Nan hurriedly took it, thanked him, and quickly opened the note to read.
[Royal Palace Rules:
Rule One: When you meet the King, Queen, or Prince, you must bow.
Rule Two: You must answer any questions from the King, Queen, or Prince.
Rule Three: Without permission, it is forbidden to shout, run, or engage in any behavior that might cause a disturbance.
Rule Four: During the Ball, if the Prince invites you to dance, you do not have the right to refuse.]
Rule Five: If the lights suddenly go out during the Ball, do not panic. If you are alone, immediately crouch down and cover your head. Do not stand up before the lights come back on. If you are dancing with a partner, confirm after the lights return that your partner has not been switched.
Rule Six: If your partner has been switched, do not let it notice, and do not anger it. Find an excuse to leave as soon as the lights come back on.
Rule Seven: Leave the Royal Palace before the clock strikes midnight.
Rule Eight: If you fail to leave in time, do not wander around. Immediately find the nearest room, enter, and quickly crouch in the northeast corner. Leave the Royal Palace as soon as the next chime sounds.
Tu Nan read the Rules on the slip of paper carefully several times. After making sure she had memorized them, she crumpled the paper into a ball and stuffed it into her tightly bound sleeve, planning to throw it away later.
“How much farther do we have to walk?” Bella lifted her Gown, unable to hold back her complaint.
They walked along winding paths through the shrubbery, and faint sounds of singing and dancing could already be heard. Tu Nan looked up and saw a massive Castle appear before her eyes.
The Castle’s towers pierced straight through the darkness, almost merging with the night itself.
“We’ve arrived,” the Court Attendant turned and said with a smile.
After politely seeing off the Court Attendant, Tu Nan turned around, preparing to enter the Castle.
Bella, unable to contain her excitement, lifted her Gown and hurried inside.
Tu Nan was not as impatient as Bella. Instead, she quietly observed her surroundings. She noticed that as soon as Bella ran into the Castle, the two guards at the entrance immediately turned their heads and stared coldly at Bella’s back, their eyes chilling, as if they were looking at a dead person.
Not daring to be careless, Tu Nan carefully lifted her heavy Gown, stepped up the stairs one by one, and entered the Castle.
Inside the Castle, there were at least a hundred young ladies, all dressed in various Gowns, gathered in small groups.
The time had not yet come; the Prince, King, and Queen had not appeared.
Tu Nan glanced at the clock hanging on the wall in the center of the hall-there was still half an hour until seven o’clock.
When Tu Nan and Bella left home, Cinderella was still picking beans, but Tu Nan had no doubt that Cinderella would make it to the Ball.
After all, Cinderella was the protagonist of this fairy tale.
Ten minutes before seven, the Prince finally appeared.
The moment he entered, he drew everyone’s attention.
To be fair, the Prince in this Instance was quite handsome so far.
“Good evening, lovely ladies,” the Prince stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor, graceful and charming. “Please don’t be too nervous. Treat this as an ordinary Ball and enjoy yourselves.”
“The Ball will last until midnight. Everyone is welcome to enjoy this delightful night.”
The Prince raised his hand in a gesture, and the guards, seeing this, prepared to close the main doors.
The Castle’s doors were tall and heavy, requiring two grown men to push them closed from both sides. Tu Nan watched as the doors slowly came together, the gap between them growing smaller and smaller.
“Wait-”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice called out from outside.
The guards paused, and taking advantage of the moment, a slender figure squeezed through the gap.
She wore a dazzling blue Gown, its hem flaring like petals, her beauty under the lights reminiscent of a moon goddess.
“My God… Whose daughter is that?”
“How have I never seen her before?”
…
“Is she a princess from another country?”