Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Sister, I’m begging you, please give the shoe back to me.”

I clung to my eldest sister Anna’s leg, pleading desperately. Anna grabbed me by the hair and spat viciously in my face.

“Pah! You low-born wretch, how dare you even dream of the noble Your Highness? Get back to the Cellar where you belong.”

My Stepmother and Second Sister grabbed me by the arms, one on each side, and shoved me toward the Cellar. I struggled with all my might, trying to lunge forward and snatch the Crystal Slipper.

“You can’t take it out! You really mustn’t take it out!”

A few days ago, I transmigrated into a broken fairy tale and became Cinderella Cindy. I had originally thought: how broken could a fairy tale world of truth, beauty, and goodness really be?

That was until I saw the Prince use his sword to slice open the Chancellor’s belly. After the murder, he stood there calmly, using his longsword to lift a length of the Chancellor’s intestines, admiring them against the moonlight.

“Ha, how beautiful.”

Fresh red blood dripped from the intestines. An eerie, bloodthirsty red light flickered in the Prince’s eyes.

I hid in the bushes, clamping my hand over my mouth, my entire body trembling uncontrollably with fear.

Perhaps I was shaking too hard, for the Prince suddenly whipped his head in my direction. His gaze was sharp and keen, like a hawk’s.

“Who’s there? Get out here!”

I gasped, hiked up my skirts, and turned to run. The Prince gave chase, sword in hand. The Palace was magnificent, with expensive crystal lamps hanging from the pillars on both sides, illuminating everything with terrifying clarity.

The Prince chuckled behind me.

“Oh, so it’s the beautiful girl who danced with me tonight…”

His tone was sinister. I glanced back to see his face twisted into a gruesome expression, his longsword still dripping blood, leaving a trail behind him. I was scared to death, pushing my body to its absolute limit as I sprinted. But the white jade steps at the Palace gates were too long. No matter how careful I was, I still lost one of my Crystal Slippers.

I knew he wouldn’t let me go. Sure enough, the Chancellor’s obituary spread throughout the country the next day. The King was furious and ordered the guards to capture the culprit at all costs.

Along with the obituary, another piece of news circulated through the kingdom: the Prince was searching for his love.

The Prince had supposedly fallen in love at first sight with a beautiful girl at the ball. He announced that whoever could fit into the Crystal Slipper she left behind would be the next Princess Consort.

Every woman in the city went mad.

My eldest sister and Second Sister spent all morning grooming themselves, soaking their feet in milk and praying that this stroke of luck would fall upon them. That was until Anna came into my room looking for jewelry and accidentally discovered the other Crystal Slipper.