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Chapter 136: Cinderella’s Crystal Shoes

“What’s wrong?” Cinderella asked kindly. The maiden’s face and hands were covered with black soot, “You had a nightmare?”

“Me… Ah, yes.” Lin Sanjiu blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to bring her senses back from the old cottage with the heavy rain and the barking dogs. It took her a few seconds to recover before looking out of the window. It was still dark outside and a crescent moon was in the sky. There wasn’t even a hint of impending rain.

“What time is it now?” Lin Sanjiu calmed her breathing and looked at Cinderella, a little confused, “Why are you still working at this time?”

Cinderella sighed, “I always wake up at this time to do my chores. It will be dawn soon. I will need to prepare breakfast.” After she said that, she paused and watched the stove in front of her in a daze. Lin Sanjiu could guess what she was thinking about. From the information she gathered, it had already been a month since the ball. Based on the normal chronological order, Cinderella would have already lost one of her shoes. Yet, even after almost a month, the prince wasn’t looking for her…

To Cinderella, the bejewelled dress, the dazzling lights and the dance with the prince had all become but a dream. The dream had ended and she had to go back to her chores, kneeling in a dirty kitchen with dirt all over her hands.

[Is Cinderella’s story reaching a climax just like the Little Red Riding Hood storyline?] Lin Sanjiu pondered as she excused herself saying she wanted to clean up. She walked outside and took stock of her cards. She handed Cinderella’s stepmother some scented candles and some torchlights. Though the woman accepted the ‘payment’ without making any comment, she did not hide her disappointment that Lin Sanjiu did not present her any pieces of jewelry. This also explained why she only arranged for Lin Sanjiu to sleep on straw.

After Lin Sanjiu finished taking stock of her cards, she placed her hand under her chin and began wondering about the two people in the little cottage. [Neither Red Riding Hood nor Emma look like werewolves… There was nothing unusual about their behavior. But then again, what is a werewolf like anyway?]

As Lin Sanjiu was deep in thought, the sky gradually grew brighter. After a busy morning, Cinderella made and brought the sets of breakfast to her stepmother and stepsisters. She made a simple meal of potatoes and peas for herself and shared some of it with Lin Sanjiu.

The taste wasn’t fantastic but Lin Sanjiu was very grateful just to have something to eat. Cinderella giggled when she saw how Lin Sanjiu gobbled her food hungrily, “You must have had a difficult time traveling.”

Her words struck a chord with Lin Sanjiu. If going through multiple New Worlds was her journey, she really didn’t know where her destination was. Normally, Lin Sanjiu would curb herself from thinking about the countless New Worlds out there. She also tried her best to avoid thinking about her friends who had died or her companions she had lost contact with. But these feelings were like shifting silt under the water surface. Just a single sentence from Cinderella stirred these emotions she had been suppressing.

“Yeah, it is hard. I rarely get to eat a meal,” she regained her composure and replied with a smile.

Cinderella hesitated when she saw Lin Sanjiu’s expression. She wanted to say something but was interrupted by the noise outside. They heard a male servant shouting, “Madame, Madame! Where are you? Come out now to welcome the palace head steward!”

[Here it comes…] Lin Sanjiu’s heart pounded as she placed her bowl down and pulled Cinderella, who was still in a daze, through the mansion’s back door. The large family mansion did not look as imposing as it usually was. The stepmother rushed out, holding the corners of her dress. It was clear that she just tidied her hair as there was still a sheen of oil over her hair. Cinderella’s two stepsisters stood behind their mother. They had clearly put on makeup and adorned themselves with many jewelry. “Why is the head steward here?” Cinderella’s stepmother asked after she caught her breath.

The head steward was a silver-haired middle-aged man with a stoic face. He had such a serious face that it would evoke the same expression in anyone who saw him.

“According to the prince’s order, I have traveled the entire kingdom looking for a lady who can wear this shoe.” After he explained himself in a business-like manner, he waved his arm and the servant behind him revealed a crystal slipper in a box. “Anyone who could wear this shoe would earn the privilege to be by the prince’s side.”

The crystal slipper shone clearly under the sun. Once it was revealed, Lin Sanjiu heard Cinderella soft gasp. Luckily, everyone was focused on the head steward and the slipper so no one else noticed.

The next series of events were quite similar to the fairytale. Even though it wasn’t as gruesome as the fairytale where the stepsisters cut off their heels and toes to fit their feet into the slipper, it took them a lot of effort. They bound their feet with strips of clothes, forcing their toes under their feet, creating a sort of western foot binding. Despite the pain, they were unable to squeeze their feet into the slipper as the crystal slipper did not provide any extra space. It only fit its true owner perfectly. The head steward even wanted Lin Sanjiu to try but when he saw her pair of timberland boots, he immediately rejected that idea.

In the end, Cinderella was a little nervous when she slipped her dainty, small feet into the crystal slipper. Lin Sanjiu was startled when the people around her let out cries of shock and exclamation. “That’s great!” the head steward said with the same stoic face, showing no hint of happiness. “We finally found you. I am sure the prince would be pleased.”

Cinderella blushed and allowed the female servants from the palace to pull her up. After she bathed and wore makeup, she finally showed her beautiful appearance like in the ball. Being in a fairytale and witnessing the main character go through various events was a wonderful experience for Lin Sanjiu. As there were too many people in the main hall, Lin Sanjiu had to watch from the window of the second floor as the head steward brought Cinderella away cordially, towards a specially-crafted carriage.

From Lin Sanjiu’s memory, the prince should appear at this point and would give the order to punish Cinderella’s stepmother and the stepsisters.

[Is the prince sitting in that carriage?] The events which unfolded seemed to prove that she was right. The head steward said something to the person in the carriage and invited Cinderella to step into it. Cinderella looked into the carriage and turned to speak with the head steward. Then, she waved her hands anxiously…

[Huh?] Lin Sanjiu squinted. Cinderella’s expression looked weird. Her face was a little pale as she shook her head violently. As Lin Sanjiu was too far away, she couldn’t really hear what they were saying. Cinderella looked like she didn’t say much and quickly turned to walked away. However, she was suddenly stopped by two tall soldiers. They grabbed Cinderella and stuffed her into the carriage forcefully.

Cinderella struggled, kicking her two feet which were still outside the carriage, but it seemed like someone in the carriage was preventing her from escaping. Meanwhile, the wheels of the carriage started moving and it was about to leave the estate. The people in the mansion became silent when they saw this.

[This is a critical difference!] Lin Sanjiu gritted her teeth and leaped out of the window when nobody was noticing. The impact of her landing numbed her legs but before the dust settled on the ground, she had already covered a significant distance and was sprinting behind the carriage. As she did not know what had happened, she did not use her maximum speed to chase after the carriage. Instead, she just observed while she allowed some distance between herself and the carriage.

Thankfully, the kingdom wasn’t that big and they reached the palace in less than 20 minutes. After all, those people managed to get all the girls in the kingdom to try that slipper. As the palace was quite small, it was very easy for Lin Sanjiu to search the entire place, as if there were no security at all. It took her only 20 minutes to find Cinderella in an elegantly decorated room. Cinderella’s face was pale and covered with streaks of tears. However, she did not seem shocked to see Lin Sanjiu.

“The prince who danced with me isn’t that man.” She sobbed.