Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 24

The next few days are long and exhausting. One of the horses hurt himself and couldn't pull the carriage so we had to walk miles to the next town. The hotel we had plans to stay at burned down a few days earlier and we had to sleep in a dingy inn. Most of our attendants got sick from bad water and I hate to admit it but I had grown spoiled from the last few weeks living with Nicholas. Worst of all, we were traveling through the heat and there were not many places to bathe. I really needed it because it felt as though the sun and ground were competing on who could be the hottest and we were sandwiched in the middle of their battle.

After days of sweating buckets in my fancy dresses I gave in and the next time we stopped at a town I found the cheapest clothes I could find and fixed them up. I bought a cheap tunic and ripped the sleeves off, tying the extra material on the bottom into a knot. Then I bought a pair of boy's trousers and made myself some cropped pants. It was the first time since I'd come to this universe that I'd worn pants, which I'd missed very much. After I was done with my makeover I looked like I could have stumbled out of an instagram post with my rolled up shorts and tight fitting top. A few days later I looked like I came straight from a Jurassic Park movie, my clothes dirty and torn. Chase and Nicholas stared at me with utter confusion when they first saw me. At this point I didn't care if I looked insane, it was such a relief not to be in the oven that was the dress I was expected to wear.

If I thought I'd been losing weight quickly when I first got reincarnated then I'd panic at how fast I began losing weight now. Every day I felt like I shed half my body weight in sweat. I didn't feel like eating hot food and there was no way to keep food cool so I wasn't eating much either. On top of that I ended up walking miles every day.

There were good parts too. At a spring, where we stopped to drink water, we found horses that had escaped from a nearby town. When we brought them back we were given a reward but we had no need for money so I gave it to some poor children.

Every night I continued to have dreams about Cinderella, faraway in an endless field. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to be a burden but it was starting to mess up my sleeping habits.

When I was miserable I would remind myself it was all for Cinderella. Some nights I'd have the nightmare but other nights I'd see her in that same field. I have no way of knowing if it was really her but it still comforted me. I told no one about the dreams and nightmares that exhausted me at night.

I was surprised no one else complained. Chase was used to arduous adventures but what about Nicholas who'd grown up in a castle, being given whatever he wanted? He wasn't used to this kind of effort and it warmed my heart when I thought about how strong he was being for everyone.

After what seemed like forever of traveling I could finally see the roof tops of houses a few miles away.The architecture here is quite different to that of Nicholas's kingdom Luxalia. The small white houses trail up the side of a mountain to the top where a grand palace sits on the edge of a cliff. Chase is ahead of the group, me right behind him. No one is speaking, we're all too tired and miserable. I stare at my feet, willing them to take another step up the steep hill of dirt and rock we are climbing. I look up when I bump into Chase. Why has he stopped so abruptly?

I peer around him and see a beautiful field of soft green grass swaying in the warm breeze. The trees have disappeared over the peak of this hill and bright grass and flowers cover the ground for miles.

My mind is muddled from the heat and my body moves before my brain does. I place everything I'm holding onto the ground and lie horizontally. As I begin to roll down the hill the soft grass tickles my bare skin and the wind from my movement cools me. When I hit the bottom I look up to see everyone staring at me, their faces blank.