Cinder Maid

Untitled Part 3

Cinder dumped the basket of food onto the table. She picked up a scarlet apple and ran her thumb over its smooth skin. She brought it to her lips but before she could bite into it Wendy’s sickly sweet voice yelled, “Cinder maid!” Her falseness was what made it sickly.

She burst into the kitchen. Her smile faltered when she saw the apple.

“What are you doing?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

Cinder sat the apple down and focused on the other fruit, rechecking for bruises. She shook her head as if that were an answer. Wendy trailed her fingers over the counter top. “Mother wants to know when you’re starting the evening meal.”

“I was starting just now.”

Wendy’s smile returned, smugly now. “Good,” she said.

She left the room and Cinder began to cook and chop.  Deciding on soup, she boiled a leftover chicken bone to make broth. She chopped vegetables and put them in the broth, letting it sit until they were soft.

She took out four bowls but only filled three fully. She picked up the almost empty bowl and drank the broth from it. Leaving it with only a thin layer of broth at the bottom of the bowl she picked up the others and walked to the dining room.

“Finally, Cinder,” Ella said. Her impatient tone made Cinder flinch. She sat the bowls in front of the three women. She pulled spoons out of her apron pocket and set them on the table.

“It took a while for the carrots to soften,” Cinder explained.

Lily looked up from her spoon and smiled at Cinder. “It looks great, Hazel.” Cinder flinched at her birth name. Lily was the only one that used it. Cinder smiled none the less.

A loud, hard knock sounded from the main room. Cinder jumped slightly, startled by the sound. “Cinder, be a dear and answer that,” Ella said, preoccupied with her soup.

Cinder walked to the door and opened the door swiftly and sucked in a breath. It was a royal mail carrier. “Is this the house of Ella Lyn and her daughters?”

Cinder nodded. “Yes,” she said.  She put on her best smile. “Can I help you?”

“I have four invitations for Madam Lyn and her three daughters,” he said. He held out his hand to her. He clutched four invitations, all with the royal crest in the scarlet wax. She took them with shaking hands. She looked up at the mail carrier. “T-thank you,” she said. He bowed and she closed the door.

With shaking finger she unsealed the beautiful, smooth seal on the envelope. A piece of creamy white paper peeked out of it. She slowly pulled it out, letting the suspense grow stronger each second. She unfolded the parchment the beautiful parchment to even more beautiful handwriting. She read it slowly, taking in every word.

You are invited to the grand balls celebrating his twentieth birthday. All available maddens are urged to attended this exciting event for Prince Theodore will be searching for a bride during all three nights.

The first ball will be on the eighteenth of February.

The second ball will be on the twentieth of February.

The third ball will be on the twenty-second of February.

We will patiently await your arrival.

The letter wasn’t signed.

Cinder smiled. The letter was boring and brief but there were four of them. Four! They’d remembered her! They’d given the same invitation to every other maid in town but, still!

“Cinder!” Ella yelled from the kitchen. “What is going on?”

Cinder hiked her skirt and ran to the dining room. She held the letters out to her stepmother. Ella took them and ran her thumb over the wax seal. “It’s from the palace,” she said rising from her chair. She tucked a strand of scarlet hair behind her ear before opening the letter. Lily and Wendy stood at her shoulders.

Lily nervously played with her dark locks and Wendy laced her fingers together. Their mother tore the seal and pulled out the creamy paper. “Twentieth birthday…” Ella read aloud. “Bride!” she exclaimed. “The prince is looking for a bride!”

“A bride?” Lily asked. “Why would the king throw a ball for his son to marry a commoner?”

“Not a commoner,” Wendy sneered at her sister. “He’s looking for a blue blood.” She fanned herself with her hand. “Like me.”

Cinder licked her lips, trying not to laugh. Wendy could be amusing when she tried. Even when she wasn’t trying she could make Cinder want to laugh aloud.

“Mother,” Wendy said. “There are three invitations.”

Ella looked up from the paper. Her eyes bore into Cinder like hot coals. Ella held out her hand without a word. Tears weld in Cinder’s eyes. She shook her head. “No, stepmother,” Cinder cried.  “I’ll be good. I-I promise.”

“Mother,” Lily said. “She has the right.”

“Maybe,” Ella said. “But only if…”

Cinder gave Ella the envelope and wiped rebel tears from her cheeks.