She felt like Queen Marie Antoinette in the royal purple gown. With its long, square neckline and layered skirt she felt fabulous, even more than last night.
She entered the ballroom less cautiously and more knowing than last time. She spotted the prince and then her stepsisters. What puzzled her was the absence of Ella when she, Wendy and Lily had all left together. She tried to shrug it off but she knew she would be paranoid for the rest of the night.
Someone tapped her shoulder and she spun around to face them. For a moment she thought it was Ella or Wendy. It was only Theodore.
Prince Theodore.
“I was worried I wouldn’t see you tonight,” he said, “after yesterday.”
Cinder shrugged her shoulders trying to think of something to say. But it was as if her tongue had fallen out of her mouth and onto the polished floor.
“I must say,” he said circling her, “you look more stunning in that dress than on the back roads on a frozen puddle, milady.”
“Cinder,” she said. “My name is Cinder.”
“Who would give someone as lovely as you a name like that?” Theodore asked.
“My stepmother,” Cinder said. “It’s really Hazel, like my eye color but…”
“I understand,” he said but Cinder didn’t think he did. How could he? He was a prince and she was an unpaid maid.
The band started a song slower than the previous and Theodore held out his hand. “Care to dance?”
Cinder’s breath caught. She could barely talk and he was asking her to dance. This was every girl’s dream yet it felt like a nightmare.
She put her hand in his and followed him to the dance floor. With his hand on her waist and her hand in his it was like walking on a daydream, this time it wouldn’t end at midnight.
Hours later Cinder left the prince to his admirers and bumped into Lily.
“Cinder?” she asked. She brightened up when she saw the gown. “You look beautiful!” She looked panicked suddenly. “What if mother comes back?”
“Ella said if I could come I could go back home with you guys,” Cinder said, suddenly realizing how unbelievable it sounded.
“Cinder!” Ella said behind her. “I should have known I’d see you here!”Her eyes were cold, though, as if she didn’t like her presence in the ballroom. “Our carriage is most definitely waiting for us so we should be moving.”
Lily, Wendy and Cinder nodded before they followed Ella to the door.
YOU ARE READING
Cinder Maid
FantasiWritten way back in like 2015 when I was in 6th grade, this story won two writing contests in Illinois. It's nothing special, but it means a lot to me because it proved that people enjoyed reading my work. It's a simple retelling of Cinderella and I...
