Sinderella

Chapter Nine: Cinderella Must Be Punished

As Cinderella left the ball, the guests were left flabbergasted by what they had just seen. Some attendees were embarrassed by what they saw, while some moved on almost as soon as Cinderella left the palace.

The prince got the crowd's attention once again to finish his speech from earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The prince said, readdressing the crowd "I apologize for that young lady's actions. May her foolishness not deter from your time here tonight. I would like to acknowledge Evelyn once more. Evelyn has become engaged to Prince Elijah of Orden, who sadly could not join us this evening. She is the future queen of Orden, and she has announced wishes to connect with new infrastructure. As future king of Everglade, I am looking forward to this new relationship and easier travel between our fine kingdoms."

The prince then proposed a toast in the name of Evelyn. The guests obliged him and took part in the toast. A few guests visited the refreshments station to procure a beverage glass. After the toast, the ball resumed and they took part in one final dance to conclude the ball.

After the final dance ended, they could hear a fanfare ring out announcing the end of the ball. The attendees begin to make their way out of the ballroom, taking some refreshments with them, and taking in their last looks inside the palace. It was not likely that the general public would be invited into the palace for a long time.

Katreena knew that she had to apologize to the prince for Cinderella's actions. She felt personally humiliated because of what Cinderella had done and had to make things right. She approached the royal steward and asked for a moment alone with the prince so she could have a moment alone with the prince.

The royal steward escorted Katreena to a private balcony, where the prince would meet her. She paced on the balcony as she waited for the prince to join her. She looked up into the starry sky, the same sky she would look up at as a little girl, but this time with sadness in her eyes.

"Father," Katreena prayed "where did I go wrong? What did I do to make Cinderella become this way? I need your wisdom, Lord. She is a beautiful young woman, and I hate to see her wasting away like this. At this rate, she will die alone and depressed. Please help me help her. Show me what to do."

She closed her eyes after finishing her prayer and when she opened her eyes, she saw a star twinkle in the distance as though it were God winking his eye at her. She opened her eyes and wiped her tears on her handkerchief. Then, she heard the balcony doors open and Prince Jonathan stepped outside to join her.

"You asked to see me." Jonathan said, approaching Katreena.

"Yes, your majesty." Katreena replied, shaking the prince's extended hand. "I just wanted to apologize for my daughter Cinderella's behavior tonight. I am very embarrassed that she did this. She was not even supposed to attend the ball this evening as part of her punishment for doing something like this at home."

"She told me quite a different story." The prince said. "She told me that you and her sisters are abusive to her and do not let her do anything other than serve you as your maid. Is this true?"

Katreena explained that Cinderella was not their maid per se. She made a point to ensure that Cinderella was treated as an equal member of the family. She told Emmelina and Sabelina that Cinderella was not to be treated as the maid.

The prince went on to explain what Cinderella had told him when they met earlier that night. Jonathan told Katreena that Cinderella had played the victim in the story she had told him. After Cinderella lashed out publicly at the ball, Jonathan began to think that Cinderella had lied to him. Katreena explained to the prince that Cinderella had become a very selfish young woman. Cinderella had been forbidden to attend the ball and had defied Katreena's instruction and went to the ball without permission.

"Well," the prince said "she is certainly a nice young woman when she wants to be. If she could just become selfless, she could be the most loved woman in the kingdom. I feel sorry for her."

Katreena bid the prince farewell and apologized once again. She exited the palace and joined her girls in their carriage. When she climbed into the carriage, the driver began to pull away to begin their trip home. She had to do something about Cinderella, but was not sure what she was going to do. Cinderella was not going to get away with this.