The Little Glass Slipper

Chapter 7: Transformation

When Mame Treina was gone, Charon turned her head to find Selene standing by the window sill. The faerie wasn't looking at her, but had her back to her. She was gazing out the window as she murmured, "Half of me is left at Dradel's place."

"Sorry about that," Charon apologized immediately. "I was careless."

Selene shook her head. "It's fine," she said. "I can travel only as far as the slippers are located." After saying so, she turned to Charon, striding elegantly towards her. At the distance of an inch, the cherry blossom glimmer shone into Charon's eyes. "I could travel between the two of you. Would you like to see him again?" she asked in an alluring tone that tempted Charon to say no.

"Let it be," Charon decided. "This is the end."

But as Selene observed from where she was, she had a different idea in mind. She approached Charon, and snaked her arms around the girl from behind, locking her in that space before whispering in a low tone, "You are powerless, but not I."

As Charon's eyes widened in surprise at the faerie's bold touch, Selene didn't give her even a second to contemplate the meaning behind the sensation she knew Charon must have felt. Withdrawing from the maiden, the pink silhouette vanished in the next instant, leaving Charon standing in awe, with a racing heart.

Dradel was staring at the glass slipper in silence when a young lady in a glimmering dress walked in...emerging from the wall. She had a steady gaze in her pink irises, clearly fixated on him. She strode towards him, maintaining the tranquility of the atmosphere of his room, and although he hadn't expected the arrival of a complete stranger, Dradel also locked eyes with her. The aura of this lady seemed to speak volumes about her very essence—a lady of high status, yet he was unsure of what status exactly it was. For one, she was no ordinary human being.

The young lady stopped a few steps in front of him. Standing in front of her, Dradel somehow felt a need to give her a formal bow, even though he was a prince, and he knew she wasn't royalty. "A pleasure to meet you," he told her, not even asking her name. He placed the slipper on his table.

"Call me Selene," the lady told him, her voice void of emotion, yet not ceasing to be noble. The pink sparkle in her eyes suggested an unfathomable passion, or scheme. "I am the faerie residing in the glass slippers."

"The...?" For a moment, Dradel blinked. Then, it occurred to him that she had just walked through the wall. "Excuse me. I see."

If she had noticed his moment of hesitation, she didn't show it. She came to achieve something, and she would simply get it done. "Do you wish to see the girl?" she asked, her steady gaze fixated on him, blaring into him almost as if she could see right through him.

It might as well be true. Because of that gaze, Dradel decided he wouldn't even try concealing anything from her. He knew nothing about a faerie's capabilities, but whether mind reading was one of them played no role in his decision. "Yes," he answered promptly.

The next instant, her lips curved into a lopsided smile. "How have you decided to succumb to me, Prince Dradel?"

A prince making one such decision seemed to amuse the faerie. "I'm not sure myself," he answered. "I feel that there is no reason for me to hide anything from you, anyhow." It was the most honest response on his part, and she seemed to understand that as the truth, rather than attempted flattery.

"I see," she said, satisfied with his answer. "Tomorrow at noon, can you show up where the attic window can see you?"

"Yes," Dradel answered with certainty. "I will be there."