Twisted Love

Chapter 3

Peony

It's pretty depressing to not be able to meet the prince of your dreams in person.

Especially when two out of the three people in her family got to go.

Peony didn't really care that Pearl got in. To be completely honest, her sister doesn't have a single chance with Prince Kaito. Her Prince Kaito.

Cinder, on the other hand, has a much better chance than Pearl, in her personal opinion. Peony has always cared more about her adoptive sister than her real sister, so when Cinder got chosen for the Selection, she felt more happy than she had been in a long time.

It was the day after Cinder and Pearl had been chosen. Naturally, Pearl had been prettied up to her full extent. And obviously, Cinder had helped with the makeup, the hair, the dress, and basically everything else. In the end, Pearl had completely transformed from a bratty noble to a surprisingly regal looking lady.

Peony kept shooting pitiful glances at Cinder the whole time, because even though she had helped with the entire process, she wasn't able to be ready herself. Instead, she was still dressed in the loose rags that had been dulled by repeated washings every day. Her hair was ratty and tangled, grease smudged over her face and arms.

Looking at her, Peony would have none of it. Dragging Cinder into her tiny excuse of a room in the attic, she locked the door behind her, making sure her mother wasn't waiting behind the door like the creepy stalker she was.

She couldn't help but let out a loud huff as she observed Cinder's disheveled state. The maid could only stare blankly at her stepsister who was studying her so insistently. She had no idea what this was all about.

"No, no, no, no, no," Peony kept muttering as she rotated around Cinder's form, lifting various parts of her dirty clothes. "This won't do. You're meeting Prince Kai!" Puffing her chest out and grabbing the front of her luxurious dress, she lifted her chin to meet Cinder's clueless gaze. "If you're going to be a queen, then at least dress like one!"

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "What makes you think I would win so early in the game?" she teased. Peony shot her a look.

"You have to," she simply replied. Grinning, she whipped out a intricately wrapped golden box. Tossing the lid to the corner, she gestured for Cinder to take it out. Once she saw it, she let out a breath of wonder. Lifting the gift from the box slowly, she gazed at it in awe.

It was a beautiful baby blue, beautifully simple. The blue complimented Cinder's brown eyes, and a lace embroidery showed trailing down the torso and lining the dress' bottom. The sleeves were long and cuffed, and the neckline dipped low. The fabric was soft and felt like satin.

The first thing that popped in Cinder's mind was: This must have been awfully expensive. Peony peeked under Cinder's amazed gaze, grinning wildly.

"So... do you like it?" she cooed. The maid managed a nod. "Good! I knew you would," Peony continued, dragging Cinder into the bathroom. Without further ado, she grabbed a rough towel and drenched it in water. She ferociously scrubbed at the grease stains on Cinder's face.

"Ow- Peony! OW!" Cinder yelped as the towel scraped against her soft skin.

"Beauty is pain," Peony chirped, keeping at it. Once she was done, Cinder was clean, but her skin was red from all of the scrubbing. Then she grabbed the sneaked brush from under her full skirt.

She mercilessly tugged the brush through Cinder's hair. Almost immediately getting stuck, she tore Cinder's head along with it. However much she appreciated Peony's help, she did not enjoy the pain. But Peony did not give up until all of the tangles were eventually smoothed out.