Chapter 1
“Sister, please, give me back my shoe.” I clung to Victoria’s leg, begging desperately. Victoria grabbed my hair and spat in my face viciously.
“Pfft, you filthy wretch! How dare you covet His Royal Highness? Go back to the attic where you belong, that’s your rightful place.”
Madame Tremaine and Isabelle each grabbed one of my arms, pushing me towards the attic. I struggled fiercely, trying to lunge for the glass slipper.
“You can’t take it out! You really can’t!”
A few days ago, I suddenly found myself in a twisted version of the fairy tale, becoming Cinderella. At first, I thought, how bad could a fairy tale world be?
Until I saw the prince slice open the Chancellor’s belly with his sword. After the murder, he stood calmly, using his long blade to lift up a section of the Chancellor’s intestines, admiring it in the moonlight.
“Ah, how beautiful.”
The bright red intestines dripped blood, and the prince’s eyes gleamed with an eerie, bloodthirsty light.
I hid in the bushes, tightly covering my mouth, my whole body shaking uncontrollably with fear.
I must have been shaking too hard because the prince suddenly turned his head in my direction, his gaze sharp and piercing like a hawk’s.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
I gasped, picked up my skirts, and ran. The prince chased after me, sword in hand. The palace was magnificent, with expensive crystal chandeliers hanging from the pillars on both sides, illuminating everything clearly.
The prince laughed softly behind me.
“Oh, it’s the beautiful girl who danced with me tonight—”
His tone was sinister. I turned my head to look; the prince’s face was twisted with malice, his long sword still dripping blood, leaving a trail behind him. I was terrified, running faster than I ever had before. But the white jade steps at the palace gate were too long, and no matter how careful I was, I still lost one glass slipper.
I knew he wouldn’t let me go. Sure enough, the next day, news of the Chancellor’s death spread throughout the country. The king was furious and ordered the guards to catch the real culprit.
Along with the obituary, another piece of news spread across the country: the prince was looking for love.
The prince had fallen in love at first sight with a beautiful girl at the ball. He announced that whoever could wear the glass slipper left behind by the girl would be the next princess.
All the women in the city went crazy.
Victoria and Isabelle started dressing up early in the morning, soaking their feet in milk, praying for this lucky glory to fall upon them. It wasn’t until Victoria came to my room to look for jewelry that she accidentally found the other glass slipper.