Inside the palace, the ballroom¹ glittered and shined. Several large chandeliers were lit with a thousand candles, and uniformed servers made their way through the elegantly dressed crowds offering delicious appetizers². A band was set up in the far corner of the cavernous room, the conductor's face serious as he led the musicians through their practiced pieces.

 

Standing³ a bit apart from the rest of the crowd was the prince, stuck between his father and the Grand Duke. He watched as princess after princess was announced and led into the ballroom. But he barely spared them more than a first glance. Each one looked much like the others, their dresses bright and elaborate, their faces painted. None of them was the girl from the woods.

 

"Why do you keep looking at the stairs?" his father asked. "Who are you waiting for?"

 

"No one," Kit⁴ replied, not taking his gaze off the entrance.

 

King Frederick frowned. He was no fool. "It's that girl from the forest, isn't it?" he said. "That's why you were so generous with the invitations."

 

"Father!" Kit replied as though shocked. "It was for the people."

 

The king couldn't help smiling. At moments like this, Kit reminded him very much of the man he used to be, before the kingdom's responsibilities had weighed him down. "I know you love the people, Kit," he said kindly⁵. "But I also know that your head has been turned." His tone grew serious. "Listen to me, my boy. You've only met her once, in the forest."

 

As if on cue, the Grand Duke turned to Kit, a princess and her escort behind him. "Your Highness," he said. "May I present Princess Chelina of Zaragosa."

 

Kit bowed deeply. But his gaze barely swept over the princess.

 

"You are as handsome as your picture, Your Highness," Princess Chelina said. "And your little kingdom is enchanting⁶."

 

Hearing the Grand Duke clear his throat in warning, Kit turned and met Princess Chelina's gaze. "I hope you will not find our little kingdom too confining."

 

"It could be bigger… with the right friends. And enough soldiers," she replied.

 

"I'm not sure I understand," Kit said.

 

Princess Chelina put a hand on Kit's arm. "Of course you do," she said. "They tell me you are very brave in battle."

 

Kit stifled⁷ a groan⁸. This princess in front of him had no interest in him, just as he had no interest in her. All she wanted was the power an alliance provided. Kit certainly wanted the best for his kingdom, but he knew that this would not be won by war or strategic alliances. It would be won with kindness, courage, and love.

 

Suddenly, Kit noticed that while he and Princess Chelina had been talking, a hushed silence had fallen over the crowd. Everyone's attention had been caught by a commotion⁹ at the grand staircase. As Kit turned to see what was going on, his breath caught in his throat.

 

For standing there, at the top of the stairs, was the girl from the woods.

 

Gone were her simple gown and her disheveled hair. Now she was wearing the most elegant dress Kit had ever seen. It took every ounce of his self-control for Kit not to run to her side. Instead, he bowed to Chelina. "Excuse me," he said, walking away.

 

Behind him, Kit could hear the Grand Duke making apologies on his behalf.

 

As Ella stood at the top of the stairs, her heart pounded in her ears. The crowd was a sea of bright colors below her, everyone's face a blur¹⁰. Except for his. Except for Kit's. She saw him almost immediately. He stood at the opposite end of the room, dressed in a cream-colored suit that made his shoulders seem broader and his face even more handsome. As if pulled by an invisible string, Ella made her way down the stairs. At the same time, she saw Kit maneuver¹¹ his way through the crowd.

 

Finally, after what felt like the longest walk of her life, Ella found herself face-to-face with Kit. They stood at the edge of the dance floor, both momentarily at a loss for words. Kit seemed oddly nervous, almost tongue-tied at the sight of her. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Ella smiled and said a silent thank you again to her fairy godmother.

 

"Mr. Kit . . ." Ella finally said.

 

Kit shook his head as if coming out of a dream. "It's you… isn't it?" he asked.

 

Ella nodded shyly. "Just so."

 

"If I may— That is—" Kit stammered¹². "It would give me the greatest pleasure if you would, uh, that is, if you would do me the honor of letting me lead you through the—the next . . ." His voice trailed off, as though he was searching for the right word.

 

"Dance?" Ella guessed.

 

Kit nodded, relieved. "Yes, dance. That's it."

 

A wave of excitement washed over Ella. Nodding, she gave him a shy smile, and he held out his hand. She took it, and he drew her onto the dance floor.

 

"They are all looking at you," Ella said, a bit confused.

 

But Kit shook his head. "Believe me, they are all looking at you."

 

Then, before she could say another word, Kit placed his free hand gently on Ella's hip¹³. She took a sharp breath and met Kit's gaze. He was staring down at her, his eyes full of wonder.

 

As the music began, they moved together. Soon other couples joined them on the dance floor. But Ella took no notice. She only had eyes for Kit. And while there were many things she wanted to say, Ella knew that she should just take in this perfect moment. So she let herself go, her steps in time with Kit's, his hand warm in hers.

 

As Ella danced with her boy from the woods, she was unaware¹⁴ that her appearance was causing quite the fuss among certain guests. At the edge of the dance floor, Lady Tremaine stared at the girl, trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar. Beside her, Anastasia and Drisella were marveling at the girl's gorgeous gown and were surprised when their mother snapped at them. "You must turn the prince's head, you fools!" she hissed¹⁵. "Get out there!"

 

"But no one's asked us to dance," Anastasia said.

 

Lady Tremaine sighed deeply. Seeing two gentlemen about to walk past, she shoved her daughters in front of them. The startled men bowed. Then, before they could protest, they found themselves being pushed onto the dance floor by Lady Tremaine. As she watched her daughters clumsily maneuver their way closer to the prince, she stifled a groan. Both girls batted their eyelashes and tried to smile alluringly¹⁶. But the prince didn't even notice. He could not take his eyes off the girl in his arms.

 

The crowd slowly exited the dance floor, leaving the prince and his partner alone. They made a beautiful pair as they swept over the floor, their steps in perfect sync. When the music came to a stop, there was a moment of silence, and then the crowd burst into applause, sure they had just witnessed the prince and his future princess in their first dance. The Grand Duke watched as Kit leaned down and whispered something into the girl's ear. She nodded, and then the two of them walked off the floor, disappearing through one of the big ballroom doors.

 

Who is that girl? The Grand Duke started to panic in his spot on the balcony . Luckily, at that moment the Captain of the Guard returned. The Grand Duke had sent him to find out anything he could about the mystery woman.

 

"People are saying she is a princess," the Captain reported. "Our prince seems quite taken with her. You do not approve?" he asked when he noticed the sour look on the other man's face.

 

"He is already promised to the princess Chelina of Zaragosa!" the Grand Duke shouted manically.

 

王宫里，舞厅金碧辉煌，灯光闪耀。几个巨大的枝形吊灯上点着上千盏蜡烛，穿着统一服装的仆人端着美味的开胃菜在衣着华丽的人群中穿梭。宽敞房间远处的一个角落里坐着乐队，指挥严肃地带领乐队演奏着排练好的音乐。

 

离人群稍远的地方，王子站在国王和公爵中间。他听着礼仪官通报一个又一个公主的来临，看着她们被领进大厅。但是他看她们一眼后就再也没看第二眼。她们每个人看起来都差不多，衣着光鲜，涂脂抹粉。没有一个是树林里的那位姑娘。

 

“你为什么老盯着楼梯？”国王问道，“你在等谁？”

 

“没等谁。”基特回答道，他的眼睛仍旧看着入口。

 

弗雷德里克国王皱了皱眉头。他可不好糊弄。“是树林里的那位姑娘，是吗？”他说，“这是你邀请所有人参加舞会的原因吧。”

 

“父王！”基特仿佛很吃惊，“我可是为了百姓。”

 

国王忍不住笑了。这种时候，基特会让他想起自己年轻的时候，那时他还没有王国的事务缠身。“我知道你热爱百姓，基特，”他亲切地说,“但我也知道你现在心有所属。”他的口气严肃起来。“听着，儿子，你只见过她一次，还是在树林里。”

 

就在这时，公爵走了过来，后面还跟着一位公主和她的侍卫。“殿下，”公爵说，“请允许我隆重介绍萨拉戈萨王国的赛琳娜公主。”

 

基特深深地鞠了一躬，但他几乎扫都没有扫这位公主一眼。

 

“你和画像上一样英俊，殿下。”赛琳娜公主说，“你们的小王国景色很秀丽。”

 

公爵清清嗓子提醒了基特一下，他转过来看着赛琳娜公主。“希望您不会觉得我们的小王国太局促。”

 

“它还可以变得更强大……如果有合适的朋友，还有足够的士兵的话。”她回答。

 

“恐怕我不明白您的意思，”基特说。

 

赛琳娜公主拍了拍基特的胳膊说：“你当然懂。听说你在战场上非常勇敢。”

 

基特强忍住了一声叹息。眼前的这位公主对他根本没兴趣，正像他对她也不感兴趣一样。她想要的只是一个可以增强自己王国实力的盟友。基特当然也希望自己的王国富强，但他知道这不能靠战争或者战略同盟来实现，靠的应该是善良、勇气和爱。

 

突然，基特注意到就在他和赛琳娜公主说话的时候，人群突然变得鸦雀无声。每个人都被中央楼梯上面的一阵骚动吸引了。基特转身看去，不由得屏住了呼吸。

 

楼梯上面站着的不是别人，正是树林的那位姑娘。

 

她身上不再是那件朴素的衣服，头发也不再是乱蓬蓬的。她穿着基特见过的最优雅的礼服。基特极力控制着自己才没有直接跑到瑞拉的身边。基特向赛琳娜公主鞠了一躬说道：“失陪一下，”然后就走开了。

 

在他身后，基特听见公爵在代他向赛琳娜公主道歉。

 

瑞拉站在楼梯顶上，仿佛能听到自己的心跳声。下面的人群珠光宝气，但他们的脸却都是模糊一片。只有他的脸，只有基特的脸，她一下就看到了他。他站在房间的另一头，身上穿着的米色衣服使他的肩膀看起来更宽阔，脸庞也更英俊。仿佛被一根无形的线牵着，瑞拉走下了台阶。同时，她也看到基特穿过人群向她走来。

 

在走过一段仿佛是她一生中最长的距离之后，终于，瑞拉和基特面对面站到了一起。他们站在舞池的边缘，一下子不知道说什么好。基特感到莫名的紧张，一见到瑞拉他几乎都不会说话了。尽管瑞拉心也在怦怦直跳，但她还是微笑着，默默地向仙女教母说了一句“谢谢”。

 

“基特先生……”终于瑞拉说道。

 

基特摇了下头，仿佛刚从梦中醒来。“是你……对吗？”他问道。

 

瑞拉羞涩地点点头：“是的。”

 

“如果我能——就是说——”基特结结巴巴地说，“我不胜荣幸，如果你愿意，呃，就是，愿意让我领着你跳下一支……”他的声音停住了，仿佛在想一个合适的词。

 

“舞曲？”瑞拉猜道。

 

基特点点头，舒了一口气：“是的，舞曲，是的。”

 

瑞拉感到一阵兴奋。她点点头，羞涩地朝基特笑了笑，基特伸出了手。她握住基特的手，跟他走到了舞池中央。

 

“他们都在看着你，”瑞拉不解地问。

 

基特摇摇头:“相信我，他们看的是你。”

 

不等瑞拉再说话，基特的另一只手轻轻地搭在了瑞拉腰上。她深深地吸了一口气，看着基特的眼睛。他在凝视着她，眼睛里满是惊奇。

 

音乐响起时，他们开始跳舞。很快其他人也加入了他们，在舞池上翩翩起舞。但是瑞拉没有看身边的人，她的眼睛只是看着基特。她有很多话要说，但是她知道她只需享受这个美妙的时刻。所以她放开了自己，合拍地迈动着脚步，握着基特温暖的手掌舞动起来。

 

在瑞拉和她在树林里遇到的男孩翩翩起舞的时候，她没有注意到她的出现让某些客人十分不快。舞池的边上，特曼妮夫人盯着她，想搞清楚为什么她看起来这么熟悉。特曼妮夫人身边，她的两个女儿赞叹着那女孩华丽的裙子，但是母亲的呵斥让她们吃了一惊。“你们要引起王子的注意，笨蛋！”她嘘了一声说，“快去跳舞！”

 

“但是没人邀请我们跳舞，”安泰西亚说。

 

特曼妮夫人长叹了一口气。看到两位绅士走过来，她把两个女儿推到了他们面前。两个男人惊讶地向她们鞠躬致意。不容他们反对，特曼妮夫人就把他们连推带搡地推到舞池里。当特曼妮夫人看到女儿们笨拙地在人群中走到王子身旁时，她差点叹出声来。两个女儿眨巴着眼睛，努力做出迷人的微笑。但是王子根本没有注意到她们，他的眼睛里只有臂弯里的那位姑娘。

 

人群陆续退出舞池，只有王子和他的舞伴还在继续跳着舞。这迷人的一对翩然起舞，他们的舞步是那么和谐。音乐停下来时，大厅里一片寂静，接着人群爆发出一阵喝彩声，毫无疑问，他们刚刚目睹了王子和未来王妃的第一次共舞。公爵看着基特低下头在女孩的耳边窃窃私语。她点点头，然后两人走出舞池，消失在舞会大厅的门口。

 

那女孩是谁？站在楼厅里的公爵不禁担心起来。幸好这时侍卫长回来了。公爵命令他去尽可能地查清这位神秘女人的状况。

 

“人们说她是一位公主，”侍卫长禀报道，“王子看起来对她非常倾心。您不同意吗？”看到公爵面露不快，侍卫长问道。

 

“已经许诺让他娶萨拉戈萨王国的赛琳娜公主了！”公爵恼怒地喊道。

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