For a month after King Frederick's death, a general sadness hung over the kingdom. But after a while, the time for mourning came to an end. And when it did, a proclamation from the palace was sent out.

 

It happened by chance while Ella was in the market, where she had first heard news of the ball. Now she was with her stepsisters, helping¹ them shop, which entailed² carrying their bags. Ella drifted toward a commotion³ in the town square, her sisters following.

 

The royal crier was once again standing⁴ on the edge of the fountain, reading from a large scroll⁵. "Hear ye! Hear ye!" he cried. "Know that our new king hereby declares his love for the mysterious princess who wore glass slippers⁷ to the ball, and requests she present herself at the palace, whereupon, if she be willing, he will forthwith marry her, with all due ceremony."

 

For Ella, it was as if time had stopped. The prince loved the mystery princess? Kit⁸ loved her? After believing that the magical night at the ball would be the last time she ever saw Kit, Ella's hope sprung anew. Kit was declaring his love for her. A blush crept up Ella's cheeks, and she felt her heart come alive.

 

Without a word to her stepsisters, she turned and raced back toward the house. She needed to get to the palace as soon as possible. There was no way she was going to be able to present herself in the beautiful gown she had worn to the ball, but she did have one thing that would help her prove her identity—the glass slipper⁶. Ella laughed, thinking about what her fairy godmother had said that magical night: "You really never do know when a little thing like shoes will matter a great deal." Oh, how right she had been.

 

(See, loyal reader? Didn't I tell you fairy godmothers are always right?)

 

But when she rushed into her room and pried⁹ the floorboard loose, she let out a cry. The only thing in her hiding spot was the toy butterfly. And its wings had been ripped off.

 

"Are you looking for this?"

 

Ella whipped around. Her stepmother was sitting in a chair, her face half shadowed, her eyes gleaming. She held Ella's glass slipper.

 

"There must be quite a story to go with it," Lady Tremaine said, dangling¹⁰ the slipper off one finger. "Will you tell me?" Ella shook her head. "Then I will tell you a story. There once was a beautiful young girl, who married for love. She had two loving daughters. All was well. But then her husband, the light of her life, died. The next time, she married for the sake of her children. But this man, too, was taken from her." She smiled at Ella, but it was a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes. "And she was doomed¹¹ to look every day upon his beloved child."

 

Lady Tremaine stopped, and for a moment, she and Ella just stared at each other. A part of Ella, the part that had experienced the loss of loved ones, felt for her stepmother. But another part, the part that remembered Lady Tremaine's cruel treatment, felt no sympathy.

 

Lady Tremaine went on with her story. "She had hoped to marry off one of my beautiful, stupid daughters to the prince. But his head was turned by a girl with glass slippers. And so… She lived unhappily ever after. And so my story would appear to be ended. Now, tell me yours." She held up the slipper. "Did you steal it?"

 

Ella shook her head. "It was given to me."

 

"Given to you? Given to you?" Her stepmother let out a cruel laugh. "Nothing is ever given. For everything, we must pay and pay."

 

"That's not true," Ella said. "Kindness is free. Love is free."

 

Anger flashed across Lady Tremaine's face. "You're wrong. Love costs us everything." The slipper swayed under the woman's finger and Ella watched fearfully. If it fell and broke, she would have nothing to show Kit. As if reading her thoughts, Lady Tremaine told Ella what would happen next.

 

She, a lady, would vouch¹² for Ella. For after all, who would believe a servant girl with no family was the beautiful "princess" who had stolen the prince's heart? When Ella and the prince were married, Ella would make Lady Tremaine the head of the royal household and ensure that Anastasia and Drisella were married to wealthy lords. Lady Tremaine would be assured a place in society for the rest of her days, and as head of household, she informed Ella, she would control the palace.

 

Ella's hands shook as her stepmother outlined the plan. She had tried with every fiber¹³ of her being to put on a brave front in the face of her stepmother's cruelty. She had tended to all the housework, to every whim¹⁴ and desire of her stepfamily. She had lived in the attic¹⁵ of her own home. She had become Cinderella. She had given up so much. But she was tired of it. She wouldn't let her stepmother take anything more. "No," she said.

 

"No?" Lady Tremaine repeated.

 

"I will not allow you to ruin the palace the way you have ruined my home," Ella said. "I was not able to protect my father from you, but I will protect Kit, and the kingdom."

 

Lady Tremaine's eyes narrowed and her cheeks grew red. "So you are courageous¹⁶ to boot. That is a mistake." Lifting her hand high in the air, she smashed the glass slipper against the wall. It shattered, leaving Lady Tremaine holding a single large shard¹⁷.

 

Ella let out a gasp¹⁸. "Why are you so cruel?" she cried. "I don't understand. I have tried to be kind, though you do not deserve it. Why do you do it? Why?"

 

The question seemed to unhinge Lady Tremaine. "Why?" she yelled back. "Because you are young and innocent and good, and I…I…I am not." Without another word she stormed out, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

 

Ella rushed over. But she knew it was useless before she even got there. She was trapped. And her stepmother was free to do and say whatever she pleased.

 

Lady Tremaine wasted no time in doing just that. As soon as she was sure Cinderella couldn't leave the attic, she brought the shard of slipper to the one person she knew she could count on—the Grand Duke.

 

"May I ask where you got this?" he inquired when Lady Tremaine showed him the shard. Lady Tremaine nodded demurely¹⁹. "From a ragged²⁰ servant girl in my household," she answered.

 

The Grand Duke looked down at the glass, his expression thoughtful.

 

"And you came straight to me?"

 

"Of course," Lady Tremaine answered. "I have heard that you are the most honorable man in the kingdom."

 

They exchanged smiles.

 

"And the girl . . ."

 

"Is in a safe place," she finished.

 

The man nodded. "You have spared the kingdom from a great deal of embarrassment," he said.

 

Lady Tremaine looked pleased. This was just what she had hoped would happen, for now the Grand Duke owed her. When she made that clear, he asked what she wanted. The answer came quickly. "A title for myself," Lady Tremaine said. "And advantageous²¹ marriages for my two daughters."

 

"Done," he agreed. "And the girl?"

 

"Do with her what you will," Lady Tremaine said, waving a hand in the air. "She's nothing to me."

 

The Grand Duke tested the sharp point of the shard on his finger. "Well," he said after a moment, "the young king will take some convincing. He is… willful. But keep this girl out of sight until we may profitably marry him off, and you will get what you desire."

 

Lady Tremaine smirked²². She would be more than willing to keep Cinderella out of sight— for as long as necessary.

 

Kit was exhausted²³. Since his father's death, he had barely slept, and once he had sent out the proclamation seeking his mystery princess, sleep had been even more elusive²⁴. He stared out the window of the throne room. The Captain of the Guard stood nearby, a comforting presence. If only Kit could find the girl he couldn't stop thinking about . . .

 

Hearing footsteps, Kit looked up. The Grand Duke was striding across the room, a barely suppressed smile on his face. Coming to a stop in front of him, the Grand Duke held out a glass shard. Kit recognized it instantly.

 

"Where… ?" he began.

 

"Abandoned on the side of the road," the Grand Duke answered.

 

Kit held the shard in his hand, tracing the edge with his thumb. "And have you found her?"

 

"No," the older man said. "She has disappeared."

 

"There must be some reason she vanished," Kit said, refusing to give up all hope. The girl he knew from the woods was strong and courageous. She wouldn't run away. A dark thought raced through his head. "Perhaps she has been prevented from speaking…"

 

At the suggestion, the Grand Duke shifted uncomfortably. Kit noticed and was about to press him when the other man spoke²⁵, his words a knife to Kit's heart.

 

"It pains me to say this, Your Highness, but has it occurred to you that the maiden²⁶ might not return your feelings?"

 

He paused, letting the words sink in. "She may see you as our enemies do: the callow, naive²⁷ princeling of a weak little monarchy²⁸. Perhaps… she simply does not love you." Kit flinched²⁹ as though struck. "I knew you were cynical³⁰ , Grand Duke. I did not know you were cruel."

 

"The world is cruel, Your Highness," the Grand Duke replied. "Not I."

 

Until then, the Captain of the Guard had been silent. He was surprised to hear the Grand Duke speak to the young king this way, and he didn't like it. "Don't lose heart, Kit," the Captain said, trying to help.

 

The Grand Duke shot the Captain a look. "On the contrary," he said. "Lose heart and gain wisdom. The people need to know that the kingdom is secure. That the king has a queen. They want to face the future with certainty."

 

For a moment, Kit was silent, the Grand Duke's words ringing in his ears. The older man did have a point. But on his deathbed, his father had told him that the only way the Grand Duke could ever rule was for Kit to let him. And Kit was not ready to roll over and give up. Not yet.

 

"Now I am king," Kit said. "And I say we must seek out the mystery princess. Even if she does not want to be found. I have to see her again." His eyes narrowed and he focused his next words directly at the Grand Duke. "That is my command."

 

The Grand Duke nodded reluctantly. "As you will, Your Majesty³¹. But if she is not found, then for the good of the kingdom, you must marry the princess Chelina." He knew there was no hope of finding the mystery princess. What harm would it do to let the newly crowned king think he was in control?

 

Kit hesitated. He did not want to marry Princess Chelina. But if agreeing meant he could continue his search for the girl from the woods, he would say what was needed. "Very well. But you will spare no effort." His fate, his heart, and his kingdom were on the line.

 

弗雷德里克国王去世的一个月里，整个王国都笼罩在悲痛之中。过了一阵子，哀悼结束之后，王宫里下了一道诏令。

 

瑞拉碰巧在市场上，她当初就是在那儿听到舞会的消息的。这次她和姐姐们在一起，帮她们买东西，少不了让她又提又拎的。瑞拉朝市镇广场上一处喧闹的人群走去，姐姐们在后面跟着。

 

传令官又站在了喷泉旁边，宣读着巨大的卷轴。“安静！安静！”他喊道，“我们的新国王陛下宣布，他的意中人是那位穿着水晶鞋出席宫廷舞会的神秘公主，并请这位公主闻诏后进宫拜见，如果公主有意，国王陛下将立即迎娶，并举行盛大的婚礼。”

 

瑞拉觉得时间仿佛停住了。王子爱那位神秘的公主？基特爱她？瑞拉本以为舞会那个奇妙的夜晚是她最后一次见到基特，现在她的心里又重新燃起了希望。基特竟然对世人宣布自己爱她。瑞拉的脸上浮起两朵红霞，她觉得自己的心又开始怦怦直跳。

 

瑞拉没顾上跟姐姐们说话，转身朝家里飞奔而去。她必须尽快到王宫去。虽然她没办法再穿上舞会那天穿着的那条华丽裙子，但她至少有一件东西可以证明自己的身份——那只水晶鞋。瑞拉笑了，她想到仙女教母在那个神奇的夜晚说过的话：“你永远不知道像鞋子这样的细节有多么重要。”噢，她说得太对了。

 

(看到了吗，忠实的读者？我是不是说过仙女教母永远是正确的？)

 

但是当她冲进房间掀开那块地板时，她大叫了一声。她藏东西的地方只剩下那只玩具蝴蝶，而且翅膀还被扯掉了。

 

“你在找这个吗？”

 

瑞拉猛地转过身，她的继母坐在椅子上，黑暗遮住了她的半张脸，但她的眼睛闪烁着光芒。她手里拿着瑞拉的那只水晶鞋。

 

“这只鞋一定有一段离奇的故事吧，”特曼妮夫人说，她用一个手指挑着水晶鞋。“可以给我讲讲吗？”瑞拉摇摇头。“那我给你讲一个故事吧。从前有一个漂亮的年轻姑娘，嫁给了她心爱的男人。她生下了两个可爱的女儿。一切都很完美。但是后来她的丈夫，那个点亮她生命之光的人，死了。为了孩子，她又一次嫁人了。但是第二个丈夫又离她而去。”她朝瑞拉微笑了一下，但眼神里满是冷酷，瑞拉不敢去看。“而且她不得不每天面对着他心爱的女儿。”

 

特曼妮夫人没有再说话，有那么一会儿，她和瑞拉互相看着对方。瑞拉一方面能够体会继母失去亲人的痛苦，另一方面又想起继母对她的残忍，一点儿也不觉得同情她。

 

特曼妮夫人继续讲她的故事。“她本打算把其中一个漂亮的傻女儿嫁给王子。但是王子的心里只装着一个穿水晶鞋的女孩。所以……从那以后她的生活就变得郁郁寡欢。我的故事也似乎就要结束了。好了，该讲讲你的故事了。”她举着水晶鞋问：“是不是你偷来的？”

 

瑞拉摇摇头：“是别人给我的。”

 

“给你的？给你的？”继母冷笑起来，“从来就没有白给的东西。每一件东西我们都要花钱，花钱。”

 

“不是这样的，”瑞拉说，“善良不需要花钱，爱也不需要花钱。”

 

特曼妮夫人面露怒色：“你错了，爱会让你付出一切。” 瑞拉看着水晶鞋在这女人的手指上摇来晃去，内心充满了恐惧。如果它掉下来摔碎了，那她就没有东西可以拿给基特看。特曼妮夫人仿佛猜到了瑞拉的心思，她告诉了瑞拉接下来会发生什么事情。

 

她，作为一位贵妇，可以为瑞拉担保。毕竟，谁会相信一个父母双亡的女仆会是那位俘获王子之心的美丽“公主”呢？瑞拉和王子结婚以后，瑞拉要让特曼妮夫人做王室的总管，还要保证让安泰西亚和崔西里亚嫁入贵族豪门。特曼妮夫人告诉瑞拉，她余生都要得到显赫的地位，作为王室的总管，她还要控制整个王宫。

 

瑞拉听到继母的如意算盘连忙摆手。面对继母的残忍冷酷她一直努力表现得很勇敢。她包揽了一切家务活，满足继母和姐姐们的所有奇思异想和无理要求。她住在自己家的阁楼里。她被人叫作灰姑娘。她放弃了那么多。但是现在她受够了，她再也不允许继母从她这里拿走任何东西。“不行，”她说。

 

“不行？”特曼妮夫人重复道。

 

“我不会让你像毁掉我的家一样再毁掉王室，”瑞拉说，“我没能阻止你伤害我父亲，但是我现在要保护好基特，保护好整个王国。”

 

特曼妮夫人眯起眼睛，脸涨得通红。“所以你现在敢造反了？那你可错了。”她举起水晶鞋，使劲往墙上一砸，鞋被摔得粉碎。特曼妮夫人手里只剩下一大块碎片。

 

瑞拉倒吸了一口气。“你为什么这么残忍？”她叫道，“我不明白。我试着好好对你，尽管你不配。你为什么这么做？为什么？”

 

这问题让特曼妮夫人近乎发狂。“为什么？”她也大叫起来，“因为你又年轻，又天真，又善良，而我……我……我做不到。”说完她冲了出去，用力把门关上，把瑞拉锁在了里面。

 

瑞拉赶紧跑到门那儿，但是她知道已经没有用了。她被锁在牢笼里了。继母现在可以想怎么做就怎么做，想怎么说就怎么说了。

 

特曼妮夫人马上就开始这么做了。她确信瑞拉不能走出阁楼之后，就立刻拿着那个水晶鞋的碎片来找她唯一可以指望的人——公爵。

 

“能告诉我你从哪儿找到这个的吗？”公爵看到特曼妮夫人展示的碎片问。特曼妮夫人庄重地点点头回答：“从我家一个衣衫褴褛的女仆那里。”

 

公爵低头看了看碎片，一副若有所思的样子。

 

“那么你就直接来找我了？”

 

“当然，”特曼妮夫人回答，“我听说您是王国里最值得尊敬的人。”

 

他们相视一笑。

 

“那个女孩……”

 

“在一个安全的地方，”她接着说。

 

公爵点点头说道：“你使我们的王国免于陷入一场丑闻。”

 

特曼妮夫人看起来非常高兴。这正是她所期盼的，因为这样一来公爵就欠她一个人情。她把话挑明以后，公爵问她想要什么。她不假思索地回答：“我自己要得到一个头衔，我女儿们则需要门当户对的婚姻。”

 

“可以，”公爵答应道，“那个女孩呢？”

 

“任凭您处置，”特曼妮夫人摆摆手说，“她对我来说无所谓。”

 

公爵用手指试了试锋利的碎片尖，过了一会儿说道：“好吧，我要花点时间说服我们年轻的国王，他有点……任性。但是你要把那女孩藏起来，直到我们妥善地安排国王完婚，那时你就可以得到你想要的了。”

 

特曼妮夫人得意得笑起来。她巴不得把灰姑娘关起来——需要关多久就关多久。

 

基特疲惫不堪。自从父亲去世以后，他几乎没有合过眼。自从寻找神秘公主的公告发出以后，他更是睡不着。他站在宫殿的窗前，看着窗外。侍卫长站在他身边，这让他心里好受一点儿。如果能找到他日思夜想的那位姑娘该多好……

 

听到有脚步声，基特抬起了头。公爵正大步走过来，脸上露出抑制不住的微笑。公爵走到基特面前停了下来，拿出那个水晶碎片。基特马上认了出来。

 

“在哪里……”他问道。

 

“被扔到了路边，”公爵回答。

 

基特拿着碎片，用拇指摸了一下它的边缘。“你找到她了吗？”

 

“没有，”这位年长的男人回答，“她消失了。”

 

“她消失一定是有什么原因，”基特说，他不愿意放弃希望。他在树林里认识的那位姑娘既坚强又勇敢。她不会逃跑的。一个不祥的念头划过他的脑海。“或许有人不让她说话……”

 

听到基特的话，公爵不自在地扭动着。基特注意到公爵的反应，想要继续追问下去。这时公爵说话了，他的话像刀子一样刺向王子的心。

 

“这样说我也很痛苦，陛下，但是您有没有想到她可能无法回报您的感情？”

 

他停了一会儿，好让基特明白自己的意思。“她或许和我们的敌人一样看待您：一个贫弱小国羽翼未丰、天真幼稚的王子。或许……她根本就不爱您。”基特像被击中了一样畏缩了一下，“公爵，我知道你愤世嫉俗，但不知道你如此残忍。”

 

“是这个世界太残忍，陛下，”公爵回答，“不是我。”

 

在这之前，侍卫长一直没有说话。公爵竟然用这种口气对年轻的国王说话，他非常诧异，也很不喜欢。他想帮忙，于是说：“别灰心，基特。”

 

公爵看了侍卫长一眼说：“相反，应该丢掉痴心，增长智慧才对。人民需要知道王国是稳固的，国王会娶一位王后。他们需要面对确定的未来。”

 

基特沉默了一会儿，公爵的话在他耳边回响。公爵说得确实有道理。但是父亲临终前说过，只有基特愿意，公爵才能够做主。基特现在还不想认输或放弃，不想。

 

“现在我是国王，”基特说，“我说过我们要找到这位神秘的公主，即使她不愿意露面，我也要再见她一面。”他眯起眼睛，直接对公爵说：“这是我的命令。”

 

公爵不情愿地点点头。“就按您的意思办，陛下。但是如果找不到她，那么为了王国的利益，您必须娶赛琳娜公主为妻。”他知道基特是找不到那位神秘公主的。让这位新即位的国王觉得自己大权在握有什么坏处呢？

 

基特犹豫了。他不愿意娶赛琳娜公主。但是如果答应公爵的要求可以让他继续寻找树林里的那位姑娘，他愿意这样说。“很好。但是你必须全力以赴。”他的命运，他的爱，他的王国都悬于一线。

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