The search began almost immediately. Led by the Grand Duke and the Captain of the Guard, a group set off from the palace. Per Kit¹'s orders, they were to visit every maiden² in the kingdom, whether she was rich or poor. Kit had placed the glass slipper³ in the Grand Duke's keeping to be used as a test. If the shoe fit, they had found their mystery princess.

 

And so it began. They knocked on the doors of large homes where the ladies greeted them with tea in fine china. They knocked on the doors in the humbler part of the village and stood shivering by empty hearths⁵. When every maiden in the town had been seen, the search moved to the countryside. In small inns, women lined up to try their luck or hailed the group as they passed open fields.

 

Days passed and the search dragged on. But whether the ladies were from the town or the country, their excited reaction was always the same, and so was the outcome. The glass slipper never fit. On some, it was too small. On others, too large. It was too narrow, or too wide. No matter what the complaint, there was no doubt that they had yet to find the mystery princess.

 

"Enough folly," the Grand Duke said as he and the Captain rode. It had been weeks and still nothing. "Not a foot will suit this accursed shoe," the Grand Duke went on. "Time to head back to the palace, Captain."

 

The Captain sighed and turned his horse to go, but catching⁶ sight of a house down the road, he paused. "We're not done yet, Your Grace," he said, pointing.

 

Barely glancing in the direction of the Captain's finger, the Grand Duke waved at the house dismissively. "We have been there already," he said, agitated⁷.

 

"We have not, Your Grace," the Captain said. The Captain was no fool. He had seen the way the Duke barely went through the motions, scoffing⁸ at the poorer girls and getting out of houses as quickly as possible. But this was Kit's future. There was no way the Captain was going to let him down.

 

The Grand Duke sneered⁹ at the Captain but reluctantly nodded. "Very well," he said. "We can tell His Highness that we have searched every house in the kingdom." Kicking his horse into a canter, they approached the house.

 

Unbeknownst to either man, the house was in fact not just a house. It was Ella's house. And hearing the sound of hoofbeats, Anastasia and Drisella went wild with anticipation¹⁰.

 

"Mother!" Anastasia cried from the parlor¹¹. "It's our chance!"

 

"Let them in!" Drisella shouted.

 

Unlike her daughters, Lady Tremaine was calm. She knew what would happen. Neither girl was the mystery princess. She was locked up in the attic¹². Yet her daughters acted as though they actually stood a chance. Not for the first time, she had to wonder how they had become such fools.

 

Sighing, Lady Tremaine walked to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see the Grand Duke at the head of the search party. There was a brief look of surprise on his face, as well. But then he composed himself and bowed deeply. She curtsied in return. Both pretended they'd never met before.

 

"A moment of your time, good lady," the Grand Duke said.

 

"Of course, Your Grace," Lady Tremaine replied.

 

The Grand Duke took out a well-worn scroll¹³ and read, for the thousandth time, the proclamation and the command of the king: to try the glass slipper on every maiden in the kingdom until they found the foot it fit. Nodding, Lady Tremaine called to Anastasia and Drisella.

 

"These are your daughters?" the Grand Duke asked, glancing at the two girls who fidgeted at their mother's side. Lady Tremaine nodded. "And they are the only maidens¹⁴ in the house?"

 

"Yes," Lady Tremaine said, pushing Drisella forward.

 

Taking the glass slipper off the cushion upon which it had been resting, the Captain of the Guard kneeled in front of Drisella. She lifted the hem⁴ of her skirt and began to squeeze her foot into the slipper—until her foot got stuck. The shoe was far too narrow. "How strange," Drisella said through clenched¹⁵ teeth as she continued to shove her foot inside the slipper. "It fit so well at the ball." Then, with a yelp¹⁶, she lost her balance and fell over.

 

"Enough!" the Grand Duke cried. He motioned to Anastasia.

 

Just as her sister had done, Anastasia lifted her foot. The Captain slid the slipper on. But where Drisella's foot had been too wide, Anastasia's foot was just wide enough. For a brief moment, it looked like it might be a fit. And then everyone saw it: Anastasia's heel stuck out over the back of the slipper. Her foot was far too big.

 

The Grand Duke clapped his heels together. "Very well," he said. "Since there is no other maiden, our task is done." Then, for it was what he was supposed to say, he added, "The king will be disappointed."

 

"Ah, well, it is the way of the world," Lady Tremaine said, shrugging. She and the Grand Duke shared a barely perceptible nod. "But fate may yet be kind to us."

 

"Indeed, madam," the Duke replied. "You are as wise as you are beautiful."

 

With another bow, the Duke and the Captain turned and began to walk to their waiting horses. But as they did so, the Captain heard something. Pausing, he cocked his head and listened. There it was again: the very faint sound of someone singing—a girl singing. Whipping back around, he leveled his gaze at Lady Tremaine. "Madam," he said, his tone warning. "Are you sure there is no other maiden in your house?"

 

Up in the attic, Ella was unaware¹⁷ that the Grand Duke and the Captain of the Guard were in the house. She didn't know that the other glass slipper was being tried on her stepsisters' feet or that Lady Tremaine and the Grand Duke had a plan in action.

 

She sat on her bed and sighed. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. Instead, she would focus on the good, just as her mother had taught her to do. She would hold on to her memories of Kit and remember the happier times from her childhood. She would think of her mother and father and the love they had given her, and that would keep her warm when winter came. Those thoughts would nourish her when she was hungry. While things had not gone her way, she knew she had kept her promises, and that was enough. It was freeing to let go of the pain and sorrow.

 

She began to move through the attic, her fingers brushing against the remnants of the toy butterfly, which was now gently laid on her bed. She leaned down and waved hello to Jacqueline and Gus, who twitched¹⁸ their whiskers happily. As she walked, she began to sing her mother's lullaby. "Lavender's green, dilly dilly," she sang, her voice soft and sweet. She approached the door and leaned against it, her voice growing stronger. "Lavender's blue… You must love me, for I love you."

 

搜寻几乎是立即就开始了。公爵和侍卫长亲自率领一队人马从王宫出发。按照基特的命令，他们要查访王国的每一位少女，不管她富有还是贫穷。基特把那只水晶鞋交给了公爵以便让别人试穿。如果鞋子合适，那他们就找到那位神秘的公主了。

 

查访就这样开始了。他们敲开深宅大院的门，贵妇给他们用精美的瓷器端上香茶；他们敲开荒野乡村的门，站在空荡荡的壁炉边瑟瑟发抖。查访过市镇上的所有少女，他们又开始搜寻乡村的。在小酒馆里，女人们排着队要试试运气；在田野里，女人们向他们欢呼。

 

日子一天天过去，搜寻仍在继续。不管是市镇还是乡下的少女，她们一开始都是激动万分，但是结果都一样。谁穿这只水晶鞋都不合适：要么太小了，要么太大了；要么太瘦了，要么太肥了。不管他们怎么抱怨，他们无疑还是要继续寻找那位神秘的公主。

 

“太愚蠢了，”公爵骑着马对侍卫长说。他们已经搜寻了好几个星期但是一无所获。“没有一个人能穿上这只该死的鞋子，”公爵继续说道，“该回王宫了，侍卫长。”

 

侍卫长叹了口气，掉转马头准备要走。不过看到路的那头有一座房子时，他停了下来。“我们还没有查完呢，大人。”说着，他指向那座房子。

 

公爵勉强看了一下侍卫长指的方向，然后不以为然地冲房子的方向摆摆手。“我们去过那儿了，”他有点不耐烦地说道。

 

“我们没去过，大人，”侍卫长说。侍卫长可不好糊弄。他看公爵不过是敷衍了事：对贫穷人家的女儿冷嘲热讽，恨不得立刻逃离搜查的房子。但这关系到基特的将来。无论如何侍卫长也不能让基特失望。

 

公爵对侍卫长冷笑一声，但不得不点点头。“很好，”他说，“这样我们就可以告诉陛下我们已经搜查了王国的每一所房子了。”说完他踢马向前，快速朝房子走去。

 

两个人都没想到的是，这所房子不是别处，正是瑞拉的家。安泰西亚和崔西里亚听到马蹄声，不禁欣喜若狂。

 

“母亲！”安泰西亚在客厅里叫道，“我们的机会来了！”

 

“快让他们进来！”崔西里亚喊道。

 

和女儿们不同，特曼妮夫人非常平静。她知道会发生什么事情。神秘的公主不是她女儿中的任何一个，她被锁在阁楼里，但女儿们表现得好像她们会有机会似的。特曼妮夫人忍不住想女儿们怎么变成了这样两个白痴，这已经不是她第一次这么想了。

 

特曼妮夫人叹息着上前开门。见到公爵带着人马来搜查，她很吃惊。公爵的脸上也掠过一丝惊讶。但他很快镇定下来，深深鞠了一躬。特曼妮夫人也屈膝还礼。两人都装作从来没见过面。

 

“打扰您片刻，夫人。”公爵说道。

 

“当然，大人。”特曼妮夫人答道。

 

公爵拿出破旧的卷轴，开始第一千次宣读国王的命令：让全国的每一个少女都试穿这只水晶鞋，直到找到能穿上它的人。特曼妮夫人点点头，把安泰西亚和崔西里亚叫了过来。

 

“这两位是您的女儿？”公爵看着特曼妮夫人身边两个坐立不安的女孩问道。特曼妮夫人点点头。“家里没有别的少女了吗？”

 

“是的，”特曼妮夫人说着把崔西里亚推到前面。

 

侍卫长从垫子上取下水晶鞋，在崔西里亚面前跪下来。她提起裙边开始使劲把脚往鞋里伸——直到卡到动弹不得。鞋子太瘦了。“好奇怪，”崔西里亚一边咬牙切齿地说着，一边继续使劲往鞋里塞着脚。“舞会上明明穿得好好的。”说着她尖叫一声，跌倒在了地上。

 

“好了！”公爵喝道。他指了指安泰西亚。

 

像她妹妹那样，安泰西亚也抬起脚。侍卫长把鞋子给她穿上。刚才崔西里亚的脚太肥了，安泰西亚的脚肥瘦刚刚好。一下子看起来，好像是正合适。但接着人们都看到安泰西亚的脚后跟还在鞋跟外面露着呢——她的脚太大了。

 

公爵并起双腿。“很好，”他说，“既然没有其他少女，我们的任务就完成了。”然后，他又说道：“国王陛下会很失望的。”这种情况下，他只能这么说了。

 

“啊，好吧，这个世界就是这样。”特曼妮夫人耸耸肩说。她和公爵用他人难以察觉的方式互相点了点头。“但是命运可能会再次眷顾我们。”

 

“一点儿没错，夫人，”公爵回答，“你可真是既美丽又聪明。”

 

公爵又鞠了一躬，便和侍卫长朝等在门外的马匹走去。但这时，侍卫长听到了什么声音。他停下来，抬起脑袋听着。他又听到了：那非常微弱的声音是有人在唱歌——一个女孩唱歌的声音。他立即转身盯着特曼妮夫人，用警告的口吻说：“夫人，你确定家里没有其他少女了吗？”

 

此刻，阁楼上的瑞拉不知道公爵和侍卫长就在她家里。她不知道她的姐姐们正在试穿另外一只水晶鞋，她也不知道特曼妮夫人和公爵正在按他们的计划行事。

 

她坐在床上叹息着。她不允许自己哭。她只会去想好的方面，就像母亲曾经教她的那样。她回味着和基特有关的事情，还有自己小时候的快乐时光。她想起了父亲和母亲，想起了他们给她的爱，所有这些都让她在寒冷的冬天拥有一颗温暖的心。饥肠辘辘的时候，所有这些都能滋养着她。尽管事情没有如她所愿，她知道她信守了自己的诺言，这就够了。忘记痛苦和悲伤会让人更加释然。

 

她开始在阁楼里走来走去，她用手指抚摸着残缺的玩具蝴蝶，这会儿蝴蝶正轻放在她的床上。她弯下腰向杰奎琳和葛斯招手问候，他们高兴地抽动着胡须。她一边走动一边唱起了母亲的摇篮曲。“薰衣草啊，嘀哩嘀哩。”她用温柔甜美的声音唱着。她走到门后倚在门上，声音大了一些。“蓝花绿叶……你要爱我，因我爱你。”

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