I Deserve a Happy Ending! A Cinderella Story

Part 5 -The Difference

. . . .

We head out of the ballroom, undisturbed by others. The ball continues in full swing even without the presence of the prince.

"If we take a turn here, the dressing room will be on our left." The prince guides us along the maze-like castle.

These hallways are significantly darker than the popular ballroom. It feels almost eerie, forgotten. The essence I felt previously is missing and void. The lack of anything catches me slightly off guard. Shouldn't a royal castle be more, I don't know, fanciful? Splendor? Grand? Breathtaking? It's like I'm behind the stage of a play, the details are only surface level and the fake inner workings are revealed.

"Careful!" The prince suddenly pulls me in close. My body narrowly grazes a standing pillar. But it comes in contact with a different type of support. The prince's body is sturdy. Hidden muscles can be felt through his suit, his chest firm and hard.

"T-tankhs. I mean thanks." I stammer, blushing at our proximity. My heart feels like it might come out of my chest!

"Not a problem. You seem to be out of it. Are you alright?" He looks at me deeply. "I should have been more considerate."

"Oh, no I'm fine!" I brush aside his apology, stepping back to create some space. I wince a bit from the blisters forming on my feet. I don't want to dance for the next ten years!

"Are you hurt?" The prince notices my discomfort. "Let me carry you to the dressing room. You shouldn't be walking if your foot's injured." He scoops me into a princess carry without warning.

"AH!" I grip his suit jacket tightly, afraid of falling. One of my glass slippers falls from my feet. It shatters into many pieces.

"Oh no!" "NO!" Sheer fear envelops my body. The glass slipper! It broke!

"Wait! Put me down!" I struggle to escape from the prince's clutches. I can't let the other one break!

"No, it's dangerous!" His grip tightens and steps away from the mess. "I'll surely reimburse you for the shoe, but it's not safe for us to stay here. Especially as your foot is injured and you are now barefoot. You could get hurt even more!"

"No! Put me down! Let me at least save my other shoe!" Tears start to well up in my eyes. What am I going to do? One of the magical glass slippers broke. How can I complete the fairytale without two slippers? How will the prince find me again once the spell breaks?

"I will not put you down! Broken glass is very dangerous and you're barefoot! Our priority is to treat your foot first, then clean up the mess." The prince uses one of his hands to skillfully remove the intact slipper. "Here."

I take the glass slipper from his hand and squeeze it tightly to my chest. There's no way I'm letting this thing go. If this breaks as well, I'll never get my happy ending!

"Sniff." I rub the tears away. My makeup's probably ruined and now my hand's dirty. Feelings of dread and failure creep in. Why is this happening to me? Why is it so hard for things to go my way? Why can't this be easier?

"Here we are." The prince takes me to a luxurious room with an assortment of couches and lounge tables. He places me gently on a nearby couch, the softness is welcoming and unexpected. So comfortable! This is nothing like what we have!

Reveling in the wealth of the royal family, I take a minute to inspect the room. Despite the name, it is more of a resting room than a room for dressing. There is a vanity for touchups but no bathroom or sink. Rather than a dressing room I would consider it more of a meeting room with all of the seating and tables available for gossiping ladies.

"I've sent word to collect the shards and a pair of shoes. I swear to you in the name of the royal family that we will reimburse you for your loss." The prince places his hand on his chest and swears. His eyes reflect the seriousness in his voice.