The Search for Cinderella

Chapter 15

"I should wonder who was put out by my new post," Jade was hesitant to indulge in petty gossip but couldn't resist.

"All of them to be honest," The clerk gave a half hearted smile, "Paul didn't receive any sort of employment from the royal household and he seemed the most aggrieved but he was promised a good reference."

"That's a pity," The brown haired girl remembered her basic manners, "What post have you been given? I hope it suits your ambitions."

"Research," The slim man replied promptly, "I should not be saying anything further but since you are the Prince's secretary I can presume you are trustworthy."

"I should hope so," Jade grinned, "Why the secrecy? What are you researching that's so important, my friend?"

"Magic; location spells to be precise. I need to find a way to use magic to locate a mysterious object on a map," The dark haired man confided softly. Something about Jade's affable nature made her seem dependable and reliable to him hence the looser tongue.

"That's interesting. I can't fathom what..." The secretary trailed off as new ideas sparked her imagination of what it could be.

"Apparently Sir Elliot is pursuing the matter most vigorously and needs help to locate that object. I should wonder what it was but I dare not," Harry fiddled with his parchments as if realising he had said too much.

"Oh, oh," Jade's voice was high as she made an important connection, "I understand now."

"Do you, now?" The young man scratched his neck, confused.

"Perfectly," The brown haired girl nodded decisively as she stood and took a bow. It was clear the Prince's pressing problem was behind the need for research, "It was good meeting you, Harry. I should hope we can get the old bunch of tossers back together and have a dinner or two to break the monotony."

"Yes. Jacob is back at the capital as his job was unsuited to this climate but I'm sure even Richard would be keen to wine and dine with familiar faces," The young man looked pleased with the idea.

"I look forward to it," Jade handed Harry her visiting card and urged him to send her an invitation as soon as possible.

........

Jade usually partook her meals in the public dining hall all alone if Luke's social calendar allowed it but at the end of the difficult day of sitting in Sir Elliot's office and completing paper work made her crave solitude. She ordered her meal to be brought up to her room and devored the piece of lamb before making the decision to retire early. The girl dressed into her long night shirt and loose trousers.

Jade sat motionless in front of her dressing room mirror as she watched her tangled brown hair slowly fall down her shoulders. She picked up her ivory comb and began the cumbersome process of freeing her stubborn hair from their knots. Her long picked up strands of hair section by section dilligently when her vision blurred. The brown haired girl blinked and was surprised to find herself crying.

"Oh, what a funny goose you are," Jade shook her head with a bitter smile as she wiped away her tears.

Vanity was not a vice Jade indulged in often but today she felt the urge to embrace her old appearance. She had never cared for her hair and found it so cumbersome when she rode her horse but now she regretted not indulging in at least reveling in the feel of it surrounding her face.

"I never thought I would ever miss being a girl but here I am," The young woman stood abruptly letting the comb fall from her hand. She decided she needed fresh air to give her clarity of mind.

The tall girl with her disheveled, long hair running down her back took a solitary route to the main corridor and decided instead of heading out to the gardens she should make an appearance up to a roof terrace.

The light breeze delighted Jade and she took a deep breath as soon as she exited the corridor and stepped out into one of the many terraces jutting out of the architecture. She rested her fingers on the railing and admired the views gently lit by the waning moon.

"Free as a bird, no cage in sight and yet..." Jade sighed as she gripped the marble railing with all her might. Her long locks shifted as she pondered why she had no satisfaction even though she had all the freedom in the world.

"And yet the gilded walls close in until they wrap their fingers around my neck," A man's somber voice answered back.

Jade did not reply. She could not move a muscle much less formulate a coherent sentence. The light hair on her arms rose at the realisation of who was behind her. For a lucid moment she wondered if jumping off the roof was an option.

"Shall you not introduce yourself fellow fugitive?" Luke asked with an jovial tone but Jade now knew him well enough that his probing was not as light-hearted as it seemed.

"An escaped renegade should hardly reveal her secrets," Jade hid her face behind her long, brown hair. There was no point in pretending she was anything but female. Her voice had already betrayed her so. She remained still but her body radiated the tension within it. The urgency to leave was not lost to her as her knuckles whitened from the strain of her grip on the railing.

"Have we met before? You sound familiar?" Luke wondered. He craned his neck hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure's face who's back was towards him.

"I believe not," The girl's reply was firm and unyielding. Her hands pushed her away from the railing and she used the momentum to turn around and walk away from the Prince who stood at the corner furthest from her.

"I wish to see your face?" Luke said to her her with an odd sort of urgency in his voice, "Are you the girl whose shoe I possess?"

"I am not the one you're seeking, Prince. Be on your way," Jade bowed her head even further letting her natural voice pitch even higher and hair cover her face even further. Her shoulders quivered with nervous energy as she paused hoping the man would not push the issue.

The Prince as usual did not heed to sensible advice and in one heartbeat and three long steps caught her narrow wrist in his hand in a snake swift motion. Jade took this as a sign to leave. She pulled her arm away with a grunt and took off not paying attention to her surroundings.

She nearly slipped on an errant welcome mat at the door but luckily did not fall. She could hear the Prince just right behind her as they entered the warmer corridors but she was wily. She could feel his fingertips grazing her flying hair and realising she was in danger of being caught firmly planted her feet on the ground. Luke collided into her not realising her strategy. She took the brunt of the hit but stood firm as she had been taught by Dimitri while the man hobbled and fell over. Jade turned around and took a completely different route from the one she had taken earlier on her nimble feet.

She raced down the magnificent hallway not daring to see if she was being followed. Completely out of breath she slammed herself into a hidden nook under a marble staircase hoping he would not look for her there but to her surprise the force of her collision opened a doorway.

The tall girl fell on the bricked ground with a mighty thud while the door behind her slammed shut. There glowed a dim light from a torch in the distance ensuring the tunnel like pathway wasn't completely shrouded in darkness.

Jade chuckled into the dusty ground as it all made sense now. There must be trap doors everywhere. And that solved the mystery of how the prince possessed the ability to leave his guarded rooms at will and destroy any privacy she wanted in her bedroom.