CHAPTER 2

After praising my beauty for a while, I pulled the rope next to the bed. Then, like a scene I read from the novel, a maid entered the room to serve me. As the maid washed me, I politely asked her why Cinderella was acting the way she was. She smiled softly at me and began to give me the information I had asked for.

The reason was simpler than I thought.

The reason why Cinderella wears shabby clothes and is covered in soot even though she looks like a beloved child.

I seemed to have overlooked the fact that Cinderella is a child full of hopes and dreams. Though her age should not matter, isn't 7 much too young?

I mean- there used to be fairy tales here too. The stories are similar to fairy tales told on Earth. A prince and a princess appear, and they fall in love and get married.

The only difference from Earth is that a prince does exist here and lives very close. The Marquis’ estate is in the capital, where the palace is also situated.

Cinderella was a child who read a fairy tale book and dreamed that the fairy tale would become her own story. One day, after seeing the prince, she fell in love.

Thus, she has decided to marry the prince; however, the child's thinking skills are not yet fully developed. She came across a fairy tale that was similar to the original ‘Cinderella’. Mimicking the story, the child surprised everyone by wearing a maid's uniform and covered herself in soot shortly after meeting the prince. She then asked her stepmother and stepsisters to bully her. That way, she said, the prince will come and defeat the bad villains and take her away. Her voice was filled with hopes and dreams.

At the child's cute words, the adults vowed to protect the child's innocence, bought her clothes that looked shabby and were actually very comfortable and expensive, and got her black powder that was harmless to her skin. As a result, the child is viewed as a despised, persecuted, naughty girl in this mansion. It's a ridiculous story.

"By the way, our lady Cinderella is very cute. I'm just a maid, but how can she be so cute….."

Why does everyone in this house like Cinderella so much? I asked something else, but in the end, she just bragged about Cinderella. It doesn't matter if she was good at work. I slowly closed my eyes as I felt a hand drying my hair.

I didn't know that the story behind Cinderella would be this crazy. I'm a bit surprised by the possession, but I cannot do anything to change what has already happened...

Now that I think about it, I even thought that it was fortunate that I entered a fairy tale. I was a bit flustered at first, but I'm not a supporting character with a death flag because I didn't bother Cinderella, nor is she a female character that I should avoid. There's no threat to my life. If I stay still, a happy ending will unfold. I'm worried that the Crown Prince's cheek will be slapped in the future because of Cinderella’s personality I saw when I first met her, but I'll teach her how to behave. The most important thing is that I'm a rich unemployed person.

Good. Being rich and unemployed is enough. I don't have to go to high society. Let's spend a lot of money and live. I dived into a happy dream, accepting the slow rush of the hippocampus.

-And now I look back.

That happiness lasted exactly 2 years.

The ending of the fairy tale 'Cinderella' is to marry a prince.

Cinderella also wanted her ending to be a marriage with a prince.

The reason I'm saying this again is because I've suffered so much that I feel like It's going to be engraved in my soul.

Now Cinderella is 9 years old. This child has kept her beliefs from 7 years old to this age. She's still acting like a crazy maid!

Then, all right. I'll tell you what's so annoying about this. I thought I'd be fine. I was only worried about the death flag, but I thought Cinderella's dream to marry the prince was rather something to cheer for.

However, I overlooked the fact that small things will become a great disaster when they are gathered.

When it comes to the atrocities committed by my youngest sibling, who I wanted to kill for two years, there is no end to it. First of all, Cinderella storms in at 6 a.m. saying it’s her duty to wake up her master in the morning. Knock? Of course not. I wonder how such a short child always opens such a big door and kicks it with her feet. So she just barges in, recklessly pulls up the curtains, waking me up with the sun that fills the entire room. Then she goes out in a leisurely manner.

As I was thinking about it, I shuddered and threw away the quill I was holding in my hand.

No, I'm a person who has to sleep until 10 in the morning!

Sigh. Even without this, there is no end to her atrocities. My clean dresses and all sorts of clothes are covered in soot. Once in a while, she would make porridge that was even unacceptable for a dog to eat. She talked about her plans to marry the prince all day long. Her voice was like a loud bell ringing sound, and Cinderella's chatter is beyond description. Is this what it feels like to be bombed with words. Having to listen to her high-pitched voice all day drives me insane.

Thud!

As I was banging my head on the desk, Livy, my personal maid, looked at me anxiously. She was the only person in this family who understood me.

My mother and older sister, the people who are the stepmother and eldest sister in the original story, were very kind unlike the original.

No, to call them nice is an understatement. Even though my sister suffers the same way as I do, her face color never changes and she’s still chubby. Couldn’t they ask her to stop even for a day? I asked if it was too much, and everyone just laughed and said.

'Oh my, Why? Isn't she cute? When she grows up, she will come to her senses on her own. It's okay, Sasha.'

How is this okay? Do you know what’s more important? My fundamental right. The very basic necessity for my human life! My sanity!

I tried to talk about it with them a few more times, but it always ended with "hahaha, our Cinderella is cute." Of course, she's cute. Cute enough to conquer the world, but that's not the point, is it?

Now I know that words don't work. So, I was thinking of getting rid of the source itself.

"Livy, get ready to go out. Bring me something moderately glamorous and elegant. I'm going to the palace."

"Oh my, my lady? Why all of a sudden?"

Livy sprang up out of nowhere and looked at me with wide eyes, wondering why I made such a sudden request. I gave her a resolute look and told her my plans. Cinderella wants to meet the prince now, right? So…

“I will go to the Palace and threaten the Crown Prince. Just take one day off."

Livy’s face was dumbfounded upon hearing my plan, thinking it was ridiculous. I hesitated a little when I saw her expression. It wasn't that I didn't know it was crazy. I'm begging you, because it's rude to say the least, the prince of a country. I would be asking the Crown Prince, who will inherit the throne, to spend his time on personal affairs. Hwizna indeed has power and it would not work unless the current condition of the crown prince was taken into account.

However, the crown prince is…..

After pondering for a moment, I shook my head and drove away from the thoughts. I've had enough. I don't want to hear that she's going to marry the prince anymore. I have reached the point of waking up from a nightmare at night because I could hear the ringing in my ears. I am at my limit.

Livy's expression gradually changed. I watched the youthful emotion on her pale face with an anxious feeling.

…..Are you going to get angry? Why would even the heir of the family scold me for that?

"Oh, my God, my lady! How dare you think so!"

I'm going to get in trouble. Hmm.

It would be even weirder if I let it go on like this. I deserve to get in trouble once in a while.

I was taught to be confident at all times. I looked into her eyes, struggling to keep my eyes wide open. Soon Livy's high voice rang out.

"Great plan! Lady Cinderella will be very happy. She will be extremely happy to see the prince of her dreams again!"

…...Hey, not a prince, but the crown prince. What I'm about to do is defame the royal family. By the way, is it okay for me to do it so carefreely?

Her face, which had been flowery because of the loss of words, loosened. Whether or not she knew how I was feeling, Livy continued to speak with positive emotion.

"As expected, my lady pretends to be cold, but you actually feel sorry for Lady Cinderella! After all, no one can’t resist seeing such an angelic lady say that she will marry the prince!"

Damn heroine buff. Does this also apply to fairy tales?

"......Prepare quickly."

"Ah, yes, My lady!"

The aftertaste is bitter. There's no one in this world I can trust.

* * * *

"My lady, we're here."

I was escorted by the coachman and got off the carriage. The green hem of the skirt waves gently. The dress I picked today was a green dress with a bell line. There was no special decoration on the dress, and it was a simple dress with a modest silver thread embroidery and diamonds. What's special is that it gradates slowly into a white color from the knees down. Wearing a sleeveless dress, elbow-high satin gloves, and a diamond necklace, it became a 'properly glamorous and elegant' dress, as I had requested. While lightly stroking my hair that was lowered in front of me, I made up my mind.

The Palace looks magnificent again today. The Palace, which was made of white marble, shone in the sun. I hurriedly entered the palace and submitted a request for an audience with the crown prince, who unexpectedly accepted it immediately. I had a subtle feeling as to whether I should be happy or anxious about this.

No, of course, I did ask to see him. Though it feels like a dereliction of duty to receive a reply as soon as I send it. I am also busy as the heir to the marquis, but the Crown Prince should be busier.

I'm sure he's not working these days.

As I walked behind a servant through the quiet halls where there were not many maids and servants, I fell into deep thought. I remembered what Livy said earlier.

'By the way, my lady. Is it going to be okay?'

'What is it? The contempt of royalty?'

'No, I'd rather go to Miss Cinderella than that. Apparently, His Majesty the Crown Prince is......'

Recalling that, I tapped the palm of my hand with my fingernail. As with all things, life is not smooth.

3 years ago. The day after the Crown Prince's coming of age ceremony, exactly 3 months before I became Anastasia. After possessing this body, memories from the past started to come up irregularly, and now, three years have passed, I have almost all of my memories.

Yonas von Laganian. The only prince and the crown prince of the Laganian royal family. He, who had shown the qualities of a perfect king until then, was ruined the day after my coming-of-age ceremony.

At the same time, as he did not attend all the classes and important events he received, he would appear at any party or ball without notice, with a different partner every time.

Of course, his reputation began to plummet. The Crown Prince's misconduct spread not only domestically but also internationally.

Would it have been a little different if Yonas had been a nobleman instead of a Crown Prince? Unfortunately, however, he was the one to inherit this country in the future. The nobles rebuked him even more strongly, for he did not have strawberry blond hair and golden eyes like his mother. I don't know if the perfect Crown Prince he had shown before was just a mask or changed because he was now an adult. The nobles didn't understand an adult delinquent who appeared out of the blue and started fooling around. There was a huge difference in the way the Crown Prince was treated before that. The same way that adults who always score 100 all of the sudden get a 60 act like it’s the end of their world.

However, his behavior did not improve, and now the Crown Prince's reputation is very bad. In short, should I say that the adolescence of the stormy years has come to fruition?

So, even now, I am a little guilty of not telling my mother. I am about to set up such a person with my youngest sister. Obviously, this will negatively impact the reputation of Marquis Whizna

The only comforting thing for me is that they might only meet for one day and break up, a strange proposal to even call it a love affair. Maybe the Crown Prince isn't even garbage for incineration.

No matter how much the Crown Prince changed his lover and refused to attend events, that was all he did. He was promiscuous only on the surface. No, it's a little funny to say promiscuous in the first place.

There were no drugs, no cigarettes, no rape. I heard he doesn’t even drink much. He didn't molest a woman by force, he only faced the women who approached him.

Single. He had no consistent lovers and no illegitimate children.

However, the reason why the aristocrats reprimanded him was that he was not engaged even though he was 20 years old and had refused to perform his duties as the crown prince. In the vulgar part of society, there were even rumors of him being a prostitute. "Prostitute" is not excessive but vulgar. It was confusing whether he was changing partners or being replaced because he always partners with women who approached him first.

"Whizna Young-ae. Could you wait here for a moment?"

After thinking for a moment, the servant stopped in front of the white door and opened it. I went in there, sat on the sofa, and touched the refreshments that were already prepared. It was nice to have a cup of tea in the cold weather.

Tak. With the sound of the door closing, the voice of the servant rang quietly.

"The Crown Prince will be here soon."

As I listened to the servant's words, I erased all the thoughts in my head. Well, there must be a reason for that, but it was none of my business. The only thing I need to pay attention to is whether his appearance will harm Cinderella or not.

It’s difficult for me to have the courage to say these words, but the Marquis Whizna is quite powerful. Of course, I can't guarantee that I will survive if I openly rebelled, but I could. In other words, it was possible to prevent the Crown Prince from doing strange things with Cinderella. Well, there are no stories of him being a lolicon.

As I took a sip of the tea, Earl Grey's unique bergamot scent spread. Well, it's delicious. We get along better than our butler. It's my taste.

I took another sip and slowly leaned back on the sofa. This is the first time I have met the Crown Prince properly. I've never even danced with him. I’ve never conversed with him except for a polite greeting at a New Year's banquet and a hunting party once a year. But I remembered his face very clearly. No, it's weird that I can't remember his face all of a sudden.

Everyone has a taste. The face of the Crown Prince is a so-called 'face that breaks taste'. Even if he filled the spot with his face, it was believable. Even though there is no mixed blood between a fairy and a human, there are even rumors that he might be mixed.

It is also understandable to some extent that Cinderella, who saw the crown prince's face once, is still infatuated with him. I can’t deny that one of the prettier people than me was the crown prince and that his appearance was the main driver of the rumors, not kicking his tongue like the average aristocrats.

However, I do not understand why the puberty state of the storm and rage is like this.

I picked up the cookies on the table. The cookie with cranberries on it looked delicious.

The cookie crumbled in my mouth when I took a bite. It was still warm and soft, maybe freshly baked. Chewing a slightly sour cookie, I thought peacefully.

Because fairy tales are also Romance Fantasy, they were aristocrats, butlers, and maids, all of them were handsome and pretty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was standing on top of it, and he was the crown prince.

The reason I came here is quite impure, but I can't help but look forward to it. It feels like I’m about to meet a celebrity.

I smiled broadly and drank the remaining tea in my mouth.

Then, hurry up and come. Your Highness the Crown Prince.