Chapter 4
The Prince's Serenade
While venturing out, Cinderella encounters Prince Sim Jake, a renowned singer and dancer from a prosperous kingdom. He's captivated by her spirit, a stark contrast to the princesses vying for his attention.
The wind whipped Cinderella’s unruly auburn hair across her face, a playful, invisible hand ruffling her already disheveled mane. She tugged harder at the reins, urging her sturdy mare, Ember, into a brisker trot. The familiar, albeit slightly resentful, scent of horse was a welcome balm compared to the cloying perfume that usually permeated the castle halls. Here, amidst the whispering pines and rolling hills, she was simply Cinderella, a girl with a love for the wind in her hair and the beat of hooves beneath her.
Her family’s reaction to her newfound passion had been, predictably, a masterclass in passive-aggression. Bella had sniffed, dabbing an imaginary tear with a lace-trimmed handkerchief, “Oh, Cinderella, venturing out without a chaperone? What if you stumble upon a rogue peasant and soil your… well, your tunic?” Nana had chimed in with a simpering giggle, “Or worse, what if you get lost and have to ask for directions? The shame!” Even Tom, bless his oblivious little heart, had merely waved a half-eaten tart in her direction, a silent endorsement of anything that took her away from his perceived duties.
But Cinderella, now twenty-three years and a lifetime of serving tea and polishing armor removed from the girl who’d meekly accepted her fate, merely smiled. It was a small, secret smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, a smile that promised future inconveniences for those who underestimated her. She had a divine gift simmering just beneath her skin, a fire that pulsed behind her forehead, and while her family saw it as a peculiar inconvenience, she felt its power stirring, whispering of possibilities beyond scrubbing floors and fetching slippers.
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