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“You filthy wretch, how dare you sneak off to the ball behind our backs! If you’re so desperate for a man, we’ll marry you off to a
stable boy tomorrow!”
Madame Tremaine grabbed my hair and slapped me hard across the face several times.
Victoria clutched the glass slipper to her chest and kicked me hard in the stomach. The attic door opened, and I fell down.
Victoria giggled. “Thinking you could be a princess? You should look in a mirror first.
“Stay here like a good girl. If you make a sound, you’re dead.”
With a loud bang, the attic door was locked. I pounded on the door above my head, my face filled with despair.
This is bad. If they take out this shoe, the prince will surely know I’m here. He’ll kill me!
Soon, I heard Madame Tremaine’s fawning voice from above.
“Oh my, Lord Roderick, why have you come personally-
“No need to try it on, this shoe belongs to our Victoria. Victoria, show the other shoe to Lord Roderick.”
Lord Roderick’s face was stern as he held a fine velvet cushion with a sparkling glass slipper on top.
“Everyone must try it on. Oh–indeed, they make a pair. Noble lady, please come with me to the palace so the prince can see for
himself.”
The other maids and guards all offered their congratulations. Victoria excitedly hugged Isabelle and spun around.
Soon, a flurry of footsteps gradually faded away, and silence fell once again overhead.
I slumped to the ground, my face filled with despair.
My sister’s foot was bigger than mine. Once they entered the palace and the prince discovered she couldn’t wear the shoe, he would soon come to my house. I had to escape before that happened.
But the attic door was locked, and there wasn’t even a window. I had no way to escape.
9:07 AM
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There were many tools in the attic. I found a hammer and started chipping away at the wall. After an hour, I had only managed to scrape off a thin layer of plaster.
Covered in sweat, I angrily smashed the hammer against the wall a couple of times before throwing it to the ground.
A mouse in the comer was startled and scurried to the other side, squeaking.
Looking at that mouse, my eyes lit up as an idea suddenly came to me.
