In the magnificent palace, crystal chandeliers hung with shimmering tassels, and girls dressed in their finest attire gathered in twos and threes, their laughter blending into the elegant symphony.
The roses in the vase were in full bloom, their delicate petals glistening with dewdrops. The fragrant scent of roses wafted through every corner of the banquet, mingling with the perfumes worn by the girls to create a rich and enchanting aroma.
The table was set with a variety of exquisite pastries, and the rich red wine swirled in the stemmed glass, creating an intoxicating arc.
Xia Linyin stood in the shadows on the second floor. Her well-tailored tuxedo accentuated her slender figure. The dark purple fabric was embroidered with intricate gold thread patterns, and a gold handkerchief was placed in the small pocket on her chest, with a folded corner peeking out.
Her soft, short, coffee-colored hair was swept back, revealing her full forehead and deep-set eyes. Her features, accentuated by strong lines, made her handsome and dashing.
Xia Linyin took out her pocket watch and glanced at it. She pursed her lips. The banquet had been going on for a long time, but Cinderella had not yet arrived.
Logically speaking, Cinderella should have already arrived, dressed in a beautiful dress and dreamy glass slippers, riding in a pumpkin-turned-carriage.
Could something have happened to the witch?
Or perhaps there were no witches at all.
After all, Cinderella has become a girl with superhuman strength, so things may not necessarily unfold as in the original fairy tale.
Wouldn't that mean she missed out on a crucial step? If she had known, she would have prepared a new dress and glass slippers for Cinderella herself.
Xia Linyin never considered the possibility that Cinderella wouldn't want to come. After all, Cinderella was Xiao Li, and her two impulsive rescues of her showed that she was all talk and no action.
Therefore, how could Xiao Li not attend the banquet she hosted?
Cinderella, who should have been attending the banquet, was instead peeling potatoes.
The temperature was a bit low at night. Cinderella, wrapped in an old blanket that had been washed so much that its original color was no longer recognizable, sat in the kitchen peeling baskets of potatoes.
The dusty oil lamp cast a dim light, Cinderella's fingers were covered in dirt, and her slightly curly blonde hair, like seaweed, cascaded down her back, with a smooth, satin-like sheen.
She scraped the potato expressionlessly, her movements mechanical.
“Beautiful Cinderella, all the girls in town have gone to the prince’s party, why aren’t you going?” A woman’s voice suddenly rang out from the dark kitchen.
With that female voice, a witch dressed in a black robe and holding a magic wand appeared out of thin air in the kitchen.
Cinderella paused in her potato-peeling, turned to look at the witch, who was neither frightened nor surprised, only indifferent.
Although she didn't see the expression she expected on Cinderella's face, the witch still reassured her, "Don't be afraid, I'm just a kind witch who wants to help you, dear Cinderella. You can make a wish to me now."
Under the witch's encouraging gaze, Cinderella asked, "Can I wish for anything?"
"Yes, you can have any wish." The witch nodded, thinking to herself, "Including giving you a beautiful dress and a pair of unique glass slippers so you can look gorgeous at the prince's banquet."
"Then could you peel all these potatoes for me?" Cinderella said lightly, pointing her muddy fingers at the baskets of potatoes.
For a moment, the witch wondered if she had misheard Cinderella's request. She followed Cinderella's finger to the baskets of potatoes, her lips twitched, and she asked incredulously, "Is this your wish?"
“Yes, that’s my wish.” Cinderella nodded, blinked, and asked innocently, “What, you can’t do it?”
The witch took a deep breath. "Cinderella, don't you want to go to the party? I know you can't go because you don't have a decent dress, but that's alright. I can give you a dress covered in crystals and a pair of glass shoes, making you the most beautiful girl at the party. Tonight, the prince's eyes will only be drawn to you."
A pair of shimmering crystal shoes appeared in the witch's hands. The shimmering light seemed to flow like the waters of the Milky Way inside the shoes. Even in the dim kitchen, the crystal shoes reflected a diamond-like brilliance, dazzling and radiant.
"Aren't these beautiful glass slippers? But you have to be back before midnight, because the magic will disappear when the time comes—"
"Have you said enough?" Cinderella coldly interrupted the witch, seemingly uninterested in the glass slipper.
The witch stood there, stunned. She looked at Cinderella's indifferent expression and felt a growing sense of madness.
I have a feeling things shouldn't be like this! Where exactly did things go wrong?
As a girl, wouldn't you be tempted by such beautiful crystal shoes?
The witch took another deep breath and asked, "Cinderella, don't you want to attend the banquet?"
Cinderella replied coldly, "Yes, I don't want to attend the banquet."
After a long silence, the witch, speechless for a moment, finally managed to utter a sentence: "Cinderella, you are a very interesting (unconventional) girl."
The witch, who was ready to unleash her full potential to transform Cinderella from a little girl into a princess but ended up only peeling potatoes, left feeling utterly defeated and questioning her existence.
The culprit washed her hands and went up to the attic early with a lantern, thinking, "Great, I don't have to stay up all night tonight."
In the royal palace, the grand banquet came to an abrupt end when His Highness the Prince suddenly fell ill with diarrhea.
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