Chapter 300: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 300: The Witch and The Ash-Covered Bride (10)
The Tin Knight's remark seemed to come out of nowhere, but Dorothea was already quite accustomed to his way of speaking.
She understood his meaning perfectly.
Since Dorothea had just declared that ‘there's no way someone like that will show up,’ it meant that someone like that was now guaranteed to appear.
Her face twisted for a moment.
Dorothea reflexively started to shout, “No way!” but she had to stop herself.
She couldn't just dismiss the Tin Knight's words, not after all the spectacular things they had experienced on their journey so far.
So, she began to calmly review the possibilities.
A wild prodigy with no connection to them suddenly appearing and clearing the glass slipper test was a bit of a stretch, no matter how you looked at it. But what if she considered other factors?
First, quite a few powerful people were involved in this search for a bride. It was entirely ‘plausible’ that they could use their power and wealth to hire a skilled individual.
On top of that, the kingdom’s sacred treasure was also involved. Just as Dorothea’s party had come to Lumière in pursuit of the treasure, it wasn't impossible that someone else had come to the city for the same reason and ended up entangled in this affair.
Other than that… there was the possibility of someone connected to the Tin Knight's party being involved.
‘It couldn't be my master, could it? No, really, it can't be. It has to not be.’
Dorothea wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as if struck by a chill.
Her master, boldly stepping forward in the middle of the bride search to declare, “I am the bride.” The mere thought was a powerful mental attack that felt like it could melt her brain.
Dorothea’s honest feeling was that she would rather just destroy another magic tower than face something like that. Unfair for the magic tower, of course.
“Adel.”
“Yes?”
“Tell Cinderella to get out of her house and go to the prince right now.”
“Uh, is that okay? According to the original plan, we were supposed to wait for the prince to visit the houses in order until he reached Zoluschka's…”
“I have a bad feeling. It's better to get this over with quickly. You're faster than summoning an undead, so hurry! Here's the dye!”
“Yes, ma'am! Ah, the mask…”
“Ditch that useless mask, it's only good for half-assed deception! Drink this! And leave the sword!”
Though she looked slightly shocked at her mask being called useless, Adelaide caught the small glass bottle Dorothea threw and downed its contents in one gulp.
Her brilliant golden hair quickly turned brown, and her violet eyes became green.
Her clothes remained the same, but thanks to Dorothea's perception-hindering magic, as long as her key features—the golden hair, violet eyes, and the greatsword on her back—were dealt with, there was no risk of being recognized by the public.
Watching Adelaide dash across the streets—no, the rooftops—at a terrifying speed, Dorothea prayed inwardly.
That just this once, the Tin Knight's uselessly sharp intuition would be wrong.
*
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Cinderella was quietly spending her time at home according to the original plan…
“Hey, Cinderella. Go fetch some water from the well.”
“What? The water barrel is already quite full.”
“It's good to have extra, isn't it? My, what a lazy girl you are. Stop talking back and go.”
…or not.
Cinderella was simply dumbfounded.
‘Since when has she ever cared about the water supply?’
No matter how she thought about it, this was nothing but an excuse.
An excuse to keep her from catching the prince's eye when he visited their house.
‘Did she figure out I was the one who caused a scene at the ball?’
The suspicion crossed her mind for a moment, but Cinderella quickly shook her head.
She had carefully observed her family's reactions after returning from the ball, but there had been no sign of suspicion.
Besides, the dress and carriage she'd had were all in the black witch's care, so there was no physical evidence to be found.
In other words, this was pure spite.
They didn't think for a second that Cinderella could be the owner of the glass slipper, but that was beside the point. This was simply the ugly, malicious desire to prevent Cinderella from even getting such an opportunity!
“Yes, I'll be right back.”
Of course, Cinderella had no intention of just taking it.
She obediently bowed her head and left the house, but instead of heading to the well, she hid in a nearby alley.
And then, crack. She smashed the bottom of the wooden bucket against a nearby stone.
Her plan was to say that she was on her way to get water but had tripped and broken the bucket, forcing her to return.
Normally, she would get a harsh scolding, but it didn't matter. As long as she could put her foot in the glass slipper in front of the prince, it would be her victory.
Her damned stepmother and trashy stepsisters wouldn't dare breathe a word about the bucket. Not only that, but they would also have to pay the price for all the torment they had put her through.
Of course, she had no intention of getting her own hands dirty.
It would only damage the kind and pitiful image she had presented to the prince, and it would cause gossip.
There was no need for such a crude move. All she had to do was tell the prince about the abuse she had suffered, and he would surely take care of the rest.
There would be its own set of hardships after being chosen as the prince's fiancée, but Cinderella was confident she could overcome them. Could anything be worse than her current life, which was no different from a slave's?
‘There were some bewildering moments, but I'm glad I met that witch.’
It was while Cinderella was lost in such thoughts.
“—Are you happy?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind her without any warning.
“Gah!?”
Suppressing the scream that had reflexively escaped her lips, Cinderella quickly spun around to face the direction of the voice.
And she muttered blankly, “…The witch?”
Ebony black hair. A black dress. A stunning beauty for whom the word "beautiful" was an understatement.
Seeing the person behind her, Cinderella had momentarily thought of Dorothea, but she soon realized her mistake.
The overall features were certainly similar, but a closer look revealed significant differences in her face and her subtle aura.
If she had to describe it, it was like two different actresses dressed for the same role.
Perhaps she was pleased by Cinderella's address, "the witch."
The mysterious girl revealed a smile.
“I'm not Dorothy. But friends tend to resemble each other, so in that sense, you have a good eye.”
“Ah, yes. But, um…”
Cinderella's question, “Who are you?” was cut short.
Because the girl asked her question first.
“Are you happy?”
“……”
“Why don't you answer? I asked if you're happy.”
Cinderella wanted to retort, ‘What am I supposed to say when you just pop up and ask if I'm happy out of context?’ but she couldn't.
‘This person… she's somehow frightening.’
Her appearance was undeniably beautiful. Her innocent yet dignified demeanor was reminiscent of a princess from a fairy tale.
But beneath that beauty, in a place deep and unseen, she felt something inexplicably sticky and sinister.
So, Cinderella spoke carefully, trying her best not to get on the girl's bad side.
“Um, I'm not quite sure what you're asking if I'm happy about… I'm sorry for being so slow.”
The mysterious girl blinked her beautiful eyes a couple of times. Then, she gave a faint smile.
“No, there's nothing to be sorry for. You and I are in a similar situation, so you don't need to be so cautious.”
“A similar situation?”
“Yes. I received help from Dorothy, too. I was happy, so very happy, that when I saw you, who reminds me of my old self, I just had to talk to you.”
Only then did Cinderella understand what the girl meant.
The question ‘Are you happy?’ was about her current situation, having received help.
“So, how about it? Are you happy?”
Cinderella was about to answer that of course she was happy, but she stopped herself.
‘The witch told me not to go around talking about my connection to her.’
It was only natural, in a way. There was a high risk of their whole scheme being exposed.
The girl already seemed to know that Cinderella had received help from the witch's party, but the fact that she called her "Dorothy" instead of "Dorothea" was confusing.
Did it mean they were close enough to use a nickname, or that she only knew of her peripherally, not even knowing her real name?
So, Cinderella evaded the question.
“Um, I'm not sure what you mean.”
“……”
And in that instant, all expression vanished from the girl's face.
Cinderella knew instinctively.
Ah, I've made a mistake.
“Zoluschka!”
In that touch-and-go situation, it was the little lion's voice that saved Cinderella.
Adelaide, who had suddenly dropped from the sky—who knows what route she took—grabbed Cinderella (Zoluschka) by the waist and pulled her back, creating distance between them.
The mysterious girl's expression twisted for a moment, but after carefully observing Adelaide, she shrugged.
At the same time, the ‘something’ that had been about to sprout at the girl's feet quickly lost its power and withered away.
Relieved that her opponent had let down her guard, Adel nevertheless remained tense and asked,
“Who are you?”
“Hello, young lady from Dorothy's party. I'm not sure if I'm pleased to meet you… but let's just say I am for now.”
It was an answer that wasn't an answer.
If conversation was a game of catch, the girl gave off the strange, unsettling feeling of letting the ball you threw fly right past her, only to pull out a new one and throw it back.
Adelaide realized. The girl standing before her wasn't truly seeing the person she was talking to.
Whether she knew what Adelaide was thinking or not, the girl took out a letter and tossed it into the air.
The letter, with fluffy seeds stuck to it, rode the wind and landed in Adelaide's hand without ever touching the ground.
“Give this to Dorothy. It's an invitation.”
“I still haven't received a proper answer to my question of who you are.”
In response to Adel's question, the girl smiled. A smile as beautiful as a flower and as chilling as a ghost.
“—Ozma. A friend of Dorothy's.”
As if that was all she had to say, the girl lifted the hem of her dress in an elegant gesture and bowed her head.
Suddenly, plant stems and vines shot up from the ground, completely enveloping her body in a bud-like shape.
The bud swelled as if to explode, then scattered into countless petals.
But the girl was no longer inside.
A sudden appearance, a sudden exit, and a sudden strange phenomenon.
Staring blankly at the scene, Cinderella blurted out,
“When I was little, I used to wish I could live like the protagonist of a fairy tale. But after actually experiencing it for the past few days…”
“Experiencing it?”
“…It's not something one should do. It's bad for the heart.”
Adelaide gave a wry smile.
“So, are you going to give up? I think that person would be very sad.”
At Adelaide's words, Cinderella turned her gaze forward again.
There, in front of her house, was the prince, an anxious look on his face.
Cinderella stared at him blankly for a moment, then slapped her own cheeks with both hands.
“No. Once you're on the stage, you have to give it your all. My mother would have said the same if she were still alive.”
Adel smiled at Cinderella's words.
And on that day, a rumor spread throughout the kingdom: the heir of the Lumière territory had officially taken a new fiancée.
A mysterious letter. A lingering question. Scattering flowers. Fervent applause. A bride, shedding her cinders to blossom beautifully.
And with that, one story came to a close.