Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. She was gentle and loved by everyone.
However, she had an unfortunate life. Her mother had passed away, and her stepmother, along with her two daughters, treated her very poorly.
Even though her family was wealthy, they made her wear tattered clothes, didn’t let her eat well or stay warm, and made her do a lot of housework. She often worked in the kitchen, getting covered in ashes.
In short, Cinderella’s life was worse than that of a servant.
One day, the king announced that a ball would be held at the palace, inviting all the young girls to attend.
The prince had reached the age for marriage, but none of the noble ladies interested him.
The king and queen were very troubled by this, so they came up with an idea: to hold a ball at the palace and invite all the young girls, so the prince could choose a bride from among them.
The prince was handsome and had a kind personality, making him the dream prince for many girls.
This news made all the young women very excited, and they dressed up, hoping to win the prince’s heart at the ball and become his bride, living the life of a princess.
Cinderella’s stepsisters were no exception. They immediately bought many beautiful dresses and jewelry.
On the day of the ball, they asked Cinderella to help them dress up.
After dressing them, Cinderella also wished to attend and begged her stepmother and sisters to take her along.
They looked at her in disdain and said, “You? How could you go to the ball? You can’t dance, and you don’t have any nice clothes. Don’t embarrass us!”
Then they left.
Cinderella couldn’t help but cry. Just then, a voice said, “Don’t cry. If they won’t take you, you can go by yourself!”
Cinderella looked up and saw it was her godmother.
Wiping her tears, she said, “Forget it. I’m just dreaming. The ball is for noble ladies of the palace. Look at me, I look like a servant. I wouldn’t even be allowed inside!”
“Is that so hard?” the godmother said.
She waved her magic wand, and a large pumpkin from the garden rolled over. With another wave, the pumpkin turned into a magnificent carriage.
She then transformed several mice into horses and a coachman, and lizards into footmen.
Cinderella was astonished; she had never imagined that her godmother had magical powers.
In fact, her godmother was a fairy.
The fairy godmother looked at Cinderella’s tattered clothes and said, “Look at you, you can’t enter the palace dressed like that.”
She pointed her wand at Cinderella, and immediately, her worn clothes transformed into a beautiful gown. Her hair was styled elegantly, and she looked radiant.
Cinderella was stunned.
The fairy godmother then took out a pair of crystal-clear glass slippers and had Cinderella put them on.
After surveying her, she said, “Perfect! You look like a princess! But you must remember this: the magic will disappear at midnight. You have to return before then, or everything will return to its original state—the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin, the horses and coachman will become mice again, and the footmen will turn back into lizards.”
Cinderella agreed, thanked her fairy godmother, and happily got into the carriage, heading to the palace.
As Cinderella stepped out of the carriage and entered the palace, all eyes were immediately on her.
She was so beautiful and graceful, her gown so dazzling, that she shone like a precious gem.
Everyone at the ball was talking about the beautiful young woman, wondering which noble family she came from, or if she might even be a princess from a neighboring kingdom.
The prince also noticed Cinderella and immediately approached her to speak. He invited her to dance.
Cinderella hesitated, saying she didn’t know how to dance, but the prince reassured her, saying it didn’t matter—he could teach her.
He took her hand and patiently guided her through the steps, not minding even when she stepped on his feet.
Seeing this, the king turned to the queen with satisfaction and said, “It seems our son has finally found a princess he likes, and she seems like a fine young woman!”
Cinderella had an unforgettable evening, but she didn’t forget her fairy godmother’s warning. With just 15 minutes left until midnight, she quietly left the ball.
She had barely returned home when her stepmother and stepsisters arrived back as well.
She overheard them grumbling, “There was some girl at the ball we’ve never seen before. The prince was completely captivated by her, spending the whole evening talking and dancing with her. We didn’t even get a chance to be with him…”
They didn’t recognize Cinderella, which made her feel relieved. She had been worried that they might recognize her and punish her for going to the ball.
Cinderella went to the ball again the next day.
This time, her gown was even more beautiful, and everyone marveled at her appearance.
The prince had been waiting for her to arrive, so when he saw her, he immediately went to greet her and stayed by her side the entire evening.
As the prince got to know her, he found that not only was she beautiful, but she also had a kind and gentle nature. He liked Cinderella more and more.
Cinderella, in turn, began to realize that the prince was not only handsome but also kind and gentle, and she started to like him as well.
The conversation between Cinderella and the prince seemed endless, and she lost track of time, forgetting her fairy godmother’s warning.
It wasn’t until the clock was about to strike midnight that she suddenly realized and rushed out of the palace.
She ran as fast as she could toward the pumpkin carriage, but in her haste, one of her glass slippers fell off. She didn’t have time to pick it up.
By the time she reached the carriage, the clock struck twelve. Right before her eyes, the carriage turned back into a large pumpkin, the horses and coachman became mice again, and the footmen turned back into lizards, all scattering away as the magic disappeared.
Meanwhile, the prince, seeing Cinderella run out in such a hurry, chased after her, but by the time he got outside, she had vanished.
All that was left was a single glass slipper, which he picked up. He asked the passer-by if he had seen a girl in a beautiful gown.
He replied that he saw a girl running, but she was dressed in rags, not a fancy gown, and she was wearing just one glass slipper, matching the one in the prince’s hand.
The prince held the glass slipper thoughtfully.
The next day, the prince told the king that whoever could wear the glass slipper would be his bride.
The king immediately issued an order for all the young women in the city to try on the glass slipper.
The girls were overjoyed and eagerly came to try it on, but none of them could fit into the slipper.
When it was Cinderella’s family’s turn, her two stepsisters eagerly tried on the glass slipper, but just like the others, it didn’t fit.
As Cinderella came out to serve tea, she was surprised to see her glass slipper and, after understanding what was happening, said, “I’d like to try it on as well.”
Her stepmother and stepsisters immediately burst into laughter. “Stop joking! Don’t embarrass us!”
But the palace steward in charge of the shoe fitting looked at Cinderella and said, “Go ahead and try it!”
The stepmother protested, “Don’t be ridiculous! How could she possibly be the girl from the ball?”
The steward replied, “It’s my duty, and besides, she does look a bit like her!”
So, Cinderella slipped her foot into the glass slipper, and it fit perfectly!
Everyone was stunned.
One of the stepsisters exclaimed, “How could she be that girl? This must just be a coincidence…”
But then Cinderella pulled out the other glass slipper and put it on.
The room fell silent in astonishment.
The steward, delighted, exclaimed, “You are the one! We’ve finally found you. Come with me to meet the prince!”
Soon after, Cinderella and the prince were married and lived happily ever after.
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