The prince suddenly realized that Cinderella had disappeared, and upon inquiry, he learned that she had left without a word.
The prince was anxious because he still hadn’t figured out if she was the one who had saved him.
Although Cinderella’s stepmother and her two daughters claimed to be the prince’s saviors, he had doubts.
The eldest daughter said she had saved him from the sea, but she couldn’t even swim.
Even more absurd, the second daughter claimed she had killed a tiger with a single punch, something even the best hunters couldn’t do.
Moreover, neither of them resembled the girl he had seen in his hazy memory while unconscious.
So, he decided to hold another ball, hoping to see her again.
The bird quickly brought the news to Cinderella and, along with the big tree, encouraged her to attend.
But Cinderella said, “I won’t go, I’ve already been to one.”
“Come on, come on, they say this ball will be the grandest one ever, much different from the last.”
“The prince is starting to suspect that I saved him. If he finds out, my stepmother will too, and then I’ll be in big trouble.”
“Just deny it no matter what the prince asks! As long as you don’t say it, and we don’t say it, who will know? Besides, you have magic.”
The bird and the tree took turns persuading her. Left with no choice, Cinderella agreed.
She waved her magic wand, and this time, the gown she conjured was even more dazzlingly beautiful than before—so much so that she could hardly believe it herself.
The bird and the tree remarked, “Maybe your magic has grown stronger.”
And so, Cinderella and the bird, who had transformed into her servant, once again rode the pumpkin carriage to the palace.
As Cinderella walked into the palace, everyone gasped in amazement, saying she looked even more beautiful than the last time.
But the happiest of all was the prince—finally, she had arrived.
He immediately approached her and invited her to dance.
The entire evening, he was either dancing with her or chatting with her.
Meanwhile, Cinderella’s stepmother and her two daughters were seething with jealousy, fanning themselves so furiously that their fans were almost falling apart.
Towards the end of the night, the bird, transformed into her servant, started to get anxious.
It seemed like it had something important to tell Cinderella, but the prince was by her side the whole time.
Finally, when the prince briefly stepped away, the bird rushed over and said, “We must leave immediately! Have you forgotten? The magic will disappear at midnight, and everything will return to normal—your gown will turn back into rags, and your glass slippers into broken shoes…”
Only then did Cinderella remember.
She hurried out of the palace with the bird, but just as she got into the pumpkin carriage, she noticed one of her glass slippers had fallen off.
She wanted to go back and pick it up, but the bird exclaimed, “There’s no time!”
The bird quickly steered the pumpkin carriage away.
Meanwhile, the prince once again noticed that Cinderella had vanished.
After asking around, he realized she had left without a word again.
He rushed outside, but there was no sign of her—only a single glass slipper remained.
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