The prince didn’t find Cinderella, but he was puzzled: he clearly saw her enter this house, yet the lady of the house said she had no other daughters.
Just then, a servant said, “Prince, I think the lady is lying! Do you remember? There was a heroine in our kingdom who saved an old woman from bandits, and you, the king, and the queen invited her to the palace as a guest. She’s the daughter of this family, though I heard she’s the stepdaughter. Maybe the person we saw was her!”
The prince suddenly understood.
The next day, the prince knocked on Cinderella’s door again.
He said, “So the heroine of our kingdom is in your house. Even though she’s a stepdaughter, she’s still your daughter. How can you say you only have two daughters? Have her try on the glass slipper. Besides, I want to meet this heroine too!”
The stepmother was extremely reluctant, but seeing the prince’s serious expression, she had no choice but to agree.
The prince and the servant exchanged a knowing smile, confident they would uncover the truth this time.
What they didn’t know was that Cinderella happened to be passing by and overheard their conversation through the wall.
Hearing the prince wanted to see her and make her try on the glass slipper, Cinderella became worried and rushed to the garden to discuss with the birds and the big tree.
The bird said, “The prince noticed that the person at the ball and the person who saved him looked alike. He also sees that you now have the same build as the person at the ball. If you can fit into the glass slipper, he’ll be 100% sure that the person who saved him and the one who danced with him are both you!”
Cinderella said, “That’s exactly why I’m worried. If the prince finds out, so will my stepmother. She warned me not to tell anyone about saving the prince, and if she knows I went to the ball, she’ll never let me off.”
The big tree said, “You have magic. You could transform into a completely different person, but with your stepmother here, if you suddenly look different, she’ll get suspicious. It’s quite a tricky problem.”
Cinderella frowned as well, but being a clever girl, she soon came up with an idea.
She went to the hall to meet the prince.
Everyone was shocked when they saw her.
Cinderella had wrapped a scarf around her head, leaving only her eyes visible. She wore a thick, shabby coat, making her look bulky.
The prince said, “Can you take off the scarf?”
“Prince, I’ve caught a cold. I don’t want to pass it on to everyone, especially you.”
She purposely coughed twice.
“It’s already spring. Why are you wearing such heavy clothes?”
“I’m cold because of the flu.”
“Well then… try on the glass slipper.”
Cinderella put her foot into the glass slipper.
Everyone stared intently.
But soon, the room burst into laughter.
The prince looked disappointed.
Cinderella’s foot was too wide; only three toes fit into the slipper, and she couldn’t get it on at all.
She had used magic to make her foot wider.
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