Doomsday Wonderland - Chapter 136

Chapter 136

At that critical moment, Lin Sanjiu felt herself waking up from a bed of prickly straws . Faint light entered her eyes and before she could react to the changes, she jumped up, and dried straw fell off her body noisily . Cinderella was startled by her sudden action .

"What’s wrong?" Cinderella asked kindly . The maiden’s face and hands were covered with black soot, "You had a nightmare?"

"Me… Ah, yes . " Lin Sanjiu blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to bring her senses back from the old cottage with the heavy rain and the barking dogs . It took her a few seconds to recover before looking out of the window . It was still dark outside and a crescent moon was in the sky . There wasn’t even a hint of impending rain .

"What time is it now?" Lin Sanjiu calmed her breathing and looked at Cinderella, a little confused, "Why are you still working at this time?"

Cinderella sighed, "I always wake up at this time to do my chores . It will be dawn soon . I will need to prepare breakfast . " After she said that, she paused and watched the stove in front of her in a daze . Lin Sanjiu could guess what she was thinking about . From the information she gathered, it had already been a month since the ball . Based on the normal chronological order, Cinderella would have already lost one of her shoes . Yet, even after almost a month, the prince wasn’t looking for her . . .

To Cinderella, the bejewelled dress, the dazzling lights and the dance with the prince had all become but a dream . The dream had ended and she had to go back to her chores, kneeling in a dirty kitchen with dirt all over her hands .

[Is Cinderella’s story reaching a climax just like the Little Red Riding Hood storyline?] Lin Sanjiu pondered as she excused herself saying she wanted to clean up . She walked outside and took stock of her cards . She handed Cinderella’s stepmother some scented candles and some torchlights . Though the woman accepted the ‘payment’ without making any comment, she did not hide her disappointment that Lin Sanjiu did not present her any pieces of jewelry . This also explained why she only arranged for Lin Sanjiu to sleep on straw .

After Lin Sanjiu finished taking stock of her cards, she placed her hand under her chin and began wondering about the two people in the little cottage . [Neither Red Riding Hood nor Emma look like werewolves… There was nothing unusual about their behavior . But then again, what is a werewolf like anyway?]

As Lin Sanjiu was deep in thought, the sky gradually grew brighter . After a busy morning, Cinderella made and brought the sets of breakfast to her stepmother and stepsisters . She made a simple meal of potatoes and peas for herself and shared some of it with Lin Sanjiu .

The taste wasn’t fantastic but Lin Sanjiu was very grateful just to have something to eat . Cinderella giggled when she saw how Lin Sanjiu gobbled her food hungrily, "You must have had a difficult time traveling . "

Her words struck a chord with Lin Sanjiu . If going through multiple New Worlds was her journey, she really didn’t know where her destination was . Normally, Lin Sanjiu would curb herself from thinking about the countless New Worlds out there . She also tried her best to avoid thinking about her friends who had died or her companions she had lost contact with . But these feelings were like shifting silt under the water surface . Just a single sentence from Cinderella stirred these emotions she had been suppressing .

"Yeah, it is hard . I rarely get to eat a meal," she regained her composure and replied with a smile .

Cinderella hesitated when she saw Lin Sanjiu’s expression . She wanted to say something but was interrupted by the noise outside . They heard a male servant shouting, "Madame, Madame! Where are you? Come out now to welcome the palace head steward!"

[Here it comes…] Lin Sanjiu’s heart pounded as she placed her bowl down and pulled Cinderella, who was still in a daze, through the mansion’s back door . The large family mansion did not look as imposing as it usually was . The stepmother rushed out, holding the corners of her dress . It was clear that she just tidied her hair as there was still a sheen of oil over her hair . Cinderella’s two stepsisters stood behind their mother . They had clearly put on makeup and adorned themselves with many jewelry . "Why is the head steward here?" Cinderella’s stepmother asked after she caught her breath .

The head steward was a silver-haired middle-aged man with a stoic face . He had such a serious face that it would evoke the same expression in anyone who saw him .

"According to the prince’s order, I have traveled the entire kingdom looking for a lady who can wear this shoe . " After he explained himself in a business-like manner, he waved his arm and the servant behind him revealed a crystal slipper in a box . "Anyone who could wear this shoe would earn the privilege to be by the prince's side . "

The crystal slipper shone clearly under the sun . Once it was revealed, Lin Sanjiu heard Cinderella soft gasp . Luckily, everyone was focused on the head steward and the slipper so no one else noticed .

The next series of events were quite similar to the fairytale . Even though it wasn’t as gruesome as the fairytale where the stepsisters cut off their heels and toes to fit their feet into the slipper, it took them a lot of effort . They bound their feet with strips of clothes, forcing their toes under their feet, creating a sort of western foot binding . Despite the pain, they were unable to squeeze their feet into the slipper as the crystal slipper did not provide any extra space . It only fit its true owner perfectly . The head steward even wanted Lin Sanjiu to try but when he saw her pair of timberland boots, he immediately rejected that idea .

In the end, Cinderella was a little nervous when she slipped her dainty, small feet into the crystal slipper . Lin Sanjiu was startled when the people around her let out cries of shock and exclamation . "That’s great!" the head steward said with the same stoic face, showing no hint of happiness . "We finally found you . I am sure the prince would be pleased . "

Cinderella blushed and allowed the female servants from the palace to pull her up . After she bathed and wore makeup, she finally showed her beautiful appearance like in the ball . Being in a fairytale and witnessing the main character go through various events was a wonderful experience for Lin Sanjiu . As there were too many people in the main hall, Lin Sanjiu had to watch from the window of the second floor as the head steward brought Cinderella away cordially, towards a specially-crafted carriage .

From Lin Sanjiu’s memory, the prince should appear at this point and would give the order to punish Cinderella’s stepmother and the stepsisters .

[Is the prince sitting in that carriage?] The events which unfolded seemed to prove that she was right . The head steward said something to the person in the carriage and invited Cinderella to step into it . Cinderella looked into the carriage and turned to speak with the head steward . Then, she waved her hands anxiously…

[Huh?] Lin Sanjiu squinted . Cinderella’s expression looked weird . Her face was a little pale as she shook her head violently . As Lin Sanjiu was too far away, she couldn’t really hear what they were saying . Cinderella looked like she didn’t say much and quickly turned to walked away . However, she was suddenly stopped by two tall soldiers . They grabbed Cinderella and stuffed her into the carriage forcefully .

Cinderella struggled, kicking her two feet which were still outside the carriage, but it seemed like someone in the carriage was preventing her from escaping . Meanwhile, the wheels of the carriage started moving and it was about to leave the estate . The people in the mansion became silent when they saw this .

[This is a critical difference!] Lin Sanjiu gritted her teeth and leaped out of the window when nobody was noticing . The impact of her landing numbed her legs but before the dust settled on the ground, she had already covered a significant distance and was sprinting behind the carriage . As she did not know what had happened, she did not use her maximum speed to chase after the carriage . Instead, she just observed while she allowed some distance between herself and the carriage .

Thankfully, the kingdom wasn’t that big and they reached the palace in less than 20 minutes . After all, those people managed to get all the girls in the kingdom to try that slipper . As the palace was quite small, it was very easy for Lin Sanjiu to search the entire place, as if there were no security at all . It took her only 20 minutes to find Cinderella in an elegantly decorated room . Cinderella’s face was pale and covered with streaks of tears . However, she did not seem shocked to see Lin Sanjiu .

"The prince who danced with me isn’t that man . " She sobbed .