One evening, Cinderella's two stepsisters came home from the royal ball. They knocked on the door, and Cinderella quickly opened it for them. She rubbed her eyes as if she had just woken up. "Oh, you are so late!" she said sleepily.
"If
you had been at the ball, you wouldn’t feel tired at all," said one of the
sisters. "A beautiful princess was there, the most stunning we have ever
seen. She was so kind to us and even gave us delicious oranges and
citrons."
Cinderella
could hardly hide her excitement because she knew they were talking about her!
She asked them what the princess’s name was, but they told her no one knew.
They also mentioned that the prince was very sad and would do anything to find
out who she was.
The next
night, the sisters went to the ball again. Soon after, Cinderella arrived too,
dressed even more magnificently than before. The prince stayed by her side the
whole time, speaking sweetly to her. Cinderella was so happy that she forgot
her fairy godmother’s warning about leaving before midnight.
Suddenly,
the clock struck twelve! Cinderella gasped. She quickly got up and ran as fast
as she could, just like a little deer. The prince chased after her, but he
couldn’t catch her. As she hurried down the steps, one of her glass slippers
slipped off her foot. The prince picked it up gently and held it close.
Cinderella
reached home out of breath. She had no carriage, no servants, and no fine
dress—just her old, ragged clothes. The only thing she had left from the ball
was the other glass slipper.
When the
stepsisters returned, Cinderella asked them about the ball and if the beautiful
princess had been there again. They excitedly told her, "Yes! But when the
clock struck twelve, she ran away so fast that she lost one of her pretty glass
slippers! The prince picked it up and has been staring at it all night. He is
clearly in love with her and will do anything to find her."
And
indeed, the prince was determined to find the mysterious princess. A few days
later, he made an announcement with trumpets: "I will marry the girl whose
foot fits this glass slipper!"
Many
princesses, duchesses, and ladies of the court tried the slipper, but it did
not fit any of them. Finally, the prince’s men brought the slipper to
Cinderella’s house. The two stepsisters tried their best to squeeze their feet
into it, but no matter what they did, the slipper did not fit.
Cinderella,
who was watching, smiled and said, "May I try?"
The
stepsisters burst out laughing. "You? That's ridiculous!" they
scoffed.
But the
royal servant, who was in charge of the slipper, noticed how pretty Cinderella
was. "The prince ordered us to try the slipper on every girl," he
said. "She has the right to try it too."
Cinderella
sat down, and the servant slipped the shoe onto her foot. It fit perfectly, as
if it were made just for her! The stepsisters gasped in shock. Then Cinderella
reached into her pocket and pulled out the matching slipper. She gently placed
it on her other foot.
Just
then, Cinderella’s fairy godmother appeared. With a wave of her magic wand, she
transformed Cinderella back into the magnificent princess from the ball.
The
stepsisters finally realized that the mysterious princess had been Cinderella
all along! Overcome with shame, they fell to their knees and begged for
forgiveness. Cinderella smiled kindly, lifted them up, and hugged them. "I
forgive you," she said gently. "I always remember what my mother told
me before she passed away—'Always be kind and patient, and no matter what
hardships you go through, happiness will find you in the end.'"
Soon
after, Cinderella was taken to the palace, dressed in her finest gown. The
prince thought she was even more beautiful than before, and in just a few days,
they were married. Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.
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