It didn't take long for the cinder-covered girl to finish all her chores and return to the witch.
“Thanks to Miss Adelaide, I finished so quickly.”
The girl’s praise was no empty compliment.
The golden-haired girl with the sunny disposition didn't seem particularly skilled at housework, but she was an incredibly fast learner.
When it came to tasks like mopping or sweeping, she would start by using nothing but brute force. But as soon as she was shown the proper posture or how to hold the tools, she quickly became proficient. Even tasks that required dexterity and composure, like sewing, she handled without difficulty.
Drawing water from the well and carrying it home, which was back-breaking labor that would have taken the girl ages by herself, was finished in a mere ten minutes without breaking a sweat, all because Adelaide was there to help.
The cinder-covered girl’s eyes sparkled.
“You seem so much stronger than you look. Is that the witch’s magic, too?”
“Hmm, it’s not exactly the witch’s magic, it’s the effect of this belt. Ah, but I borrowed the belt from the witch, so in that sense, I guess it is her power.”
Adelaide’s words weren’t a lie, but they weren’t the whole truth either.
Even without the belt’s assistance, and with no mana reinforcement whatsoever, the little lion was strong enough to lift the entire carriage the party usually traveled in. To be honest, this level of labor didn't even count as exercise for Adelaide.
“Wow.”
The cinder-covered girl’s eyes shone brightly.
There were times she’d felt disappointed, wondering, Is this really a mage? But now she was certain the witch she’d requested a contract from was truly incredible.
When the two returned to the carriage, they found the witch, Dorothea, holding the game book and making various adjustments.
“That didn't take as long as I thought,” Dorothea said. “At this rate, we should have enough time. I've been steadily increasing the time dilation, but there's a limit, you know.”
Not quite understanding the latter part of the statement, the cinder-covered girl responded to the first.
“Yes, Miss Adelaide is amazing at housework. I’ve been hired as a temporary maid at other houses to earn money before, and I know for a fact that if she were hired at some prestigious house, she'd become the ace in no time!”
“…A house prestigious enough to hire her as a maid. Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
The girl tilted her head at the witch’s scoffing remark, but the witch offered no further explanation.
She pointed to a makeshift bed she had fashioned by reconfiguring the carriage’s interior and told the girl:
“Lie down.”
“Pardon?”
“Lie down. And get some sleep. I’ll wake you up before your family gets back.”
“???”
*
When the witch first told her to lie down and sleep, the girl thought it was a joke.
When she realized it wasn’t a joke, she thought it might be easier than she expected.
And now…
The girl wanted to curse her past self for so naively accepting the contract.
“You do not step with your heel first. Walk slowly and elegantly, starting from the tips of your toes.”
“Do not raise your voice when you speak. Let it resonate quietly. That is the speech of true nobility.”
“When you bow, do not bend more than thirty degrees. Restrained respect is the most beautiful.”
Etiquette.
“Keep your back straight and do not lose your center. Dancing is founded on balance.”
“When you make eye contact with your partner, it should be brief and natural. Never avert your gaze.”
“When you step, do not lift your knees too high. Move your feet as if they are grazing the floor.”
Dancing.
“His Highness the Prince was never fond of aristocratic hobbies like hunting or riding, even from a young age. He was, however, greatly interested in the arts.”
“His Highness dislikes sour flavors. He avoids even sour fruits. He does, however, enjoy sweetness when it is paired with bitterness.”
“His Highness’s favorite color is white. However, he dislikes overly plain clothes, so it is necessary to use white as a base while creating a suitable harmony.”
The Prince’s preferences.
“The history of the Lumière Count family shares its origins with the current kingdom. After the old kingdom was destroyed by a sudden disaster, the surviving nobles competed to claim the vacant throne. At the time, public opinion in Lumière was boiling with calls for independence, just as in the old days. However, the head of Lumière at the time declared that instead of joining the power struggle, he would pledge allegiance to the final victor. As a result, the Lumière territory alone was able to enjoy a time of prosperity and stability while other domains were in chaos.”
Family history.
“Guuuhhhhhh.”
A bizarre groan, one unfitting for a young lady in her prime, escaped the cinder-covered girl's lips.
But she didn’t have the presence of mind to care about such things.
Just how many hours have I been studying? Did she mean she’d wake me up not when it was time to go home, but right before the ball?
The girl practically clung to the green-haired woman, Sophia, who had entered this mysterious space with her as an assistant teacher and helper, and pleaded.
“Th-that’s enough! I don’t want to do any more! A person can’t just keep studying nonstop like this!!”
“Oh my, you seem to be having a hard time.”
At the cinder-covered girl’s words, Sophia gently stroked her hair.
Feeling that gentle voice and the cool, pleasant touch of her hand, the girl felt a glimmer of hope.
The black witch was too cold and meticulous to accept any whining, but this woman might!
“But please, rest assured. Lady Adel has used this book so often that Lady Dorothea has gotten the hang of it. Not only does it keep your physical condition at its peak, but it also greatly suppresses the strain on your mind. In other words, the fatigue you're feeling right now is purely psychological; there's nothing wrong with your actual body. So you can continue your studies with peace of mind.”
“……”
She may have entered of her own free will, but leaving was another story.
The girl wept.
*
Time flowed on, and the day of the ball arrived.
The entire Lumière territory was filled with a boisterous, festive atmosphere.
“Your looks are outstanding, so you must capture the prince’s heart, no matter what it takes!”
“You must catch the prince’s eye. If he sides with us nobles in the Lumière territory, then no matter how that ruffian king rampages, our victory will be all but decided!”
“Oh, my prince! Your true love is on her way!”
For an event meant to decide the marriage partner of a mere count’s eldest son, the situation was excessively clamorous, yet no one found it strange. The title of “prince,” originally used only by the common folk of the domain, was now being openly used among the nobility.
So many people wished to attend the ball that the single event had to be split into four.
“I heard the one chosen at the first ball was Lady Elizabeth of the Hartfield Marquis family.”
“Aren’t they the ones acting as the de facto leaders of the noble faction since Marquis Hemming left? Her beauty and nobility were worthy of her family’s history.”
“They say the one chosen at the second ball was Lady Filia Norman!”
“The treasured daughter of the Norman Company, considered the best in the kingdom? Her appearance was so magnificent and striking, she was like a blooming red rose.”
“The one chosen at the third ball was Lady Annabel Clemens!”
“W-wait a moment. She may be from a collateral line, but she’s still royalty! I can’t imagine how big this is going to get. That aside, she had a presence that made you want to embrace her.”
“Who do you think will be chosen at the fourth ball?”
“Who knows? It’s a ball for those who are eager to participate but lack any strong backing, be it power, wealth, or lineage. I doubt there will be anyone who can catch the prince’s eye.”
“You’re probably right.”
Whether they were aware of the socialites’ assessments or not, the cinder-covered girl’s family was burning with ambition ahead of the fourth ball.
“Cinderella. You watch the house while we're gone. If the chores aren’t done properly when we return, you know what will happen, don’t you?”
“Oh, what should I say when the prince confesses his love to me? I’m so torn!”
“Mother, hurry. We have to get there as soon as possible to meet the prince!”
“Yes, let’s go! Darling, your escort, please.”
“Alright, but while it’s one thing for the girls, do you really need to wear such a flamboyant dress?”
“Are you suggesting I should appear shabby in front of everyone!?”
“…N-no, that’s not what I meant. Ahem, we shall depart.”
Cinderella's father departed as if fleeing from something, breaking out in a cold sweat.
And so, the stepmother and stepsisters who followed him out of the mansion never knew.
They never saw the chilling smile hanging on the lips of the bowed cinder-covered girl.
*
A short time later, at the main gate of the palace where the ball was being held.
“It’s about time for the ball to start. Let’s close the gates.”
“Yes, sir. …Huh? Wait, please wait a moment. Look, a carriage is coming!”
“Tsk, who in the world could be so slow, so… hmm.”
The senior guard who was about to complain fell silent.
The carriage approaching the palace was that extraordinary.
A body made of what was clearly high-quality material. Large, yet perfectly balanced wheels. The fine steeds pulling the carriage had sleek coats and powerful muscles.
Up to this point, one could have dismissed it as ‘luxurious within the realm of common sense,’ but the white light that naturally emanated from the carriage, parting the darkness as it approached, was sacred beyond description.
This was, of course, to be expected. Sophia, who was riding inside, was emitting real holy power, using it as an illuminator.
The carriage finally arrived at the gate. When its passenger emerged, the guards were even more astonished.
The woman’s beauty was so great it seemed not of this world.
Normally, anyone wishing to attend the ball had to sign their name in the guest register, but the guards were so captivated by her sublime beauty that they froze, allowing the woman to enter the ballroom without any hindrance.
“Gasp.”
“H-how can this be?”
The other guests who saw the woman gasped, their mouths agape in shock.
While she had been receiving lessons in the mental world, her skin in reality had been cared for with the witch’s special ointments and perfumes, making it as white as snow and her hair as smooth as silk.
Her face shone so brightly on its own that she’d had to wear a separate disguise to avoid being recognized by her family.
Her posture, drilled into her for not dozens but hundreds of hours, was erect yet graceful, and the movement of her feet was so fluid it was as if she were walking on clouds.
The fashion designer, told she could use the Witch of the West’s special jewels as materials, saw a once-in-a-lifetime chance to splurge with someone else's money, went all out, and produced the masterpiece of her career. The glass slippers, carved by the Tin Knight with his sword energy because he didn't want to be the only one left out of the fun, added a touch of mystique to her beauty.
The witch, who had berated him with every insult imaginable—What were you thinking, making a kid wear something like this? What if they break? Do you have a brain or not? Right, you never did—had even cast reinforcing magic on them, so there was no danger of them shattering.
“Oh, ooh…!”
At the highest seat of honor in the ballroom.
The Count’s eldest son, the young man called “prince” by so many, had been gazing at the attendees with a vaguely listless air. But upon seeing the woman, his eyes went wide.
Ignoring the protests of his attendants, he rushed to her side, knelt on one knee, and kissed the back of her hand.
“Beautiful one, would you do me the honor of a dance?”
The woman—the cinder-covered girl—smiled and replied.
“I would be delighted, Your Highness.”