Cinderella Contract

Just then, the cold façade that Maynard has been wearing vanishes. Again I see the usual Maynard standing right in front of me. The eye not hidden by the patch shines brightly.

“I will try not to say anything thoughtless from now on.” I said seriously.

“Haha that is a wise choice. Putting aside talk of the next king, I am really starting to like you Little Risa.” He smiles cheekily and ruffles my hair. Even though he declared that I just came here as a decoy, I cannot hate him. Maybe that was calculated too. When he touched my hair, and hen he said he was used, Maynard wore the same expression. My spine tingles. Cyril’s words keep going through my head. Maynard’s own wife…Is it true? If I am being used in the same way…Maybe Cyril was right? Perhaps Maynard senses what I am thinking about, and just smiles his usual smile.

Later that night.

Still unsure about Maynard, I go into the night without a word to Cyril. My head hurts with all the thoughts running around inside it. I want to know more about what Cyril said…But why do I think that way? I am not really sure… Maybe I just want to talk to Cyril. There is a feeling deep in my heart that even I cannot explain. I hear a knock on the door. My thoughts interrupted, I found myself standing in front of the door. Who could it be at this hour?

“Who is it?” I asked cautiously. Cyril would just walk in…

“I’m sorry to interrupt you so late at night. I have an item that Prince Cyril asked me to hand to you.” It must have been a maid on the other side of the door. From Cyril? At this time of night? Why would he ask someone else to do something at a time like this?

“I am sorry, but can it wait until tomorrow?”

“I don’t think Prince Cyril will be very pleased if I do that…” She trailed off.

“I will explain it to him. I am sorry to put you out like this.” I said reassuringly, I was really not understanding what was happening and preferred to wait and see Cyril in person.

“Very well then…” After breathing a sigh of relief, I once again hear a knock on the door. That faint sound makes me nervous again. “You’re not as simple as was first thought. I’ll get right to the point. Don’t you want to hear about Prince Cyril and Prince Maynard?” The voice that was apologetic before has suddenly turned cold.

I check that the door is locked properly, and I shake my head even though I know it is not visible from the other side.

“I would like to know, sometime. But when I do, I will ask them. I do not feel right asking someone I have never met before.” I hear an annoyed sigh.

“If you come quietly, there won’t have to be any damage done.” She spoke fiercely, her voice dripping with poison.

“I am not opening the door. No matter what you do. “Even though I began to feel frightened, I tried hard to sound firm. I do not want to let her know she is making me nervous….

“That would seem like the right thing to do for you, wouldn’t it?”

“What do you…?” I hear a metallic sound. I gasped. Although I was sure the door was locked, the knob starts to turn. In a panic, I try to push the door closed but a hand extends from the opening. I hesitate for a moment and that was my mistake. A woman younger than me forces her way through the door. “If I scream, Cyril will hear! He is just next door! You have no reason to be in here now, please leave!” I try to keep my voice from sounding shaky.

“You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. “ She gives me an eerie grin. Huh…?

“Ah…” I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. My vision suddenly clouds over.

“You become negligent, and then you never know what the other person might do.” Those words are the last thing I heard before my consciousness slips away.

Some time later…

Once I open my eyes, I feel a pain in my wrists. They are bound… Even in my confused mind the pain comes through clearly. I life my head p to look around me, but I do not recognize anything. Where am I? It is so dark… cannot really see. It is so stifling in here, making it hard to breathe.

I can still feel a blunt pain in my stomach. I did not know people could faint from being hit in the stomach…But this is not the time to be thinking about that…I do not know where I am but I have to get away. I press my body against the wall and wriggle my way upwards. I can feel sand and gravel rubbing on my skin through my clothes.

If I feel my way along the wall, I will come to a door eventually…I will start here… I thought hard and tried concentrating on the wall. I walk around slowly, searching for the exit. When suddenly I bang into a wall in front of me.

“Ah!” I stagger around. When I finally find the exit, the door suddenly flings open. I am unable to lift my hands up to protect myself because they are tied and I am thrown to the floor. “Ugh…” As I look up to the open door, I see a familiar male figure.

“Long time no see. Of course you weren’t thinking about the choice for the next king.” My eyes widened. Shortly after, the young woman dressed like maid from before had stepped in as well.

“It was like she had no bodyguard.” She smiled proudly. “Just in case, I checked to see if she had a listening device attached to her somewhere. But I didn’t find anything like that.” He was the man I met with when I came to Ingrays. I wonder if the people here are from the castle.

“Where you after me…? And if so…?” I asked slowly, fearing for my life.

“At first we thought you might be valuable to us, but even if a prince can be dealt with so easily.” When I first met him, we explained then that I was engaged to Cyril. And now, he has snatched me away. Even so I do not plan on telling him I have changed my mind. “If she doesn’t become mine, then I don’t know what she’ll become…After all, father entrusted it to us but it didn’t work out. We have some interesting news to pass on to his Majesty, that you showed this person here.” He said, pointing at me. I was extremely confused, and could only look between the two.

“It’s a bit misleading to say I showed her here, in this case it might be more accurate to say I brought her here.” She did not look at me once, only keep her eyes on the strange man.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. You’ve done better than expected. You’ll get your money later.” The woman nodded, a small smirk gracing her lips. Is this what Maynard was aiming at…? What is going to happen to me now? I feel the man coming closer to me, and my face is pulled upwards violently. My body cries out from the unnatural posture.

“Which one is going to be the next king? Or is it going to be someone else? How is he chosen? Tell me!” The man shouted, a harsh glare in his eyes. “Could it be me? Is it you who chooses?” He spoke aggressively.

“I…I do not know. I do not know what you are thinking of, but this is a waste of time.” My attempted show of strength as shattered by a loud voice in my ear. He grips my chin tightly.

“You don’t even know the position you’re in do you? People like you never learn, not without pain.” All I could do was stare back at him. “So which will it be? Even if we let you run away, well…” He looked up as if he just thought of an idea. “Why don’t we try bending one of your legs…” He looked at me with a menacing grin. My eyes widened in horror as I began to squirm

“You’ll have to pay me more.” The woman interjected.

“Oh well, I’m sorry…? It hurts to do this to a person I once thought would be my wife…” My head is spinning. He does not seem apologetic at all! Someone…! I cannot think of any words to use. I hear the sound of footsteps in the dirt, coming closer.

“I’ll try not to hurt you too much…” The woman spoke, now standing right next to me. Really… I felt doubtful and useless. I cannot move! I must get away! I felt a cold hand on my leg. My leg is pulled in a direction my knee should not bend.

“Ah, stop! Stop it!” I felt my spine freeze and tears began to rush down my face. Just then, I heard a man’s voice screaming from far away. The face of the man smirking at me suddenly stiffens.

“What was that?” He looked around nervously.

“I don’t know. Should I go and look?” I was about to sigh in relief from the removal of her hand when a dry explosion rips through the quiet. A sound I have never heard before echoes through the air. What was that? A gunshot?

“Hey, hey!” The woman dressed as a maid runs out, the man shouting after her. A moist wind blows through the open door. The man left alone starts pacing the room, chewing on his nails. “What the hell was that? After we went through all this effort to get so far away from the capital!” Is it someone here to help me? I could only hope as the tense man suddenly stops still. He grabs my hair forcefully and my face stiffens from the pain, a shock running through me. Where he strikes me, the pain turns into warmth.

“How did you call them here? Who did you call?” His voice was dripping with anger but his eyes showed he was scared as well.

“I…I do not know!” The man lifts his hand up to strike me again. I close my eyes quickly, but the man stops at a sudden noise. We look to where the noise comes from, and the woman from before stands there, breathless.