Ella froze mid-motion, her fingers lingering just an inch above the silver brush.
" I-I'm sorry," Ella stammered, pulling her hand back as if the brush had burned her.
Cindy hastily walked towards Ella and grabbed the brush. "This brush is not something to play with."
Ella lowered her head instantly, her face paling. "I didn't mean to—"
"I told you it was my mother's…" Cindy's voice trembled for a fraction of a second before regaining its poise. "The only thing of hers I have left. It's very important to me and I don't want anyone touching this… except me."
Cindy's words were spoken with such careful restraint that Ella could feel the emotions hiding beneath them.
"I understand…" Ella murmured, staring down at the carpet. Shame burned in her chest. "I wasn't trying to—"
"Okay… okay," Cindy interrupted gently this time, though her fingers had tightened around the edge of the table. "But you must not touch what isn't yours, Ella."
Ella bit her lips. She wanted to disappear. She had only wanted to see, to hold something beautiful.
"Y-yes…" Ella looked up, hesitant.
Cindy sighed, smiling softly. She grabbed Ella's hand and placed an object. It was a small crystal ball that shimmered faintly under the light. It was flawless and flowered with a faint bluish hue when she held it up.
"This…" Cindy said, stepping back. "…was given by a good-hearted merchant. I would like you to have it."
"You're giving this to me?" Ella's eyes widened in disbelief that a valuable item was given to her.
"Yes." Cindy smiled, but it was the kind of smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Consider it… a sister's gift. Perhaps you'll take better care of this than you almost did with my mother's… thing."
Ella's throat tightened. She nodded, clutching the crystal ball carefully as if it were a fragile heart. "Thank you… Cindy."
For a moment, silence wrapped around them again. That time, it was heavy with something unspoken.
Cindy turned away, back to her vanity, her reflection perfectly composed once more. "You should go now," she said softly, brushing her hair again.
Ella stood there for a heartbeat longer, staring at her sister's calm figure in the mirror. "Oh… okay. T-thank you again." She scurried her feet to move, and she nearly tripped when she stepped out of the room in a hurry.
The scent of lavender faded behind.
As the door closed, Ella looked down at the crystal ball in her hands. It gleamed faintly; it was beautiful, cold, and rare.
Ella frantically ran back to her room as she wanted to play with the crystal ball. She held it against her chest to make sure it wouldn't slip and fell to the ground.
As soon as Ella reached her room, she shut the door and jumped onto her bed.
"This is the cutest crystal ball I've ever seen!" Ella exclaimed, rolling on her back and extending her hand to see the crystal ball from afar. "She just gave it to me so easily…"
Ella's smile dropped. She was somewhat confused about why Cindy didn't value such things when they were a big deal for her.
"The color… blue. This is what I imagine about Cinderella's gown when she went to the ball," Ella muttered, her eyes sparkling. "Will I go to a ball too… since I'm a… noble now?"
Ella sat up in haste. Her imagination ran wild as she saw herself dancing with the prince in a bluish gown as they enjoyed the night in each other's embrace.
"I wonder if the prince likes balls too?" Ella whispered, touching her lips as the idea made her aroused. However, she snapped. "Ah! This will only excite me more! Phew, I need to focus first on how I behave so the prince will take notice of me."
"Prince?"
A small voice spoke in hesitation.
Ella turned around and saw a head poking at her door. "Anna?" She asked, smiling.
"Yeah…" Anna replied shyly, slowly retracting her head away to cover her face against the door.
Ella couldn't help herself as she found Anna too cute to handle.
"Come in. Don't be shy," Ella gestured for Anna to enter the room as she tucked the crystal ball in the nearest drawer to keep it safe.
Anna was hesitant at first, but she entered. "I'm just bored…"
Ella sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to hers. "Come, sit beside me. We're both bored anyway."
Anna followed.
"I heard you talking about the prince to notice you," Anna started the topic since she was interested in it.
"Oh, about that. I'm… I'm just thinking about it. It's not like the prince would take notice of me out of nowhere, hehe," Ella reasoned out to prevent Anna from thinking she was that desperate.
"Hmm, the first prince likes to hold parties and balls. I'm sure you will see him soon," Anna informed, scratching her chin.
Ella's eyes widened with excitement. "Really!? Then, maybe I'll get to meet him. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Anna fidgeted with her fingers, her gaze lowering to her lap. "Maybe… but…"
Ella leaned closer. "But what, Anna?"
Anna hesitated, glancing up at Ella's eager expression. Her lips parted, then closed again. "It's just… I don't know if it's a good idea."
Ella blinked in surprise, frowning. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't it be?" She asked, but somehow, it shattered her fantasy.
Anna took a deep breath. "Because… Cindy has her eyes on the prince, too," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Ella's smile faltered. "Cindy…. My sister?"
Anna nodded slowly. "Yes. When we were younger, Cindy used to talk about it all the time, especially when she read that storybook about a prince charming and a happy fairytale ending. Marrying the prince and living in a castle filled with light and music… and happiness?"
Anna was frowning when she stated those words since she had read the story before, but had no interest in pursuing getting the prince's attention.
Ella tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face. "That doesn't sound bad at all. Why would that mean I shouldn't try to meet him?"
Anna sighed loudly, her eyes certain but sincere. "Because you will be one of Cindy's rivals, and it won't make her happy. After all, she had prepared her whole life just to be with the prince. Even changing herself for it."
"Oh," Ella's chest tightened, remembering the same smile Cindy had worn earlier. A smile so graceful, so composed, yet so painfully distant.