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“And you are not ugly!” he continued. “You have never been ugly to me and you never will be. Those scars,” he touched my face, “show that you are loyal and brave and resilient. That you stayed and tried to protect others when you could have run away. You probably saved me that day. And I think you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

His words were so sincere, I knew he meant them with all his heart. “Curtis, I can’t imagine life without you,” I said. It was true. A life without Curtis would be empty. Incomplete.

Curtis changed the subject. “There is another thing we need to talk about. If Hubert goes through with marrying your stepsister, and we get married too, you will be near Cynthia for the rest of your life.”

I nodded.

“Or,” and here he paused. “What would you think about staying here? We don’t have to live anywhere you don’t want to.”

“But, you are the prince!” I protested. “You have to stay at the castle.”

“I will give it all up in an instant to be with you and make you happy,” Curtis said automatically. “I’m not the crown prince. I can walk away if I want to. They wouldn’t like it, but I am free to do so.”

I considered the offer. As attractive as it was, I knew I would never accept. Curtis was too important. If it was left up to Hubert to care about the commoners, the kingdom would fall apart. I would never allow Curtis to walk away from his country just because I would have some awkward interactions with his brother’s wife. “No. The kingdom needs you. And besides,” a sly smile crept across my face, “think of all the pranks we can pull on both of them!”

EPILOGUE

Curtis and I were married surrounded by friends and family in the town square. Cynthia did not attend. Thomas, the glassblower, made me a pair of glass shoes that I wore proudly, and wearing glass slippers became a popular fashion trend. Curtis was so well-liked that it seemed that the entire country turned up for our wedding. Everyone from the lowliest serving maid up to the king and queen came and sang and danced late into the night.

Mother and Comfort continued to run their finishing school, which quickly became the most highly sought-after education for young ladies. Curtis and I made a point to return to their home each week to have a dinner together, and we brought back game night. Mother never married again, though she had several offers. Comfort married a local earl who fell madly in love with her and her unwavering confidence.

Hubert and Cynthia seemed well-matched for each other, even though their marriage seemed far too formal for my taste. They did produce an heir, a son very similar to Hubert. Eventually, Hubert took the throne, but he was more of a figurehead than leader. Curtis was the one who ran the country and tended to all the needs of the subjects. He said it was much better that way; Hubert and Cynthia tended to the pomp and circumstance that Curtis disliked so much, and we were free to come and go as we pleased.

I regained confidence in myself. No longer did I consider myself ugly. When Curtis and I had children, we would take them each year to the Fairy Tree on the anniversary of the ball, and tell them the same story. It was about a girl who was forced to work for her ugly stepsisters and stepmother but was given a gown and glass slippers and went to the ball and married the prince. They kept suspecting their Aunt Cynthia, so I decided to rename the girl in the story. I called her Cinderella.

And needless to say, we all lived happily ever after.