Focus

Upon hearing Lu Li's news, Cinderella's face turned even paler, giving her a strangely morbid beauty. She clearly understood the consequences of her dress expiring at midnight: she would be labeled Witch, burned at the stake, and burdened with that infamy for life, burning alive.

"So, sir, are you here to help me?" Cinderella asked Lu Li, barely suppressing her urge to get out of the car and run away. Running away now was pointless; without her clothes, she would be back to her original Cinderella form.

At that point, she had two choices: return to the Baron's house and continue to face the terrible living conditions, or escape. But escaping was the worst option.

First, outside the city are mountains and forests, teeming with wild beasts. In her condition, running out would only make her an easy target for them. Hiding in someone else's house would be risky; after all, the Baron is a nobleman with a title, and the city guards would find her. Once she was captured and brought back, her situation would only worsen.

So if she wanted to escape those nightmares, there was only one path: to become a princess. Only then could she truly escape that place. Cinderella bit her lip, made up her mind, lifted her skirt, and said softly, "If you help me, sir, I am willing to give everything for you."

Cinderella knew very well that her only asset now was her body. She had already risked everything; she wanted to escape that disgusting family, she wanted to flee her lowly life, she wanted to become noble, and now was her best chance.

"I have no interest in your body, though I am here to help you," Lu Li shook his head and said. "Your task is simple: attract the Prince at the ball. I believe that in your current state, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Then, all you have to do is leave the Prince before midnight, give him a good memory, and then let the Prince go looking for you." Lu Li understood the importance of first impressions.

Why do so many couples in modern society have whirlwind marriages and divorces? There are many reasons, but one of them is that the first impression doesn't match the reality. As the poem goes, "If only life were as beautiful as the first time we met."

Many people present their best side when they first meet, making a very good impression. However, after marriage, as they get to know each other better, they discover many of each other's flaws. Those whose impressions Annihilation often have no choice but to divorce.

Back in modern times, marriage is easy, but divorce is difficult. This is because, according to aristocratic rules, once married, the wife has the right of inheritance. If the husband dies without any children or brothers, his title will be inherited by his wife.

In general, nobles valued marriage between people of equal social standing. This rule was established to safeguard the interests of the nobility. Therefore, once nobles married, divorce was virtually impossible, as all nobles upheld that set of etiquette and rules.

So what Cinderella needs to do now is to make the best impression on the Prince, then leave quickly to avoid being discovered to be connected with the Witch, and then just wait for the Prince to come looking for her.

Cinderella's looks are quite good; she's truly stunning with the dress and Glass Slipper, perfectly suited for tonight's ball. But back home, it seems we'll need to give Cinderella a makeover; otherwise, without the dress, she might not be able to attract the Prince.

"The problem is that I'm too lowly in the Baron's household; the Prince might not be able to find me," Cindy raised her doubts. She was indeed too lowly; once she returned to the Baron's household and was brought back to her original state, the Prince might not be able to find her.

"Then you'll need to leave your identification information. The Prince's ball isn't going to end in just one day, is it?" Lu Li asked. A ball like this, which is for matchmaking, would have to last for several days to allow the Prince to confirm his target.

"That's right, the ball will last for three days." Cinderella seemed to know this information quite well.

"Then that's settled. On the first day, I'll help you escape quickly, leaving nothing behind. On the second day, run slower so the Prince can figure out your approximate address. On the third day, leave something that can confirm your identity. Step by step, play hard to get and capture the Prince's heart."

Men are all pretty much the same, or rather, people are all pretty much the same. Things that are too easy to get are not cherished. On the contrary, things that are unattainable are like a cinnabar mole on the heart, making people itch with desire. The tactic of playing hard to get is the easiest way to win people's hearts.

The carriage soon arrived at the Prince's palace. When Cinderella, she attracted everyone's attention. Her shimmering blue dress, paired with sparkling Glass Slipper, made Cinderella the center of everyone's gaze.

Lu Li, who came out next, was thus overlooked. The Prince's Ball had no threshold; as long as one was dressed properly, the guards would not stop them. After all, nobles valued their reputation, while commoners would not dare to impersonate nobles. Of course, the conditions were so lenient because the country was relatively harmonious and there were no major conflicts.

As she walked down the long corridor, Cinderella seemed to Avatar into a true princess, elegant and composed. Her beauty and poise were captivating, and she instantly drew everyone's attention the moment she appeared at the ball.

The dress played a part, as did Cinderella's own efforts. She had always wanted to escape the Baron's house, and in that era, there was no more perfect way than marrying a good man.

So even though she's usually quite dirty, she always pays attention to cultivating her manners and poise; otherwise, even if she wore a blue dress and Glass Slipper, she wouldn't have achieved such a stunning effect.

For example, she saw her two older sisters and Stepmother in the distance. They were dressed in expensive gowns, but their manners and demeanor revealed their true nature as business people, which is why they were like superfluous people at the ball, pushed to the sidelines.

The two older sisters and their Stepmother couldn't believe that this was Cinderella, whom they had bullied so much. The Baron on the other side also couldn't recognize that this was the daughter he used to vent his frustrations on.

Cinderella became the focus of the ball, and many noblemen flocked to her. Although the ball was initiated by the Prince and aimed at finding Prince, the Prince would only choose one queen, so it was essentially a matchmaking event, except that the Prince had the right to choose first.

They knew that most of the women who came to the ball were there for the Prince, but the single noblemen still walked toward Cinderella, hoping to win Cinderella heart before the Prince arrived, and perhaps then they could win the heart of this beautiful princess.

This might offend the Prince, but they didn't care anymore, because Cinderella looked stunning at that moment.