Fleeing (Part One)

The ball proceeded slowly, and after His Highness the Prince and Cinderella danced, the ball officially began. The gentlemen actively sought out ladies they admired, and Cinderella became the most popular choice.

A dance isn't limited to one person dancing together. Aside from the first dance, which carries more significance, the rest are up to the individual and don't have any other meaning. It's like a sport, such as playing badminton.

So everyone else wanted to have a closer look at Cinderella. This was the first time Cinderella had been so popular, which made her feel a little giddy. However, her remaining rationality told her that it was best not to agree to their requests.

Unless someone has a peculiar fetish, most people wouldn't want their loved one to be close to someone else. Cinderella's goal is to become a princess, so it's better for her to refuse at this stage.

As they retreated one by one, the other men realized they had missed their best opportunity; if nothing unexpected happened, that beautiful lady would become the future queen.

But then everyone suddenly realized there was more drama to watch. Cinderella's two older sisters, who were very proud and looked down on some of the less desirable noblemen, had originally thought they would be the center of attention at the ball. However, they were furious to find that a few unattractive men had taken a liking to them.

Seeing Cinderella chatting happily with Cinderella, the two sisters steeled themselves and walked directly towards the Prince. Charlotte, the elder sister, affectedly spoke to the Prince in a high-pitched voice, "Prince Highness, would I have the honor of asking you to dance?"

Then Charlotte saw Cinderella standing to the side and continued in her sharp, sarcastic voice, "Miss, you don't mind, do you? If you do, you're being too petty."

Cinderella was clearly the center of attention, which made Charlotte extremely jealous. The focus should have been on her, as Charlotte's privileged life since childhood and her lawless status in the family made Charlotte somewhat blind to her own limitations.

At a ball, to demonstrate etiquette, it is usually the gentleman who invites the lady. At this time, the lady has the right to refuse. Although a lady can also invite a gentleman, she generally does so to show her modesty. And if a lady does do so, the gentleman generally cannot refuse unless he extremely dislikes that woman.

Charlotte was very proud of herself. She believed that given her circumstances, the Prince would definitely agree to dance with Prince, and Prince would fall for her, leaving behind that vile woman in the blue dress. But to her surprise, she heard the Prince say coldly, "Sorry, I don't dance with petty ladies."

"You..." Charlotte's expression froze, her smug look towards Cinderella instantly turning to ice. She turned around in disbelief, looking at the cold-faced Prince. How dare he? How dare he treat a beautiful lady like this? He was such a terrible, rude, and despicable person. How could such a person be Prince?

"Prince Highness, please take back your rude words, I..." Charlotte cried out in a shrill voice, abandoning all her previous feigned elegance and looking like a shrew, about to utter some unpleasant words.

Fortunately, at that moment, Charlotte's younger sister Katie quickly pulled Charlotte back, and the Stepmother and the Baron, who had rushed over, also hurriedly apologized. "We are very sorry, Prince Highness, it was my fault for not disciplining her properly, and we have made a fool of ourselves in front of everyone."

"No need to apologize, I just hope that Baron Excellency will pay attention to the upbringing of your children, and not let them disgrace the nobility," Prince William said with a wave of his hand dismissively.

"We are truly sorry." The Baron and baron were terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. He was a nobleman without a fiefdom or real power. If he really offended the Prince, although he couldn't be directly punished, those who wanted to curry favor with the Prince would deliberately make things difficult for him, and his future days would probably be extremely difficult.

Katie, however, was much smarter than her sister. She said in a soft voice, "I am very sorry, Your Prince. My sister was rude and embarrassed you. I would like to offer you a toast to thank you for your magnanimity and forgiveness."

"I think my sister is just too excited to see Prince Highness. After all, Prince Highness is so handsome, and I also deeply admire Prince. I wonder if Prince Highness would be willing to dance with me?" Katie maintained an expression of admiration on her face, but inwardly she was very pleased with herself.

Prince Highness had already rejected her sister, but her words just now both belittled her sister and elevated herself, while also offering an invitation that no normal gentleman would refuse.

In psychology, people often feel guilty after refusing someone, so when the other person makes a second request based on the first point, that person may feel embarrassed to refuse a second time.

These psychological tricks are things we can use in our daily lives. People aren't used to refusing someone a second time. For example, if you ask a stranger to borrow your phone and they refuse because they're worried you're a scammer, but then you ask them again to help you send a text message, most people, unless they have a really bad temper, will agree.

Although Katie didn't understand psychology, she was experienced in this kind of technique. For example, she often used this technique when asking her uncle, who was actually her father and lover, for expensive perfumes and clothes.

Of course, this technique isn't 100% successful. For example, right now, Prince Highness frowned and said, "I'm sorry, I'm a little tired. Please forgive me for not being able to dance with you."

Katie's face stiffened, but she was somewhat better than her sister. Forcing a smile, she used her last bit of strength to suppress her anger and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, Your Highness."

Cinderella watched her two defeated sisters with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. She looked at the Prince with adoring eyes; he was so handsome and perfect, and she was about to become his queen, enjoying his favor.

But then Cinderella's expression changed. She didn't know when, but Lu Li had appeared in her line of sight and compared the time with hers. Her initial jubilation cooled down, and she looked at the clock. It was already 11:30 without her realizing it.

Without a second thought, Cinderella quickly said to the Prince, "Prince Highness, I have urgent business to attend to. Please forgive my rudeness, I must take my leave now."

After saying this, Cinderella lifted her long dress and walked outside. The Prince's expression flashed with understanding, but he still followed her, saying with a smile, "I wonder what urgent matter Miss Cindy has? I think I can still help."

"Your Prince, please go back. I have urgent business to attend to. I will come again tomorrow night!" Cinderella was anxious, but she couldn't reveal it all. She still walked away quickly and gracefully.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd. Someone tripped over something and fell in front of the Prince. Cinderella seized the opportunity, quickly got into the Pumpkin Carriage, and disappeared in a flash.

Upon seeing Cinderella disappear, Prince William smiled amusedly, glanced around, and gestured invitingly towards a certain corner.

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