Cinder

"Wow," Cinder breathed when she walked into the palace. Suddenly, from her right shoulder, she felt a shove. Yelping quietly while stumbling forward, she caught herself from nearly falling. She glanced up at the person who had pushed her.

Chiyoko Mori let out a haughty huff and smirked, turning her head back around and marching forward, five maids taking her luggage.

"She's a total SANDY BEACH once you get to know her, don't worry," Scarlet said with a roll of her eyes, lending a hand. Cinder looked up and took it, sighing and dusting off the expensive blue dress that Peony had specifically bought for her. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"I can already tell she's not exactly sugar sweet," Cinder muttered to the bright redhead.

Scarlet snorted, which was so unladylike that Cinder had to do a double take. If Scarlet had noticed it, she didn't show it. "You can say that again," she agreed. She waved the maid forward. "Come on. We have to catch up." She gestured to the rest of the girls, bunching around the staircase, waiting for the two trailing behind.

"We can't spend all day gawking," Chiyoko drawled in a bored tone, the hideous smirk working its way back up. Cinder gnashed her teeth but sped up anyways. Something about Chiyoko's smirk just made her want to slap her mouth right off of her pretty little face.

So when Scarlet and Cinder passed her, she couldn't help but just give her a little shove. "Oh!" Chiyoko exclaimed with exaggeration, stumbling with a shocked expression on her face. Cinder threw a smirk that rivaled the two's behind her shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," she said in a fake sympathetic voice. She narrowed her eyes, the same expression that matched the photo shown on the television. A threat. Scarlet shook Cinder out of it when she loudly whispered, "Look, our rooms!" Cinder looked up to see a hallway of doors, blindingly white with edges of shining gold.

"Ladies, here are your rooms," Torin said, his gloved hands gesturing towards the rooms. "You will find your name carved into the wood on the door. Thank you, I hope you enjoy your stay, and have a good day." With a curt bow, he turned the corner and walked away.

Wow. Cinder couldn't believe it. Her own room? And not only that, but her name carved onto the door! When she stood in front of the door, setting her hand on the ornately carved doorknob, excitement bubbled up in her chest. This is mine, and only mine, she thought.

With a bright smile, she pushed open the door. Right when she spotted the beautiful interior, she let out a huge gasp.

"I know, I know," came a voice from behind the door. Taken by surprise, Cinder jumped. A beautiful petite girl stepped out from behind the corner of her bed, wearing a crisp black and white maid uniform. Her hands were also covered with lacy white gloves. She held a metal tray pressed to her torso, but what was most eye-catching was her bright blue hair. Despite the strict maid dresscode, she still found a way to make her hair the most stunning it can be. She bowed.

"Hello, miss. I believe you are Cinder Linh, correct?" Cinder nodded.

She smiled brightly and continued, "I'm Iko, and I'll be your personal maid for the length of the Selection," she paused for Cinder to take everything in.

"But going back to our conversation before, LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS ROOM!" She spun around. Cinder let out a slight giggle, immediately liking her maid.

"Alright," she said, walking over and plopping her tired body onto the bed. It bounced, lifting her body up a little bit. Cinder sighed and felt the soft sheets, head sinking into the plush pillows. She had never felt a bed so luxurious before. "I'm so tired, I think I'm just going to… go to sleep…"

Cinder looked to Iko for permission, not knowing if sleeping right now would interrupt some important meeting later. Iko shook her head. Cinder sighed in content and shut her eyes, already drifting into sleep. The bed was just that comfortable.

"I'll wake you up later, miss. The emperor may come to visit sometime soon," Iko reassured her. Cinder's eyes shot open. She sat up immediately, planting her hands onto the bed. Leaning forward, she exclaimed, "He's coming to visit?!"

Iko only smiled. "Yes, miss. He would like to get to know you a little bit." Cinder bit her bottom lip, worry eating her up. "Don't be nervous," Iko added, seeing her jittery nerves. "He's not going to judge you. He just wants to know the basics, like your name and your background."

Her background? Cinder groaned and threw herself back onto the bed. She grabbed a random pillow and stuffed it in her face, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

"What's wrong, miss?" Iko asked, a genuine concerned look on her face. Cinder flopped the pillow off of her.

"I don't exactly come from - what you would call - a high background," Cinder hesitated.

"Don't worry about it," Iko said, waving it off. "It doesn't matter. Anybody can win the Selection." Cinder pursed her lips, not entirely convinced. Iko gently pushed her shoulders back, making her lie on the bed. "Just sleep. It will be better when you wake up."

Cinder wanted to sit back up, to prepare for the visit from the emperor, but the cushions seemed to hug her tight, not letting her go. After a few tries, she gave up and sunk back into the bed. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and the last thing she heard was Iko bidding her a good nap.

Then she let sleep overcome her.

"Miss, wake up," Iko whispered, shaking Cinder's shoulders. Cinder groaned and rolled around, grabbing a pillow and stuffing it over her ears. Cautiously, Iko peeled away the pillow, revealing the sleeping girl's face. "Miss, the emperor is coming in five minutes!"

Cinder slowly sat up at the new announcement.

"Five minutes," she mused. Iko could basically see the gears turning in her head, wondering what she would do when he did come in and see her. Cinder turned to Iko immediately to see if she already had something in plan.

"Miss, I already have your gown prepared for you right here," Iko said coolly. Cinder turned to see an elegant gown set onto the bed waiting. She chuckled sheepishly as Iko raised an eyebrow. Hesitantly, she stripped down to her undergarments, trying hard not to wrap her arms around her body as Iko brought the dress to her.

It was a deep scarlet and sleeveless. It hugged her curves tightly, folds and sashes draping around her waist. The dress pooled at her ankles, flowing back behind her in a long train. Iko took a few seconds to brush through Cinder's hair, doing it up into a tight braid.

"Satisfied, miss?" Iko asked, meeting Cinder's eyes in the giant mirror.

"Very much," Cinder breathed, staring at her reflection. She couldn't believe it was her own reflection she was looking at. She still couldn't get used to how different she looked now than when she was just a simple maid in the Linh household.

As if on cue, three curt knocks on the door sounded. "That would be His Majesty," Iko said, shooting up and walking towards the door. Cinder stood up as well, standing next to her maid. She a deep breath and nodded at Iko.

The maid opened the door. Behind it stood Emperor Rikan. He looked smaller than he was on television. His white hair was neatly combed back, and a small mustache rustled when he smiled at Cinder.

"Hello, dear Cinder Linh," he greeted her. Iko opened the door wider, inviting the emperor inside. He gazed at the room momentarily, glancing over it harmlessly. However, Cinder couldn't help but feel jittery, hopping from foot to foot. Good thing she didn't notice his eyes harden a bit when seeing the state of her messy room. Iko gave her a look, and she struggled to still herself.

The emperor seated himself at the edge of her bed, which was still messed up from her afternoon nap. Cinder regretted not cleaning it up now. He patted the space next to him. Hesitating, Cinder reluctantly sat down next to him.

She almost fell off the bed from how nervous she was. She quickly tried to right herself, but the damage was done. Emperor Rikan's eyes hardened a little bit as they roved up and down her body, silently judging her with pursed lips. Great job, Cinder, she groaned inwardly. When his eyes locked with hers, she could see judgement in them - clear distaste.

It was already clear to Cinder. Emperor Rikan DID NOT LIKE HER. She gulped as she met his intense gaze. They said nothing, and just sat there, the emperor judging her with his eyes, Cinder nothing more than a helpless prey under his glare.

Suddenly, he stood up again, doing a curt bow.

"Alright. I think I've seen enough," he said briskly, in a tone so bitter that it sent shivers rippling down Cinder's spine. It was so quick, and not low at all. Apparently Cinder didn't deserve any of his effort. "I'll be going now," he said quickly, edging towards the door. "Good day, my lady. I wish you the best of luck in the Selection."

The door slammed. Cinder sat there in shock, her mouth hanging open. He hadn't even said anything to her. He just sat there, judging her! Iko pursed her lips, making her way into Cinder's line of vision.

"Well, he certainly doesn't like you," she said, stating the obvious after the emperor had left. "But I suggest you get on his good side, you don't want to know what happens when he's mad, it's not pretty." Cinder huffed out loud.

"Why?" she asked haughtily, holding back her tears, not liking the emperor one bit. Was he judging her because of her caste? Was it that important?

"So you can actually win the Selection," Iko said simply. Cinder sat there, confused. Iko cocked her head to the side, amusement playing on her lips. "You didn't think that the crown prince makes all of the choices… did you?"

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