A/N I'm sorry that I haven't updated in forever. Please forgive me.

Previously: He wasn't happy, but when I told him that I needed to sleep (which was a lie) so that I could leave in the morning to go visit the maiden that I wished to marry, he agreed that I didn't have to sing. I left the hall for my father to announce that it was over.

Ella's POV

Char decided that he had to socialize more with his other guests for a while, so he left and started to dance with other maidens, though he would catch my eye and wink every once and a while.

At the moment he was dancing with a very bored looking Olive. After a while Char started a conversation and by the looks of it he was becoming confused. I didn't get to ponder this emotion because Hattie came up behind me.

"Lady Lela, how—lovely to see you tonight." She said in a false voice.

"Lady Hattie, a pleasure," Lela had no reason to really hate Hattie; I did, but not Lela.

"I don't know if Charmont has told you, but we are secretly engaged."

"No you are not. Char doesn't plan to get married so you can just drop the act."

"How dare you talk to your future queen that way! I demand that you take off that mask!" Hattie ordered. I tried to resist. I couldn't let Char know that Lela was Ella.

Slowly, very slowly I raised my hands to my mask and untied it. Hattie was shocked into silence for a moment that I, Lela had obeyed her.

Her shock turned into pure anger when she realized that I was really me, Ella.

"You wench!" She yelled, "How dare you come to these balls and try to steal my Charmont! I demand that you go home right now! And put on that retched mask so tat my Charmont will not recognize you." She ordered.

I did what she told me to. I put my mask securely back on, and turned around to head back home, but bumped into someone. I looked up into the eyes of Char.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry Char; I did not see you there. I'm sorry, but I must leave early. I am sorry that I won't be able to hear you sing."

I left as quickly as I could, already dizzy because Hattie had demanded me to go home right then.

Thankfully I still had fifteen minutes until midnight so my carriage had not turned into a pumpkin. I quickly climbed in the carriage and headed home, wishing that Char would come after me and preying that he didn't.

Once I arrived back at the manor I went straight to the kitchen and told Mandy everything. Mandy suggested that I run away because I was sure to get punishment from Hattie for attending the balls.

"No Mandy, I will not run. Then I show Hattie that she won, and I might not see Char again, at least if I stay here I can watch him from afar."

With that said I went up to my room. Once there I quickly changed and hid my mother's dress for the last time. If I was lucky Hattie wouldn't take them away from me. At least Hattie had not seen my shoes; therefore I would always have a keepsake from the first time Char danced with me at my father's wedding.

I lay down, but couldn't sleep. I was cursing my curse. If it hadn't been for the curse, I could have heard Char's wonderful voice singing that Athorian song.

'Of course if I didn't have this horrid curse then I would be married to Char. I would be able to tell him that I love him!' I thought wryly.

Somehow I eventually fell asleep. Hattie had not come home yet, but I knew that it was only a matter of hours until I was woken up and ordered to do fruitless things for Hattie.

That night I dreamt of life without my curse. I always have that dream; Char and I are married; we slide down the biggest stair rail that I have ever seen; and I can say 'no' to everything.

A/N How do you like it. Coming up Char will go to Ella's manor to get some answers, but will Ella be there?

Review and I will update faster.

ReadingRobyn