Sam's POV

The clock strikes 12, it's time for Carly to leave the ballroom. I hope she doesn't get caught by mom for attending the ball.

Earlier, before I left, I made sure that Carly would be able to come with us on the carriage. But the only way to do that was to get mom and Melanie on the carriage first, distract them, and then Carly would be able to sit on the back of the carriage. It was unfair for her, but that was the only way for her to come.

Once we arrived at the palace, Carly would hide behind a bush while the rest of us enter. I lied to mom that I had to find a toilet but I was actually searching for Carly to make sure that she would be okay. When I found her, I told her that she had to leave by midnight, just in case mom decides to leave that early. She agreed and the both of us entered the palace together. I hope she's alright…

Later that evening, at the time of 1am, mom decided to leave the place. It takes approximately forty-five minutes to reach home on foot, but only five minutes on the carriage. I was afraid that Carly had lost her way, so I kept looking out for her throughout the entire night.

When we reached home, mom called for Carly. When she didn't reply, I was really afraid that she had not reached home yet, but luckily, after a few calls, she came down the stairs.

"Yes, stepmother?" she responded.

"What took you so long?" mom asked, suspicious of her.

"I was… in the toilet," she replied. "I came down as soon as I heard you call."

"I see," mom said. I breathed a sigh of relief as mom let her off. I was really afraid that the truth will be unveiled, but now that everything was over, I was glad that the plan had worked.

Once we were dispersed, I returned to my room and changed. Now that the entire thing was lifted off my mind, I started thinking about the night. It was a fun night, but I felt confused. Ha! To think that I had always believed the fortune teller! I should have known; I was only ten that year. How could it even be possible that a fortune teller could tell my future by merely reading my palm and playing with some cards?

Sigh, if only I could become princess. Not that I liked Prince Gibby and all, but it would have been cool to be freed from all this bizarre happenings, right? I would never have to go against my conscience again, and I would be able to do whatever I want, wear whatever I want, and be whoever I want. Sigh, I guess it's time to wake up to reality. I would never become princess.

After changing, I heard a knock on the door. It was Carly.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi," she replied. "You okay? You didn't seem very happy when you came back."

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I was just thinking."

"Tell me about it, maybe you'll feel better," Carly smiled sweetly at me.

"Well," I started. "Remember I told you that a fortune teller read my palm and played with some cards and told me that I would become princess in the future?"

"Yeah?" she urged me to continue.

"Today," I sighed. "I saw you with the prince. You guys were dancing and having so much fun."

She looked down, feeling sorry about it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No," I assured her. "It's okay. We can never force love. I could see his eyes on you. He looked happy, blessed, and blissful; you guys are meant for each other."

"But I…" she tried to comfort me.

"It's okay, I understand," I said. "I don't even like him that way, I just feel disappointed that the things that I have always believed in turned out to be false. It's a believer thing."

"Still, I'm sorry," Carly apologized again. "But I'm sure that you will be able to find the right man that will love you forever."

We shared a hug and she returned to her room.

The next morning, I woke up early to go to town to get some fresh air with Carly before mom and Melanie woke up. We were having so much fun talking about the previous night that we almost tripped over a banana peel. Carly was telling me about how romantic the prince was and how she managed to get home that quickly.

It turns out that Carly ran as fast as she could to reach home early so that she would be able to get everything ready and make sure that she wouldn't be suspected of attending the ball. But while she was running, one of her shoes fell out on the stairs of the palace, while the other one was kept under her bed.

While we were having a chat, our attention was caught by a new store right at the end of the street. We've always walked past this street, but I was suddenly interested in the new store. I begged Carly to go there, and she agreed to it after a few persistent cries.

"The Princess Getaway," I read the signboard. "Hmm… interesting name…"

"Welcome to the store, how may I help you?" that voice sounded so familiar. It was Freddie.