Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

night

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By the time Ella had fallen fast asleep, I was still awake. I gazed quietly at her beautiful face, thinking about the fact that this was my very first night in this story and about everything that had happened today. The more I thought, the more sleep refused to come.

Even so, Ella’s face was so beautiful that I could look at it forever without growing tired of it. No wonder the prince of this kingdom would be captivated by her. Her skin was clear and firm, her long eyelashes softly curled, and her lips full, glossy, and pink.

How could she maintain such beauty in such a harsh environment? I wondered.

At that very moment, the midnight bell rang out—gong.

Suddenly, Ella woke up and sat upright in her bed.

“Ella?”

I was about to stroke the button to reveal myself, worried about what was happening.

But something about her seemed strange. The Ella I had seen before going to sleep had a warm and gentle presence. The Ella now before me felt cold—sharp, like a blade.

And then I saw it.

Her eyes were red.

Her eyes had always been bright, clear, and gentle.

But now, they glowed crimson.

She quietly walked to the small window in the attic and opened it. Two white birds immediately flew down and perched on the windowsill.

And then something happened that made me doubt my own eyes.

She began to speak with them.

White Bird 1:
“Lady El. Just as you foresaw, a ball will be held next month. What attire shall you wear for the occasion?”

El:
“Let me see. On the first night, a pink dress with silver shoes. On the second night, a yellow dress with golden shoes.

And on the final night, a blue dress—with glass slippers.”

White Bird 2:
“Lady El, it shall be done.”

El:
“Yes. And make sure they fall from above when Ella makes her wish upon the hazel tree branch. At the ball… I will make those wretched women understand.”

Her voice was filled with hatred. From her back, it felt as though a dark resentment was seeping into the air.

I was too shocked to move.

Because nothing like this existed in the Cinderella story I knew.

The hatred she radiated was frightening, and the way she spoke, as if she could see the future, made my legs go numb.

And yet…

She was Ella.

Not El.

But the woman standing before me now spoke and carried herself just like the stepmother and her daughters.

What on earth was happening?

After finishing her conversation with the white birds, she quietly closed the window and returned to her bed. She slipped under the covers and soon fell asleep again.

My mind was in complete turmoil.

That night, I couldn’t s That night, I couldn’t sleep at all.