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Chapter Thirty-Five
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A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Six
I was glad for that stolen night. I didn't care that we'd broken the rules. I'd held onto him, feeling his warmth seep into me and give me strength. Strength to get through this. Strength to know that we loved one another enough to get through this.I didn't get to have five minutes alone with Freddie for the rest of the week.The Duke pulled him into every meeting, every information gathering session, every new change no matter how small, everything. Suddenly, Freddie was integral to everything. He had no spare time. Not even in the evenings when he was supposed to be with me.Freddie ate dinner with the Duke so they could plan their negotiations. Those first few nights where we'd eaten in his rooms felt far away and long ago.The few times he ate meals with his family, he looked tired and worn. The conversations were never personal, especially not with Liam at the table. I'd look across the table and he'd smile, but we'd never get more. He'd kiss my cheek and disappear back to the o
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Seven
Freddie kissed me before the door had even clicked shut. His kiss was hungry.“God, I could just take you here,” Freddie groaned, his hands tightening on my waist again.“We only have five minutes. You're not that fast,” I told him. I pressed my half naked body into him, feeling the heat of his desire against my bare hip. “Although I am really tempted to try.”He chuckled, the sound low and rumbling. He sighed, not letting me go, but not instigating further.“You should put your skirt on or I'm never going to be able to stop,” he said after a moment. He kissed me again before forcing himself to take a step back.I slid on my skirt and he sighed as I settled it around my waist.“I never would have caught anyone but you like that,” he said, looking at me wistfully.Something about his words pricked at me.“What? What do you mean?”He shrugged. “I don't know anyone that would let themselves be caught without a skirt.”“What?” I asked, going still.“It's just that no Paradisian royal woul
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Eight
The ball was tomorrow and I was about ready to puke.Tomorrow, all my hard work would pay off. Tomorrow, I would do my Stair Walk and officially be accepted into the Royal Family's inner circle. Tomorrow, I could kiss Freddie on the cheek in public. We could hold hands and go on dates again.I clung to the idea that we could go back to normal, even though normal in this place would still be very strange.I practiced walking down the stairs in my pink heels for two hours straight just after lunch. The surprise benefit was that my butt was in the best shape ever from the constant up and down of the stairs. I hadn't tripped once so far and actually felt semi-confident.Sophie had me wearing a bedsheet as a dress so that I could practice without ruining the actual dress. I didn't blame the florists setting up flowers for staring at me as I went up and down the stairs wrapped in a white topsheet.I felt like an American ghost haunting the Paradisian Palace- out of place and completely ridi
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Miss Zoey Miller of the United States of America.”My name echoed out over the staircase. It sounded so strange to have my country listed after it. I wasn't competing in the Olympics. I wasn't even really there to represent the US, but it did mark me as different.The beautiful gold and marble steps led to a rounded lobby. Two huge white wooden doors stood open across the space, showing off a massive ballroom. The ballroom glittered with silk from a hundred dresses. Candles flickered in alcoves and the sounds of music filled the air.It was everything I had imagined from watching Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.I took a deep breath and stepped forward.I had imagined that everyone would stop and stare. That the music would falter and the dancers would turn from their partners and gaze up at me. That I would see the Prince and we would make eye contact and the world would watch in a loving glow as we found one another.No one looked. Freddie wasn't even in the
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty
Freddie brought me out to the side of the dance floor. He didn't bring me to the center though, but to a small space off to the side. It almost felt like we were hiding. Freddie was supposed to dance in the center where everyone could see him, but he'd taken me to the side of the dance floor near the edge and against the wall.Like I wasn't good enough to be seen with him. Like I didn't matter enough to take center stage.We'll have more privacy this way, I told myself, trying not to see the worst. Besides, you hate being the center of attention.It felt good to be in Freddie's arms. Soft music drifted around us, changing from a waltz to a foxtrot.Foxtrot was my worst dance, but I didn't want to pull away from Freddie. I didn't want to disappoint him. I'd already disappointed him last night. I didn't want to do it again. I managed thirty seconds of terrible dancing before I stepped on Freddie's foot.He winced, gasping hard enough that the dancers next to us glanced over. The heel of
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-One
“How are you doing?” Sophie asked me several hours later.“My feet are killing me, and I nearly tripped on my dress,” I admitted.Her eyes went wide. “What?”“I'm fine,” I assured her. “The lace on the train of my dress is just a little loose.”I turned, showing her how the very edge of the gown was worn. The beautifully worked lace kept catching in my shoe if I raised the heel of my foot too high.She sighed with relief. “That's something we can deal with. I thought you might have had a real problem. Did you make conversation with anyone?”“I spoke with the King of Navia.” I pointed to a man around my father's age wearing a very elaborate uniform.Sophie's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “And? Please tell me it went well.”“He was very kind. He just arrived here today for the official delegation,” I explained. “He said that I looked so lovely and that I made him laugh. He offered to introduce me to his son because he would love a daughter-in-law like me.”I took a perverse sense
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Two
I didn't cry.I told myself it was nothing. That Freddie was just enjoying a dance with a friend. I didn't think about the way his fingers had splayed on her hip. I didn't think about the graceful curve of her lips as she smiled up at him.I didn't think about his laugh.I didn't think about how Sophie was so much better at being a princess than I was.Of how much easier Freddie's life would be without me. Of how much happier he could be here if he didn't have to deal with me and my mistakes.I left the ballroom and found a balcony. The night air was cold and sharp after the heat of the ballroom and it felt so good. Out in the darkness, I could imagine that I was alone. That I was back at the lake.I closed my eyes and thought about home.Home where I was allowed to have a drink in my hand at a party. Where I was allowed to dance. Where I didn't have to curtsy. Where I wasn't on the news all the time. Home. Where I fit without trying.Home was where I belonged.Homesickness struck har
A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Three
We sat in yet another sitting room somewhere deep inside the castle. This one looked like it had been stolen from the Downton Abbey set, complete with turn of the century furniture and oil portraits. I fully expected Dame Maggie Smith to walk in wearing full costume and yell at me for trying to kill the Queen Mother.I figured I probably had a slight concussion from hitting the marble floor with my head.The Queen Mother sat on the center sofa. The on-call doctor was speaking softly with her. So far, they hadn't found any injuries. She seemed to be alert and oriented. She answered questions and moved without restriction. The doctor didn't look worried.Liam sat beside his mother holding her hand. Aria sat on her opposite side with Henry on the couch across from them. Freddie stood by the window, his arms crossed. Sophie stood near him, her expression unreadable.I sat in a high backed chair in the far corner of the room. It was as far away as I could get from everyone without leaving.
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- A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Fifty-One
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- A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Eight
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- A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Six
- A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Five
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- A Midwestern Cinderella Chapter Forty-Three
