Chapter Text
Hiyori lived in a small town in the Central kingdom, far away from her parents. She found a little place to live in, but due to the taxes being so heavy, she struggled to live. Thankfully, she managed to find a job as a manager apprentice for two musical performers at a local tavern.
Most of her job consisted of helping put together shows for the two, and occasionally helping serve patrons.
All in all, it was a relatively difficult job, but it paid pretty well.
One day, she, along with every other single woman in the kingdom, got an invitation to Prince Nagisa’s ball, which was coming up, where every eligible maiden was to attend.
Of course, Hiyori was elated, but she was worried. She was always so loaded with her job, and all she could do was hope that her two star performers would allow her to take that night off…
As she ran out of her little shared dorm that was right by the tavern she worked at, she sucked in a deep breath.
_____
“Please! Let me go to the ball!” Hiyori shouted, holding the invitation in front of Aizou and Yujiro’s faces.
“The ball?” Aizou echoed, reading the parchment.
“Yes! The prince’s ball is this Friday! Every single maiden has to attend, s-so..! Please let me go!”
Aizou and Yujiro shared a look.
“You know that Fridays are our busiest nights,” Yujiro frowned.
“I- I know, but…”
“You can’t just leave us hanging.”
“Besides, how are you going to get a dress for it?”
“I could make one..?”
“Do you even know how to sew?” Aizou asked.
“Er…no…but it’s not like I could afford one…” Hiyori deflated. “Please…I came to Central for a better life than what I could get in the South. But so far, all I’ve done is work. I haven’t even been able to go out for dinner, and I’ve been here for over a year now..!”
The two boys fell silent, before Yujiro sighed.
“Okay, look. If you can get all of your work done ahead of time, and that includes having everything set up for Friday, then you can take that night off. But if not everything is done, then you’re going to have to stay here and help.”
“B-but what about my dress..?”
“We’ll have one fitted for you,” Yujiro crossed his arms. “But that dress is going in the trash if you end up not finishing your duties.”
Hiyori’s eyes widened, and a huge grin crossed her face.
“Yes..!”
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of brown eyes watched in anger.
_____
The rest of the week passed by, and Hiyori worked extra hard, and worked late to get the schedule for Friday completed.
On Friday evening, just before the tavern opened, Aizou called her over.
“Oi. Potato.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“We got you something.” He and Yujiro, who were standing side by side, moved apart, showing off a mannequin with a beautiful red sleeveless dress, along with a pair of red gloves.
Hiyori gasped. “Eh? You mean..?!”
“You earned it, Suzumi. Go home and get dressed. Enjoy the ball tonight.” Yujiro smiled a bit.
“Yes..! Thank you so much!” Hiyori carefully took the dress from the mannequin, and the gloves. She ran out, unlocking the front door as she went.
She walked next door, where the tavern dorms were, and went inside, rushing to her bedroom.
She took a fast shower, and got dressed, gasping at how silky the dress felt.
“Those two…thank you…” Hiyori whispered to herself, slipping the gloves on. She put her slip on black shoes on, and brushed her hair, feeling satisfied. She walked out of her bedroom and into the empty dorm lobby.
She felt surprised to see her coworker Yumeru wearing a similar dress, her eyes narrowed.
“O-oh, hi, Yumeru-san…”
“You’re seriously going to the ball?” Yumeru frowned.
“Eh? Yeah, I mean…the prince wants every maiden who can come to attend, right?” Hiyori smiled nervously.
“Hmph. I see.” Yumeru stormed forward. “But those are my gloves, you know?”
“They are?” Hiyori looked at her hands. “Th-those two gave them to me…”
“Well I want them back!” Yumeru snatched them right off of her, scowling. “And what’s with the extra red sashes on the skirt? It’s hideous!” she reached down and tugged on the sashes.
“W-wait! It’ll tear!”
Yumeru ignored her, and tore them off. She smiled in satisfaction. “There. Now, let’s go.”
“U-um…s-sure…” Hiyori looked down, and followed Yumeru out of the dorms.
However, as she walked out the door, she tripped over something, and promptly landed in a puddle of mud. Hiyori cried out in shock, and sat up, gasping.
“Ohh. Oops. Looks like you really can’t go to the ball after all.” Yumeru said in a nasty tone.
Hiyori slowly sat up, her eyes huge.
W-why..?
“Bye bye,” Yumeru smirked, and walked off into the night, towards the castle.
Hiyori got up, and ran back inside, tears filling her eyes.
In her bathroom, she desperately tried to wash out the mud, but she had no such luck. It was stained.
Unable to help herself anymore, she started crying.
Her week of hard work would end like this.
As she cried, a bright light glowed in front of her. She looked up, sniffling and wiping her tears with her bare hands.
She gasped.
In front of her was a girl roughly a centimeter shorter than her, with pink hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a blue dress. On top of that, she had wings.
“Hello, Hiyori,” she smiled.
“W-who are you?” Hiyori asked her.
The mysterious girl’s smile widened. “I’m your fairy godmother. My name is Hina.”
“Fairy…godmother?” Hiyori echoed, her eyes widening.
“Of course. After all, you can’t go to the ball looking like that, you know?” Hina lifte her wand. “Just leave it to me, Hiyori. I’ll give you the prettiest gown ever.”
Hiyori squeezed her eyes shut.
Within moments, she could feel her body getting warmer, and she gasped, her eyes opening. She looked down, her eyes going huge.
Eh..?
She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror.
She was wearing a light blue dress with dark blue see through sleeves, with the same material on her skirt. On top of that, her hair was suddenly brushed neater and some of it pinned back, and a tiara donned the top of her head.
“Oh..!” Hiyori’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you so much, Hina-san..! I…I look…amazing. This dress is gorgeous!” She looked down at herself and her smile, already present on her face, widened. “I’m even wearing glass slippers..!”
“Now, Hiyori, you must listen to me.” Hina said seriously. “The spell will be broken at the stroke of midnight. You must be back here by then.”
“Midnight..? I understand..!”
“Off with you, you have a ball to get to!” Hina waved, as Hiyori ran out of the dorms to the castle.
_____
At the castle, Hiyori completely got turned around. She had no idea where she was.
Well, she knew she was within the ball grounds, as there were several women around, but she had no idea what she should be doing.
She finally found a large snack table, and smiled.
These look so tasty..!
She reached out and took a small biscuit, biting into it.
“Mm…so good..!” Hiyori squealed out loud.
“You think so? I like them too,” a man’s voice said. Hiyori turned, her eyes widening.
A handsome man with black hair, brown eyes, and very fancy garments stood in front of her, a kind smile on his face. “Sorry. I noticed you’ve been wandering for a while. Is the party not to your liking?”
“Honestly, it’s really pretty here, but it’s such a bummer..! I haven’t seen the prince at all..! And everyone’s been off doing their own thing! It feels like a formal gathering rather than a ball!” Hiyori complained.
“I see…” The man looked amused. “Well, since you’ve been on your own for a while now, would you like to dance with me?” He held his hand out.
Hiyori blushed.
Eh…I might not meet the prince, but…this guy…
“S-sure. Thank you.” Hiyori accepted his hand.
The two began to dance. Hiyori found herself grateful for the lessons she’d gotten for dancing years ago, even if she was a bit rusty.
As they danced to the beautiful orchestra, Hiyori felt like she was on cloud nine. The way this man held her as they danced made her feel…special. He was looking at her with such a soft expression.
She didn’t even notice that several women were watching them with jealous expressions, and Yumeru, who couldn’t see Hiyori’s face from where she stood, wished she was her.
The two walked out of the ball, and outside where the beautiful gardens were.
The man picked a beautiful white flower and put it in Hiyori’s hair.
“A beautiful flower, for a beautiful girl…” He murmured.
Hiyori blushed. “But is it really okay for you to go picking the flowers like that..?”
“Of course it’s okay?” The man looked confused.
“Hm…okay…” Hiyori frowned.
The two walked across a bridge with a small pond over it. There were pink flowers on lily pads that seemed to glow underneath the moonlight.
The two had such a romantic time, that Hiyori honestly forgot about the time…until the large royal clock started bonging, signaling it was midnight.
“O-oh no..! Shoot! I gotta go..!” Hiyori leaped up.
“Go?” The man stood up. “I can escort you?”
“No, no you can’t! I mean, I still have to see the prince..!”
“The prince..? But, you do know that I’m-?”
BONG!
“Goodbye! I’m sorry!” Hiyori took off running.
“W-wait!” The man called.
Hiyori didn’t wait. She ran as fast as she could out of the ball, and down the stairs. However, as she ran, hours of sweating finally took a toll on her feet, and it made the glass slipper fall off.
She gasped and turned to grab the glass slipper, only to see one of the prince’s servants running after her.
Afraid, Hiyori began to run away, leaving the glass shoe behind.
As the clock slowly continued, Hiyori ran as fast as she could, feeling her hair getting messy, her gloves disappearing, and her dress went from the beautiful blue, to the ruined red one.
Thankfully, she managed to make it to the dorms.
She ran up to her room and sat on her bed, sighing.
“Well…it was magical while it lasted…” Hiyori sighed, and then noticed something.
She still had her glass slipper on her left foot.
“...Thank you, Hina-san…” Hiyori whispered.
_____
The next day, Hiyori was working at the tavern when she overheard some women gossiping.
“Did you hear? The prince is looking for the girl he danced with last night!”
“He said girls with short brown hair will be trying on the glass slipper he has to see who it fits!”
“Kyaaah! It might fit me!”
Hiyori froze.
Girl with short brown hair…danced with the prince..?
A dreamy smile crossed her face.
I…danced with Prince Nagisa..?
She started swaying.
“What's with you?” Aizou asked.
“Maybe we ought to dock her pay?”
“It’s fine~ I danced with the prince..!” Hiyori giggled.
“Eh? He’s looking for you?” Yujiro’s eyes widened.
“He’s gonna be disappointed that he danced with a potato.”
At that moment, the door opened, and one of the servants from the ball walked in, holding the glass slipper.
Of course, women were quick to line up to try the slipper on.
Even Yumeru stood in line.
Hiyori walked over, standing behind Yumeru.
When it was Yumeru’s turn, her foot turned out to be too big, of course.
Hiyori’s heart leaped in excitement as Aizou and Yujiro watched her, looking like they were practically on edge. Hiyori met their gazes, and they gave her a thumbs up.
She turned ahead, just in time to see Yumeru accidentally kick the glass slipper out of the servant’s hand, shattering it.
“No..!” The servant gasped, gripping the shattered glass.
Hiyori’s eyes widened.
Yumeru walked away, giving Hiyori one last smug look.
“Is there any superglue?!” Aizou called.
As everyone rushed to get the slipper fixed, Hiyori ran out of the tavern and to the dorms.
She returned mere minutes later.
“Sir..! Sir, please..! I have a solution!”
“No, nothing…nothing is fixing this…” The servant said in despair.
“But I have the solution..!” Hiyori held out her glass slipper from the previous night. “You see…I have the other slipper..!”
Women whipped around to stare at her as Yumeru’s face dropped to anger and shock.
The servant looked stunned, but he accepted the slipper from Hiyori, kneeling down and slowly slipping it on her foot.
A perfect fit.
_____
One year later, Hiyori walked down the castle stairs in her wedding gown, holding onto Nagisa’s arm. Everyone cheered for her, even Aizou and Yujiro.
They arrived at the carriage, and Nagisa picked her up in a bridal carry, before setting her down gently in the carriage, and then getting in with her.
Hiyori waved to everyone, smiling happily with tears in her eyes. She turned to Nagisa.
“...I know I said this before, but…I really had no idea you had been the prince that night.”
“That…is one reason why I love you,” Nagisa replied, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Hiyori’s lips.
Hiyori wrapped her arms around his neck in response.
And with that, she would become Nagisa’s princess.