Chapter 317: Straight to Max Progress
As soon as Faye and Faye Yardley arrived at the grand ball in the King’s castle, Ace, who had been waiting for them, personally escorted them inside.
This sparked much speculation among the crowd about the sisters’ identities.
Faye Yardley thought, ’They’ll probably never guess we’re just a couple of village girls.’
During the grand ball, they also ran into The Frog Prince and Little Red Riding Hood.
The ball was filled with all sorts of people, so Faye Yardley found an inconspicuous corner where she stood alone, not daring to eat or drink.
"Hi, don’t you like the food here?"
Faye Yardley turned and saw Caleb Colby, her eyes widening in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Aren’t you having anything to eat, Yardley?" Caleb Colby then whispered, "Right now, I’m just a nameless guard by the King’s side."
"I’m Faye, the village girl."
"Ahem... a village girl?"
Faye Yardley nodded, then asked, "If you’re a guard, what are you doing over here? Maintaining order?"
"More or less. I asked the Guard Commander for an extra shift."
"How many sons does the King have?"
"This one has three sons and one daughter." Then, Caleb Colby stealthily picked up a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
Although everything looked delicious, Faye Yardley didn’t touch a thing.
Without Faye’s permission, she didn’t dare to eat anything.
If she unknowingly broke the rules, she would be the one to die.
She wasn’t so desperate for a bite that she’d risk her life over it.
Seeing that she really wasn’t eating, Caleb Colby didn’t try to persuade her. He already knew that everyone who entered was given a different identity and had different rules to follow.
Someone came over and invited Faye Yardley to dance, but she politely declined.
Besides, she was a village girl. It was only natural that she wouldn’t know how to dance.
As for why Faye could dance, well, that could be attributed to Ace being such a good lead.
Soon, a stunning girl with light-gold curls appeared at the ball, dressed in a beautiful blue gown.
"Yo, you two are wearing the same color," Caleb Colby said, leaning closer to Faye Yardley.
Faye Yardley glanced down at her own light blue dress. "Plenty of girls and ladies are wearing blue tonight. And if you weren’t blind, you’d see her dress and mine are completely different shades. You think that’s Cinderella?"
"Cinderella? Very likely." Caleb Colby looked troubled. "Help me out, Yardley. My mission is to help the Prince find Cinderella. Can you ask her where she lives later?"
"She’s in the city, isn’t she? Just have someone search the home of the Earl who remarried and has two daughters."
"Cinderella’s father is an Earl? Then why is her life so miserable?"
Faye Yardley retorted, "Haven’t you ever heard of a down-on-their-luck noble? Besides, it’s perfectly normal to have a hard life when you’ve got a stepmother."
Before Caleb Colby could say anything more, he was called away by someone else.
Now and then, Faye Yardley would glance over at Faye, Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella. There might be other fairytale characters here, but she didn’t recognize any others.
She only guessed it was Cinderella after seeing the crystal shoes on her feet.
The shoes were identical to the ones Faye was wearing, which was a huge headache.
’There are so many styles of crystal shoes, how could they end up looking exactly the same?’
"Faye~ Faye~"
A chill instantly shot up Faye Yardley’s spine. She thought she heard Clementine’s voice.
She turned her head and, sure enough, saw Clementine. Her face had regained its dewy radiance, but she was wearing a maid’s uniform.
"Clementine?"
"It’s me."
’Is this corner a trouble magnet? How can I run into one acquaintance after another just by hiding here?’
On the tray in Clementine’s hands was a glass of orange juice and a delicious-looking piece of cake.
When she got closer, she asked reproachfully, "Why didn’t you stand up for me last night?"
Faye Yardley, already getting a headache, could only lie through her teeth. "I didn’t realize you were the one they were trying to burn. At the time, I thought it was some old Witch who had made everyone furious."
Hearing this, Clementine was silent for a long while. "Alright, I misjudged you."
"How did you end up here?"
A gentle smile appeared on Clementine’s face, and her gaze drifted toward Ace on the dance floor. "I was just making my way when I happened to run into Ace. He brought me here. He’s such a kind person."
"He didn’t recognize you when he saved you?"
Clementine hummed in response. "I only just recovered."
’Okay, I shouldn’t have asked.’
’So does that look on your face mean you’ve fallen for Ace?’
Faye Yardley glanced from Clementine to Ace on the dance floor, who was leading Faye in a dance. ’He must be in love with Faye, right?’
Soon, a commotion erupted on the dance floor, and then they saw Ace drop to one knee and propose to Faye.
The crowd burst into rounds of applause and cheers.
Faye Yardley turned just in time to see the color drain from Clementine’s face. The tray in her hands was trembling, so Faye Yardley quickly took it from her and set it on a nearby side table.
’Did I just complete two missions at once?’
’Did my mission progress just jump from 0 to 100 percent?’
DING~ Congratulations, Player. Mission 1: Complete. Mission 2: Complete. You may choose to return to the raft after the ball concludes.
’It... it really completed just that inexplicably.’
Clementine had suddenly fainted.
Fortunately, they were in a corner, so hardly anyone noticed.
Faye Yardley helped the unconscious Clementine over to a small sofa near the French windows.
"Clementine, Clementine, are you okay?"
At that moment, Faye Yardley had a strange premonition. Clementine couldn’t just collapse here. If she did, it would surely lead to disaster.
After thinking it over, she went to find Caleb Colby and asked him to help carry Clementine out of the castle in secret.
As the clock struck midnight, a figure in blue came running toward them.
Faye Yardley quickly gave Caleb Colby a shove. "Quick, go after Cinderella."
As for Clementine, who had fainted and was unresponsive, Faye Yardley was getting anxious. ’Is love really that powerful? Just because a boy you like doesn’t like you back, your brain decides to shut down?’
"Clementine, Clementine? You’re still alive, right?"
She checked for breath under her nose. She was still breathing, but it was like her soul had left her body—she wouldn’t respond to anything.
’What am I going to do?’
The clock had struck midnight. She could go back to the raft now.
’But what about Clementine?’
’And what’s this rope for, being secretly dangled from that tall shrubbery?’
She couldn’t tell if danger lurked in the night, but when Faye Yardley looked back, the castle seemed like a great, pitch-black beast.
"Huh? It’s you. What are you doing here?"
A squirrel jumped down from a tree, looking curiously at Faye Yardley and then at the unconscious Clementine.
"A squirrel? You’re that Mr. Squirrel my sister beat so hard you nearly split apart."
The squirrel instantly flew into a rage, vehemently protesting the long descriptor Faye Yardley had just used.