(AHHHHH- updates are gonna be slow, school is really soon-)

Every woman in the kingdom had received the same letter. It was a very exciting moment for every woman. They just had to hope they had the same shoe size as the mysterious woman who crashed the ball. They knew they weren't her, but they didn't mind lying if it meant they got to sit on the throne.

There were five guards, the Grand Duke, and the "king"'svalet with the "king". Shinya planned on wearing gloves the entire time they rode through the kingdom. He was disgusted by feet and shoes. He hated it. A lot.

(I find feet to be the nastiest thing on earth. I find the finding cinderella scene cringy because of it. I despise feet. They're so gross omg-)

The first home he entered had a young girl open the door. She had ash blonde hair and purple eyes. She looked at him, called her older sister down, and they all gathered in the living room. She was cocky about them coming to her. The yellow eyed sister was gorgeous but it was a "shame" that she didn't fit. Shinya was lying if he said the anger on her face wasn't hilarious as Yotsubashi tried to shove the shoe on.

(Wait- oh god I might throw up writing this chapter- like really. I really might. Just thinking of what I'm going to do makes me sick- y'all, old Japanese art makes me cry, it's so scary- I- I needed to look up Uwabami and I found one and I'm crying now, please save me-)

Shinya wasn't even touching the shoe or the feet of the women. He just wanted to wear gloves out of disgust. They had gone through four houses in the span of thirty minutes and that's how they found out they'd be taking quite a while.

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Click.

Click.

Click.

Chitose was nearby. Ryuko could feel her heart pound. Chitose hardly ever came up to her room. The anxiety of what she was going to do... it was the day they were going to find her and take her away from hell. What was she going to do to sabotage her this time? Kill her? Ryuko could hear her heart in her ears now. She began searching for the glass slipper she had kept.

"Ah. Ryuko, my sweet daughter. Are you looking for this?"

"The hell?" Ryuko screamed. Chitose was in her room, sitting on an old rusty chair. She was confused by the happiness in her voice. Chitose despises Ryuko and was envious. As she should be. Unlike her nasty daughter and herself, Ryuko wasn't an asshole. Or at least... not to anyone's face.

"Hush and let your step mother speak." She whispered in a rude tone. She had two objects with her. One was her glass slipper, the other was a long item she couldn't see in the dark. This conversation could go two way, both scenarios, Chitose got what she wanted.

"What do you want?"

"Dear girl," she laughed a bit. All these little pet names. Sweet daughter? Dear girl? Ryuko was visibly uncomfortable. "You really think I'm blind? I'm not a fool. I know you went to that ball. And I know what you've done."

Ryuko could feel her throat close up. She wasn't going to cry, she knew that. She could feel herself choke a bit.

She wasn't breathing. She was too scared to. As if she would inhale a venom if she breathed in.

"And I'm willing to bargain."

"What?"

"You heard me. Bargain." She repeated herself, walking into the darkness. She sat down and smirked. "As I am aware, of you are the one who fits the dumb slipper, you will become queen. You're obviously not ready for that! I'm the widow of a politician. I helped rule this country when I wasn't allowed."

"Father didn't let you do that. You were in it for his mone-"

"Hush! You don't know my life! I was married once before! Just who do you think the father of Himiko and Jin are? Anyways, you're not ready," Chitose returned to her calming voice, "so when you marry the prince, you will make me, your wonderful stepmother who has never laid a finger on you, the head of the royal household, Himiko will marry a wealthy lord, and my son... he shall do whatever his little heart desires."

"Why would I help you?" Ryuko shook her head, almost violently.

"Oh! I'm so happy you asked. I'll be able to live happily, manage that little boy's life, oh the things I could do!" Chitose squealed as if she was a teenager. She emerged from the darkness. "And if you value your life, you'll do it. I could easily have you burned at the stake for being a witch who had seduced the prince!"

"I did no such thing! How could you be so cruel?!" She shouted back, her throat closing up from tears this time. "I've done nothing to you, why are you like this?"

"Be-because! You're innocent and young and I-" she was at a loss for words. "You have a third choice now that I think of it."

"And what is that?"

"Beheaded for the murder of the princess."

"I would never! I could never!"

"Oh! You could, you definitely could. I've done my research! I figured out how this dumb thing works." She shouted, pointing the sharp wand in her face, backing Ryuko into a wall. It had changed from Nejire's innocent and elegant wand to a sharp, dark, and evil looking one before Ryuko's very eyes. "You can make me the head, be burned, or you could murder a nine year old. Your pick!"

Ryuko's scream was violent. She just wanted help, she needed help.

"It wouldn't be fun to watch you burn. It would be boring just hearing you scream. Especially since it "cleanses your soul" and all that. So! Make me the head, or kill a child. Pick!"

"I-I-I-" Ryuko didn't know what to say. She was going to die if she killed the princess, she would still be tormented if she chose to make her the head.

Being selfish would let a little girl be murdered, being selfless would mean she'd be abused for the rest of her life.

"You know, this whole mystery princess thing has been stressing me out. I want my daughter on the throne, there is someone who doesn't want your blood in the royal bloodline. Himiko's foot won't fit in this shoe, how the hell? You have small feet."

"I know. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"No biggie. Next time you cook, wash the knives really well. She won't need to go anywhere by foot after she's Royal." Oh god, Ryuko thought she would throw up. "I'll give you a minute to pick what you want to do."

A minute. Chitose already knew what she wanted. Of course she wouldn't tell Ryuko this fact.

Ryuko would just rat her out and get the spineless prince to banish her. Ryuko could never kill a person even if it was Chitose herself.

On the way out, she wanted to add a bit of salt in the wound. She had made it obvious she didn't have a reason to despise and torture Ryuko which made her actions even worse.

Ryuko was looking at her hands. She was scared of what she would do with them. Marry a person who would be forced to become a tyrant? Or murder a child?

A loud noise caught Ryuko's attention.

Chitose had left a mess of glass on the floor.

(Ahhh this has been planned since the fourth chapter I believe. The new movie I've decided to use as a reference is a movie I haven't seen since I was about six! Ella Enchanted. Did y'all like this chapter? I loved it but felt it was too dramatic for my own taste. Might smooth it out later and make it more calm and less murderous since Chitose didn't show signs of snapping or anything like that. Oh and Himiko say goodbye to your foot-)