Cinder X Bella ~ Twenty-Nine!

She had expected the winter to be one of seclusion for her family, between the rise of the plague and the family in public mourning for the loss of her father. But as midwinter approached, Bella found herself being called to the main floor to help her stepsisters get dressed for a party they’d been invited to attend.

Surprisingly, the stepsisters seemed not at all excited as they put on lacy gowns and pearl necklaces with matching earrings. Cattiva in particular was outspoken, taking out her ire by throwing clothes and other small items onto the floor and making Bella retrieve them for her as she stood in front of a full-length mirror to check her appearance. 

“We were a last-minute invite, Mother. You know what that means? It means someone else canceled, and they needed to invite anyone. Who else but us, who they know have no other commitments or invitations? That's what this says, so why would we go?”

“An invitation is an invitation.” Matringa swept into the sitting room, fully dressed and ready for the evening. Bella's eyes were drawn to the shining emerald necklace she wore, matching earrings, a ring on each finger with the same stone. Specifically, they were drawn there because she had never seen this jewelry before. “If you'd like to stay behind with Bella, just say the word. Speaking of, child, why are you staring at me?”

“Signora Matringa,” Bella responded slowly, knowing better than to keep her mouth shut after being asked a direct question, “I was under the impression the family was destitute. When the ship was burned, our life savings burned along with it. How is it that all three of you are wearing new dresses? New jewels? What's going on?”

“Somehow, I'm still surprised you haven't learned your place even with all you've been through. What makes you think I owe you even the least explanation?” Matringa shook her head in mock sadness, stepping in front of the mirror to adjust her accessories. “I suppose it doesn't hurt for you to know. You do realize I'm quite a wealthy woman in my own right? Oh, go on, speak those words you’re so desperate to shout as a little treat for learning to hold them in.”

“Signora… if you are wealthy, why did you insist my father pour all we owned into going out on the road to make sales?” Bella tried to swallow her anger, in hopes of getting more information.

“Oh me, oh my…” Matringa turned to look Bella directly in the eyes. “What are you insinuating? You are correct, he poured all he owned into his venture, as well as what small portion of my wealth I allowed. The sales were for him, to help him achieve higher levels in his Merchant skills. Did you not realize how, when he followed my directives, he reached Perfection on his first trip? He had an opportunity to achieve his Breakthrough Skill and couldn't help himself. What else?”

“Then… if you have so much money, why get rid of all the staff? Why live like this, forcing me to try and do the work an entire household should be doing? You must know it's not enough, that the estate is suffering from neglect no matter how hard I try-” Bella's words halted as she realized Matringa was staring at her, the malicious smirk on her lips showing that the woman was just trying to give her enough rope to hang herself. 

“I wasn't going to gamble my fortune on his success. As for the estate? If it can't stand on its own, it shouldn't. I married into House Vigatori for my own reasons, specifically the noble title I gained by doing so. Your father married me for my money. It was a simple business transaction, and both of us knew what we were getting into. Why should I reach into my coffers for upkeep, when I will be moving onward and upward as soon as I get the chance? I should think not.”

Bella remained in place as the room emptied out, her stepfamily exiting the house and entering a carriage, which rolled up directly adjacent to the door to ensure they wouldn't have to endure the cold for a moment longer than necessary. Her thoughts were swirling but kept coming back to one bright moment in that conversation that played in her mind over and over. “She's going to move on as soon as she gets the chance? I'll be rid of her, and I won't even have to do anything? Perhaps that's why she's so eager to find Malvagio a ‘proper’ suitor.” 

With the house to herself, she went about her business, first chasing around and trapping the cats in Malvagio’s room. Only when she was certain all six of the little monsters were stuck, Bella began singing out.

She threw open the windows and doors, allowing a flood of birds and bats to zip in and swirl around the open area. Her battle-scarred mice made a cautious reappearance, and Bella tried to decide what her next action should be—but her exhaustion almost overcame her. 

“At least with this much help, I might actually be able to finish all the chores soon enough to take a rest.” She finally gave in to her needs, instead of seeking out her desires, and used the bonus help to go through the manor room by room on the main floor and servants area, using the birds to dust, beat the curtains, adjust the furniture, rearrange pillows, gather all the discarded clothing her stepsisters had tried on and tossed to the side. 

In only a few hours, Bella had caught up on everything she needed to do for the day. Her thanks was the only thing she could give her creatures, but she did so profusely. They never seemed to mind not getting treats or trinkets, which could’ve been an effect of her skills, but she wasn't the sort of person to demand work without reward. At least, not usually.

The thought of attempting to escape crossed her mind, but Bella was certain she knew why her stepmother didn't have that concern. It was a bitterly cold night, and wet snow was falling heavily outside, though the wind was not blowing too hard. She was certain that if she tried to go through the hedges, they would simply wrap around her and hold her still, allowing her to freeze before Matringa returned home. Even if they didn't, it was unlikely that she’d be able to make it to town without taking serious injuries or terrible frostbite.

Even then, she would simply be returned here by a well-meaning stranger when they found out she wasn't yet eighteen and unmarried. Bella shuddered to think what would happen if that scenario were to play out. 

Instead, she went to bed early and caught up on sleep, waking the next morning feeling well-rested and ready to function at a high level once more. This turned out to be a great boon, as her stepfamily arrived home very suddenly and practically shouted their conversation back and forth from sheer excitement.

“Can you believe there were three entire barrels of cider?” Cattiva’s eyes were bright as she paused to look at her sister's reflection in the mirror, since Malvagio was practically preening at her own appearance. “There's no way we got through even one of them, right? That means they spent a handful of silver on just that, all for it to be decoration!” 

Malvagio waved her sister away with a knowing smile. “It wasn't simply for them to show how opulent they were. From what I heard, they were using it as a way to build goodwill with the villagers. Some kind of charity event so they could help out the fearful peasants. No one wants to go out and about as the plague gets worse.”

“They're so afraid of getting a little sick. That was the younger brother of the king, nothing's going to happen to them.” Cattiva scoffed and shook her head. “Silly if you ask me, both for the host to buy into it, as well as to purchase so much for no purpose. They're going to be drinking that for weeks, unless it goes bad, and they have to dump it.” 

The older stepsister rolled her eyes. “Sure, but they don't know nothing’s going to happen to them. At least, not until…” 

Just then, both of them noticed Bella had entered the room, and the conversation died instantly, only to rekindle with a clear shift in their tone. Cattiva let out a high-pitched giggle then used her shoulder to bump her sister, “No wonder you danced with Enzo three times. Nephew of the king, so he'll be a Duca someday? I'd say that's a fair suitor, wouldn't you?”

“Yeah, if he wasn't so dreadfully boring.” Malvagio paused for dramatic effect. “All he spoke about the whole night was how bitter their serfs are becoming. Morale is low! Sales are down, which means fewer taxes! Blah, blah. All the boring parts of politics, without being able to have a taste of the pie for myself.”

Matringa’s reflection appeared in the mirror, causing both her daughters to go quiet. “Well… if you want excitement… perhaps I should tell you what I learned last night?” 

All three of the girls listened attentively, though Bella made sure not to show even a hint of interest in the conversation. The stepmother came closer to her daughters, looming large in the reflective surface. “They plan to resolve those exact issues. As a matter of fact, they have a plan in place already. You see, at the spring equinox, there's going to be a royal ball.”

“No!” Cattiva gasped, practically trembling in excitement. “Who all knows this? We have to get fitted for dresses before this becomes public knowledge; what will the fashion be? By the system-”

“Cattiva!” Matringa flinched away from her daughter. “Watch your mouth!”

“Sorry, Mother! I… forgot.” the younger of the stepsisters practically whispered her apology, shrinking in on herself under her mother’s glare—a look Bella had only seen directed at herself to this point. 

Matringa waited a few moments longer, showing her dissatisfaction through silence before finishing her thought. “You got excited for the party, and that's not even the interesting part. The Crown Prince comes of age on the equinox, and with the surrounding kingdoms struggling so much with plague, the Queen doesn't want to invite sickness into our lands. According to our host last night, as a way to bring the population together, the Prince will be engaged to someone… from here.” 

“From our house?” Cattiva’s hands went up over her mouth. “Is it going to be Malvagio or me?”

“From within our own country, you dolt.” Malvagio’s words were harsh, but they saved her younger sister from a more in-depth berating via their mother. “Who all is in the competition?”

“It's not for certain yet.” Matringa admitted her lack of knowledge graciously. “It is certain the equinox ball will be happening, but the court is still in deliberations as to who should be allowed to vie for the prince's hand. Half of them want the Royal House to marry from the nobility, while the others think he should quell tensions by raising a commoner. As for me? I think it will be somewhere in the middle… perhaps a low nobility house which was raised from commoner status through sheer grit and determination, perhaps?”

“That’s us!” Cattiva scream-whispered excitedly. “I knew that's what you meant from the start, Mother!”

“Hmm. Good, you positioned us well.” Malvagio nodded at her mother thoughtfully. “I admit, I'd had some doubts over the last couple years. Anyway, if that's how it's going to be, I guess I have a few months to prepare the finest, most detailed painting of my life. I'll try to accept his proposal graciously.” 

“Hey, it could be me!” Cattiva exclaimed with a troubled expression. “You can't just assume you're going to get the best of everything because you're the oldest.”

Malvagio looked at her younger sister then rolled her eyes over to stare at her mother. “Thoughts?”

“If she could bring her talents to an acceptable level, she might have a real chance.” Matringa stated lightly, though her words caused Cattiva’s face to crumple. “Now, don't act like that. You still have a few months; who knows what could happen?”

“There you go, nothing else to be said, is there? Now, I'm going to go take a nap. I need to get plenty of rest so I can be ready to hear you all calling me ‘Your Highness’ in a few months.” At Malvagio’s words, the trio walked away, leaving Bella to pick up their discarded garments and properly hang them. Cattiva’s voice floated down from above, her petulant tone carrying words that made Bella's blood run cold.

“Couldn't we just bring a few villagers in for me to practice on? No one's going to miss them once the plague gets here, and it's not like the hedges are going to mind taking care of what's left of them.”