We gathered in the royal meeting room, in one long line. No one knew what this was for, except for me at least. They fitted us in nice elegant gowns, made us look presentable. We were told not to move, or talk until the guests came in. At first the camera men were the first to reach us, and kept on taking photos. Tiffany, Xia and Heechul made sure everything was in hand.

Then the royal guests came in, Junmyeon and the queen and the king and Kyungsoo. Even they were wearing formally, the men in suits. Every minute ticked away, and I was more and more on edge. 

Junmyeon cleared his throat, " You all look wonderful today. " 

" Thank you, your highness. " all of us curtsied.

" But, it is a shame that our time together is shortened. And only a few of you will remain in this competition, the rest twenty of you will go home. " he said.

I swore I could hear a few gasps of shock, " Now I will let Tiffany do the announcements. " and he took a step back into his seat.

Tiffany nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, and took a deep breath before announcing the names. 

" Suzy, Moonbyul, Kei, Wheein, Sabrina..." and she kept calling out names.

Twenty of them stepped out, and Tiffany kept the paper tucked in her pocket. Her expression was grave, and I knew it was also something hard for her. She saw every one of us become who we were today, and now we were going to actually say goodbye.

Then Junmyeon stood up, and forced a sad smile. " It really is a shame for us to part, because I promise you that each and everyone of you have left a long lasting memory in my mind, that I will keep forever. And that all of you are now my friends, and are welcomed to the castle anytime you please. Your families must miss you dearly, and you will finally be returning to them. And don't ever assume that your departure is because I have no feelings towards you all, I do care about you. It's just not in that sense that we should stop our friendship completely. And finally, I thank you for your participation in this and I've made some very important friends. This is not our last, but it shall be done. Goodbye. "

I had a feeling this situation was getting emotional, because all twenty of the girls were now in puddles of tears. Some were truly heartbroken, but some seemed to appreciate Junmyeon's speech. Soon, most of them smiled with puffy red eyes. And finally, they were escorted from the room. 

Now came the true nerve racking moment, and it led to a few minutes of awful silence. I scanned the remaining ten girls who were left in the room. To my relief and also regret, Seulgi and Wendy remained by my side. Jiyeon, and surprisingly, a few girls I had no idea existed. I might seem like an awful person, but I really did not take notice of all the girls in the selection. 

Finally, Tiffany broke the silence. " Congratulations girls, you're the final ten in the Selection ! "

Wendy and Seulgi were thrilled, I was positive. And Junmyeon stepped forward, he was smiling too. " It's down to you, and I hope I do get to find my other half soon." for a split second, he looked at me in the eye before resuming to his subtle speech.

" Now, I think it's time for you to greet your subjects. " he chuckled, as he picked something up from the royal cushions. 

Exactly ten bedazzled tiaras were laid upon us. The girls bowed as the queen placed one on each of their heads. Wendy's was sapphire blue, and Seulgi's was yellow garnet. Then it was my turn, the queen looked at me with her sweet eyes. I smiled and bowed as she placed a laurel wreath crown made of gold on my head, it was simple with no jewels.

" Congratulations, Irene. " she said to me. 

" Thank you, your highness. " I said, since I was partly awestruck. 

The line of girls were soon all becrowned, all with somewhat new personas and spirits. It was like they were all fused with energy, to fight harder than ever. We all stepped forward, onto the balcony where we heard cheers from crowds. None of knew what it was, then Xia clasped his hands together.

" Wave girls ! Greet your fans ! " he chimed happily. It was hard to ignore with his bright blue suit and frosty colored hair.

From above, I could see an ocean of crowd. All of them were cheering aloud, with confetti and streamers in the air. They were beaming, like fans usually do. Poster and banners with many of our names written on it. I could hear crowds cheering my name, a banner wrote ' OUR SWEETHEART, OUR HERO ', ' IRENE AS QUEEN'.

I couldn't help but to feel even more pressured. There was a sudden thought about abandoning my past, which was the sole reason I was standing there, viewing and adored by crowds of supporters, when they had no idea the person they were rooting was practically an outlaw. But then I thought again, this wasn't a mere gameshow.

This meant an even more deadly rivalry between the ten of us. I glanced at Jiyeon, who was waving like a professional. Even she had a great chance in this competition, I started to realize that now. Wendy and Seulgi might turn to the spotlight anytime, and I still had to know more about the remaining nine against me.

That meant I had to focus harder than ever before.

" Ahh ! " I screamed a little after taking a look at myself in the mirror of my room. My maids decided I had to step up my game in the competition, so I had to be bolder this time round. 

My blackish brown hair was now a shade of blonde, all styled with diamond pins. My lips were bright red, and it popped with my pale complexion. We had a costume themed gala that night, with some visitors from other regions. But before that, we had a live talkshow as the top ten, that also meant we had to walk on the red carpet.

" My hair ! What if it stays that way ? " I exclaimed in horror. " I don't want to be blonde for good ! "

Ji Na laughed, " Relax, miss. The dye is only temporary, it'll wash out in a few days. "

" And you look absolutely beautiful, miss Irene ! " Yeri added. " You'll be the star tonight ! "

" I didn't think being bold had to be blonde... Besides, what am I exactly ? " I examined myself in the mirror closely. My dress was designed by the seamstress Axel Quinn, two weeks prior to the gala night.

Tiffany had chosen our characters to roleplay later that night, but she only told us secretly so we didn't know each other's costume. In my case, only my maids knew. My dress was a majestic blue, with shimmering sequins at the skirts. It fell to the floor, making it harder to walk in. Not to mention the custom designed shoes I had on.

" You're Cinderella, of course ! " Ji Na said. " You look absolutely spot on ! Oh, you look beautiful miss Irene. "

Now I looked again, I did look like Cinderella. And I didn't know if I was happy about it, since I knew the story. My mother told that story to me when I was younger, about a young poor girl whose life was changed when she fell in love with a charming prince. That story was a myth and a fable, but remained engraved into people's memories until now.

" You look marvellous tonight, Irene. " the show host, Shindong said to me. We had arrived at the talkshow one by one, before proceeding to the gala. Each of us entered the stage, sat down on the hotseat as Shindong interviewed us one by one. Before my turn, I looked through the screen in the waiting room as he asked each of the girls questions.

Wendy dressed up as Belle from Beauty and The Beast, Seulgi as a Greek goddess, and I saw Jiyeon as the Black Swan. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and took on the stage.

" Well, it's an honour to be such an iconic character. And I love the story of Cinderella. " I chuckled and said. " My mother would tell it to me every night before I went to bed. "

Tiffany decided it was better for us to be honest, so I went by it spilling my story on live television. And Shindong awed in remark, " How sweet. She must be very proud of her daughter for being the top ten. "

I pursed my lips, " I hope so too, unfortunately she passed on when I was twelve. "

The crowd went silent, and seldom murmurs surfaced. Then Shindong looked at me with sympathy, " That's very unfortunate, I apologize. She must be a very wonderful woman to have such a charming daughter. " 

I smiled sadly, " She used to to tell me stories, she was my favourite storyteller. She made every story magical. Cinderella was no exception. "

" How so ? "

I looked out at the horizon, with the spotlight upon me. It was strange for me to say my inner feelings to the public. " Cinderella seemed like a weak girl, shadowed by her evil stepmother. But she wasn't, for she had more kindness on her little finger than anyone who possesed it in their whole body. She found her happy ending because she had courage and kindness. " I said.

Shindong's eyes were glinting, " Do you hope to be like Cinderella, miss Irene ? "

" I know that most people don't believe it, but believe me. When there is kindness, there is magic. And when there is kindness, there is hope. "

I was the last to enter the ballroom, so I ascended down the stairs. Xia announced my name, " Miss Irene Bae ! " as I entered. Then all eyes fell on me, and my heartbeat was very well fast. In the middle of the crowd was Junmyeon, in a blue and royals uniform of black and gold.

He wasn't smiling, but he looked somewhat awestruck. I swallowed hard, that meant he was waiting for me. Each step I took, it made me more on edge. Was my makeup okay ? Was I walking right ? Did I have something on my teeth ? A million insecurities just zipped past my mind. 

" They're all looking at you..." I said quietly to him. 

He had the nerve to smirk and chuckled, " Oh believe me, they're all looking at you. I suppose I can't miss a dance with someone as beautiful as you. " 

It was a good thing I had makeup, so he couldn't see me blushing. I took his hand, and the music rolled in.

And like that, we swayed on the dancefloor. Or he more likely guided me, and I tried my best to not step on him. His hands were firm, but gentle, his eyes unwavering. Then I doubted my thoughts again, was this really the person who kissed me under the moonlight with such force and agression ? He looked handsome in anything, but the unifrom made him magical. 

" You should give others a chance to dance with you. " I said light heartedly when we had been dancing for a while. " They might get jealous. " 

He laughed, " Oh, I wouldn't care. I am Prince Charming for tonight, it is only exceptional for me to be with Cinderella. And you changed your hair, I'm surprised. "

I restrained from touching my hair just in case, " Does it look strange ? "

" Unfamiliar, but not really. You look wonderful in anything, Irene. "

" You flatter me. " I grinned. " And you're very handsome. "

" Hmm, I like this game of compliments. Do continue. "

As we talked, I thought I saw Jiyeon leaving the area. I could've been wrong, but I was sure it was no other than her. What caught me attention was someone else following her. It was Kyungsoo, dressed as the phantom of the opera. Both of them left everyone behind, and it made me suspicious. What were they up to ?

" Irene ? " Junmyeon repeated, and took me by surprise. " What's the matter ? "

" Oh. " I looked at the door once again before turning back to him. " Nothing. "