Second. The Receiving Hall

One foot down. As the glass slipper thuds on the red carpet, everyone's gazes fell on the woman that revealed herself. Mouths agape, shocked eyes, all of these reactions were to be expected, since everybody only has an understanding of their comparative luxury, no one imagined this situation, this carriage, this presence, no one imagined that there will be such a lady, so fine, so glamorous, and so elegant.

Two feet down. As she stands in the red carpet that lines through the doors, towards the place that would inevitably start everything. She looks around and meets different eyes, eyes that shows several variations of the emotion of awe and amazement. She sees nobles and important people who she sometimes sees visiting their house, but most of them are unknown to her.

Then her eyes stop at one point, direct ahead, looking at the seemingly endless pathway of scarlet in front of her; triggers anxiety, fear, nervousness. Nevertheless, she must remain calm for all will be for naught if she did otherwise.

Step, and then another one, as she walks through the aisle with complete finesse and composure, her mind is continuously racking for ideas on what she needs to do so that everything falls into place. She is quite proud of herself that she had trained this skill of masking her emotions with body language, for it proved to be worth it on many occasions, especially this current one.

Entering the doors of the inner castle felt more of a death sentence to her than an opportunity, which most ladies would think. She is now in the receiving hall, an enormous room used to accept, verify, and entertain guests that would soon enter the grand hall, where the royal family is waiting. It is hard to deny that even if this is room's main purpose is just for receiving guests, its luxury stands out already; walls decorated with the finest artistry and colors of royalty, marble floors that seems to reflect and enhance the vibe of the room with its unbelievable shine, and a huge staircase that was made to look like it was crafted by gods as a stairway to heaven.

A butler comes to Cinderella. He receives and assists her towards the listing and verification process. Several of the nobles inside the room noticed this and started whispering among themselves. Observing her surroundings, Cinderella thought that the commotion was still due to her elegance and glamour and just brushes off the gossiping. Ascending the stairs, she overheard a conversation behind her back.

"Look, isn't that Aimes, one of the royal family's butlers?"

"I believe so. Why is that woman assisted by him? Who is she?"

"I tried asking my husband, but even though he has extensive knowledge of all the noble families in our kingdom, even he is unaware."

"Might she be from another kingdom? It was said in the proclamation that noble ladies from outside the kingdom were invited as well."

"That might be true, and I would assume that it is a mighty and wealthy kingdom. Just look at her outfit and bearing, I would suppose that she is princess if not a daughter of a duke or marquis."

"You are correct. I wonder if we could talk to her and make connections."

It was quite the shock that the murmurs and whispers were not only about her character, but by how she was the only one being assisted through the ceremony, by one of the royal family's butler, nonetheless. This situation just added further worry and alertness to Cinderella, thinking that one of the royal family already knows her and is making a move.

*There's only one way to know, I have to squeeze information from this butler*, were Cinderella's thoughts. She thought of how to start the conversation so that Aimes would not get suspicious, she would need some kind of buffer topic so that she can proceed to ask about the rest of the royal family that she does not know.

*For now, there's the prince and the king that I am aware of. The queen made rare appearances so there's minimal information on her. After I survive this, I might need him again.*

Cinderella's thought process is now on getting every information of the royal family. A lot of preparation must be done, but the one thing that she must first ensure is that she survives this event. She then thought to ask Aimes about the flow of the ceremony,

"Dear Sir, may I inquire—"

"We are here, milady. Please write down your name so that you may be verified. Then we can proceed to the grand hall."

"I understand," were the only words she was able to say to the clever interruption of the butler. Listing her name makes her an official attendee of the event, now Cinderella, along with the butler Aimes, makes their way to the Grand Hall.