At the King’s royal request, a formal proclamation was issued and posted outside the palace gates for all in the kingdom to see.

Word spread throughout the kingdom, and all the eligible maidens frantically prepared for the chance to try on the glass slipper. No one was as frantic as Lady Tremaine. Her daughters had another opportunity to become royalty, and she needed them dressed and ready. She would do anything in her power to have one of her daughters marry the Prince.

“Cinderella, Cinderella!” she shouted as she started up the stairs to her daughters’ rooms. “Oh, where is that girl?”

Cinderella opened a door in the downstairs hallway with a broom in her hand.

“Yes, here I am,” she responded politely.

“My daughters,” Lady Tremaine asked abruptly. “Where are they?”

“I think they’re still in bed,” replied Cinderella.

“Well, don’t just stand there!” yelled Lady Tremaine, glaring at Cinderella. “Bring up the breakfast trays at once—and hurry!” She feverishly picked up her skirt and continued up the stairs to Anastasia’s and Drizella’s rooms.

Cinderella stood in the open doorway and curiously watched Lady Tremaine hurry off. She wondered why her stepmother was in such a rush. But she obeyed, as usual, and went to fetch breakfast.

Gus and Jaq were standing in the doorway, too, and they were just as curious about Lady Tremaine’s urgency.

“I wonder what’s the matter with-a her,” said Jaq, puzzled by all the excitement.

“Yes, what’s the matter with her?” asked Gus, pointing up the stairs.

“I don’t know. Let’s find out!” said Jaq. He grabbed Gus’s hand. They ran into an opening in the wall and scurried up to the next floor.

Lady Tremaine stormed into Drizella’s room, calling her daughter’s name. Drizella was still asleep in her bed, wearing a yellow nightgown and nightcap. Her bare feet stuck out from underneath the quilt. She was startled at the shrill sound of her mother’s voice.

“What?” she said, stretching her arms and legs. “Get up, quick, this instant!” Lady Tremaine opened the curtains and bright sunlight poured in.

“We haven’t a moment to lose!” Drizella squinted and covered her head with her quilt despite her mother’s warning.

Lady Tremaine left Drizella’s room and burst into Anastasia’s. Gus and Jaq had made their way to Anastasia’s room, too. They hid behind candles in the candelabra and listened to everything.

“Anastasia!” Lady Tremaine yelled. Anastasia was sound asleep and covered from head to toe with her quilt. Lady Tremaine went over to the bed and shook Anastasia to wake her. “Get up, Anastasia!”

Anastasia lifted her head from beneath her pillow and quilt. Her pink nightcap covered her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked with a yawn. Light filled the bedroom as Lady Tremaine opened the curtains. “Oh, everyone’s talking about it…the whole kingdom,” she growled. “Oh, hurry, he’ll be here any minute!”

“Who will?” asked Drizella, who was standing in the doorway yawning and scratching her leg. She had finally dragged herself out of bed. Like Anastasia, she was still exhausted and couldn’t understand her mother’s insistence.

“The Grand Duke!” replied Lady Tremaine. “He’s been hunting all night.” She went an armoire and sifted through clothes.

“Hunting?” asked Anastasia, more confused.

“For that girl!” snarled Lady Tremaine.

Just then, Cinderella approached the door with a breakfast tray. She heard her stepmother ranting about the previous evening and her eyes widened with curiosity. She walked into the room so that she could hear more.

“The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night,” continued Lady Tremaine. “They say he’s madly in love with her.”

Drizella sat down on Anastasia’s bed.

“The Duke is?” asked Anastasia groggily, sleepily lifting her cap to reveal her eyes.

“No, no, no, the PRINCE!” shrieked Lady Tremaine.

Cinderella gasped and her eyes opened even wider.

“The Prince?” she whispered to herself. Cinderella finally realized that the man she had fallen madly in love with at the ball was the Prince himself. She dropped the tray and everything went crashing to the floor.

Lady Tremaine jumped and quickly turned toward Cinderella. She was disgusted with her. “You clumsy little fool!” she yelled. “Clean that up and then help my daughters dress.”

Cinderella’s stepsisters saw no reason to get up and dressed if the Prince was already in love with a girl. Drizella let out another big yawn and Anastasia rested her chin in her hand. Neither of them made any attempt to obey their mother. They both pulled Anastasia’s quilt over their heads and chose to go back to sleep.

Lady Tremaine became even angrier. She ripped the covers off the girls and demanded their attention from the foot of the bed. “Now, you two listen to me,” she insisted. “There is still a chance that one of you can get him.”

Anastasia and Drizella peeked out of the quilt in unison. “One of us?” they asked.

Lady Tremaine changed her tone and became quiet and calculating. She leaned over the footboard. “Just listen,” she said, waving her finger at her daughters. “No one, not even the Prince, knows who that girl is.”

Gus and Jaq were still on stakeout in the candelabra. Gus popped his head out with excitement when he heard what Lady Tremaine had said.

“We know, we know!” he yelled. “Cinderelly, Cinderelly!” Jaq quickly quieted Gus. He pushed him back down under the candle in the candelabra. He didn’t want to blow their cover.

“The glass slipper is their only clue,” continued Lady Tremaine. “The Duke has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom.” Cinderella was on the floor picking up the pieces from the dropped tray. She locked her eyes on her stepmother and listened intently to every word she said.

“And if one can be found whom the slipper fits,” continued Lady Tremaine, “then by the King’s command, that girl shall be the Prince’s bride!”

“Bride?” Cinderella whispered. Her body froze. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Drizella and Anastasia couldn’t believe it, either. They jumped off the bed and scrambled around the room to get ready. They wildly grabbed clothes and threw them at Cinderella. They commanded her to iron, mend, and sew.

Cinderella stood up holding the tray with a dreamy look on her face. She smiled from ear to ear and slowly batted her eyes. She paid no attention to the clothes being thrown at her. She was standing there, but her mind was somewhere else. She was in love and the Prince was in love with her—that was all she could think about.

After loading Cinderella down with even more clothes and making more requests, the stepsisters finally stopped. They noticed that she was not responding to them.

“What’s the matter with her?” asked Anastasia, pointing to Cinderella.

“Wake up, stupid!” yelled Drizella.

“We’ve got to get dressed!” growled Anastasia.

Cinderella snapped out of her daydream and finally reacted to her stepsisters’ demands, though she was still in a daze.

“Dressed?” said Cinderella, looking down at her own clothes. “Oh, yes, well, we must get dressed.” She handed the pile of clothes back to Anastasia and turned away from her. She mumbled to herself about getting dressed as she walked out of the room.