Cinderella Black Dress Chapter 1 | The Queen Desires a Cheap Blanket

Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after.
However, life begins the day after the 'happily ever after.' The story of the queen who would later stand in the ballroom wearing a black dress did not begin in a glamorous place.

The beginning was much more modest.

It was the night the queen wanted a cheap blanket. People all over the country were celebrating, the castle was decorated with flowers, and the orchestra played cheerful music late into the night.

Everyone said.

"What a beautiful bride."

"Now, she will be happy too."

"It is just like a fairy tale."

Cinderella tried to think so, too.

That she was happy.

The days of being covered in ash were over.

The nights of sleeping on a cold floor were over.

The life of working from morning till night, and the days of swallowing mean words, were finally over.

From now on, she would live by the prince's side. Thinking this, Cinderella was shown to the castle bedroom.
It was a room larger than any she had ever seen.

The ceiling was high, the walls had pale gold patterns, and heavy curtains hung over the large windows.

In the center of the room was a large four-poster bed.

Silk sheets.

A quilt as light as a feather.

A pillow so soft it felt like sinking in.

The maids said proudly.

"We have prepared the finest bedding for the Queen."

Cinderella smiled.

"Thank you."

She meant it from the bottom of her heart.

She had almost never been treated with such care before.

Someone choosing bedding for her.

Someone preparing the place where she would sleep.

It was something she was truly grateful for.

Furthermore, the Prince was kind.

He would smile at her in the morning.

At night, he would ask, "Are you tired?"

On nights when they slept side by side, he would gently tuck her in.

What happy days these were.

If only she could sleep.

However, that night.

Cinderella could not sleep a wink.

Or rather, even after that, she could never sleep well.

It was not because she was next to the Prince.

Not on nights when the Prince was beside her.

Not on nights when the Prince retired to a different bedroom due to post-banquet cleanup or official duties.

And not on nights when she slept alone in the bedroom prepared for the Queen.

Cinderella simply could not sleep.

The reason was clear.

Everything was far too high-quality.

When she sank her head into the pillow, it felt as if her whole body was sinking with it.

The duvet was so light that she couldn't even tell if she was covered by it.

The sheets were so smooth that they slid across her skin with the slightest movement.

Is silk really this slippery?

Cinderella thought to herself, lying in bed with her eyes wide open.

Slippery.

It was just, slippery.

Every time she tossed and turned, her body felt like it was losing its place.

The pillow, being too soft, didn't so much cradle her head as try to swallow it whole.

Oh.

I miss my linen pillow.

I miss that slightly scratchy cotton cloth.

I miss that heavy blanket, worn stiff from too many washings.

That is surely not the sort of thing a Queen should be longing for.

But, if you cannot sleep, you cannot sleep.

On the morning after several such nights had passed,

the maids finally noticed that something was wrong with Cinderella.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"

The elderly lady-in-waiting asked with concern.

Cinderella hurriedly shook her head.

"No. I am fine. I just couldn't sleep very well."

"Oh my. Did the pillow not suit you?"

"It's not so much the pillow... well, you see."

Cinderella hesitated for a moment.

Having just become queen, she wondered if it was alright to say such a thing.

To say that she couldn't sleep even though they had provided the finest bedding.

Wouldn't it be rude?

Wouldn't they think she was being selfish?

However, her sleep-deprived mind was a little more honest than usual.

Cinderella said in a small voice,

"Do you have any blankets that are a bit heavier?"

The ladies-in-waiting froze.

"A heavier blanket, you say?"

"Yes. And, if possible, something a bit rougher..."

The air in the room came to a standstill.

The elderly lady-in-waiting seemed at a loss for how to respond.

"Rougher... you say?"

Yes.

Since it will be touching your body, Your Majesty, we would like to provide something of the highest quality...

I am sorry. I am very grateful, truly. But my body is not yet used to it.

The ladies-in-waiting looked troubled.

At that moment, a young maid waiting at the edge of the room raised her hand slightly.

She was still young, and her hair was not yet tied back perfectly.

Her uniform also looked slightly unfamiliar on her.

It was immediately clear that she was a newcomer.

Um...

The senior lady-in-waiting glared at her.

Lina.

The maid who was called flinched, her shoulders trembling.

Even so, she spoke.

If it is the blankets from the servants' quarters, there are some that are a bit heavier.

The room became even quieter.

The senior lady-in-waiting looked as if she were about to hold her head in her hands.

To suggest a blanket from the servants' quarters to the Queen...

I-I am sorry.

Lina bowed her head immediately.

However, Cinderella leaned forward.

"I would like to touch that."

"Eh?"

Lina looked up.

"Are you truly sure?"

"Yes."

"It is from the servants' quarters, you know."

"Yes."

"It is not of high quality."

"Yes."

"It is a bit stiff."

"That might be exactly what I want."

Lina looked at the elderly maid with a face that showed she did not know what to do.

The elderly maid remained silent for a while.

The Queen herself desires it.

However, bringing a blanket from the servants' quarters into the Queen's bedchamber.

She seemed unable to find an answer within herself as to how to reconcile those two things.

Eventually, she let out a deep sigh.

"…Make sure it is clean. Be sure to check it thoroughly first."

"Yes!"

Lina replied and hurried out of the room.

There was indeed an old blanket in the servant's quarters.

It had been washed many times, was slightly faded, and the edges had been resewn over and over.

However, it was clean.

It was heavy, stiff, and coarse.

Lina hugged it to her chest and started to head back to the Queen's room.

On the way, she stopped at the corner of the hallway.

Lina.

Just the sound of that voice made Lina straighten her back.

When she turned around, Head Maid Clarice was standing there.

She was a strict woman who managed the Queen's ladies-in-waiting.

Her back was straight, and not a single strand of her hair was out of place.

She was the kind of person whose mere gaze seemed to bring order to the air in the hallway.

Where are you taking that blanket?

...To the Queen's room.

To the Queen's room, a blanket from the servant's quarters?

Lina adjusted her hold on the blanket.

The Queen seemed unable to sleep.

Clarice remained silent for a while.

Lina thought she was going to be scolded.

And rightly so.

You are trying to take a blanket from the servant's quarters into the Queen's bedroom.

However, Clarice said quietly.

Wash it again.

Eh?

Fix the scent as well. Make sure the fraying is not noticeable. If it is to be brought into the Queen's room, the blanket must also show proper etiquette.

Lina's eyes went wide.

...Is that alright?

I did not say it was alright.

Clarice said quietly.

It is just that it would be far worse for the Queen to greet the morning without having slept.

Lina bowed her head deeply while still holding the blanket.

Yes. I will fix it immediately.

Lina.

Yes.

Finding what the Queen needs is not a bad thing.

Lina looked up.

Clarice's expression remained as stern as ever.

However, that does not mean you should just bring in what is needed as is. If you are to bring it into the Queen's room, prepare it as something belonging to the Queen.

Yes.

And watch your language as well. The Queen is not your friend.

...Yes.

However.

Clarice softened her gaze just a little.

If the Queen can sleep, that is a necessity for the castle as well.

Having said that, Clarice turned on her heel.

Lina watched her back for a while.

Strict.

But she didn't stop me.

Lina hugged the blanket to herself once more.

And just as she was told, she washed the blanket again, adjusted its scent, and patched the noticeable fraying with a small piece of cloth.

Even so, it did not become a high-quality blanket.

An old blanket from the servant's quarters is, no matter what, just an old blanket.

However, it had become a blanket that could be brought to the Queen's room.

After a while, Lina returned, carrying a single blanket.

It was far too ordinary a blanket to be placed in the Queen's bedroom.

Its color had faded slightly, and the edges had been resewn many times.

When touched, it lacked the smoothness of silk.

Rather, it was a bit stiff, rough, and heavy.

Cinderella placed her hand on the blanket.

At that moment, the tightness in her chest eased just a little.

Ah.

The sound escaped me before I could stop it.

This is the one.

Lina's eyes went wide.

Are you truly sure about this one?

Yes.

But you are the Queen.

Lina covered her mouth in a panic as soon as she said it.

I-I am so sorry.

Cinderella laughed.

It felt like the first time in a long while that she had laughed naturally.

It is fine. Perhaps it is because those words made me a little happy.

Happy, you say?

Yes. Rather than being told that I am the Queen.

Cinderella hugged the blanket tightly.

I am happier hearing something like, 'You are more ordinary than I thought, Your Majesty.'

Lina hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly.

You are more ordinary than I thought, Your Majesty.

Cinderella laughed.

Thank you.

The elderly lady-in-waiting gave a small cough beside her.

"Lina. Mind your words."

"Yes, I am sorry."

Lina bowed her head again.

However, her face looked a little relieved.

That night.

In Cinderella's bedroom, an old blanket from the servant's quarters was placed over the silk duvet.

The ladies-in-waiting looked a bit conflicted until the end, but since Cinderella seemed happy, they said nothing.

It was surely not appropriate for a queen's bedroom.

A faded blanket on top of the finest duvet.

However, when Cinderella pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, she was finally able to relax her body.

It was heavy.

A little stiff.

It felt rough.

But she felt that the weight properly reminded her of the contours of her own body.

I am here.

I am about to sleep now.

My body is beneath this cloth.

For the first time in a long while, Cinderella felt that way.

Even in a happy place, there are things that do not suit you.

Good things and comforting things are not always the same.

Cinderella learned this in her first days as queen.

Before closing her eyes, Cinderella smiled faintly.

The castle was still a little too big.

The title of queen still felt a little too distant.

However, thanks to an old blanket and a slightly strange new maid named Lina, she felt she might be able to make a place for herself here.

That is what she thought.

The next morning.

The prince looked at Cinderella's face and spoke immediately.

"Did you get some sleep last night?"

Cinderella nodded.

"Yes. For the first time in a while."

"I'm glad."

The prince looked truly relieved.

Then, he looked at the blanket on the bed and tilted his head slightly.

"Is that the reason you were able to sleep?"

"Yes."

"...It looks quite heavy."

"It is heavy."

"And it looks a bit stiff, too."

It is hard.

The prince smiled in a troubled, yet amused way.

You are truly mysterious.

Cinderella hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Mysterious, you say?

Yes. I had always thought that lighter and softer things were easier to sleep with.

Perhaps I should say the same.

Should say the same?

If I were a queen, surely I would.

The prince's expression changed ever so slightly.

Then, he slowly shook his head.

It is better to be able to sleep.

Cinderella looked up.

The prince gently touched the blanket with his finger.

I still do not quite understand it, though.

He said that, and smiled a little.

If you can sleep, then this is better.

At those words, Cinderella felt a slight warmth deep in her chest.

This person does not understand everything.

Why I cannot sleep on silk bedding.

Why do I find comfort in a heavy blanket?

I am sure I will not understand it right away.

Even so, I did not deny it.

That alone was enough.

Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after.

However, that happiness did not begin with a silk duvet, but with a cheap blanket.

Next Episode: Cinderella Black Dress Episode 2 | The Queen Requests a Staff Meal

*This story continues from "Episode 0 | The Queen in the Black Dress." If you have not read the prologue, please start here.