Charlie: A Pokemon Cinderella Story. Chapter 10 by troy168 < Submission

Keywords male 1282676, female 1167442, pokemon 209954, human 110825, fantasy 28101, lucario 13115, gardevoir 3813, mightyena 2008, houndoom 1576, delphox 1451, greninja 1053, persian 655, liepard 504, rapidash 465, zebstrika 315, gallade 304, fairy tale 221, gothitelle 206, vespiquen 77

The lonely violinist

At the castle of Espérer. Princess Maria is enjoying her royal meal with her parents in the dining room. Things are usually normal when it comes to their meals, but today is somewhat different. And that's due to Lionhart and Oracle noticing how close Maria and Dan are and the two are willing to let them be together. With a nod from Oracle as a signal to her husband, Lionhart proceeds to gently clear his throat to get her attention. But when her daughter didn't notice, he gently clears his throat again. But when that fails, he signals back to his wife as Oracle breaks the silence as she proceeds to say: "Maria." Princess Maria then looked at her mother and said: "Yes, mother?" "So tell me. I heard that you and Duchess Emily's son, Dan have been spending a lot of time together. Is that true?" Princess Maria then said: "Oh. Well yes. But if you insist that I should stop hanging out with him, I'll gladly tell him myself." However, Oracle quickly said: "Oh no. That is not at all what we were going to say, Maria." Lionhart then proceeds to say: "We actually discussed with each other earlier and we were hoping that-" But Princess Maria then quickly said: "Oh. I just remembered." She then quickly got up from her seat as she then said: "I promised Scarlet to help out on her stealth practices and she'll be mad with me if I'm late. If you please excuse me." Princess Maria then proceeds to quickly bow her head before leaving the room as Oracle said: "But Maria." Once they see Maria exiting the room, the two look at each other and wonder if they are meant to be with each other.

In the throne room. The king and queen have summoned both Madam Nicole and Duchess Emily to the room to discuss the situation with the marriage of their daughter, Maria. Once they arrived, Lionhart said: "So tell me, you two. What is the situation in finding a bachelor for our daughter?" Duchess Emily then said: "I can assure you, your majesty, things are going well together with my son and your daughter. I'm quite confident that she is falling in love with him." But Oracle then said: "I don't know... I don't have the feeling that the two are getting closer together… Has there been any word about Duchess Emily's Son, Madam Nicole?" And Madam Nicole proceeds to say: "No, your highness. There hasn't been any word from your daughter about him. If anything, it shows that she doesn't have any interest in him, other than being friends with him." But Duchess Emily then said: "Au contraire. There's a very good chance that she may be hiding her feelings from you. She is quite young so she could be shy. If she's seen standoffish, it could mean that she's falling in love." But Lionhart isn't convinced as he said: "I don't know… How are things on your end, Madam Nicole." And Madam Nicole said: "It's been slow, your majesty. While I have a few leads, I'm still in need of some info before I could properly conduct my search." Lionhart then said: "I see…" Oracle then said: "Then why don't we invite some lovely young men and see if she's interested in them."

"I must object to this plan, your highness." Duchess Emily said. She then said: "We can't just go off and grab some random bachelor from out of the town. This is your daughter's future, after all. If we were to go and marry your daughter off to the wrong bachelor, we could end up with a bachelor who's only interested in taking advantage of the good people of Espérer." Madam Nicole then said: "While I don't normally agree with her ideas, she does bring up a good point. I must object to this plan of yours." Lionhart understands where they are going with as he said: "I see… But then Duchess Emily said: "If I may, I would like to discuss about my son. Ah, but please. Don't think that I'm putting the positions of your daughter's future fiance on my son. It is my duty to ensure the future of this kingdom." Madam Nicole then looked at Duchess Emily and said: "Where are you going with this, Duchess Emily?" Duchess Emily then said: "What I'm saying is that I would like to throw a party in honour of my son's birthday. And obviously, the princess is invited to the party. That way, we can truly find out if the princess does have any interest towards my son." Both Lionhart and Oracle look at each other, before nodding as Lionhart looks at the two and said: "Very well. Madam Nicole, ensure that this message gets passed to our daughter." Madam Nicole then bowed her head and said: "As you wish, my lord."

In the Lestorm's house. Charlie is busy working on Alex's suit for the birthday party that's happening tomorrow. A party that invites a lot of noblemen to celebrate a duchess's son. And as expected, his father and brothers are invited to the party as well and as expected, they won't invite Charlie to the party. And while he is willing to help Alex out, he can't help but feel sad. Ever since he first moved in with Albert and the two brothers, he wasn't allowed to come to any events or parties. It's pretty much depressing for him to not only help deal with the family's constant list of chores but also not being able to come with them to enjoy those fun parties and events. He can't help but constantly wonder if his mother knew about Albert's true nature. But in the end, he can't leave Albert and his brothers since he doesn't have any plans on how he can survive on the streets, but it would also break her mother's heart if she learns that he ran away from the house.

Charlie then continues to work on Alex's suit as he is sewing a feather into his suit. Once he's done with the work, Alex enters the room and said: "Charlie! Are you done with the suit?!" Charlie then places the sewing kit down as he said: "Yeah. I've managed to sew in the flower for you, Alex." Alex then said: "Well now you can take that feather out of the suit! Now I want you to put a rose into my suit!" This confuses Charlie as he said: "But Alex. You were the one that said that I should put the feather on. You never mentioned anything about a rose." But Alex slammed his hands on the table as he said: "Do you have any ounce of knowledge up in your tiny mind?! Do you really believe that any sane man would wear something like this?!" As Charlie remains silent, Alex then said: "I thought so. Now I want you  to go and remove the feather and put in the rose, now!" As he leaves the room, Alex then said: "The duchess party is happening tomorrow and I want to be the best bachelor in the party." Once he leaves the room, Charlie sighs as he resumes his work by unsewing the feather from the suit.

Over at Duchess Emily's house. Her servants are working hard on decorating the room for the son's birthday in the main lobby. Emily then enters the main lobby as she examines the room to make sure that there isn't a single mistake in the room for her son's birthday. As she is examining the room, Dan enters the lobby as he said: "Mother." Emily then turns around and sees her son as Dan walks up to her mom as she said: "Son. How are you?" Dan then said: "Good. But I am wondering if Princess Maria would come to the party." And Emily then said: "Of course she will. There's no way that she'll refuse to not attend the party with our soon to be groom attending the party." Dan starts to blush as he said: "Oh mother… You're making me blush. But do you really think that she'll marry me?" Before she could say something, she hears someone saying: "Excuse me, your duchess." She then turns around and sees Lucard and Maximillian entering the lobby as Maximillian said: "We have received word that every nobleman would be joining in on his birthday." This pleases Emily as she said: "Excellent. I need this party to be a success." Dan then said: "If there are going to be other noblemen joining the party, she can compare me to the others and see that I'm the most charming out of all of them." He then bow his head before proceeding to say: "Now if you must excuse me, I must find the perfect suit to wear tomorrow."

Dan then proceeds to leave the lobby as Emily sees him off. Once she sees him gone, she turns to the two and said: "You two still haven't told me if the princess is going to be joining the party or not." The two become nervous as Maximillian said: "Well… It's just that…" "We still haven't heard anything from the princess. Not even Madam Nicole could tell if she plans ongoing or not." Lucard said. But this was something that Emily did not want to hear as she grabbed the two and said: "You idiots! Why do you think that I got you those jobs in the first place! Isn't it obvious that you are supposed to be feeding me information about the princess!" The two remained speechless as she shoved the two of them together as she then said: "I need that princess here tomorrow by any means necessary. And if you two were to somehow fail this simple task…" She then proceeds to snap her fingers as the two Houndooms enter the lobby and start growling at the two while walking slowly to them. This causes the two to quickly get the message as both quickly said: "We won't fail you! We'll bring the princess to you!"

Back at the castle, with the sun's setting. Maria is watching the sun setting as she said: "You know… I always love it when the sun begins to set…" She then turns around and faces Scarlet as she said: "So why don't we go out hunting with the hunters for a few days tomorrow?" Scarlet then said: "You're not serious, are you? Did you forget that Dan's birthday party is tomorrow?" Maria then looked back out into the sunset and said: "No, I haven't. But I still haven't accepted his invitation." Scarlet then said: "Oh? Why not?"  Maria then said: "I just don't feel like it. That's all." "I wouldn't recommend rejecting an invitation to a birthday party that easily. Especially when it's the duchess son's birthday party." Nicole said as Maria faced her with a confused look on her face. Maria then said: "What do you mean?" Nicole then said: "She has a clear indication of wanting you to take part in his birthday party for his sake. And I can't imagine she would be happy if you would go and refuse her invitation." Maria then remembers about the events with Charlie earlier and the possible plan of her taking over the kingdom. While Maria plans on not taking part in the party, she also realizes that it won't be simple as she thinks.

The next day, at the Lestorm's house. The family is getting ready for the party as Max is looking at himself through the mirror as he said: "Man, this tophat really suits me." Though Alex objects: "What are you talking about? My hat is clearly better." Max turns around and sees that Alex has yet put on his suit as he said: "Yeah, too bad you don't have a suit to match." While Alex ignores Max's comment, Max then looked at his father and said: "By the way? Who is this, Dan? The boy who's birthday party we're going to?" Albert then said: "That is nothing you should be concerned with. After all, despite my research, he's a stranger to me too." But before Albert could finish, they heard a knock on the door, causing them to turn and see Charlie entering the room with Alex's suit as he said: "Sorry that I'm late. I've got the suit ready." Alex then goes up to Charlie and swipes the suit away from him as he said: "About time." As Alex examines his suit, Albert then said: "Anyway. The most important thing to know is that the princess is going to be attending the party, which is your opportunity to impress her." Upon hearing that, Charlie said: "The princess is coming to the party?" Albert then said: "Of course. Though I don't know why that info is important to you, since you can't come to the party." Hearing that had caused Charlie to feel depressed for a bit.

But then Alex proceeds to say: "Gh… Maybe it would be better if I should have kept the rose…" Hearing that causes Albert to say: "Hold it, Alex. I've heard that a suit with a feather would often get the best results." This causes Alex to look at his father and say: "Yes… But that would also mean that there would be other bachelors with feathers on their suits. If I want to stand out and impress the princess, I need to make sure that I got the right style." Max then sarcastically said: "In that case, why don't you ask Charlie to change it. After all, you've been using him six times now. I'm sure he can do it again for the seventh time." While this doesn't help Charlie, Alex then said: "True, but what if I'm wrong? What if they don't have feathers… Gah… If only I knew what they would be wearing…" This causes Albert to stand up and said: "That's enough, Alex. You shouldn't worry about the small details on your suit. Leave those things to me. Besides, we don't have much time for Charlie to go and change them into roses. We need to get going now." But Alex then said: "Just hold on…" This causes Alex to panic as he looks around until he spots Charlie. Then he gets an idea as he walks up to Charlie and says: "Say, Charlie. Would you like to come to the party with us?" Hearing that surprises him as Charlie said: "Really… You mean it?" And Alex then said: "Of course. We'll let you come to Dan's house." Hearing that shocks both Albert and Max as Albert said: "Alex! What are you even saying?!" Alex then looked at his father and said: "I'm saying that we can bring him to the party, father." He then looked at Charlie and said: "So, you want to come?" This causes Charlie to say: "Of course. Just give me a minute to change." But Alex then said: "Don't worry. What you're wearing is already good enough for you." And while Charlie looks surprised, Albert and Max start to smile as they realize Alex's real reason.

Back in the castle. Scarlet took a peek through the door and sees Maximillian standing in the hallway. After she closes the door, Maria said: "Is he still out there?" Scarlet turns around and nodded at her, which confirms her suspicions. After all, she heard from earlier that her hunting team was told to take a day off today, which prevents her and Scarlet from leaving and go out on a hunting trip. Maria then said: "Then you better look outside, Scarlet." Scarlet then heads over to the window and looks out to see Lucard standing around outside. This convinced Scarlet that they won't let Maria leave the castle through other means and they'll bring her to Dan's party through any means necessary. Scarlet then said: "They're everywhere." Scarlet then looks at Maria and said: "This is no good. It looks like you'll have to go to his party after all." This worries Maria as she believes that Emily would use this opportunity to manipulate her into marry Dan. But then, Maria had an idea as she said: "You know… Maybe we should let the princess go to the party." This confuses Scarlet as she said: "Huh? You mean you're planning on going to the party after all?" But Maria then said: "No, Scarlet. I said that we should let the princess go to the party, but they never mention which "princess" should go to the party." Upon hearing that, Scarlet realizes what Maria's plan is.

Meanwhile. Charlie is in the carriage with his family as he is excited that he is finally going to a party. And while it is nice to be able to meet the princess again after seeing her during the time Max was lost in the forest, he is glad enough to join in and help celebrate a birthday party. Charlie then looks and sees a fabulous house from a distance. Once the carriage arrives at the house, the family leaves the carriage as they look at the house, with Alex saying: "Oh man. My legs are trembling from all of this excitement." But Albert then said: "Calm down, Alex. We're going in." As they walk to the entrance, Charlie tries to follow them. But then he gets stopped by Alex as he said: "Hold it, Charlie. I need you to stay in the carriage and wait for us." While this shocks and confuses Charlie as Alex walks off, Max then said: "Man… I can't believe that you didn't even realize it. Alex said that you can come to the party, but he never mentions anything about joining him at the party. Besides, the only reason why he would bring you here is to make a change into his suit. Why else would we take you to the party?" As Charlie gets depressed as Max laughs while joining the others, Albert looks behind him and said: "And while you're at it, take good care of Jen and Ruby. Got it?" Even though Charlie is feeling depressed, he can't help but say: "Yes… Father…"

Inside the house. The guests are enjoying the party as they love the environment that they're in. They're even enjoying the meals that the servers are providing as they not only wait for the special man of the honour on his birthday, but they're also waiting for the special guest to make her appearance at the party. Eventually, Duchess Emily makes her appearance at the top of the stairs as she said: "Pardon me, everyone. I would like to welcome you all to this fine establishment. I am pleased that you would all join me in celebrating my son's birthday." The guest then turns and hears Emily's speech. While outside, Charlie is sitting in the carriage as he is still feeling depressed from not being able to take part in the party, while Jen and Ruby are laying on the carriage's floor. As they lay there, the two looks at each other as the two believe that there's a fracture in the area. After all, these two used to be the best of friends and are loyal to Albert. But when Ruby learns that Jen is actually spending her time hanging out with the two that don't deserve fame and fortune, she feels that she has betrayed Albert. Though Ruby also believes that Jen is losing her pride. Although Jen wonders if Ruby will cause more harm to Charlie since Albert's pride is blinding him and worries that Ruby might not see it.

Back inside. After Emily finishes with her speech, she then said: "With that said, I would like to introduce you to my son, Dan. The boy who's birthday we're celebrating." After hearing that, the crowd starts to cheer as Dan makes his appearance. Among the crowds are Albert and his sons as they are cheering out of respect for Emily. But then Alex notices rather quickly at what's wrong. And that Dan's suit has a feather sewed it into his suit. Max also notices this as he whispers to Alex: "Oh boy, you are in deep trouble now. If the crowd were to see you and Dan together, they'll all accuse you of stealing his style. And if that were to happen, she'll probably kick you out of the party and you'll never be able to meet the princess at the party." This causes Alex to panic as his worst fears are realized. Not wanting to get caught, Alex quickly moves away from the crowd as he leaves the lobby, while Max starts to laugh quietly as he knows that she won't kick him out of the party, just for having the same style as Dan. It was in fact, a simple scare on his part to ensure that Alex is made to look like a fool.

Back in the carriage. Alex has already handed Charlie his suit as Charlie is busy changing the decor of the suit to a rose as he said: "Okay, it should be done soon." Alex then said: "Yeah, well you better hurry. If the princess were to come and see me in this, I'm going to blame this all on you." While Charlie tries to get through this, the thread gets pulled by a bored Ruby. This causes Charlie to look at Ruby and said: "Knock it off, Ruby. We'll play later. Now's not a good time." But Alex is losing his patient as he then said: "Stop playing with Ruby and hurry up with the suit!" As Charlie looked at Alex and said: "Hold on, I'm doing the best as-" He then spotted something from the distance as Alex then said: "Now what…" Charlie then said: "Look behind you, Alex." This confuses Alex as he said: "Huh? What are you talking-'' But when he looked behind him, he saw what Charlie was staring at. And that is the royal carriage heading to the house. This excites Alex as he said: "She's here! I better take a closer look!" As Alex proceeds to leave the carriage, Charlie said: "Hold on, let me come to." Alex then looked behind him and said: "Fine. But hurry up and stay quiet." Charlie nodded as he left the carriage and followed Alex. The two then reach the edge of the hedge bush as they peak over and sees the royal carriage. And then a few seconds later, the two are quick to be amazed that the princess is exiting the royal carriage. While this excites them, what really captures their attention is the mask that she is wearing as Alex said: "Wow… Even when she wears a mask, she is still beautiful." "Yeah… She still is…" Charlie said as she stared at the princess. And while it would be sad that he won't enjoy the party, he is at least happy to at least see the princess.

Back inside. The crowds are enjoying the party when the princess enters the lobby while carrying a bouquet of flowers. The crowd then sees her and starts chatting within themselves as while some can't believe that the duchess has managed to bring the princess in on his birthday, some of the others also believe that the rumours about the princess wanting to marry Dan is actually true. Eventually, the princess makes her way down the small stairs as the crowd, including duchess Emily and Dan bow to her as she makes her way to Dan. Once the princess gets in front of Dan, Dan lifts his head as she said: "I would like to wish you a happy birthday, Dan. Allow me to give you these flowers as a small token." As the princess passes the flowers to Dan, he said: "I thank you for this lovely gift, from the bottom of my heart." As the crowd looks up and sees the two of them happy, Alex manages to sneak past the crowd and join both Albert and Max within the crowd. Upon seeing that, Emily then said: "My dear guests. I would like to introduce the princess to the party. Now let us go to the garden, where you can find nourishment and refreshments at the tables."

In the garden. The guests are enjoying the views of the garden as well as enjoying the meal that Emily provided and her servers are offering. As Emily checks things in the garden, she sees the princess and Dan are getting along just fine, just as she planned. Though what captures her attention is the mask that she is wearing. She then saw Maximillian and whispered to him: "While I'm glad that you managed to bring her here, I must ask… Why is she wearing that mask?" This stumps Maximillian as he whispers back: "To tell you the truth. I am confused about this as much as you, duchess." "Why am I wearing this mask?" The princess said as she heard the two whispered. As the two looked at the princess, the princess then said: "I heard that it's a tradition for princesses to be wearing masks at birthday events." This causes Emily to say: "I see… Well, I must inform you that it's not true. It's only tradition for them to wear masks during a masked ball." But then the princess said: "I see. But that is of little importance to me." The princess then proceeds to grab one of the drinks that a server is carrying as she heads into the crowd as they bowed their heads to her. This causes Emily to be a little suspicious, but she figures as long as the princess is focused on Dan, things should be fine.

Nearby. Charlie is watching the party happening from the other side of the bushes as he knew that waiting at the carriage would not only make him more depressed, but it would also bore him. As he watches the party guests having a good time with themselves, he remembers the times that he used to have when his parents take him to the parties from all over. Though that was when his old father was alive. "I see that you have to wait for them as well." Said an unknown female voice. Curious, Charlie looks over and sees a Vespiqueen in front of him as he sees that she has a small plate of a slice cake. The Vespiqueen then proceeds to say: "I also have to wait outside. But I know that waiting outside with an empty stomach is much worse. So please have this." She then passes the plate to Charlie before proceeding to leave as she said: "Goodbye." As Vespiqueen proceeds to leave, Charlie said: "Wait. I want to-" But before he could have the chance, she already left the area as Charlie then said: "Huh… I wonder who she is…" Nearby, Cinder teleports herself behind some bushes as she looks at Charlie while saying to herself: "Don't mind me, I'm just checking up and see how you are doing."

As the night sky shines over the house. The party continued as the guest moved in from the gardens to the main lobby. While the party continues, Charlie is laying behind a tree as he watches the night skies as he waits for the party to be over. But then he hears a musical melody nearby as he gets up and said: "What the… Where is this lovely music coming from?" As he heads to the source of the music, he hears the lovely music. Though he also heard a bit of sadness to the melody as he wonders if the musician is sad. But then as he moves around a tree, he discovers the Vespiqueen from earlier as she is playing on her violin. Vespiqueen then noticed Charlie and said: "Oh. Hello again." Charlie then said: "Yeah. I didn't know that you are a professional musician." The Vespiqueen then said: "Of course. I'm set to play with the band later, so I'm practicing here to make sure that my violin is working. But where are my manners. My name is Elizabeth." Charlie then said: "And my name is Charlie. I was wondering if you could play your music again. I would love to hear it." Elizabeth then said: "Of course." She then proceeds to play on her violin as Charlie hears the melody from before as he listens to the same wonderful melody as before. Nearby, Cinder teleports from behind the bush as she spots an Gallade hiding behind the tree and staring at Elizabeth.

Once the melody ends, Charlie proceeds to say: "Wow… That was amazing." Elizabeth then bows as she said: "Thank you." She then proceeds to say: "Oh, I must be going now. I'm expected to be with the band soon." Elizabeth then proceeds to leave as Charlie then said: "Good luck, Elizabeth." "Um… Excuse me, sir." Said an unknown male voice behind him as Charlie turns around and sees a Gallade in noble's clothing. The Gallade then said: "Um… I didn't mean to intrude, but I must ask. Do you… Do you know her?" This  confuses Charlie as he said: "Well I just met her this morning." The Gallade then said: "I see… For a second, I was worried that I was going to lose her to you." This confuses Charlie even more as he said: "Lose her to me? What do you mean?" The Gallade then starts to blush as he said: "Well… It's just that… I…" Seeing the Gallade blushes as he tries to sentence his words, Charlie realizes what he meant as he said: "Oh… I see. You love her, do you?" The Gallade then looked embarrassed as he said: "Y-Yeah… I do…" Then the Gallade clears his throat as Charlie then said: "I see. But if you do love her, why don't you tell her." Then the Gallade said: "Believe me, I have. And she does love me. Unfortunately, my parents won't let me be with her. They say that she's not fit for me and I should maintain my "purity" life." "Purity?" Charlie asked as he has no idea why his parents would refuse to let him be with someone. The Gallade then said: "I don't know… But I was hoping that…" Realizing what he means, Charlie said: "I got it. I won't steal Elizabeth from you, sir." The Gallade then smiles as he said: "Thank you." As Gallade leaves, he then turns around and said: "Oh, that reminds me. My name is Roberto." "I'm Charlie. And it's nice to meet you, Roberto." Roberto smiles as he hurries back to the party.

As the party continues inside. Elizabeth is playing her violin with the band as the guest dances to the melody. And while the guest continues to dance, Roberto leans back as he watches Elizabeth playing her violin. Outside. Charlie is still figuring out what Roberto meant by "purity" as he said to himself: "I wonder what Roberto meant by "purity"..." "What are you going on about?" Said a rather familiar voice. Charlie then looks over and sees Maria as he said: "Oh. Hello Maria. What are you doing here?" Maria then proceeded to sit down next to Charlie and said: "Well, I was just minding my own business when I heard this music. I figured I would drop by and see what's going on." Charlie then said: "I see… Well if you must know, there's a birthday party going on for Dan." He then stood up and looked at the window and said: "And right now, the princess is dancing with him right now." Maria then stands up and looks into the window to see that the princess is dancing with Dan as Maria says to herself: "I wonder how Scarlet is going to get out of this situation." "Huh? What did you say?" Charlie said as Maria quickly said: "Oh! Uh, nothing." As it turns out, the princess that's dancing with Dan is not Maria at all. It's actually Scarlet with her shapeshifting skill as she's disguised herself as Princess Maria. Although, her shapeshifting skills aren't perfect as it would often show a part of her real self. Which is why she has the mask on to cover her upper face.

Charlie then said: "Anyway… With the way that the two have been interacting with each other, I think that they would get married. Wouldn't you agree?" Maria then said: "No, I don't think so." This confuses Charlie as Maria then said: "You see, as princes… I mean… The princess would never marry some random guy unless she has very strong feelings towards a guy that he liked. She would never marry someone over convenience or status." This surprises Charlie as he then remembers the situation between Roberto and Elizabeth and Roberto's parents as he then said: "You say that, yet there are some people who can't get together over social status or something to do with "purity"." Maria then said: "If their love is strong enough, they can overcome any obstacle in their way." This surprises Charlie as he said: "So you really believe that true love can exist?" Maria then smiles back at Charlie as she said: "Of course I do." This surprises Charlie as he said: "Wow… For once, we've actually agreed on something." The two then spend their time together, until they hear Emily said: "My fellow guests." Causing the two to look inside. Inside, Emily then said: "As the lovely birthday party is drawing its end, I think the princess would like to share a few words." The crowd then proceeds to cheer for the princess as she clears her throat. But then she heard Emily saying: "I believe that you have something to say to my lovely son. But before that, would you mind removing your mask first?"

The princess starts to get scared as the other guests are excited to see her face. Outside. Charlie gets excited to see the princess's face as Maria realizes that Scarlet is in danger. Back inside. The princess is starting to sweat as within the crowd, Max said: "I wonder why she's hesitating?" Alex then said: "Yeah. She's keeping us in suspense." But while that's going on, Cinder teleports on top of the staircase as she said: "It looks like Maria needs my help. While she can't do much in the light, I'll give her a clear path in the dark." Then with a flick of a wrist, she cast a spell to blow the fire on the chandelier, turning the room into a dark place. This causes the crowd to panic as Emily quickly said: "Stay calm, everyone! It's probably just a draft!" Max then said: "Father, I'm scared!" While Albert said: "It's just the light, Max…" Outside. Charlie and Maria are confused when the lights went out as Charlie said: "What happened? Why did the lights go out?" But then Maria quickly realized an opportunity as she said: "Yeah, it's rather odd…" But at that point, she quickly ducks down and sneaks away from Charlie as she sneaks inside. Once she gets inside, she quickly sneaks past the crowd and reaches "the princess" as she quietly said: "Scarlet. It's me, Maria. We got to hurry and changed back." "The princess" recognized her voice as she removed her mask and said: "About time. A minute longer and I would cause an even more panic than before."

A few minutes later. The flames on the chandelier suddenly came back as it lit the room, much to the confusion of the crowd as among them, Alex said: "Okay… This is rather bizarre…" Max then said: "Yeah, it's quite freaky." Albert then said: "Even I must admit that it's rather strange." As the crowd gets even more confused, they heard a voice saying: "Is everyone okay?" They turned to the source and discovered that it's none other than Princess Maria. This surprises not only the guests but also Dan and Emily as she said: "Oh. Your highness. I see that you've actually honoured us by removing your mask." Even though Emily believed that she could be a fake, seeing her throws her theory out as she believes that it was a simple miscommunication on their part. Emily then said: "Now then. I would like to thank you for attending our party. And my lovely son is waiting to hear what you have to say." As Dan is getting excited, Maria proceeds to say: "It was wonderful to be attending your party, Dan." Dan then bows his head as he said: "You are too kind, your highness." Maria then proceeds to say: "I would like to thank you, Duchess Emily, for inviting me to your son's birthday. But I must get going now. Goodnight." Hearing that shocked everyone as she proceeded to leave the room while Dan said: "Wait! Princess Maria! Do you really not have anything else to say?!" As the guests see Maria leaving, it convinces the crowd that she doesn't have any interest in Dan as they proceed to leave. This causes Emily to say: "Here I thought I could persuade you to be with my son, but it appears that I was wrong. I'll make you pay for embarrassing my son." In a fit of anger, she breaks the glass that she was holding.

Outside. Charlie saw the whole event as he said: "Wow… You were right. She's not interested in him at all. Maybe the princess does believe in true love after all. Right, Mari… A…?" He then turned and saw that Maria was gone, which confused him as he stood up and said: "Maria? Maria?" Charlie then proceeds to examine the area to see if there are any signs of her leaving the area with no success. I don't get it… Why would she leave without saying goodbye? She's rather strange… He then recalls the words that Maria said about true love conquering all obstacles as he hears the same sad melody as before. He then looks out and sees Elizabeth playing her violin on the hill as well as a carriage riding off on the pavement as Roberto looking at her with a sad look in his face. Seeing that from the distance, Charlie realizes what she meant as he said: "Don't worry, you guys. I'm pretty sure that true love will help bring you together."

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Charlie: A Pokemon Cinderella Story. Chapter 10

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