Chapter 1

The kneeling prince began to slip the glass slipper onto the foot of the girl sitting in the chair. The glass slipper fit perfectly, as if it had been made for her.

"It was you... my destined princess...!"

The one who said this with deep emotion was Prince Alexis of this country, and the one he was whispering his love to was my younger sister. Is this the first act of a perfect ending?

Next to my mother and sister, who were stomping their feet in frustration, I was calmly thinking about this.

But I never expected that the girl who had appeared so gallantly at the ball to choose a bride would be my step-sister, Ella. My mother and sister call her "Cinderella," and indeed, Ella is beautiful. With her platinum blonde hair that seems to glow and her clear sky-blue eyes, she would not look out of place even among the princesses of neighboring countries. It's no wonder the prince was smitten. ...Am I just being a big sister who's blind to her sister's faults?

"Let's go to the castle right away and get married!"

Prince Alexis, his eyes sparkling, was holding Ella's hand. But Ella, for some reason, had a troubled look on her face. Just as I was about to ask her what was wrong—

"Here to pick you up, my honey♡"

A man dressed in a black robe suddenly appeared, breaking through the window, riding a broom. He looked suspicious. I wonder if we can claim for the window repair later? But then, Ella's eyes lit up and she ran to the man.

"I knew you'd come! Mr. Wizard!!"

"I wouldn't leave you behind, would I? Let's go on an endless magical journey!"

"Sure♡"

Wait... Ella, why are you hugging a suspicious-looking man? And what's this endless magical journey all about?

"Hey... wait a minute, Ella!"

When I called out to her in a panic, she looked at me with a pained expression, her eyes welling up.

"Adelina... you were the only one in this house who was kind to me. I'll always wish for your happiness."

"But... but what about the prince? The castle? The wedding??"

The moment her gaze turned to the prince, Ella dropped a bombshell.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness! I still like the wizard!!"

The moment Ella said this, the room froze. The prince, in shock, opened his mouth wide. Of course... who would imagine that the destined partner he had searched for throughout the kingdom would say something like this?

"......Huh?"

"So I can't be your bride! You're a wonderful prince, so I'm sure you'll find a wonderful bride!!"

"Ella, wait!"

"Goodbye, everyone! Ella will be happy! Please forgive my selfishness!!"

Before anyone could stop her, Ella and the wizard mounted the broom and flew away from our house at an incredible speed. The castle's retainers, who had just come to their senses, tried to chase after them, but it was too late. The two of them disappeared into the clouds.

It's not like everything is fine and dandy, right?

"What do we do now...?"

"I already sent a carrier pigeon to the castle saying the prince found his destined partner..."

"If we return empty-handed, it will be a disgrace for generations...!"

The gathered retainers, looking uncomfortable, whispered to each other.

They couldn't let it be known that the handsome prince had been left by his destined princess. If that were to happen, it would become a laughingstock not just in the kingdom but also in neighboring countries. The handsome prince would instantly become a clown.

But the situation had already progressed to a point where it couldn't be reversed. The retainers had already reported to the castle that they had found the destined partner, Ella, but Ella had run away with the wizard. What could they do...? As I was getting more and more anxious, the prince, who had been hanging his head, lifted his face. His sharp, world-hating gaze was directed straight at me.

Oh, I have a bad feeling...

"Hey, you."

"Yes!"

"Are you... her sister?"

"Yes, my name is Adelina."

Prince Alexis came up to me, grabbed my wrist tightly. It hurt. It really hurt. This guy is definitely angry...!

"I'm taking this girl back."

"Huh...?"

"You have no right to refuse. Be silent and become my bride."

"......!!?!"

I was speechless at his unexpected words... and after a few seconds, I began to slowly understand the prince's intentions.

The prince had come to my house to find his destined princess. If I were to be taken back and it were said that the glass slipper fit me, everything would appear to be resolved on the surface. I would be, in a sense, a substitute for Ella, who had run away at the last moment. "You have no right to refuse" was a threat. If I refused, there could be a stripping of our titles and a purge of our family. It was a matter of life or death...!

If the handsome prince had said "Be my bride" under different circumstances, I might have been incredibly flustered. But I had no such luxury now. To avoid dying, I had no choice but to nod like a nodding doll.

...Hmm, how did it come to this?

And so, I, the ordinary older sister of Cinderella, ended up marrying the prince just to save face after his destined princess ran away.

Thank you for reading.

This is the serialized version of the short story

"Cinderella's Sister, but I Involuntarily Ended Up Marrying the Prince"

(https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0540gn/).

The basic flow is the same as the short story, but there are more characters and more scenes from the prince's perspective, making it more substantial. I hope to progress quickly up to the end of the short story, so please stay with me!

If you found it interesting and are curious about the continuation, I would be very grateful if you could support me with a rating and bookmark using the [☆☆☆☆☆] button below. I look forward to your feedback!