Just when the oblivious Gabriella, after perceiving the footman to be holding her shoe, was about to exclaim in astonishment, when suddenly, someone walked out of Cindy's room wearing Cindy's clothes, but was far prettier than Cindy. No, wait, she looked exactly like the mysterious lady who danced with the Prince the entire time and fled abruptly during the Grand Ball of the previous evening. In fact, it was just Cindy standing in front of them, but her make-up skills were just so talented that one could hardly recognise this fairy-like lady to be her old ugly self.
正當毫不知情的嘉碧拉看見隨從拿著自己的鞋,準備開口時,突然,有人從莘蒂的房間裏走了出來,她身穿莘蒂的衣服,但是長得比莘蒂漂亮多了。不,等等,她看起來和前一晚在舞會上和王子共舞,還中途突然消失的神秘女郎一模一樣。事實上,站在他們面前的正是莘蒂!
After Cindy has appeared, the Prince immediately recognised her to be the Mysterious Lady of the previous evening, and could not take his eyes off her.
莘蒂一出現,王子馬上認出她就是昨晚的『神秘女郎』,並目不轉睛的盯著她看。
After curtseying to the Prince, it was the cunning Cindy who broke the silence. "It is a great pleasure of meeting you again, Your Highness. I am very much obliged to you for hosting the Grand Ball of the previous night, it has been the most wonderful night I, a poor orphan, have passed since the death of my beloved parents." As Cindy got to this part, she quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, which were in reality, quite dry.
和王子鞠了躬後,狡猾的莘蒂便說:「非常高興能再次見到您,殿下。非常感謝您昨晚辦了那場舞會,那是在我親愛的父母親辭世後,身為孤兒的我有過最美好的一個夜晚了!」說到這兒,莘蒂趕緊拿了出手帕,擦拭著她那實際上還是乾乾的雙眼。
Prince Henry immediately went forward and held both hands of Cindy firmly in his and exclaimed, "O my lady! I've finally found you! Did you know how much pain I have suffered last night in my restless sleep after your sudden quittance of the ball as I simply could not imagine what my life would become without you (in reality, he snored away the instant he landed on his bed). Will you do me the honour to dance with me again?"
亨利王子馬上走向前,拉住了莘蒂的雙手並說:「噢,我的女士!我終於找到妳了!你知道昨夜你揚長而去後我過得有多痛苦嗎(其實他昨晚一躺上床就呼呼大睡了)?因為我無法想像沒有你的生活,我究竟該如何過下去。能請你再跟我跳一支舞嗎?」
"But....your highness! What about the shoe?" the footman exclaimed, whose question the Prince completely ignored.
「可是.....殿下,那鞋子怎麼辦?」王子完全忽略了隨從的問題。
To everyone's amazement, Cindy and the Prince began to dance majestically in the hallway. Meanwhile, Cindy's stepmother was made completely speechless by shock. A thousand questions filled her mind. "How did Cindy know that the Prince has changed his schedule when I deliberately concealed it from her? How could she transform her appearance so much solely by make-up? Why is the Prince so charmed by her? Where did she learn to dance so well?"
大家驚訝得看著王子和莘蒂在大廳裏跳起了優美的舞。這時,莘蒂的後母被嚇儍了,腦海裏充滿了上千個問號:「莘蒂是如何知道王子突然改變行程的?我不是有故意不讓她知道嗎?她是如何靠化妝讓自己的容貌180度大轉變的?王子為何會被她迷住呢?她是在哪裡學會跳這麼好的舞?」
After the dancing has finished, the suspicious Prince finally confirmed that the girl standing in front of him was definitely the mysterious lady of last night, so he immediately kneeled down and proposed to her, "Will you marry me, my love?" To which Cindy slightly nodded and with a blush on her face.
跳完了舞,疑心病的王子終於確認了站在面前的就是舞會裏的那個『神秘女郎』,隨後便馬上跪下來和莘蒂求婚:「你願意嫁給我嗎?」莘蒂只是靦腆的點了點頭。
"Go and put on the gown you wore last night, and let us return to the palace to announce this fantastic news to my mamma." the Prince said to Cindy.
「那去穿上你昨晚穿的禮服,並跟我回皇宮和母后宣布這件喜事吧!」王子跟莘蒂說。
Without warning, Cindy began to cry; her little sobs and big drops of tears were so touching and different to her usual howls, that it would be able to make anyone pity her. "I beg your pardon, your highness." Cindy said with sobs in between her words, "But.....I'm afraid that it is entirely out of my power to put on that gown ever again."
突然,莘蒂開始哭了起來,她哭的樣子看起來多麼楚楚動人,和她平實的嚎啕大哭簡直是天壤之別,令任何人看見了都會同情她的遭遇。「殿下,請您原諒!我恐怕永遠都無法再穿上我昨晚穿的禮服了。」
Only after the Prince's insisting demand did Cindy begin to speak reluctantly, whilst throwing timid glances at her stepmother and stepsister, "Because.....because.....my stepmother and stepsister.....they....burnt that gown after discovering that.......I had secretly went to the ball without their permission....." Then, Cindy broke into another fit of sobbing.
在王子的逼問下,莘蒂才邊用害怕的眼神看著後母和姊姊,邊說:「因為.......因為.....我的後母和姊姊.......他們......發現我沒有經過他們的允許偷偷跑去舞會.......把我的禮服給燒了。」說畢,莘蒂便又開始哭了起來。
The outraged prince immediately pointed at Cindy's stepmother and stepsister and bellowed deafeningly, "How dare you do such a thing to a poor orphan, even after I explicitly invited every unmarried girl in the country to attend the ball, you have chosen to prevent her from going. As punishment for going against the words of the Prince, you two are banished from my country forever! I don't want to see your revolting faces ever again!"
火冒三丈的王子不分青紅皂白的指著莘蒂的後母及姊姊大罵道:「你們竟敢對一個可憐的孤兒下此毒手。我明明邀請了全國的未婚女子都去參加舞會,你們卻不准她去。為了懲罰你們違抗聖旨,我要把你們放逐到國外,永遠不准踏入我國一步!我再也不想看見你們這兩張噁心的臉孔了!」
However hard the stepmother tried to tell the prince the truth, the latter, who was blinded by love, would hear nothing of it and left the house with Cindy in their carriage to return to the royal palace.
不管後母多麼努力的試圖告訴王子真相,被愛蒙蔽了是非的王子連聽都不聽,便帶著莘蒂離開了,準備前往皇宮。
~To be Continued~
~待續~
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