The Pear Shaped Tone

A Cinderella story about a clockwork doll who wishes to rule the world, a spinster stepsister who longs to study horology, and a prince who wears a mask to conceal his lack of scars.

The problems all started when Una made me a glass slipper. It was larger than hers, large enough to fit my foot and a good enough duplicate that the King’s Court wouldn’t notice.

“I may need your help if the prince comes looking for me,” Una was helping me as she made her request. She was always helping me. She was always working.

Una, polish the doorknobs. Una, take in this bodice. Una, clean the fireplace.

How could I say no to such a small request?

I did not expect a prince so covered in crape and velvet that I could only catch a glimpse of humanity in the gaps around his mask and the slits for his eyes. Who was it that she wished me to marry in her stead? “You both like to read, you both spend a great deal of time in solitude, and you both like wearing disguises,” Una reassured.

Yes, I would play my part.