Cinderella story with Nyx (lol) (closed o/o)

Dove peeked into the sitting room from behind a corner, and breathed a sigh of relief. Her stepmother was preoccupied with her stepbrothers as they told her about the “special visitor.” Trying to be as quiet as possible, Dove made her way to the stairs.
“Ah! Not so fast, little Pigeon.” Her stepmother, Lady Montgomery, beckoned her with an extended arm. She did not know why she called her Pigeon. Perhaps it was because pigeons were dirtier creatures than doves. Cautiously, Dove turned and made her way over to othem.
Her stepmother grabbed her chin and inspected her face. “Disgusting. I need you clean as soon as possible. You will be pouring drinks at dinner soon.”
“Yes ma’am,” Dove murmured. She shook slightly.
Her stepmother let go of her and pushed her away. “Go on then. Wash up!” Her stepbrothers looked on with a look of silent pride and satisfaction. Dove quickly left to return to the kitchen and clean.

Meanwhile, soon the doors of the manor opened. A woman stood before Princess Alice, old and with greying hair. She smiled at the princess serenely.
“Welcome, Your Highness, to my humble manor.” She stood aside to allow the princess to go in. “Thank you for deciding to spend your precious time with us.”

The princess’s attire seemed to confuse Lady Montgomery, but she got over it quickly. “No, no, not at all. It is quite the honor.” Shutting the door behind her, she gestured to andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) and Michael, who were standing nearby, straight and alert. “These are my darling, handsome sons,” she said, “The one with glasses is andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer), and the one without is Michael.”
The brothers gave respectful, but calculated bows to Princess Alice. “Welcome, Your Highness,” they said.
“Shall we go to the sitting room while we wait for dinner to be prepared?” The duchess asked, slowly leading the others deeper into the manor.

Lady Montgomery clasped her hands together and began walking in earnest. “Wonderful, let us go.” Glancing over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow. “Girl? What young girl?”
As could probably be guessed, the duchess did not consider Dove as her own stepdaughter, so as far she was concerned, Dove was not a member of the family, so why would she join them?

“Oh.” Lady Montgomery looked back in front of her. “Must have been one of our maids or servants. I’m afraid she will not be joining us.” andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) and Michael shared a glance.

Meanwhile, Dove had washed her face and clothes the best she could, and headed back to the kitchen. Aside from Gabriel the cook, other kitchen maids and servants were working inside now, and the smell of cooking meat and fresh bread was in the air. The kitchen was one of Dove’s favorite places in the house. Good food, and good people. She went and helped out one of the kitchen maids, who was brewing a pot of tea for dinner.

Lady Montgomery gave her son a dangerous look. Michael gulped, but composed himself. “Ah, yes Your Highness. What of it?”

As Dove began brewing the tea, her mind drifted back to the princess. Her smile, her laugh. It looked so genuine. How could anyone so important look at someone like her like that? How could someone so beautiful look at someone so disgusting like that? She didn’t know, but she replayed that moment over and over again until the sound of boiling tea shocked her out of it.

“I wouldn’t let her sweetness fool you, Your Highness,” Michael scoffed. “Witch is a far more accurate name for her, believe me.”
Lady Montgomery cleared her throat loudly. “Ah, here we are Your Highness,” she declared as a maid opened the doors to the sitting room. “Please, take a seat.”
The duchess sat in a rather tall chair that seemed to be her favorite. Aside from that, there was a sofa beside it, and two smaller identical chairs as well.

Michael just shrugged, seeming more focused on the princess’s fiery and bold reaction than her actual words. The twins sat together on the sofa, andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) adjusting his glasses and Michael crossing his legs.
“So, Your Highness, do your parents know you’re here?” The duchess asked, quickly changing the subject.

“As far as I am concerned? I see, I see,” the duchess nodded. She coughed a little in the direction of her sons.
Michael opened his mouth to say something, but andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) beat him to it. “Well then, what drew you to our humble place of residence? Surely royalty such as yourself would have more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Really? Just exploring?” andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) stiffly returned the smile. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
At that moment a maid entered the room. “Dinner is served, Your Grace,” she said. Her eyes drifted to the princess, but she didn’t recognize her, so she just had a vaguely confused look on her face.
The duchess rose from her seat. “Wonderful. Let us dine,” she announced, and left for the dining room.

When they all entered the dining room, a lovely feast had been laid out on the table. Lady Montgomery allowed the princess to take her seat first, and then she and her sons sat down as well. As they began to eat, a few servants entered, carrying an assortment of beverages. Among these servants was Dove, carrying the tea tray. The other servant girls carried coffee, wine, and water.
“What will you have as a drink, Your Highness?” Lady Montgomery asked, still trying to keep up her polite appearance.

Dove’s eyes were glued to the princess. She could not seem to look away, even though she wanted to. She didn’t want to be rude, just staring at her like this.
And yet, when Her Highness asked for tea, Dove looked away with a blush coming to her cheeks. She approached her, bowed, and set the tray down on the table. Taking the teapot, she poured the princess’s cup.
“Sugar or honey, Your Highness?” Dove asked softly. She could feel her stepfamily’s eyes boring into her.

“Of course,” Dove nodded. She gave Princess Alice two spoonfuls of honey. “Stir to your liking.”
Then her face turned very red, and her eyes widened. It had been a long time since anyone said that to her. “O— oh, Your Highness, how— how kind of you to say.” Momentarily she forgot about her stepfamily. All that mattered was that the princess herself was smiling at her and looking at her like she was the brightest, fullest moon.

Vaguely, she heard her stepmother call for a glass of wine and stepbrothers for coffee, but her gaze was still fixed on the princess. “Dove,” she said. “My name is Dove.” Then she chuckled, feeling a little awkward. “You can probably tell why.”

A smile grew on her face. It was rather unfamiliar; when was the last time she had ever smiled like this? What was this feeling, deep in her gut and burning in her face?
“Thank you, Your Highness. Is that—“
A loud coughing sound cut her off. Dove looked to see her stepmother glaring at her. Her blood turned cold. She looked back to Princess Alice and bowed, then took the tea tray and walked out of the room.

“Oh no, I just wouldn’t want her to take up too much of your time, princess,” the duchess said with narrowed eyes.

Dove placed the tray on the table in the kitchen and tried to calm herself. She could feel her heart pumping and her limbs shaking. Why did her stepmother glare at her like that? Dove knew that she was very particular and perfectionist whenever they had visitors, and the fact that the princess herself was here only made this worse, but that glare had felt almost… personal. Like she had done something to specifically insult her stepmother. But how? Dove took a small breath. Maybe she was overthinking it. She didn’t know, and there wasn’t really a way to find out.