The palace is elaborately decorated, which excites Erin but not Sophia. Once inside, a wealthy girl insults Sophia, saying a peasant isn’t good enough for Cinderella’s dress. Sophia expected cruelty from men tonight, but not other girls. The wealthy girl also implies that her parents paid to arrange a match in advance. Sophia tells the girl that she could still be abused by her future husband even if her parents paid him.

Men of all ages gather on a three-tiered platform, with King Manford on top. Guards push the girls into a line, and Sophia spots Liv, who is wearing a plain cotton dress with no makeup or fancy hairstyle; a fairy godmother didn’t visit her. Sophia fears she may be sent to a workhouse. She then spots Luke in the crowd of men.

Sophia panics because Luke said he was avoiding the ball; now, she wonders if everything he told her was a lie and if she’s in further danger. She notices portraits of kings since Cinderella’s time: Prince Charming, King Eustice, King Stephan, and the current King Manford. The crown gets passed to a successor of the king’s choosing;