Short Story

The ancient Vietnamese Cinderella folktale is the story I grow up with, but reading it from the point of view of the stepsister is really interesting to me. She loves the king so much and would risk everything just to hold his hand. Even though she is being ignored and completely neglected by the king, she accepts to be the replacement.

There is scene taken place after she did whatever to fit into the shoe, she walks unsteadily on her bleeding foot, bursting into tears seeing someone she loves with someone else. When she is in that position, I see her in a more sympathetic light than before.

Reading the story from a point of view of an antagonist/villain allows me to better understand their inner world and entertain possibilities that I had never thought of before.