In the days that followed, I kept wondering whether I had been pardoned because of my last name, but Maud assured me otherwise. Why should I get special treatment, anyway? If C.A.F.E. kicked me out, Mom would still sell a zillion shoes. Dad would still grow pumpkins for kings and queens. No, I had earned my second chance on my own merit . . . with a little help from Maud, of course.

Sloane Davis, I learned, had also been given a second chance. C.A.F.E. had sent her to work with a client in a desert kingdom thousands of leagues away, probably to give her reputation some time to recover. I ran into her grandmother several times at headquarters after my appearance in front of the Council. No matter how busy or rushed she was, Madam Davis always had a smile and a nod for me. I remembered what she said - about voting for the person who deserved the position most, even if they weren't her family - and wondered why Sloane couldn't be more like her.

True to her word, Jessaline took the next train back home to Indigo. The last I heard of her, her mom was trying to get her a job at Indigo's most famous celebrity and fashion magazine. Knowing her ability to gossip and spy with the best of them, I thought that might be a better fit for her than being an F.G.

Neither Jessaline nor I won C.A.F.E.'s Best New Intern Award, which went to Emily Locke, my friend from Trainee Week, who had taken down a broom-happy witch all by herself.

I didn't mind, though.

After all, I had become a celebrity after the King's Festival, with my face splattered across every newspaper and magazine in Finale.

Every time I stepped off the C.A.F.E. campus, I was bombarded by journalists shoving notepads in my face. I even had fans! Girls my age would hover nearby with shy, nervous smiles, until one of the braver ones approached me and asked for my autograph. All the clothing stores throughout Finale now sold shirts with my face or a glass slipper on it, and people would hand them to me to sign. I gave hugs to sobbing girls, kissed babies that their mothers held up to my face, and fielded dozens of marriage proposals from sketchy guys.

My intense, overnight fame helped drive even more business to Mom and Dad. Tourists flocked to Indigo to view "the pumpkins that inspired Noelle's famous carriage!" and to buy authentic copies of "Noelle's famous glass slippers!"

Even the queen of Citria wanted in on the deal. She wrote to Mom, offering to provide an unlimited supply of diamond glass from her mines in return for the latest footwear.

That was how pumpkin carriages and glass slippers became in vogue, and the first of many fashion trends started by me. Every piece of clothing that I picked for Princess Cynthia, every style I put into her hair, and every shoe I chose for her landed on the front page of magazines the next day. We had more requests for interviews than we knew what to do with!

At last, my dream of being known for myself - and not just a Simpkins - was realized.

Cynthia, by the way, had almost completely overcome her fear of the outdoors. She told everyone who would listen that her fairy godmother had knocked it right out of her. After her stepmother and stepsister were sent packing in shame, Cynthia was officially recognized as the crown princess of Indigo, and when she hired a fleet of knights, she appointed a blushing, proud-looking Geoff Oakdale as her captain of the guard.

She even agreed to the army of servants I recruited for her, though I still caught her polishing the stairs from time to time.

"I'm just, you know, working out and staying fit," she would say guiltily, whenever I found her with a rag and a mop.

Maud had not assigned me any other clients just yet, so I worked for Cynthia full-time. The best part of this was that I got to go home to Indigo and see my parents. I never forgot M.D.'s wise words and still cherished a hope that one day I'd do everything I wanted to do: make shoes, grow pumpkins, and be a fairy godmother.

Everything seemed to have come together at last, but there was still something missing.

The papers reported that Prince Christopher's mother had fallen ill during their seaside holiday. The king returned to his duties in Irisia, but according to the tabloids, his family would be away indefinitely until the queen's health got better.

Sometimes, whenever I spent the night at Mom and Dad's house, I would lie in bed and look at the lone glass slipper on my bookcase. It sat on the top shelf, where sunlight glittered in it during the day and stars shone in it at night. Mom had offered to make another one to replace its mate, but I had refused.

Only one shoe matched this one.

Only one shoe had also danced at the ball.

And until the day that shoe came back to me - if it ever would - I didn't want another.

On a clear, bright April morning, I dressed carefully before my bedroom mirror. Today was the day of Cynthia's coronation, the day she would officially be crowned Queen Cynthia of the Kingdom of Indigo, and as her fairy godmother, I needed to look the part at the ceremony.

I pinned my wavy, dark brown hair up in a neat twist. I even put on a little bit of makeup, just to darken my lashes and make my eyes stand out. For my outfit, I wore a simple, long-sleeved gray dress that flared and fell to my knees, with a black ribbon sash that tied around my waist. To finish it off, I wore the light pink pumps with rose petals inside the heels.

Everyone looked up and smiled when I came down to breakfast.

"You look so professional!" Mom said, from where she was sitting next to Maud at the table.

My trainer had come into town for a few nights to attend Cynthia's coronation and cheer us on. I had been having a blast showing her around Indigo, and Dad was doing his best to feed her everything related to pumpkins. Today, for breakfast, it was pumpkin cobbler.

Dad adjusted his slug-patterned apron and kissed my forehead. "Good morning, pumpkin," he said, handing me a plate with a huge slice of cobbler.

"Eat up! You have a big day ahead," Mom advised, dropping a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. "Are you nervous about your speech?"

"Not really," I said. I caught Maud's eye and we grinned at each other. "I've been practicing a lot in front of the mirror."

"And Noelle has a special gift for making spur-of-the-moment speeches," my trainer added, winking at me. She finished the last of her cobbler and got up, slipping on her black leather jacket. "Well, I'm off to the station to pick up Muffet and Alfonso. They're excited to come support the new queen and her fairy godmother."

Dad chuckled. "I can't wait. Noelle's told us so much about them." He held up a giant tub of strawberry yogurt. "I prepared accordingly."

"Muffet will be thrilled," Maud told him, laughing. "See you all in a little bit!"

I continued munching on my delicious pumpkin cobbler as I watched her leave the house. The sky was deep, deep blue and the sun shone hard, as though it too wanted to celebrate Cynthia's big day. It promised to be a beautiful, warm morning, and I couldn't wait for all of my friends to be there with me - even Alfonso and the special glare he saved just for me.

But a few minutes later, Maud came back inside.

"Did you forget something, dear?" Mom asked her.

"I just wanted to let Noelle know there's someone outside who wants to see her," my trainer replied, wearing an expression I couldn't quite read. "In the pumpkin patch."

Dad untied his apron and peered out the window. "Is it a customer?"

"No," Maud said slowly, still wearing that expression. "I don't think they're here for the pumpkins." She chuckled, then rushed back out and sped off in her carriage before any of us could ask more questions.

"Who do you suppose it is?" I heard Mom ask Dad as I went outside, frowning.

Someone was standing in the patch, admiring Big Ben. He turned to face me when he heard my footsteps.

"Hello, Noelle," said Kit.

I couldn't find my voice, so I just nodded.

He looked tanner, and a little bit thinner. His light walnut-colored hair was slightly tousled by the breeze, but even then it looked more perfect than ever. His hazel eyes took me in. "You look beautiful," he said, and I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded again. "I'm sorry I went away without leaving a message. I have a dozen letters I started writing to you, but never sent them. I just . . . didn't know whether you wanted to hear from me."

We exchanged tentative smiles.

I took a step toward him. "How's your mom feeling?"

"She's doing much better, thanks," he said, taking a step toward me, too. "I wanted to come back sooner, but the healers told us not to move her. She wasn't well enough to travel, so we had to stay by the seaside for a few more months."

I waved away his unspoken apology. "I understand. I'm glad she's doing better."

"I never stopped thinking about you. Not once," he said. "I just hoped that you didn't hate me for not running after you that night. Cynthia, uh, gave me quite the scolding about it in front of everyone."

I laughed and came a little closer. "So I heard. I was worried you had thrown her in the dungeons for it," I joked. "And I could never hate you."

He came closer, too. "Listen, Noelle, about that whole fairy godmother thing . . ."

"No, it's okay," I said quickly. "I know how you feel about it. You've made it clear."

Kit looked down at his shoes. "I did a lot of thinking while I was away. And what I thought was this. What does it matter if fairy godmothers meddle in other people's lives, as long as they let me live mine?"

My knees trembled as he came even closer, his eyes fixed on mine.

"What does it matter if this one amazing girl is a fairy godmother . . . as long as I want her in my life?" He took my hands in his own and smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling. "Like I said at the ball . . . I know we're still way too young to get married. And we need to get to know each other better. So . . . what do you say?"

"Say?" I repeated, blinking at him in the brilliant sunlight. I watched as he swallowed and shifted his weight from foot to foot. I didn't want to torture him, exactly, but there was something so satisfying about knowing that Prince Christopher - the most desirable husband material in the land of Finale - could actually be nervous around me.

"Will you, uh . . ."

"Yes?"

". . . get me a piece of pumpkin pie?"

I took one of my hands out of his and punched him hard in the shoulder.

Kit doubled over, laughing as he rubbed his arm. "Ow, I'm kidding! Kidding." He took my hand in his again, exhaling. "Will you go out with me?"

"Like, on a date?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, a date," he said, still laughing. "A real date. And then another, and another after that."

I pretended to think about it. "Those'll depend on how the first date goes."

He pulled me closer to him and leaned his forehead against mine, just like he had done at the ball. "I just want to spend time with you," he said, serious now. "And we won't worry about all that other stuff until much, much later. Deal?"

"One condition," I said, tilting my head back to look at him. "I told you in the Tented Market that I've been busy every single day of my life. I want to keep being busy. I want to keep working and making a name for myself . . . I want a career. I'm a fairy godmother, I'm a shoemaker, I'm a pumpkin farmer. Okay? I'm not going to be one of those royal girlfriends who only shops and parties and rides in parades."

Kit chuckled. "If I wanted one of those royal girlfriends, why would I be here in a pile of pumpkins, asking you to be mine? It's you I want, and everything that makes you you."

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. "That's the right answer," I whispered in his ear.

"You know," he said, pulling back to look at me, "I thought I wanted to make my own happily-ever-after. But it turns out I might just need a fairy godmother after all."

"You don't want to opt out?" I whispered with a shaky laugh.

Kit brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. "No," he said softly. "This is one C.A.F.E. opportunity I won't opt out of."

And then he kissed me in the pumpkin patch, and picked me up and spun me around, sending the world into a dizzy kaleidoscope of orange. Laughing, he put me down and kissed me again and again. I held on to him tightly as the world spun and spun around us.

Finally, he set me down on a pumpkin and reached into his pocket.

"I believe this belongs to you," he said, taking out my missing glass slipper. He knelt and replaced one of my shoes with it.

I watched the diamond glass glisten in the sunlight with tears in my eyes.

There I was, with a glass slipper on my foot, a handsome prince by my side, a magic wand in my pocket, and my parents beaming joyfully at us from the doorway of our house.

Sure, I wasn't an actual princess.

But I wouldn't rather be anyone else for all the world.

T H E E N D