As always, let's recap what happened last time. Cinderella broke into the king's chambers and found the safe with a crown inside, but realized it wasn't the right crown. The prince, who was there because he wanted to have some "fun" with his lady friend, found out and offered to help. This happened after he sent his friend on her way, of course. Cinderella reacted witty as always, with a "what?" and the prince offered his help once again.
Now that you're all caught up, let's continue.
The prince had just offered his help again. 'Why?'
He tilted his head sideways and looked at her curiously. 'Just because. The palace life can be dull, unexciting. Usually, I try to do away with the boringness by, well,' He paused and looked at her amusingly. 'I'm sure you've seen me just now. So, you know what I mean by that.' He took a step forward and glanced down at her, full knowing what kind of effect it could have on someone. 'I will ask once more; do you want my help?'
Cinderella's head was spinning. The clock in her head was indicating that everything was already taking more time than expected. She had only this spot to look for the crown, so to say no would be stupid. But the real question was: 'Can I trust you?'
The prince smirked. 'There is only one way to find out, isn't there?' He held out his hand. 'What do you say?'
The Boss wouldn't be happy. But then again, she also wouldn't be pleased if Cinderella returned without the crown. 'Fine, I will shake your hand.' The prince looked satisfied and tried to shake her hand, but Cinderella withdrew her hand. 'But only if you agree with my conditions.'
'Ah, of course. My bad. Please go ahead.'
Did you have conditions beforehand, or were you just "winging" it?
"I had to think of them on the spot. But I said the most basic rules of a partnership with someone you don't trust."
'First: after you've helped me, I have to help you with something of equal value. This is to prevent that I owe anything. You can say anything you want, and I will consider if it is of equal value. Second, don't rat me out. You hand me over to the guards or something similar, and I will tell the king that you had alone time with a lady. I doubt you're the kind of prince who wants to marry soon.'
He scoffed at her list of demands. 'The first one I agree on. The second one doesn't hold much ground, you know. It will be your word against mine.'
'Exactly. If you say I came to steal a crown, I will deny it. The guards won't find a crown on me.'
'You're bluffing.'
'You wanna bet?'
They held each other's gaze, trying to figure out if the other person was full of sh*t or not.
The prince made the first move and took Cinderella's hand. 'Fine. I agree with the conditions.'
Cinderella smirked. 'Excellent.'