C-1697

OFFICE OF NARRATIVE INTERVENTION: POST-EVENT FILING

DOCUMENT ID: REV-77-CIND-1697

FILING AGENT: O-99 (Field Designation: "Godmother")

SUBJECT: C-1697 (Resident: Estate 4, Northern Province)

EVENT TYPE: Tier-2 Social Integration / Royal Gala

TOTAL DURATION: 04:00:00 (Active Phase)

STATUS: CLOSED – SUCCESSFUL

I. PRE-INTERVENTION COMPLIANCE AND ETHICS REVIEW

1.1 Authority and Legal Framework

This report is submitted under the mandates of the Central Narrative Bureau (CNB), specifically the Fairness and Equilibrium Act of 812. Field Agent O-99 was dispatched following the receipt of a Level 3 Distress Frequency—not a vocalized plea, but a cumulative psychic weight generated by Subject C-1697.

Per Directive 9, section 2, the Bureau does not respond to "desires." We respond to "Eligible Deprivation." Subject C-1697 qualified under the Cinderella Clause: a specific intersection of high-tier genetic/social potential and low-tier environmental extraction. The objective of the Bureau in these cases is not "happiness"—which is an unquantifiable and volatile metric—but "Temporary Visibility."

1.2 Subject Eligibility Metrics

Subject C-1697 was subjected to a standard Pre-Manifestation Audit. The findings are as follows:

Guardianship Status: Absent. Primary biological parentage deceased; legal guardianship transferred to Secondary Matriarch (Reference: Stepmother).

Labor Exploitation Index: 94th percentile. Subject performs 100% of domestic maintenance for a four-person household with zero caloric or financial compensation.

Psychological Resiliency: High. Subject demonstrates a "Quietist" response to trauma. She does not scream; she cleans. This makes her an ideal candidate for intervention, as she is unlikely to cause a "Disruption Event" (e.g., attempting to assassinate the hosts or demanding a permanent throne).

1.3 Strategic Objectives

The goal was not to "save" the Subject. The Department of Narrative Intervention is not a rescue service. The goal was to insert the Subject into the Royal Gala to satisfy the "Unexpected Variable" quota required by the local Prince’s lineage-maintenance program. The Subject was a tool used to trigger a "Search Event," thereby stimulating the local economy and ensuring the continuation of the monarchal narrative.

II. MATERIAL LOGS AND DISBURSEMENT (ASSET ACCOUNTING)

2.1 Garment Deployment (Inventory Ref: G-88)

The garment provided was a standard-issue "Sublimation Gown." To the Subject, it appeared to be silk and starlight; to the Bureau, it is a temporary reconfiguration of local carbon molecules.

Visual Impact Rating: 9.8/10.0 (Designed to trigger immediate visual fixation in Tier-1 males).

Durability: Low. The structural integrity of the gown was tethered to a local temporal anchor (Reference: The Midnight Limit).

Maintenance: None. The garment was designed to undergo total molecular collapse at 00:00:00.

2.2 Logistics and Transport (Inventory Ref: P-01)

Due to the Subject’s lack of infrastructure, a transport unit was required. Following standard field protocols for "Organic Repurposing," a local Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) was utilized as the chassis.

Motive Power: Six (6) Mus musculus (mice) were temporarily upgraded to equine status.

Staffing: One (1) Rattus (rat) and two (2) Lacertilia (lizards) were elevated to service-staff roles.

Field Agent’s Note: The usage of local vermin is cost-effective but creates a "Sensory Residue." After the reversion, the Subject reported a lingering smell of garden rot. This is a known side effect of budget-tier transformations and was deemed acceptable.

2.3 Footwear Specification (Reversion Protocol 4-C)

The decision to utilize Silica-Based Footwear (Glass) was a tactical choice by Agent O-99. While leather or silk would have been more comfortable for the Subject, glass provides zero friction and high visibility. It is also, technically, a non-organic solid, making it resistant to the standard Reversion Protocol.

III. FIELD OBSERVATIONS: THE PRE-PHASE

3.1 Arrival and Contact

I initiated contact at 19:45 hours. The environment was a cellar-grade kitchen. The Subject was engaged in "Hearth-Maintenance."

As noted in the preliminary filing, the Subject did not exhibit the expected "Miracle-Awe." When a Field Agent of my rank manifests in a burst of refractive light, the standard response is prostration or terror. Subject C-1697 merely paused her scrubbing. Her hands were bleeding from the cold. She looked at me with a terrifyingly efficient gaze.

"Are you the solution to the invitation?" she asked.

Not "Are you an angel?" Not "Have you come to save me?" She viewed me as a contractor. This cynicism is rare in subjects under the age of twenty and suggests that her environment has successfully stripped her of any "Useless Hope." I found her remarkably easy to work with. She did not waste my time with gratitude. Gratitude is a logistical drag.

3.2 The Transformation Process

The Subject stood still during the molecular re-layering. I have seen girls dance and twirl as the light hits them; C-1697 stood like a soldier being fitted for armor.

I informed her of the Midnight Hard-Stop. "I understand," she said. "Everything in this house has a price. I assume your price is the time."

I did not correct her. It isn't a "price"—it’s a physics limitation regarding the stability of borrowed atoms—but her cynical interpretation made her more likely to follow the deadline.

IV. INCIDENT LOG: THE ROYAL GALA (20:00 - 00:00)

4.1 Entry and Social Positioning

Subject arrived at the Palace at 20:15. I monitored her via "Spectral Oversight" (Non-Visible Mode).

The Subject’s social maneuvering was flawless, largely because she treated the guests like furniture. Having spent years being invisible to her own family, she understood the mechanics of the "Social Blindspot." She knew that if she moved with enough perceived authority, the aristocrats would fill in the blanks of her biography with their own assumptions.

4.2 The "Prince" Variable

The Prince (Subject P-001) is a standard-issue Royal. He suffers from "Chronic Ennui," a common byproduct of having never been told "No."

When he encountered C-1697, his reaction was not "love" (a term the Bureau avoids). It was "Disruption of Expectation." C-1697 did not flirt. She didn't know how. She spoke to him with the same flat, tired honesty she used with me. For a man who has spent twenty years being lied to by courtiers, this was a narcotic experience.

4.3 The 22:41 Departure from Script

A significant deviation occurred at 22:41. While dancing, the Prince made a comment regarding the "burden of his duties." In a typical Narrative, the girl is supposed to offer comfort.

C-1697 laughed.

It was a sharp, unrefined sound. It was the laugh of someone who knows that "duty" in a palace is a joke compared to "duty" in a scullery. For a moment, the Narrative threatened to collapse. If she had spoken her mind, the Prince’s ego would have shattered, ending the intervention. However, the Prince interpreted her laugh as "Enigmatic Charisma."

This is a recurring problem in the field: Subjects in power are so self-absorbed that they interpret genuine derision as flirtation. I did not intervene, as the outcome remained favorable to the Objective.

4.4 The Midnight Reversion and Equipment Failure

At 23:50, I initiated the "Impending Deadline" signal (a rhythmic tolling of the local clock tower).

Subject C-1697 showed the first signs of agitation. She understood that if the transformation failed while she was in the center of the ballroom, the social backlash would be terminal. She exited at 23:58.

Incident Report: Footwear Retention During the Subject's descent of the external staircase, the left glass slipper detached. Subject paused for 0.4 seconds. She looked at the shoe, then at me (I was visible to her in the shadows), then at the Prince pursuing her.

She did not trip. She did not "lose" the shoe. She left it.

I have seen this interpreted in folk stories as "haste." It was not. It was a calculated risk. She realized that a single shoe was a "Tether"—a way to ensure the Prince remained engaged with her specific data-profile after the intervention ended. She is a much better strategist than the Bureau’s initial profile suggested.

V. POST-EVENT ANALYSIS: THE "COLD RETURN"

5.1 Reversion Mechanics

At 00:00:01, all assets reverted to their original states. The Subject was left on the road, three miles from her residence, in her original rags.

The walk back was conducted in sub-zero temperatures. I maintained observation. The Subject did not cry. She did not look back at the palace. She focused on her breathing and the mechanical movement of her feet.

This is the part of the job the Bureau’s recruitment brochures omit. The "Magic" doesn't just end; it leaves a vacuum. The Subject’s skin was still warm from the silk, but she was now dressed in thin, ash-stained linen. The contrast is a form of sensory torture. We are essentially giving a starving person a five-course meal and then snatching the plate away after three bites. It is "Standard Procedure," but it is inefficient and, in my professional opinion, unnecessarily cruel.

5.2 Domestic Re-Integration

Upon returning to the estate, the Subject was immediately redirected to her duties. Her absence had caused a "Labor Deficit." The Stepmother (Legal Guardian) assigned her triple the usual workload as a "Corrective Measure."

The Subject has processed this with a new, dangerous level of efficiency. She is no longer just a servant; she is a servant with a "Comparative Data Set." She knows what the other side of the wall looks like.

VI. CRITICAL EVALUATION: THE NATURE OF "ACCESS"

As an Agent with three centuries of field experience, I must voice a formal concern regarding Tier-2 Interventions.

We claim to be providing "Opportunity." However, we are actually providing "Heightened Awareness of Lack."

Before the intervention, C-1697 was miserable, but her misery was "Global." It was all she knew. She was a fish in gray water; she didn't know the water was gray. After the Gala, she knows the water is gray. She has felt the "Clear Water" of the Palace.

This does not make her "happier." It makes her "Precise."

She now measures every hour by how far it is from the Ballroom. She measures every crack in her knuckles against the smooth skin she had for four hours. We haven't improved her life; we have merely sharpened her pain by giving it a point of reference.

If the goal of the Bureau is "Social Stability," this is a failure. A Subject who knows what they are missing is a Subject who will eventually become a "Revolutionary Variable."

VII. THE SEARCH (CURRENT STATUS)

The Prince is currently conducting a door-to-door "Fit Test" using the retained artifact (Slipper, Left).

He is not looking for the girl’s mind. He is not looking for the girl’s laugh. He is looking for a "Biological Match" for a piece of glassware.

The Subject is aware of the search. She is waiting. She has learned the most valuable lesson of the Narrative: if you want to be found, you have to leave a piece of yourself behind.

I am recommended to remain on "Standby Oversight." If the Prince fails to identify the Subject, I am authorized to provide a "Visual Cue" (e.g., a sparkle on the soot, a stray bird). However, given C-1697’s current trajectory, I suspect she will manage the "Identification Phase" without Bureau assistance.

VIII. VOLUNTARY ADDENDUM (AGENT O-99)

This addendum is filed outside of standard reporting requirements.

I have been asked by the Board why I did not "Cleanup" the glass shoe. They suggest that leaving a permanent magical artifact in the hands of a Tier-1 Royal is a breach of the Secrecy Act.

My response is as follows: The shoe is not magical. It is glass. It is a physical manifestation of a "Temporary Truth."

I left it because I wanted the Prince to have something that wouldn't melt. I wanted him to have to look at that cold, hard object and realize that he is chasing a ghost. And I wanted the girl to have a way out.

Not because I care about her "Happily Ever After." I don't. I am a bureaucrat; I care about "Finality." I want this file closed. I want the Subject moved from "Domestic Scullery" to "Royal Consort" so I can stop filing these damn reports on her caloric intake and knuckle-chaffing.

The Bureau calls this a "Miracle." I call it "Clearing the Desk."

IX. TECHNICAL APPENDIX: MOLECULAR REVERSION ANOMALIES

(FOR AUDIT PURPOSES ONLY)

9.1 The "Glass Slipper" Stability Issue

Audit 44-X asked why the footwear survived the 00:00:00 Reversion Event. After a chemical analysis of the residue left on the palace steps, I have determined the following:

The footwear was not created from "Local Matter" like the gown (which was repurposed from flax and spiderwebs). To ensure the Subject’s balance on the marble floors, I utilized Condensed Narrative Weight.

• Properties: Narrative Weight does not obey temporal deadlines. Because the "Glass Slipper" is a core structural requirement for the "Search Event" (Phase 3 of the Narrative), the Bureau’s own auto-reversion protocols bypassed it.

• Conclusion: The shoe didn't stay because I was sentimental. It stayed because the Story literally couldn't continue without it. The universe refused to let it dissolve.

9.2 Rodent Trauma and Compensation

The Mus musculus (mice) utilized for the carriage team have shown signs of Post-Metamorphic Stress.

• Symptoms: Attempting to gallop while in rodent form; refusal to eat cheese; staring at the moon with "longing."

• Remedy: I have authorized a one-time disbursement of premium grain for the kitchen residents of Estate 4. It is a minor budget hit, but it prevents a localized "Nature Disruption" that might alert the neighbors.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION:

Authorize Identification: Allow Subject C-1697 to be identified by the Prince.

Monitor Post-Nuptial Transition: Subject has shown high strategic intelligence; she will likely be a "Difficult Consort." Suggest a Level 2 Observation for the first six months of the marriage to ensure she doesn't attempt to restructure the Royal Budget.

Audit the Stepmother: Recommend a secondary intervention for the "Villain" variables. Their current behavior is creating an "Unstable Narrative Environment."

SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW:

Agent O-99

Field Facilitator, Grade VII

Central Narrative Bureau

OFFICE OF NARRATIVE INTERVENTION: POST-EVENT FILING (AMENDED)

DOCUMENT ID: REV-77-CIND-1697

FILING AGENT: O-99 (Field Designation: "Godmother")

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 527

(Sections I through IX remain as filed in the previous briefing. The following sections have been appended to fulfill the comprehensive audit requirements of the Central Narrative Bureau.)

X. TRANSCRIPT: INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEW (PERSON OF INTEREST)

DATE: T+48 Hours

LOCATION: Estate 4, Kitchen Scullery (Observation Cloak Active)

INTERVIEWER: Agent O-99

SUBJECT: Secondary Matriarch (Reference: "Stepmother")

[00:00:01] Agent O-99: State your name and relationship to the resident ward for the record.

[00:00:04] Subject: This is ridiculous. I have floors to be seen to. Do you know what soot does to a rug? My name is Baroness [REDACTED]. I am the guardian of that ungrateful girl and the mother of two daughters who actually have prospects. Or did, until that... incident at the palace.

[00:00:22] Agent O-99: By "incident," you mean the presence of a high-tier visual variable that outperformed your daughters’ social metrics?

[00:00:30] Subject: I mean the cheating! We followed the protocol. We spent six months on the corsetry alone. We bankrupted the estate’s silk budget. We were told this was a closed-invite event. Then some... nobody rolls in with a carriage that looked like it was carved from a moonbeam and steals every eye in the room. That isn't "social metrics," that's market interference. I want to know who her sponsor was. Was it the Foreign Ministry?

[00:00:55] Agent O-99: The Bureau does not disclose sponsorship. Let’s discuss your "Labor Management" of Subject C-1697. We have reports of excessive extraction.

[00:01:10] Subject: Extraction? It’s called parenting. The girl is a dreamer. If you don't keep her hands busy, she starts talking to the birds. Do you know how unsettling that is? She’s "suitable" for cleaning because she doesn't have the temperament for anything else. She’s quiet, she’s drab, and she lacks the basic dignity required for the peerage.

[00:01:34] Agent O-99: And yet, the Prince pursued her.

[00:01:38] Subject: [Laughs] The Prince pursued a dress! Men at that level don’t look at faces, they look at "Vibe." Whoever dressed her understood the Prince’s specific brand of boredom. They gave him a mystery. My daughters—bless them—are transparent. They are honest. You know exactly what you’re getting: a decent dowry and a woman who knows how to host a hunt. This "mystery girl" is a liability.

[00:02:05] Agent O-99: You attempted to obstruct the Subject's attendance. Why?

[00:02:11] Subject: Because she didn't have the equipment! The invitation said "Formal." She had a rag and a bucket. I wasn't being cruel; I was being a stickler for the dress code. If she had shown up in her natural state, she’d have been arrested for vagrancy. I was protecting the family’s reputation.

[00:02:30] Agent O-99: By shredding her mother's vintage gown?

[00:02:35] Subject: It was out of style. It was a mercy killing. Besides, my daughters needed the ribbons. Resource management is a key part of estate survival. You wouldn't understand; you’re just a... whatever you are. A consultant? You look like you work in HR.

[00:02:55] Agent O-99: Something like that. Final question: If the Prince arrives with the artifact, will you comply with the Fit Test?

[00:03:05] Subject: I will comply with the law. But I’ll tell you this: if that glass monstrosity fits any foot in this house, it’ll be a miracle. And I don’t believe in miracles. I believe in leverage.

END OF REPORT.