A servant girl afraid of being seen. A prince desperate to know her heart.
While the other servants prepare the palace for another day, Ella hides the bruises her family leaves behind and tells herself it’s what she deserves. But everything changes after an accidental encounter with the crown prince, one that was never meant to happen… and, she insists, must never happen again.
Yet the moment becomes a memory she can’t forget, one that stays with her through the chores that usually help her ignore her troubles. Not only that, but the prince’s persistent fleeting glances and gentle words begin to persuade her to lower the walls around her heart, and for the first time, Ella feels seen. Though she reminds herself again and again that a prince could never choose a servant, he seems determined to prove otherwise.
However, when their forbidden friendship is discovered, the cost is far greater than Ella could have imagined. When love demands courage and healing requires a painful choice, will Ella dare to believe she’s worthy of something more, or let others once again steal her chance at a happily ever after?
This gentle, no-spice YA Cinderella retelling is full of heart and romance, offering the perfect fairy tale escape for those who long to know they’re seen and loved just as they are.