Free The Wronged Princess - Book I by Kae Elle Wheeler

accept. Stepmamá had seemed cordial enough at the time . 
    “I tried, Papá .  I did. ” This was her lot in life, for good or il l and Cinderella tried to see the good . 
    F or one moment in time, Cinderella managed in dancing the night away allowing hope to fill her heart .  Now, s he would carry her secret to her dying day, she vowed .  At least, n o one could steal her memories .  She was almost certain Esmeralda and Pricilla did not have a fairy godmother .  The selfish thought handed her a decided measure of satisfactory glee , and she clung to the knowledge .  Mayhap, she could reach Fairy Godmother.
    Chewing her bottom lip, she glanced about for any sign of life .  What if Fairy Godmother went looking for her ? They’d left so suddenly .  Non, non . She was a fairy godmother, she had powers .  How else could she have turned a drab servant girl into a magnificent, mysterious princess ?
    Cinderella cleared her throat with a delicate cough .  “Fairy Godmother?” she called , softly .  “Please .  S’il vous plait .  I am in desperate need of your assista nce, ma’am. ” Cinderella paused waiting for an indication, any significance her pleas were heard .  But only the ominous silence loomed in the airy cor ridor.
    Fairy Godmother must truly be angry .  Mayhap, Cinderella could seek to reimburse her for the lost shoe ? How much c ould a glass slipper cost ? Cinderella frowned .  More than she had, which was nothin g.
    Oh, how she wished she were the strong heroine —a heroine who prevail ed in the face of defeat. Rise above the ashes to…to smile as a saint .  Be of a giving nature .  Be one to offer her evil sister a blessed union with the prince .  Show him she was above all a true princess.
    But , alas, she was not .  How could she when s he loved Prince .  She did not want to be a saint .  She knew her timid nature fell more in favor of survival tactics rather than heroic efforts .  Too many years of Stepmamá utilizing unreserved methods of discipline of harsh words and heavy hands had branded her soul . 
    Tears filled her eyes once more .  It seemed to be a recurring fault of late . 
    “Peep,” Marcel let out .  Cinderella looked down .  Marcel was perched on the toe of her shoe .  She leaned down and offered him an open palm, smiling through a watery vision.
    “Prince deserves someone strong and beautiful , you know,” she told him .  “ A real princess. ” Marcel let out an annoyed squeak . 
    “Of course,” she agreed , l etting a quick surge of anger fuse through the tears .  “ He e specially does not deserve someone as mean and spiteful as Esmeralda. ”
    Pushing away the useless tears, Cinderella focused on the grounds out the large glass where bright moonlight provided a crystal clear view .  Perfection show ed in the gardens as immaculate as the hallway baseboards, leastways from the moonlit sky .  Dirt would not be allowed out there either, she sniffed . 
    A small grin escaped as the last of her anger faded .  It was a lovely palace .  “Look,” she told him, pointing .  They peered through the night over the manicured gardens .  W aves rippled across a small pond glittering in the streaming moon’s light .  She squinted trying to make out what she thought might be a statue in its center .  “It looks like o ne of the Greek gods, ” she said, drawing another sense of melancholy over her .  “If I am not mistaken, it appears Eros, the god of love , resides in that small pond .  See t he stringed bow and arrow ? ” It had to be, she thought, taking in the sinewy arms that set him distinctly apart from other ancient myth figures .
    A sense of nostalgia settled over her .  All her readings portrayed his power as potent as that of love and desire .  Granted, her imagination could soar with the legends but his role in the myths was brilliantly legendary .  Magnificent .  Even in modern times the masses celebrated him as the darling of