A/N: Okay, so this chapter is more and informative chapter and is kind of short.

Summary: Sydney Sage's mother and sisters died a long time ago. After, her grief-stricken father makes a foolish mistake of remarrying to a woman who treats Sydney horribly. Her father dies and she's left in custody of her step-mother and step-sisters. But Prince Adrian Ivashkov is holding a royal ball to find a wife. Sydney's step-mother forbids her to attend, but Sydney is determined to go to the ball and defy her step-mother's commands. But what if she finds more at the ball than what she hoped for…?

SYDRIAN!

I could barely remember my parents.

I remembered that my mother was my favourite. I remember that I had my father's eyes. I remember nothing else.

It saddened me, although in a way I feel like I had lost nothing as I couldn't conjure from my memory what I had lost. But with the life I had now, I don't care if I remembered it or not; I missed it.

My step-mother, Donna Stanton was the worst-tempered, ill-mannered, biggest control freak I had ever met. She had me do all the chores around the mansion, she had me cook breakfast, lunch and dinner and she had me constantly attend to my two step-sisters, Sabrina (A/N you'll only know her if you have read TIS) and Rose (A/N I also don't like Rose); who were spoilt brats-I want to call them the bad word but I just couldn't. Maybe Trey was right and I was just too innocent for my own good; Trey was one of my two only friends, Eddie was the other. They were sweet and understanding, Eddie is very protective of me against Stanton and hasn't hesitated to put her in her place before-with words of course. Trey was a stable boy and Eddie worked in the kitchens.

Last week we received news, I had yet to decide if it was good or bad. Sabrina and Rose were ecstatic about the royal ball being held for His Highness Prince Adrian Ivashkov's 21st birthday; all fair maidens from across the land were to attend, for Prince Ivashkov would be deciding who will be his wife.

Though I had never seen Prince Ivashkov in person, it is word from all ladies that he was strikingly handsome and extremely witty. Many women had spent nights with him although none of them had stuck around for long.

Prince Ivashkov was not picky about which woman he bedded with-I found it disgusting that he would lay with a woman with no intention of marrying her-but he was very picky about which woman he would wed. Before the His Highness King Nathan Ivashkov and Her Highness Queen Danielle Ivashkov had decided to throw a ball for their son, they had had many women from allying countries come to see the palace for the Queen insisted that her son would marry for love and not for beneficial purposes of the country.

I found it sweet, but it peeved the King off to no end. It was known to everyone that the King wished to have his son marry Her Highness Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, first of her name. She was the princess-to be queen-of France, her royal bloodline was almost stamped out of existence, her parents, His Highness King Eric Dragomir, Her Highness Queen Rhea Dragomir and her brother, His Highness Prince Andre Dragomir had died in a dinner party that was struck by assassins. Her and her half-sister, Jill Dragomir were the only survivors. Her advisers are pestering her to marry.

The two had met and hit it off; but they had no intention of falling in love and marrying. It was rumour that Princess Dragomir had fallen for His Highness Prince Christian Ozera, his parents had betrayed their country and had paid their lives for it, now the country was being ruled by His Highness King Dimitri Belikov and Her Highness Queen Natasha Ozera-Belikov until Prince Ozera marries and can take over.

Jill Dragomir had visited with her half-sister last month and Eddie had fallen for her fast; they two planned on running away together after Princess Dragomir marries and France is in safe hands. Trey himself had fallen in love, with a fiery young attendant of Rose, Angeline Dawes; she had been arrested once for attacking one of the dish boys-they had dragged her away as she screamed about sexual assault. I had confronted Trey about it and he claimed it was 'hot'.

"Sydney! Get out of bed and make breakfast!" Stanton screeched as she pounded on my door.

I sighed, though I'd been awake for an hour. I trudged my way to the door and thought:

Let the day begin.

A/N: Just to clarify it is a Cinderella/Bloodlines thing, so it's Sydrian. I know it says that Dimitri is married to Tasha but it will end up with Rose and Dimitri together; I can do a separate story on them after this if you request.