Even the weakest flame can become the fiercest blaze. Crippled from a childhood illness, Cindy lives in the kitchen fireplace, ignored by her noble father and his new, perfect family, helping the people no one else notices. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Cindy’s step-mother coerces her into an elaborate plot to avoid being charged with murder. Meekness is nothing new to Cindy, but now she has to lay low in the royal court of Valeria where a prince is rumored to be bride shopping. She'd be fine, if that prince would just stop following her around. But Prince Nikolas has seen more than Cindy's limp. He's seen that she's clever and observant. And she's just the right person to help him fight a blood mage that threatens the very foundation of Valeria. If only she believed that she was worth fighting for, too…