A young baron wishes to be anywhere but at a ball until he spies a young lady who most certainly does not belong. Although they bond over their grief for lost parents, she flees, leaving behind a ruined flower. No, this is not a retelling of Cinderella, but instead the story of her parents. This story is a precursor to Once Upon a Darkened Night Book I: Of Cinder and Madness.

King Hubert has found love with the Lady Angelique, stepmother to none other than the powerful Eleonore, but there are others who share in dark powers, others who would try to take away his happiness… and his crown. This story follows up the events in Once Upon a Darkened Night Book I: Of Cinder and Madness.