Her stepsisters had talked of nothing else but the prospect of meeting the prince at the ball, but it had been the prospect of freedom - the chance to be more than a servant, if only for a few hours - that had appealed to Gwen. It hadn't occurred to her that the prince would notice her, let alone pay attention to her. When he approached, she assumed that he was a minor noble of some sort. She curtsied with gracefully and politely and without the faintest trace of recognition on her shyly smiling face.

(Although there was something oddly familiar ... but no, no, that wasn't right. She had never had the opportunity to mix with nobles before. Her stepmother would never have allowed it.)

"I am newly arrived in the kingdom, my lord."