Count Muzel lost his beloved first wife early on and was left with his 3-year-old daughter, Sheryl. A year later, he remarried the young Baroness Linaria Dohen, with the aim of siring a male heir.

Sheryl was told daily by her stepmother, "You truly are not lovely," and was avoided by the Count, who didn't want to see a daughter so similar to her birth mother.

Her stepmother, insisting to the Count, "Because she isn't lovely," made Sheryl into an accomplished lady by the age of 17. Sheryl, who had been thoroughly ingrained with the belief that she wasn't lovely, was told by her stepmother on the day of her first party:

"I will cast a spell on you just for today. However, you must absolutely find a husband."

With those words, her stepmother prepared her, and what awaited Sheryl at the party was a sudden proposal.

*There is no "comeuppance" story. (Changed because the previous wording was misleading.)*

*This work is also being serialized on AlphaPolis under a different pen name.