Listen closely, and I'll tell you about two sisters who lived in a cozy little cottage. One was named Lily. She was as sweet as a strawberry and always had a sunny smile. The other was her stepsister, Hilda, who usually wore a frown and grumbled like a grumpy bear. Their mother, well, she thought Hilda was just perfect, which wasn't very fair to Lily, was it?

One bright morning, a messenger arrived with exciting news! The young King of a nearby land was looking for a kind and lovely princess to be his queen. The mother quickly decided Lily should go, but she had a sneaky plan. She really wanted grumpy Hilda to become the queen!

So, she packed them both into a fine carriage. "Now, Lily," said the mother, with a twinkle in her eye that wasn't very nice, "you must listen to Hilda and do everything she says on this journey."

As they traveled, the sun grew hot, and Lily became very thirsty. "Oh, stepsister," she said politely, "may I please have a little water from your flask?"
Hilda just sniffed. "If you want water, get it yourself!" she snapped.
When Lily leaned out of the carriage to try and scoop some water from a sparkling stream they passed, the stepmother, who knew a few mean tricks, did something sneaky. Suddenly, Lily felt all weak and dizzy, and she didn't look so bright and shiny anymore.
"Quick!" said the stepmother to Hilda. "Swap dresses with her! You wear her beautiful gown, and she can wear your plain one. And Lily, from now on, you are Hilda's servant, and she is the princess. Don't you dare say a word, or you'll be very sorry!"
Poor Lily was too scared and confused to argue.

When they finally rolled up to the King's magnificent palace, the stepmother pushed Hilda forward. "Your Majesty," she announced with a grand bow, "here is my daughter, the princess you've been waiting for!"
The King looked at Hilda, who was trying to look royal but mostly just looked annoyed. "Hmm," thought the King, "she doesn't seem quite as cheerful as I imagined."

Poor Lily, in her drab dress and looking quite sad, was told to go and help in the palace kitchens. She had to scrub pots and peel potatoes, which wasn't much fun at all.
One afternoon, while she was feeding breadcrumbs to the little white ducks by the palace pond, she sighed softly, "Oh, little ducks, if only you knew. I was supposed to be the one in the pretty dress, meeting the King. But now, my stepsister has taken my place, and I'm just a kitchen helper."

Now, it just so happened that the young King was taking a stroll in the garden. He heard a sweet, sad voice and peeked through the rose bushes. He saw Lily talking to the ducks, her face gentle and kind. "Well, now," he thought, "this girl seems much nicer than the grumpy one who says she's a princess!"

The King stepped out. "Hello there," he said with a kind smile. "What were you saying to those ducks?"
Lily was a bit frightened at first, but the King's eyes were so friendly. So, she took a deep breath and told him everything: about her stepmother's sneaky plan, how grumpy Hilda had taken her dress and her name, and how she'd been threatened to keep quiet.
As Lily spoke the truth, it was as if a grey cloud lifted from her. Her true, gentle beauty began to shine through again, just like it used to.

The King was very wise and understood everything. He called for the stepmother and Hilda. When he told them he knew their tricky game, Hilda just pouted, and the stepmother tried to make up silly excuses.
But the King said firmly, "You have been dishonest and cruel! You must leave my kingdom right now and never come back!"
And so, they had to go, grumbling all the way.

Then, the King turned to Lily, who now looked every bit the kind and lovely princess she truly was. "Dear Lily," he said, "will you be my Queen?"
Lily's heart did a happy little jump. "Oh, yes!" she said with a joyful smile.
They had a wonderful wedding, and everyone in the kingdom celebrated. Lily, the once-sad kitchen helper, became a beloved Queen, always remembered for her kindness to everyone, especially to the little white ducks by the pond.

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