The King Who Never Smiled

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, there lived a king who had everything. Well, he had everything that you could buy with money or valuables. He had huge piles of coins and trinkets.

He could do whatever he wanted every day and go wherever he liked. The king always ordered all the novelties that people longed for to be bought and brought to the palace.

However, for some reason, this royal monarch was not at all happy. And he had no idea why all this wealth brought no joy to him. Everywhere he looked, the diamonds shone. Everywhere his hand reached, gold glittered. As soon as he opened his mouth, his servants put the finest delicacies straight in.

And so the king pondered, and was scratching his chin when it suddenly occurred to him. “Call for a scribe for me! Now!”

The crowd of servants suddenly began to race to see who would lead the scribes first, almost breaking their legs. They hoped to put a smile on the king's face for at least a split second. If they could only immediately grant him his wish! Indeed, the scribes were brought in a flash, but there was no celebration.

“Write this down!” His Majesty ordered without a greeting or a smile. “That the one who pleases me most - I, the brightest and richest ruler - and puts a smile on my face will be richly rewarded,” said the king, looking over the shoulder of one of the poor scribes. He was such a nervous man that he hadn't even noticed what he was writing.

The envoys then flew to all corners of the country to announce the news. It didn't take long for entertainers to roll into the castle. Wizards, goldsmiths…