The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time, there lived a royal family in the castle: the king, the queen and their son, the crown prince. The prince was kind hearted and cared a lot about his people.

He would always carve some time to exchange a few words with a gardener, the chef, or the other servants. This is why everyone loved him and it’s also why they lived very well in the kingdom.

Eventually, the time came for the prince to get married. But he couldn’t find a bride he liked anywhere. It’s no wonder, then, that the king and the queen were becoming very worried. They offered him one princess after another, but the prince didn’t like any one of them. He was very picky.

“Our lovely son, we’ve invited a beautiful and tender princess from the Eastern Kingdom who arrives tomorrow,” they told him. “Maybe, just maybe, you’ll like her.” They looked at each other with hope and had a splendid feast prepared with everything everyone could ever wish for. They even had unicorn-striped ice cream!

When the dawn rose the next day, a gallant carriage was stopped in front of the royal castle, from which merry laughter like bells jingling could be heard. Then a smiling golden-haired princess with a lovely face emerged from the carriage.

Delighted to be there, she ran straight across the flowerbed, stomping the poor violets and snowdrops that the gardeners had been struggling to take care of.

Later, at the feast, she tasted a few pieces, politely praising the food, but she didn't even touch most of the goodies. Including the ice cream! The delicacies she didn’t eat she capriciously smeared on her plate. At the same time she was making a mess, she constantly chirped in a cheerful voice while saying nothing…