Once upon a time, in an ornate castle somewhere far away, there lived a king, a queen, and their son, the crown prince.
The king and queen were loving parents and the prince was kind-hearted — he cared a lot about others. He’d always find time to exchange friendly words with the gardener, the cook, and the other servants. This is why everyone loved him and also why the townspeople lived very pleasantly in the kingdom.
Eventually, the time came for the prince to get married. But so far he hadn’t found anyone he actually wanted to marry. It’s no wonder, then, that the king and queen were becoming anxious. They had already introduced him to various princesses, but the prince didn’t like any of them. Still, his parents didn’t give up, deciding to try harder.
“Darling son, we’ve invited a delightful princess from the Eastern Kingdom to come to the castle for a meal. She arrives tomorrow,” his parents announced. “Maybe, just maybe, you’ll like her.” They looked at each other with hope in their eyes. A splendid feast was prepared, with every sort of exotic dish imaginable. There was even unicorn-striped ice cream!
At noon the following day, a stylish carriage pulled-up in front of the royal castle. Merry laughter, like the jingle of bells, could be heard coming from inside. Then a golden-haired princess with a lovely face and a huge smile emerged from the carriage.
Delighted to be there, she ran across the lawn and straight over the flowerbeds, crushing the poor violets and snowdrops that the gardeners had struggled to nurture.
During the banquet, the princess took a few bites of food and politely praised it, yet she didn’t attempt to taste the majority of dishes on offer, not even the ice cream!…