Once upon a time, in the heart of a vast kingdom, there was a town, and in that town stood a palace, and in the palace lived a king. This king had one son, whom he believed was wiser and cleverer than any son before him. Indeed, the king had done everything possible to make him so. He carefully chose his tutors and mentors when the prince was a boy, and when he grew older, he sent him to travel, so he could learn about other cultures and see that they were often as good as his own.

It had been a year since the prince returned home, as his father felt it was time for him to learn how to rule the kingdom that would one day be his. But during his long absence, the prince seemed to have changed completely. From being a cheerful and carefree boy, he had become a gloomy and thoughtful man. The king couldn't understand what had caused such a change. He worried about it constantly until he came up with an explanation—the young man was in love!

Now, the prince never spoke about his feelings—in fact, he hardly spoke at all; and the father knew that if he wanted to understand his son's sadness, he would have to start the conversation. So one day, after dinner, he took his son by the arm and led him into a room filled with portraits of beautiful maidens, each more lovely than the last.

"My dear boy," he said, "you seem very sad; perhaps after all your travels, it's dull for you here alone with me. It would be much better if you married, and I have gathered here the portraits of the most beautiful women in the world of a rank equal to yours. Choose which one you would like for a wife, and I will send an envoy to her father to ask for her hand."