The Lonely Princess

The Kingdom of Glora was home to Princess Isabella, a friendly young lady who was loved by the whole kingdom. She had two elder sisters, Rose and Juliette, but she was nothing like them. Rose was quite charming, but she was no match to Juliette. Nevertheless, they were both mean to Isabella because they were considered conventionally beautiful. They teased Isabella for her plain appearance and simplicity, and always made fun of her for playing with her toys. They coaxed her to dress up more, but Isabella paid no heed to her sisters and continued to play with her toys. She loved her dolls as they never called her names, but she often felt lonely. King Paul, her father, was distressed at the sorrow of his youngest child, and although he tried to spend his free time with her, he was often called away for extended periods because of his royal duties.

On a bright summer morning, the prince of the Kingdom of Meadow-Hill, Geoffrey, arrived in the Kingdom of Glora, seeking a bride. He was a year younger than Juliette, a year older than Rose, and two years older than Isabella. All the sisters were eager to meet the handsome prince. Prince Geoffrey first spoke to Juliette, praising her beautiful tresses. Flattered, Juliette told him how lovingly she took care of her hair. Geoffrey soon got tired of the conversation and tried to strike a conversation with Rose. To impress the young prince, Rose began describing her father’s court and talking about all the famous personalities in it. When Prince Geoffrey could hear no more, he decided to meet Isabella. As soon as he met her, he was awestruck by her beauty. Juliette and Rose scoffed at Isabelle, berating her unkempt hair. When the prince said she had beautiful eyes, both Rose and Juliette declared that all the sisters had beautiful eyes. Prince Geoffrey said, “She is blessed with beautiful eyes indeed. But she plays with toys!” Juliette countered, trying to make young Isabella appear childish. “So what? Even I like playing with dolls.” Taking out a small doll from his pocket, he introduced it to everyone as Jane, his oldest friend. Isabella, delighted, offered to introduce him to her friends. When he agreed, she led him into the garden, leaving behind her mean sisters.