The prince forced every girl to sit on a golden ball covered with sharp spikes. The ball weighed almost 100 kilograms, and the spikes were extremely sharp. But when the 130-kilogram daughter of one of the counts stepped into the center of the hall, she did something that left everyone completely frozen in shock 😳
The prince gathered the most beautiful girls in the kingdom at the palace and announced that one of them would become his wife. He immediately warned them that each of them would first have to pass a special test, but he deliberately did not say what exactly it would be. So the daughters of counts, dukes, and wealthy courtiers arrived at the palace in their finest dresses, convinced that the prince wanted to test their manners, dancing skills, or knowledge of etiquette.
When the doors of the throne room opened, the girls entered one by one and immediately noticed a strange object right in the center of the hall. On the marble floor stood a huge round ball made of pure gold, completely covered with long, sharp spikes. The prince’s most loyal servants had spent several weeks making it, and it weighed almost one hundred kilograms. The spikes were so sharp that even looking at them felt unpleasant.
The prince sat on a high throne surrounded by guards and silently watched the girls for a while. Then he stood up and said:
— My wife will be the one who can pass this test.
One of the girls smiled.
— And what do we have to do, Your Highness?
The prince calmly pointed at the golden ball.
— You have to sit on it and endure it for as long as possible.
A frightened whisper immediately swept through the hall.
— Sit down? On that? — asked a girl in a blue dress.
— Exactly, — the prince replied.
Several of the participants exchanged glances. Some of them immediately turned pale, because it was obvious that sitting on such a ball without feeling pain or getting hurt was almost impossible.
The first to step forward was the daughter of a wealthy duke. She carefully approached the ball and tried to lower herself onto the spikes, but immediately screamed and jumped back up.
— I can’t!
The next girl lasted only a few seconds. The third did not even dare to sit down completely and immediately stepped aside. One after another, the girls tried to complete the task, but none of them lasted very long. Some cried, some became angry, and others refused to participate as soon as they saw the spikes up close.
The prince said almost nothing the entire time.
When most of the girls had already taken the test, a servant announced the name of the final participant.
The daughter of one of the counts stepped forward.
She was different from the others. The girl weighed about one hundred and thirty kilograms, had a large build, and had faced mockery over her appearance her entire life. The moment she appeared among the other beauties, several girls immediately began exchanging glances.
— Did she come here to become the prince’s wife too? — a blonde in a silver dress said with a quiet smirk.
Her friend laughed.
— Apparently. Though if I were her, I wouldn’t even step into the center.
The girl heard everything, but she kept walking. When it became clear that she was heading toward the golden ball, the mocking grew even louder.
— Wait, — said one of the participants. — Are we sure the ball can hold her?
Several girls laughed.
— It weighs one hundred kilograms, — another replied. — And she probably weighs even more.
— Then the prince will have to order a new one, — added a third. — This one is about to get flattened.
Laughter rolled through the hall. The girl stopped for a second, but then continued walking.
— Careful! — someone shouted from behind. — If she sits down, the spikes will simply break!
— I’m more worried about the floor, — another replied. — What if the ball falls through with her?
Even some of the courtiers could not hold back their smiles. One of the girls the count’s daughter passed looked at her with contempt.
— Why did you even come here? Do you really think the prince will choose you over all of us?
The girl stopped and looked at her calmly.
— I came here to pass the test, not to ask for your permission.
For a few seconds, the area around them grew quieter.
But the blonde in the silver dress smirked again.
— Then sit down. Let’s see how long you last.
The count’s daughter approached the golden ball.
Now even she could see just how sharp the spikes were. But suddenly, the 130-kilogram count’s daughter did something that left the entire palace completely frozen in shock 😳😱 The continuation of the story can be found in the first comment 👇👇
The girl understood perfectly well that it would hurt, but after everything she had heard, she no longer wanted to back down. She carefully gathered her dress in her hands, took a deep breath, and slowly lowered herself onto the ball.
A few laughs rippled through the hall again.
Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. The count’s daughter did not move.
She sat with her back straight and her hands tightly clenched. The pain was intense, her face turned pale, but she remained silent.
After one minute, the hall became noticeably quieter.
— Why isn’t she getting up? — one of the participants asked, no longer smiling.
— I don’t know.
A second minute passed. The girl was still sitting there.
Sweat appeared on her forehead, her fingers were trembling, but she continued to look straight at the prince.
Another minute passed.
Now no one was laughing anymore.
The prince slowly rose from his throne, walked down the steps, and approached the count’s daughter. He could see how much pain she was in, but he could also see that she was not asking him to stop the test and was not trying to gain anyone’s pity.
Finally, he held out his hand to her.
— Enough.
The prince helped her stand and turned to the others.
— I did not arrange this test to find out which of you is the most beautiful, — he said. — There are enough beautiful girls in this hall.
Everyone remained silent.
— I wanted to see who could endure pain when she wanted to give up, and who would not break when everyone was laughing at her.
Then the prince took the count’s daughter by the hand and announced before the entire hall:
— The test is over. I have made my choice.
