The Beetle and the Silk Thread
Once upon a time, there was a king named Vanz, who ruled the kingdom of Aratona. The king and queen had a beautiful daughter named Maira. She was a clever princess.
However, Maira was very undisciplined and didn't like to listen to her parents. She loved going into the forest with her friends and spending time in nature, playing with animals.
— Hello, beautiful deer! Are you hungry? Would you like to eat some leaves?
— Hey, shouldn't you be at the royal dinner? — Me? Oh! — It seems the prince from Escasia will also be there. — Girls, I'm not really interested in any prince. The kingdom's rules bore me to death. — Oh, fine. Then, let's go to the river. Come on, girls! — Wow! That's more like it! Haha!
The Royal Dinner and Maira's Absence
Meanwhile, the king and queen sat at the royal table, waiting for Princess Maira to appear.
— Rosie, where is this daughter of yours? — You mean, our daughter? — Yes! She's making a fool of me!
— Do we expect the princess to join us soon? — Oh, I'm afraid not. Because she's been very ill lately. — Aha! I see.
The royal dinner went very well, and the guest prepared to leave. Just as they were leaving the kingdom, they saw Princess Maira coming, giggling and laughing with her friend, Alicya.
— We had so much fun today! — Yes! We should do this again!
This terribly upset King Vanz and Queen Rosie. They said nothing and returned to the kingdom.
The Wizards' Plot
One evening, Princess Maira was playing hide-and-seek with her friends in the forest.
— Five, six, seven, eight. — I'll hide behind her and scare her. Haha! — No! It's the last game tonight. Let's have fun! I'll hide far away. You should do the same. — Nine, ten, ready or not, here I come!
Maira ran and quickly hid in some bushes.
— Ha! She'll never find me here!
Just then, Maira heard some people whispering.
— Tonight, when the moon is full, we'll just have to drip a few drops of this potion through the kingdom's gardens. This will make the royal family so sick that not even the best doctors will be able to save them. Then we'll appear, break the spell, and when the king asks us what we want as a reward, we'll demand he hand over the kingdom to us. If he doesn't obey, we'll lock him up. Hohohoho! What a plan! Haha!
Princess Maira was terrified when she heard this.
— I must tell Mom and Dad before it's too late! — Ha! I caught you! Looks like you weren't ready! — What happened to her? — Something's wrong!
The Ignored Warning
Maira ran to the kingdom to inform the king and queen. The king was very angry.
— Mom, Dad, I was in the forest when... — I don't want to hear about your silly games anymore, Maira! — No, Dad! — I said I don't care! What don't you understand? — Well, it's something very important, so you're going to listen to me! — No, you listen to me! I'm not going to listen to your stories, even if they're about wizards! — That's exactly what it's about! — Oh, enough, Maira! You've embarrassed me enough! Get out of my sight now! — Go to your room, Maira! — Fine, fine! — Also, you must behave like... like a princess! Tomorrow the prince from Escasia is visiting. — And he will ask for your hand in marriage.
Princess Maira got angry and left the salon.
The Visit of Prince Escasia
The next day, the kingdom of Aradona was decorated, because the prince from the neighboring kingdom, Escasia, was coming to ask for the princess's hand in marriage to form an alliance. Princess Maira got dressed reluctantly and waited for him in the salon.
— Pleased to meet you, Princess Maira of Aradon. — Hello, neighboring prince! — Hm, my name is Julius. — Yes, yes, I know, Dad told me.
Maira showed very little interest and acted as if she didn't care at all. After a few attempts, Prince Julius gave up.
Maira's Refusal and Punishment
Later, before leaving, he spoke with King Vanz.
— I hope you enjoyed your stay here, Prince! — Yes, I felt very well, Your Majesty. But I don't think the princess is interested in getting married. She said she wouldn't live that long, because you don't listen to her. — Yes! Haha! This girl is really silly! — Hm. Well. I had a very good time here. Thank you for the warm welcome. But now I must take my leave. — But...
But Julius didn't stop. He had already turned to leave. This terribly upset King Vanz, who immediately went to see Princess Maira. But, when he arrived in her room, he saw that she wasn't there.
