Once upon a time, there was a king who had twelve daughters, each as beautiful as a fairy.
The king kept a close watch on them, making them sleep in the same room and locking the door at night.
One day, the king discovered that all his daughters’ shoes were worn out, as if they had been dancing all night.
This continued for some time.
The king became restless and wanted to know where his daughters went and who they danced with.
He tried to uncover the truth but failed.
So, the king issued a proclamation: if anyone could uncover the mystery, they could marry their favorite princess and inherit the throne.
But if they failed to find the answer within three days, they would be executed.
Several men came forward but all failed and lost their lives.
One day, an old soldier passed through the kingdom.
While passing through a forest, he helped an old woman.
The two began chatting, and the old woman asked him where he was headed.
The soldier replied, “I’m injured and have no family. I don’t know where to go.”
The old woman said, “Did you see the king’s proclamation? If you can uncover the secret of the twelve princesses, you can marry one and become king.”
“Are you joking? You must have heard that many men have lost their lives trying. It’s not an easy task.”
“You helped me, so I’ll help you. Remember my words: don’t drink the wine the princess offers you. Pour it out and pretend to fall asleep.”
The old woman then handed him a cloak and said, “This is an invisibility cloak. When you wear it, you’ll be invisible. Follow the princesses, and you’ll discover where they go and with whom they dance.”
The soldier went to the king and offered to uncover the princesses’ secret.
The king brought him to meet the princesses.
The eldest princess warmly offered him wine, but the soldier, remembering the old woman’s words, quietly poured it out and pretended to fall into a deep sleep.
The eldest princess laughed and told the others, “Another fool has come to die.”
They began to dress up.
The youngest princess, feeling uneasy, said something felt wrong, but the eldest princess mocked her for being silly and cowardly.
After dressing up, the twelve princesses looked even more beautiful.
They approached the bed, and the eldest princess clapped her hands.
Suddenly, the bed sank, revealing a door in the floor.
The princesses, led by the eldest, descended through the door.
The soldier quickly donned the invisibility cloak and followed them.
At one point, he accidentally stepped on the youngest princess’s dress.
She cried out, saying someone had stepped on her dress, but the eldest princess continued to mock her for being overly suspicious.
After descending the stairs, they entered a small forest where the trees had silver leaves.
They passed through the forest into another, where the trees had golden leaves.
Then, they entered a third forest, where the trees had leaves of diamonds.
The soldier broke off a branch from each forest as evidence.
Each time he broke a branch, the “snap” sound startled the cautious youngest princess, but the eldest princess’s teasing unintentionally saved him each time.
Beyond the forest, they arrived at a lake, where twelve small boats awaited, each with a prince.
The princes eagerly greeted the princesses as they arrived.
The twelve princesses each boarded a boat, and the soldier chose the youngest princess’s boat.
As the prince rowed, he remarked, “Strange, the boat is much heavier than usual, as if there’s an extra person.”
The youngest princess felt suspicious but didn’t dare say anything, instead comforting the prince.
The prince struggled to row the boat to the other side of the lake.
Upon arrival, a magnificent palace stood before them, with melodious music playing inside.
The princes escorted the princesses into the palace, where they began to dance.
The lively scene made the soldier so happy that he also began to dance. Wearing the invisibility cloak, no one could see him.
When someone served wine to the princesses, the soldier drank it.
The princesses were astonished to find that although their wine glasses had just been filled, they were empty as soon as they brought them to their lips.
The youngest princess was terrified, and even the eldest princess became a bit anxious, though she still insisted that the youngest princess was making a fuss.
Finally, the soldier took a golden cup as further evidence.
After the ball, the princesses’ shoes were worn out.
The princes rowed the princesses back across the lake.
This time, the soldier boarded the eldest princess’s boat.
After they returned, the soldier quickly ran back upstairs, removed the invisibility cloak, and pretended to be asleep.
The princesses returned and, seeing him still asleep, were relieved.
The next day, the soldier brought the three branches and the golden cup to the king and told him everything he had witnessed.
The king summoned the twelve princesses for confirmation, and faced with the evidence, they had no choice but to confess.
The king said to the soldier, “You have uncovered the truth for me, so I must fulfill my promise. Which princess would you like to marry?”
The soldier replied, “I’m not young anymore, so I’ll choose the eldest princess.”
The king arranged their wedding, and later passed the throne to him.
👉 Very Short Story
Once upon a time, there was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters.
For a while, the king noticed a strange phenomenon: every morning, the shoes of the twelve princesses were worn out, as if they had danced all night long.
However, the king couldn’t figure out where the princesses had gone or with whom they had danced.
The king issued a decree: anyone who could uncover the truth would be allowed to marry their favorite princess and inherit the throne.
Many tried but failed.
One day, a soldier who was passing through the kingdom helped an old woman in the forest.
When the old woman heard that he was homeless, she gave him a cloak and said, “This is an invisibility cloak. Wear it and follow the princesses, and you will find out where they go and who they dance with at night. You will also be able to marry your favorite princess and inherit the throne. Remember, don’t drink the wine offered by the princesses.”
The soldier went to the king and claimed he could solve the mystery of the twelve princesses.
The king brought him to meet the princesses.
That night, the eldest princess handed him a glass of wine.
The soldier secretly poured the wine away and pretended to fall asleep.
The twelve princesses, believing he was asleep, dressed up and went to the bed.
With a clap, the bed sank, revealing a door in the floor, and they descended through it.
The soldier quickly put on the invisibility cloak and followed them.
They went down the stairs and arrived at a forest where the leaves on the trees were made of silver.
Then they passed through a second forest with leaves made of gold.
Finally, they reached a third forest where the leaves were made of diamonds.
In each forest, the soldier broke off a branch as evidence.
Eventually, they arrived at a lake where twelve small boats awaited them, each with a prince.
The princes helped the princesses into the boats.
The soldier also boarded one of the boats.
On the other side of the lake, there was a magnificent palace.
The twelve princes and princesses began to dance.
The soldier, still invisible, joined in the dancing and drinking.
He even took a golden cup as further evidence.
The next day, the soldier went to the king with the three branches and the golden cup, telling him everything he had seen the previous night.
Faced with the evidence, the twelve princesses had no choice but to confess.
In the end, the soldier married the eldest princess and inherited the throne.
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