For four long years, the same bizarre selection had been held inside the royal palace.
Adrian was the kingdom’s only heir, and his advisers had been pressuring him to marry for years. Young women from wealthy families, foreign princesses, and women renowned throughout the kingdom for their beauty traveled to the palace hoping to become the future queen.
But Adrian had one unusual requirement.
“My future wife must have perfect legs.”
At first, people assumed it was simply another eccentric demand from a privileged young heir. But Adrian was completely serious.
He ordered the palace craftsmen to construct a peculiar device made from wood and metal. It featured two tall, narrow sections covered with markings and fitted with small movable plates.
Every candidate was required to step inside the device, position herself carefully, and remain completely still for several seconds.
No one was told exactly what the mysterious machine was designed to measure.
The candidates began preparing months in advance. Some went on strict diets, others took dance lessons to improve their posture and walking style, while many bought specially designed shoes intended to make their legs appear longer and more elegant.
Yet the result was always the same.
Adrian would study the measurements, remain expressionless, and simply say:
“Next.”
One after another, the candidates failed to meet his mysterious standard.
Hundreds of women went through the unusual test over the years, but Adrian never selected a bride.
Then, one day, another selection was announced.
The enormous palace hall was filled with dozens of candidates dressed in expensive gowns. Royal guards stood along the walls while Master Leon, an elderly craftsman who had designed and maintained the strange device, carefully inspected it before the testing began.
Everything appeared normal—until a new candidate reached the end of the line.
Her name was Emma.
Unlike the other women, Emma was short and curvy. She wore a simple burgundy dress that stood out among the elaborate gowns surrounding her.
Several candidates looked at her in surprise.
Then they began whispering and laughing.
“Is she really going to take the leg test?”
“Maybe nobody told her what this selection is for.”
Emma heard the comments.
But she didn’t respond.
She simply stood quietly and waited for her turn.
When her name was finally called, even Master Leon seemed uncertain.
“My lady,” he said cautiously, “the device is rather narrow. It may be uncomfortable.”
More laughter came from the crowd.
Emma looked at the old master without becoming upset.
“If the rules are the same for everyone,” she replied calmly, “then I want to try.”
Her answer immediately changed the atmosphere.
Until that moment, Adrian had shown almost no interest in the candidates standing before him. But when he heard Emma’s words, he finally looked up.
“Let her take the test.”
The laughter stopped.
The entire hall became silent.
Emma slowly walked toward the strange device. She took a deep breath and carefully positioned herself inside the two golden sections.
Master Leon adjusted the movable plates and checked the markings.
Everyone watched.
Some of the candidates were still trying to hide their smiles, convinced that Emma had no chance of passing a test that had defeated hundreds of supposedly perfect women.
Emma remained completely still.
The master examined the measurements.
Then he looked again.
His expression suddenly changed.
He checked the device a second time, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The whispers in the hall disappeared.
Even Adrian leaned forward.
For four years, the heir had watched the same machine produce one disappointing result after another. He had never stood up for any candidate.
But this time was different.
Master Leon slowly turned toward the royal heir.
And when Adrian saw the final measurement, something happened that nobody in the palace had ever witnessed before.
The heir rose from his seat.
The entire hall froze.
The girl everyone had laughed at moments earlier had produced a result that none of the other candidates had managed to achieve.
But what exactly had the mysterious device measured—and why had Emma passed the test when hundreds of women considered “perfect” had failed?
The answer was about to change the royal heir’s understanding of what “perfect” really meant.
